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JAPAN
Oct 26, 2022

Ogushi admits signing Unification Church 'policy accord'

The Chief Cabinet Secretary demanded that Ogushi thoroughly investigate the matter, give explanations and cut ties with the group.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 26, 2022

Tokyo takes over as host of 2023 Sumo World Championships

Amateur sumo's most prestigious tournament will return to the capital for the first time since 1998, replacing Russia which was scheduled to host this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2022

Japan expected to keep last central bank negative interest rate

Explaining the refusal to shift gears is getting harder and such doggedness risks triggering a fresh downward spiral for the embattled yen.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2022

Shigeyuki Goto tapped as Japan's new economic revitalization minister

Daishiro Yamagiwa stepped down from the post over his ties with the controversial Unification Church, and the prime minister will be hoping the change eases criticism over the issue.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2022

Japan wary of Xi's more hard-line stance on Taiwan

Tokyo is planning to call on China through dialogue to exercise restraint on its assertive moves in the region.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Oct 25, 2022

Booked, cooked and shook: My experience getting LASIK in Japan

Writer Kat Joplin provides a first-hand account of getting LASIK at a medical center in Japan, and reveals whether it was worth it in the end.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2022

U.K.'s Rishi Sunak to become PM after rivals quit leadership race

Just weeks after failing in a first attempt to lead the ruling Tories, Sunak has capped a stunning reversal in fortunes.
World Rugby chief Bill Beaumont has welcomed a study of the impact of collisions on the heads of rugby players.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 7, 2023

Largest ever head impact study in community rugby welcomed

The study used smart mouthguard technology, which will be obligatory in training and matches in elite rugby from next year.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla, discusses artificial intelligence in London on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 7, 2023

Elon Musk's X curtails disinformation research, spurring legal fears

Restrictions on critical methods of gathering data on the platform have suppressed the ability to untangle the origin and spread of false information.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng attends a news conference in Beijing on Sept. 25.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 7, 2023

China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng confirmed as economy czar

With the transition to He, China’s financial sector policies may see a shift in focus.
Meta has said it will bar political advertisers from using Facebook's generative AI tools.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2023

Meta to restrict use of generative AI tools in political adverts

The move may limit campaigns' access to tools lawmakers have warned could turbocharge the spread of election misinformation.
An Israeli military unit fires from an undisclosed location near the Gaza Strip border on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 7, 2023

Israel vows to take 'security responsibility' of Gaza after war

The remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came as the Hamas-run health ministry said the death toll in Gaza had surged past 10,000.
Japan's real wages dropped 2.4% in September from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2023

Japan's wages and spending extend declines in test for BOJ policy

Japan's real wages dropped 2.4% in September from a year earlier.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's approval ratings have dropped significantly with his economic stimulus package being met with disapproval.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 7, 2023

Kishida is so unpopular, he can't even give money away

Kishida has seen his popularity plummet as his tax rebate leaves residents with the impression that it’s just a cynical ploy to win votes.
New Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (left) and and his predecessor, Wen Jiabao (center), attend the 12th National People's Congress where Chinese President Xi Jinping was first elected in Beijing in March 2013.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2023

China's opaque politics and the Li Keqiang mystery

Li reportedly had bypass surgery and was taking drugs after a liver transplant, both of which would have increased the risk of a heart attack.
People wait for the arrival of a train going west, in Kherson, Ukraine, on Oct. 31.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 7, 2023

Ukraine’s secret plan to save a city trapped in purgatory

Since Russian troops were pushed out of the city of Kherson, they have bombed it relentlessly. Closely held river operations could change that.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa attend a working dinner during G7 ministerial meetings, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2023

G7 support for Ukraine will not waver due to Gaza crisis, Japan says

The G7 nations, as well as the European Union, meet in Tokyo on Nov. 7 to 8 to discuss issues including the Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza crisis.
Tiger Woods competes at the British Open in July 2022.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Nov 8, 2023

Tiger Woods to own and play for Florida team in virtual golf league

The team will begin play in January when TGL launches its inaugural season at a custom-built arena in Florida.
Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at a press conference during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit, at Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 8, 2023

Malaysian PM shores up support at home with fiery anti-Israel views

Anwar Ibrahim has become Asia’s most outspoken leader against the war in Gaza and its backers in the U.S. and Europe.
A scheduling conflict resolves the diplomatic issue of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee's participation in the APEC forum being hosted by the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2023

Resolving Hong Kong conundrum key to U.S.-China APEC summit

Four U.S. lawmakers urged the State Department to bar Hong Kong leader John Lee, calling him a “human rights abuser.”
Oil storage tanks at Eneos' Negishi refinery in the Keihin industrial area of Yokohama. The firm said Wednesday that its full-year profit result was expected to increase by 67% from last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2023

Eneos raises full-year profit forecast on higher oil, weaker yen

The refiner said its full-year result was expected to increase by 67% from last year.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend a news conference after visiting the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Australia’s Albanese to face anti-nuclear push at Pacific talks

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is beginning 24 hours of intensive meetings between the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Displaced residents of the city of Gaza walk to the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Tens of thousands flee as Israel tightens 'stranglehold' on Gaza

U.N. rights chief Volker Turk described Israel's collective punishment of Palestinian civilians and their forcible evacuation as war crimes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poses for a photo with soldiers as he visits an Israeli army base in Tze'elim, Israel, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Lack of consensus as Netanyahu seeks security control over Gaza

Diplomats say rebuilding physical infrastructure and reconstructing governance of the area will present a colossal challenge.
Buildings in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai. China's yuan weakened past the closely watched 7.2-per-dollar level as investor sentiment soured on a lack of aggressive stimulus and Beijing signaled a level of comfort about the declines.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 9, 2023

China is struggling woo back foreign investors

The lack of investment among global firms in China may have far reaching effects on the world’s second-largest economy.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Troubled 2025 Osaka Expo could see further cost increases

Amid numerous challenges, Osaka officials hope no further discussions on increasing the budget of the troubled event will be needed.

Longform

Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?