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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 11, 2024

Israel may have violated international law, U.S. report says

The Biden administration said Israel may have violated international law, but it won’t stop the flow of weapons and bombs to a key ally.
Attendees arrive for Microsoft's event on AI technologies in Jakarta on April 30.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
May 11, 2024

Tech giants start to treat Southeast Asia like the next big thing

After decades of playing second fiddle to China and Japan, the region of about 675 million people is drawing more tech investment than ever.
A woman speaks of her experience of being sent to Macau by an overseas prostitution broker during an interview in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on April 8.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 12, 2024

Three men rearrested over brokering of overseas prostitution

The men sent between 200 and 300 Japanese women to brothels in the United States, Canada and Australia over three years, bringing in roughly ¥200 million.
Military paramedics treat a wounded Ukrainian service member, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region of Ukraine on Sunday.
WORLD
May 12, 2024

Ukraine's military chief warns of difficult situation in Kharkiv region

Ukraine is currently on the defensive against Russia, which has a significant advantage in manpower and munitions.
The eighth edition of the Yokohama Triennale, held at the Yokohama Museum of Art, opened in March this year with the theme “Wild Grass: Our Lives."
CULTURE / Art
May 14, 2024

Yokohama Triennale's eighth edition makes room for context

Curators Liu Ding and Carol Yinghua Lu's dynamic and vital show positions art at the vanguard of social change.
East Japan Railway has set out a strict policy of not yielding to unreasonable demands from customers. The government and ruling parties are considering a labor law revision to strengthen measures against "customer harassment."
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2024

Japan mulls legislation against customer harassment

46.8% of union members said they had experienced customer harassment in the past two years, according to a survey this year by UA Zensen.
An image provided by I.J. Glasspool shows a microscopic view of 200-million-year-old charcoal from Greenland. By digging into the geologic record, scientists are learning how wildfires shaped — and were shaped by — climate change long ago.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 14, 2024

From ancient charcoal, hints of wildfires to come

For more than 90% of the Earth's history, the planet’s atmosphere and continents lacked the oxygen and kindling required to sustain a flame.
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound.
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2024

Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours

The two-day music festival showcases Japan's growing and diversifying hip-hop scene through local acts such as Awich and Jumadiba.
Work is underway to restore water supply pipes in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in February.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 16, 2024

Japan centralizes water supply and sewage administration

The infrastructure ministry aims to advance integrated initiatives covering both water supply and sewage systems in addressing aging infrastructure.
Employees place items into boxes and envelopes at an Amazon fulfillment center.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

Amazon workers say they struggle to afford food and rent

Amazon has long been criticized for its treatment of employees
Zhang Yufei was among the 23 Chinese swimmer who tested positive for a banned substance months before the Tokyo Olympics.
OLYMPICS
May 16, 2024

World Anti-Doping Agency combating trust issues ahead of Paris Olympics

WADA is facing a allegations it helped cover up the positive tests of elite Chinese swimmers before the Tokyo Olympics.
Job-seekers line up for interviews at a job fair in Chinchwad, India, in 2019.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2024

After Cambodia crypto scam, Indians demand more jobs at home

Unemployment is a leading concern in the ongoing general election that ends on June 1.
Investigators are looking into whether the robberies were carried out by the same suspects.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024

Tochigi police suspect two men held over theft linked to similar crimes

The Tochigi police formed a joint investigation team with the Gunma and Nagano prefectural police after similar cases were reported in their respective prefectures.
The year 2023 was the hottest in recorded history. The next warmest 25 have all occurred since 1996.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2024

It’s officially hotter than anytime since the birth of Jesus

Tree rings hold records that can go back thousands of years, giving us the perspective we need to understand what’s happening today.
Art OnO, which took place from April 19 to 21 in Seoul, featured a modest number of 36 participating galleries from 15 countries.
CULTURE / Art
May 17, 2024

Seoul's eclectic Art OnO shines light on Japan's artists and galleries

Japanese contributions accounted for almost a third of the non-Seoul based booths at the art fair's inaugural event, which featured artists such as Yoshitomo Nara and Hisao Domoto.
A plant set up at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Sewerage's Sunamachi Water Reclamation Center in Koto Ward to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge
JAPAN / Society
May 17, 2024

Tokyo to recycle phosphorus from sewage sludge for farm fertilizer

Phosphorus, along with nitrogen and potassium, is a crucial component of fertilizers.
Edison just turned 15, which is hard to believe given the energy he has on his walks.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
May 20, 2024

After the Noto quake, Edison needs a new loving home

The fact that he used to be kept outside may be the reason behind why he loves nothing more than a warm blanket and a heater.
A news broadcast on a screen at a Seoul railway station shows file footage of a past North Korean missile test.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 17, 2024

North Korea fires multiple short-range missiles, Seoul says

The launches came just hours after the powerful sister of the North's leader denied allegations of sending weapons to Russia.
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon as seen from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, on May 10.
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
May 18, 2024

'Danger behind the beauty': More solar storms could be heading our way

For those charged with protecting Earth from powerful solar storms such as the one that caused the recent auroras, a threat lurks beneath the stunning colors.
Hikaru Sasaki was rearrested in Tokyo on Sunday on suspicion of murder over the case of the burned bodies of a couple found in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, last month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 19, 2024

Second suspect hit with murder charge over bodies found in Tochigi

Police served the fresh arrest warrant to Hikaru Sasaki, one of six people held over the case of a Tokyo businessman and his wife whose bodies were burned.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang (from left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are expected to meet in Seoul on May 26 and 27.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2024

Japan, China and South Korea eye economics and infectious disease fight in joint statement

But another focus will be whether the three countries will be able to keep in step over issues related to nuclear-armed North Korea.
Donald Trump's courtroom drama reflects a broader battle over power in America, from legal allegations to political allegiances.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2024

King Trump's trial and the fight for America’s future

If Donald Trump’s allies are signaling loyalty by attending his trial, it seems reasonable to question what exactly they are demonstrating loyalty to.
Mrauk U, in Myanmar's Rakhine state, in June 2019. Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the Arakan Army attacked security forces in November.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 20, 2024

U.N. warns of further 'atrocities' in Myanmar

Clashes have rocked Rakhine state since the Arakan Army attacked security forces in November.
Padres starter Yu Darvish pitches against the Braves during the second inning in Atlanta on Sunday. The Padres won 9-1, and Darvish earned his 200th pro victory between North America and Japan.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 20, 2024

Yu Darvish earns 200th career victory as Padres rout Braves

Darvish is the third pitcher with 200 wins between MLB and Japan after Hiroki Kuroda (203) and Hideo Nomo (201).
Despite the proximity of Pingtan island to Taiwan, many there were unaware of Lai's inauguration on Monday — or even sure who the man Beijing has described as a "dangerous separatist" was.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 21, 2024

Taiwan inauguration barely makes ripples across strait in China

Many were unaware about the events taking place in Taipei, and some didn't even know who Lai Ching-te, the island's new president, was.
Passengers onboard a self-driving vehicle in Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture, last year
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2024

Japan targets 30% share in next-generation cars

The 30% target was included in a new strategy released by the ministries for software development for next-generation vehicles with advanced digital technologies.
People hold pictures of victims of the contaminated blood scandal, at a vigil to remember those that lost their lives, ahead of the release of the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, in London on Sunday.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 21, 2024

Probe into infected blood scandal slams U.K. state over ‘chilling’ cover-up

More than 30,000 people were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C in the U.K. in the 1970s and 1980s after receiving treatments with contaminated blood products.
Norinchukin Bank is one of Japan’s largest institutional investors with a ¥55.9 trillion ($357 billion) securities portfolio, and bonds make up more than half of its investments.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2024

Norinchukin weighs $7.7 billion fundraise to cover bond loss

As a result of restructuring its securities portfolio, the Tokyo-based bank may book about ¥500 billion in losses for the current fiscal year, one source said.
Demonstrators during a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2024

Thousands protest contentious Taiwan parliament reforms

The protests in Taiwan outside parliament, and a raucous session inside, demonstrate the feverish political atmosphere facing new President Lai Ching-te.
View of the apparent remains of a ballistic missile, as it lies in the desert near the Dead Sea, following a massive missile and drone attack by Iran on Israel, in southern Israel on April 21.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2024

After Israel defense, U.S. seeks to entice Gulf allies on missile shield

It's unclear whether Gulf allies have the same confidence the U.S. would rush to their defense, say experts.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji