Search - people

 
 
A voter takes a photograph of a candidate running for a Tokyo assembly seat, in Tokyo on June 21.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 27, 2025

Lawmaker hints at new social media regulations as misinformation taints elections

Under a new law, social media sites can remove posts defaming political candidates if creators don't respond within two days, but lawmakers say that's too long.
Investigators say the group chat members were using pseudonyms to hide their identities, suggesting they were largely unaware of each other’s true backgrounds.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2025

Teachers sharing indecent photos of girls in a group chat elicits outrage in Japan

The coordinated voyeurism of the teachers came as a strong shock, undermining people's confidence in those in the role.
Wimbledon will not employ line judges for the first time in its 148-year history this year.
TENNIS
Jun 27, 2025

Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges

Jamie Baker, the tournament director says
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that terror victims can sue the Palestinian Authority and PLO in American courts, a decision likely to impact future cases and the law.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2025

Foreign terror has a price in U.S. courts

The lower courts dismissed the cases on the ground that they lacked jurisdiction over the defendants. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague on Wednesday. He expressed anger and threatened to sue over media reports claiming the U.S. strike on Iran delayed its nuclear program by only a few months.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2025

Airstrikes won’t end Iran’s nuclear ambitions — diplomacy might

The consensus of the U.S. intelligence community earlier this year was that Iran was up to three years away from being able to deliver a nuclear weapon to a target of its choosing.
Plaintiffs of lawsuits on welfare benefit reductions hold up signs celebrating their victory in Tokyo on Friday following the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of them.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2025

Japan's Supreme Court finds welfare benefit cuts unlawful

The top court revoked the welfare cuts but dismissed plaintiffs' damages claims.
An Italian court on Thursday found three Japanese nationals guilty over polluting water with PFAS, often referred to as "forever chemicals."
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 27, 2025

Three Japanese nationals found guilty over PFAS pollution in Italy

The three were among 11 defendants sentenced to prison terms of between two years and 18 years over their roles in the PFAS contamination.
Fans bid fareweel to the four pandas residing at Adventure World in Wakyama Prefecture on Friday, their last viewing day before being returned to China on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2025

Fans bid farewell to four pandas in Kansai ahead of return to China

Rauhin, 24, and her three daughters — 8-year-old Yuihin, 6-year-old Saihin and 4-year-old Fuhin — will be transferred to China on Saturday.
Self-Defense Forces soldiers take part in an evacuation drill, at Nama Hama Beach on Yonaguni island, Japan's westernmost inhabited island in Okinawa Prefecture, in November 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2025

Japan aims to complete Yonaguni evacuation shelter in 2028

The project was started bearing in mind a possible emergency over Taiwan in the Nansei southwestern island region.
People push a cart to receive water to distribute to neighbors in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 5, 2024, after a massive earthquake hit the area.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 28, 2025

Megaquake may hit central Japan within next 30 years, government panel says

There is a 16% to 18% chance of a large temblor hitting the Kinki western region and Hokuriku central region, according to a government panel.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama looks on during an event for The Assam Tribune and Dainik Asam newspapers in Guwahati, India, in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jun 28, 2025

Tibetans face up to uncertain future as Dalai Lama turns 90

Tibetans in exile celebrate the birthday of the spiritual leader next week, an occasion overshadowed by uncertainty about the future of the role.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi attempts a free kick during his club's match against Egypt's Al Ahly on June 14 in Miami.
SOCCER
Jun 28, 2025

From Messi to Auckland City, magic shining through Club World Cup issues

The Club World Cup's various problems have been well documented, from empty seats to extreme heat. But there has also been plenty to enjoy about the tournament so far.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joel Vowell, the deputy commanding general of United States Army Pacific (fourth from right), walks with soldiers during the Khaan Quest 2025 exercises on June 15 at the Five Hills Training Area in Mongolia.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 29, 2025

U.S. Army capable of countering China’s plans to keep it at bay, top general says

Increased firepower, cutting-edge tech and greater interoperability with regional allies and partners are key for U.S. deterrence.
Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda's foreign minister (left), U.S. Vice President JD Vance, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, Democratic Republic of the Congo foreign minister, at the White House in Washington on Friday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 28, 2025

Rwanda and Congo sign peace deal in U.S. after rebel sweep

The two countries pledged to pull back support for guerrillas while U.S. President Donald Trump boasted of securing mineral wealth.
The BayStars' Trevor Bauer pitches during a game at Jingu Stadium in May.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jun 29, 2025

BayStars' Trevor Bauer dejected and searching for answers as slump continues

Bauer has lost four straight decisions and allowed 19 runs in his last 20⅓ innings. 
Coco Gauff takes part in a practice session on Friday ahead of Wimbledon.
TENNIS
Jun 29, 2025

Cautious Gauff targets 'Channel Slam' at Wimbledon

The last woman to win Wimbledon and the French Open in the same year was Serena Williams, who accomplished the feat in 2002 and again in 2015.
Jack Draper takes part in a practice session on Saturday ahead of the start of Wimbledon.
TENNIS
Jun 29, 2025

Draper ready to fill Murray's shoes as Britain's Wimbledon hope

Murray retired following the 2024 Paris Olympics, but British world No. 4 Draper has already emerged as a worthy successor to the 38-year-old.
The total number of people who sat for police departments' exams in Japan during fiscal 2023 fell by more than 20% from fiscal 2021, while 30% of applicants who received informal job offers turned them down.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2025

Police in most prefectures miss hiring targets

Around 30% of the applicants given informal offers in many prefectures end up turning them down.
Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim speaks during the first exhibition organized by the Czech Center Taipei in the Taiwanese capital in June last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2025

Taiwan VP says she will not be intimidated after Czechs allege Chinese plot

A Chinese diplomat ran a red light while following her car, while other Chinese operatives had planned to stage a demonstrative car crash.
People buy ice cream in Rome, near the Vatican, on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 29, 2025

Europe bakes in summer's first heatwave as continent warms

According to Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Europe has been warming at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s.
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Jun 29, 2025

As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity

With hot weather and a growing population, the region is becoming a key growth market for Daikin and other players. But experts warn of a vicious cycle leading to more emissions.
Roger Federer salutes the crowd prior to an exhibition match in Shanghai last October.
TENNIS
Jun 29, 2025

Roger Federer's long-term deals make him a tennis billionaire

Federer, who won 20 Grand Slams between 2003 and 2018, amassed $130.6 million in prize money during a 24-year playing career, but made far more off the court.
In a world rocked by war and shifting power, Pope Leo XIV steps into the global spotlight, seeking unity and moral authority for a diverse and wounded flock — not with force, but through tradition, saints and patience.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2025

How many saints can Pope Leo add to his army?

When the world goes off kilter, words from the Vatican can seem toothless. But don’t underestimate the power of the Church’s long game.
Kazuhiro Asano (center left) receives a commemorative gift with his family as the 10 millionth visitor to the Osaka Expo on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2025

Osaka Expo visitors top 10 million

"The number of customers is increasing more and more, at a faster pace than we thought," Secretary-General Hiroyuki Ishige said during the event in the Expo venue.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a news conference in Tokyo last Monday. Ishiba said that he will do his utmost to ensure the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito secures an overall majority in the upper house of parliament when voters head to the polls in July.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2025

Ishiba cautious about expanding ruling coalition

At a conference hosted by a private policy proposal group, Ishiba also expressed support for the idea of establishing a nonpartisan consultative body on social security reform.
President Lee Jae Myung has nominated Koo Yun-cheol to be his administration’s new finance minister.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2025

South Korea's Lee names Koo Yun-cheol finance minister and makes other picks

Koo, a former vice finance minister, still needs to go through parliament hearings before being confirmed as finance minister.
Japanese seafood in a supermarket in Hong Kong in July 2023
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2025

China partially lifts ban on Japanese seafood imports in bid to ease frictions

Tokyo labeled the move “a major turning point,” though improving the relationship still faces hurdles over China’s military moves near Japan.
Beachgoers wait in an underground bomb shelter after sirens sounded to warn of an incoming Iranian missile attack in Tel Aviv on June 20. Iran has found itself humbled after a ceasefire was declared but retains plenty of capacity to hit back.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2025

Israel emerges stronger from Iran war but risks blowback

Israel building military positions beyond its borders in Syria and Lebanon opened the country to risks of repercussions from regional partners wary of its assertiveness.
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2025

From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan

There is plenty of room for Lego to grow in Japan, but the low birth rate is undeniably a challenge.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2025

U.K. considers envoy for Britons held abroad

Cases like jailed Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and imprisoned Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai have highlighted the issue.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan