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In only two days, more than 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, a person close to the company said.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2025

Over half a million ‘TikTok refugees’ flock to China's RedNote app

In only two days, more than 700,000 new users have reportedly joined Xiaohongshu, a popular networking app known for lifestyle content and product recommendations.
Akutagawa Prize winners (from left) Jose Ando, author of "Dtopia" and Yui Suzuki, author of "Goethe wa Subete o Itta," and Naoki Prize winner Shin Iyohara, author of "Ai o Tsugu Umi."
CULTURE / Books
Jan 15, 2025

Japan's most prestigious literary awards go to a trio of contemporary voices

Jose Ando and Yui Suzuki take home Akutagawa honors, while Shin Iyohara nabs the Naoki Prize.
Agriculture minister Taku Eto speaks during a meeting on measures against bird flu at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2025

Bird flu cases surge as new year begins

So far in January, as many as 13 bird flu cases have been confirmed at chicken farms across the country.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb attends a news conference on Tuesday in Helsinki.
WORLD
Jan 15, 2025

'Holiday is over' and Europe must boost defense, Finnish president says

Concern about the region's security has mounted after the severing of several subsea telecom and power cables in recent months.
If it is banned in the United States, TikTok plans that users attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2025

TikTok preparing to shut down app in U.S. on Sunday, sources say

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering issuing an executive order to suspend enforcement of a shutdown for 60 to 90 days.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump at the White House in Washington in November last year.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 16, 2025

Biden to hand unfinished agenda to Trump for a chaotic Middle East

Joe Biden's Middle East record is likely to be remembered not so much for how conflicts ended on his watch, but mainly for how they unfolded.
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on houses in Gaza City on Jan. 4
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Jan 16, 2025

How many Palestinians has Israel's Gaza offensive killed?

The official Palestinian Health Ministry count of more than 46,600 Palestinian dead is disputed by Israeli officials but is seen by the U.N. as an undercount.
Red strawberry-flavored candy. The Red No. 3 artificial coloring will no longer be allowed in U.S. food or ingested drugs starting Jan. 15, 2027, according to a Food and Drug Administration document posted online.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 16, 2025

U.S. bans cancer-linked Red No. 3 coloring in cereal and other foods

The artificial coloring will no longer be allowed in U.S. food or ingested drugs starting Jan. 15, 2027.
Firefighters battle flames during the Eaton Fire in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 7
WORLD / Society
Jan 16, 2025

Hundreds of firefighters 'just get up and go' to aid Los Angeles

"We all got into this as a service, to make somebody's day better at the worst time."
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 16, 2025

Biden warns U.S. faces oligarchy as Trump looms over legacy

In a final Oval Office speech, Biden urged Americans to join together but quickly warned about a dangerous concentration of wealth in the U.S.
Bristol's Ilona Maher poses for selfies with fans after a match in Bristol, Britain, on Jan. 5.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 16, 2025

Ilona Maher urges rugby to do more to grow game ahead of Women's Rugby World Cup

Maher urged rugby to break free from its self-imposed shackles.
A NATO Star logo flag flies at NATO headquarters in Brussels in 2018.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2025

Mission of Japan to NATO separates from the Japanese Embassy in Brussels

The move is intended to boost security cooperation between Japan and NATO.
Iga Swiatek hits a return against Rebecca Sramkova during their match at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2025

Dominant Iga Swiatek sets up clash against Emma Raducanu at Australian Open

Swiatek will face former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu, who beat Amanda Anisimova, for a place in the last 16.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is hoping to lead his team to an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 16, 2025

Chiefs set to begin quest for three-peat with matchup against Texans

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 6-0 during the divisional round in his career.
U.K. Secretary of State for Defence John Healey (center left) shakes hands with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (center right) at the Ministry of Defence in London on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2025

Japan and U.K. defense chiefs talk of deepening ties as fighter program progresses

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his British counterpart backed the quick formation of a joint venture for developing their new fighter jet with Italy.
A helicopter drops water on the Palisades fire near the Sullivan Canyon area of Los Angeles on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 16, 2025

Los Angeles wildfires test how Democrats aim to counter Trump

California's governor has undertaken a media blitz, accusing Donald Trump of spreading disinformation and daring him to visit the state.
"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 19, 2025

For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’

Begun as a response to Asian-directed violence during the pandemic, the “Very Asian” series of cookbooks-slash-cultural primers turns its gaze toward Japan.
One of the brighest spots of Japan's indie gaming landscape in 2024 was Sonokuni, and with more incubators and other avenues of support springing up, there may be more games like it in the future.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jan 21, 2025

Japan-made games part of a rising tide of indie greatness

With games developed by lone individuals rivaling the quality of major studios, it's time to reconsider what makes an indie game indie.
A map of the hypocentral region of an anticipated Nankai Trough earthquake
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 16, 2025

Possibility of Nankai Trough megaquake now 80%, government panel reports

Last year, the likelihood of an earthquake in the zone had been projected at “between 70% and 80%.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has signaled it's likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it isn't sold by its Chinese parent company by Jan. 19. U.S. politicians in both major parties, however, are seeking ways to keep the video-sharing app accessible for Americans.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2025

TikTok allies close to Trump and Biden race to delay ban

The app, owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., faces a deadline of Jan. 19 to find a U.S. buyer in order to continue operating in the country.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2025

Ishiba Cabinet approval inches up to 28.2%

The Democratic Party for the People led the opposition camp in public support for the first time in the January poll.
Israeli soldiers stand on a tank, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 17, 2025

How Qatar gambled on a Gaza truce, and won

The wealthy peninsula, bordered by oil giant Saudi Arabia, took the strategic decision to play deal-maker decades ago.
From the mid-2000s onward, Ryuichi Sakamoto created a number of installation works, often in collaboration with Shiro Takatani, of multimedia art collective Dumb Type.
CULTURE / Art
Jan 17, 2025

A slow dive into ‘a moment and an eternity’ with Ryuichi Sakamoto

New exhibition “Seeing Sound, Hearing Time” is the first comprehensive overview of the musician’s installation work presented in Japan.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jan 17, 2025

American ‘oligarchy’ decried by Biden gained $1.5 trillion in his term

The 100 wealthiest Americans got more than $1.5 trillion richer over the last four years.
Nintendo said it will reveal its next-generation Switch 2 on April 2, setting in motion the retirement of the nearly eight-year-old flagship model.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2025

Nintendo hopes to reprise blockbuster Switch with 2025 successor

It will host several "Nintendo Switch 2 Experience" events in major cities around the world from April 4 to give gamers an opportunity to test the new console.
What does the year hold for Japan? Make your own predictions using some key phrases.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 17, 2025

Let’s make some predictions about what will happen in the year ahead

The start of the new year comes with expectations as to how the following months will unfold. Learn how to respond to what others predict.
SpaceX's Starship rocket after launching from South Padre Island near Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2025

SpaceX's Starship breaks up in space, forcing flights to divert

Video footage showed orange balls of light streaking across the sky over the Haitian capital of Port-Au-Prince, leaving trails of smoke behind.
Sunflowers grow in an empty plot of land in 1995 in Kobe where a home once stood before being destroyed by the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2025

30 years after the Kobe earthquake, sunflowers serve as a ray of hope

The sunflowers that grew in an empty plot of land in Kobe became the topic of picture books and textbooks.
Alberto "Beto" Carrasco" (center) and his compatriots in Namnam Space
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Jan 20, 2025

Namnam reborn: A queer, anarchist space resettles in Tokyo's Koenji

After previous incarnations in Shinjuku Ni-chome and Kawasaki, Namnam is bringing art, music and camaraderie to a new neighborhood.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is one of the leading candidates for the NFL MVP award this season.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 17, 2025

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson headline high-profile showdown in divisional round

Both players epitomize the modern preference for quarterbacks who can not only throw with pinpoint accuracy but can also be a threat running the ball.

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