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An unarmed AGM-86B air-launched cruise missile is released from a B-52 bomber over the Utah Test and Training Range during a Nuclear Weapons System Evaluation Program sortie in September 2014.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2024

Trump advisers call for U.S. nuclear weapons testing if he is elected

A number of nuclear experts reject a resumption as unnecessary and say it would threaten to end a testing moratorium that has been honored for decades.
Yu Darvish, 37, a five-time All-Star, last pitched in a game on May 29.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 7, 2024

Padres put Yu Darvish on restricted list over 'personal matter'

A five-time All-Star, Darvish is 4-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 11 starts this season.
An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on March 9, 2023. On Saturday, Manila accused China of intimidation over its anchoring of its largest coast guard vessel in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 8, 2024

China anchors 'monster ship' in South China Sea: Philippine coast guard

The anchoring of the 165-meter Chinese coast guard vessel in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone is “intimidation,” Manila says.
A sprawling, secretive influence operation is attempting to vilify Qatar, the Gulf state mediating between Israel and Hamas.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2024

Shadow campaign: Global influence op targets Qatar in wartime

The campaign against Qatar shows the ease with which a person or an entire country can be tarnished in the age of disinformation while masking the ultimate perpetrators.
The government aims to increase the number of foreign students in Japan to 400,000 by 2033, despite a recent Justice Ministry ordinance that puts in place tougher rules on accepting overseas applicants.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024

Can Japan boost its foreign student count to 400,000?

The government recently tightened rules for accepting overseas applicants, though it hasn't lost sight of its lofty goal of increasing foreign student numbers.
A gas leak from the Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark, on Sept. 27, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2024

NATO supports work to back up internet by rerouting it to space

The initiative comes amid intensifying fears that Russia or China could mine, sever or otherwise tamper with undersea cables.
Japan's excessive dependence on certain countries for chip imports is a risk to supply networks, government white paper has warned.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 9, 2024

Government white paper flags Japan's risks of import dependencies

The paper stressed the importance of import source diversification, to prevent excessive dependence that poses a risk to supply networks.
Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who served as the chief of staff to Trump's National Security Council, said he has met several European officials in recent days, including foreign ministers.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

Trump foreign policy adviser meets European officials attending NATO summit

Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who served as the chief of staff to Trump's National Security Council, said he had met several European officials.
A truck drives along India's Tezpur-Tawang highway, which runs to the Chinese border, in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Plans for the hydropower stations in the state are expected to be announced in the 2024/2025 federal budget that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will unveil on July 23.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

India races to build power plants in region claimed by China, sources say

The construction of 12 hydropower stations in the northeastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh could raise tensions with Beijing that lays claims to the region.
Interceptions of rockets launched from Lebanon to Israel over the border on June 27
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024

Pagers and drones: How Hezbollah aims to counter Israel's surveillance

Stepped-up attacks on Lebanon's southern border in recent weeks have intensified concerns it could spiral into a full-scale war.
Europe's Ariane 6 rocket takes off in Kourou, French Guiana, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 10, 2024

Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket goes retro in challenge to SpaceX

Reusable rockets and frequent launches "were once aspirational but are now minimal requirements" to compete commercially, said the Rocket Lab CEO and founder.
University of Texas at Austin Anthropology Professor Craig Campbell leads chants with other university faculty members during a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus in Austin, Texas, on May 5.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

Doxxed, disciplined: U.S. students tally price of Gaza protests

Many protesting students fear they will be penalized academically or professionally as they prepare to enter the workforce or return to classes.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 10, 2024

Japan’s megabanks are said to seek deep cuts to BOJ bond buying

The bank’s ¥585 trillion bond stockpile exceeds the world’s fourth-largest economy, making bond players watchful for the BOJ’s next move.
As NATO marks its 75th anniversary, the alliance is looking to engage with Generation Z through social media to explain its importance.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

TikTok, Instagram influencers help aging NATO connect with Gen Z

The move is an acknowledgment that traditional media outlets may not be reaching this key demographic.
A conceptual design of a potential Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO). HOSPO is aiming to become one of Japan’s major domestic spaceports for launching satellite-equipped rockets and spacecraft as well as for the aerospace industry to conduct research and development.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jul 22, 2024

Small Hokkaido town looks to the stars for future growth

Taiki, population 5,300, is home to what is billed as Asia’s first privately operated spaceport — Hokkaido Spaceport.
In order to emphasize its grandeur, architect Gonkuro Kume designed the entrance hall of Nikko Kanaya Hotel's Annex Building with "karahafu" curved gables.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 10, 2024

Nikko Kanaya Hotel: A gateway to the art of Meiji Japan in the hills of Tochigi

Over 150 years on, the structure stands as a remarkable example of Japanese art and architecture in an era known for rapid modernization.
A Palestinian casts his shadow on a damaged wall as he inspects the site of an Israeli strike outside a school sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2024

Gaza airstrike hits gathering at school soccer match, witnesses say

The Israeli military said the strike, which Palestinian officials said killed at least 29 people, targeted a Hamas fighter who took part in the Oct. 7 raid on Israel.
Electronic waste — also known as e-waste — from computers in a junk shop in Metro Manila, Philippines
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 11, 2024

U.N. warns digital economy drive is damaging the environment

The U.N. agency called for sustainable strategies to counter the growing environmental toll digitalization creates, particularly in developing countries.
From a Michelin-star kitchen in Italy to a central-Tokyo gelateria, Masako Minaguchi of Gelato MinNa believes doing what you love should always be a priority.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 11, 2024

Masako Minaguchi: ‘Gelato is full of possibilities’

From a Michelin-star kitchen in Italy to a central-Tokyo gelateria, this foodie believes doing what you love should always be a priority.
The Tokyo District Court has ordered advertising agency Hakuhodo to pay ¥200 million in fines for violating the antimonopoly law in a bid-rigging case linked to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2024

Hakuhodo ordered to pay ¥200 million over Tokyo Games bid-rigging

The firm is the first to receive a court ruling over a high-profile series of cases linked to the Olympics and Paralympics.
When Microsoft took a non-voting, observer position on OpenAI's board in November, it triggered unease among antitrust watchdogs in the European Union, Britain and the United States over how much control it exerts over the artificial intelligence startup.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 11, 2024

Microsoft ditches OpenAI board observer seat to avert antitrust scrutiny

The move comes amid concerns among British and U.S. antitrust watchdogs over Microsoft's influence over OpenAI and the latter's independence.
Tokyo police have arrested four people for allegedly luring their targets into multilevel marketing, using dating apps, last year, despite orders for the suspension of network marketing-related business.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2024

Four arrested in Japan over multilevel marketing using dating apps

The police believe that the four collected a total of some ¥850 million from about 2,000 people in 42 prefectures, including university students.
The members of Glay — (from left) Jiro, Teru, Takuro and Hisashi — are celebrating 30 years of rocking out as a band.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 12, 2024

Glay celebrates three decades of rock greatness

The band's 12-month-long Glay Expo takes the idea of a concert tour to the next level for the anniversary of its major label debut.
Bean might be 5 years old, but he still has the energy and personality of a puppy.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jul 15, 2024

Bean has all the potential for a magical companion

If you need someone to perk you up throughout your days together, Bean may be the perfect pup for you.
Renderings of Saudi Arabia's Neom project in the window of a pop-up store
WORLD / Politics
Jul 12, 2024

Saudi prince’s trillion-dollar makeover faces funding cutbacks

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, is close to completing a sweeping review of megaprojects.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference at the NATO Summit in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 12, 2024

At high-stakes news conference, Biden vows to ‘finish the job’

The U.S. president conceded for the first time that polls show "other people can beat Mr. Trump in the fall” but added that, "it’s hard to start from scratch.”
A down jacket that uses recycled feathers. An Environment Ministry survey has shown that around 60% of newly supplied clothing in Japan is expected to be discarded without being reused.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 12, 2024

Japan aims to recycle 50,000 metric tons of discarded clothing

Large amounts of clothes are being thrown away as a result of massive production amid the spread of fast fashion.
Durian Lollobrigida and his co-hosts — actors Megumi and Chiaki Horan, singer Thelma Aoyama and former “Terrace House” panelist Yoshimi Tokui — offer in-studio commentary on the contestants’ footage in Netflix’s new reality dating show, “The Boyfriend.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 13, 2024

'The Boyfriend' host Durian Lollobrigida puts a face to queer joy

Involvement in Netflix's new reality dating show is just the latest success in the Japanese drag queen's rise.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speak to reporters in Berlin on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 13, 2024

Japanese and German leaders deepen ties with new economic security framework

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaz Scholz agreed on the new mechanism during the Japanese leader's first visit to the country as PM.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 is pictured in space after it lifted off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, in this screenshot from video released on Friday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 13, 2024

SpaceX's Falcon 9 grounded after failure dooms batch of Starlink satellites

The incident marks the first failure in more than seven years of a rocket relied upon by the global space industry.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years