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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's visit to the U.S. for talks with Donald Trump yielded moderate success, highlighting the strategic focus of the American presidents second administration.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 9, 2025

So far, so good for Ishiba — at least for now

It's safe to say, Ishiba’s visit to the U.S. went well. But we mustn't become complacent.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump, at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka in 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 10, 2025

Trump's plan for U.S. to own Gaza provokes rebuke from Middle East

Trump's idea to take over and redevelop Gaza faces mounting opposition, with Jordan's King Abdullah calling it a dangerous plan that could destabilize the region.
An Afghan woman sits with her children along the roadside in Kandahar on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 10, 2025

Pakistan to force tens of thousands of Afghan refugees out of the capital

Pakistan has ordered Afghan refugees in Islamabad to leave by March 31, as Trump’s refugee ban leaves thousands in limbo.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 10, 2025

Trump says U.S. making progress on talks with Russia to end war

Trump says he will meet Putin "at an appropriate time" to discuss ending the war, but no date has been set.
Saburo Kita (a pseudonym, left) submits a claim for forced sterilization compensation on Jan. 17 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 10, 2025

Japan enforces compensation law for forced sterilization victims

Under the new law, victims of forced sterilization will receive ¥15 million in compensation, while their spouses will be entitled to ¥5 million.
Semiconductor chips on a printed circuit board in in 2023. Chinese companies' dramatic increase in legacy chip production capacity in recent years has forced Taiwanese foundries to retreat or pursue more advanced and specialty processes.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2025

Taiwan's legacy chip sector contemplates future as China eats into share​

Strong funding support from Beijing and an embrace of lower margins have enabled Chinese foundries to undercut Taiwanese rivals on price.
Jalen Hurts celebrates after the Eagles' win over the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 10, 2025

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts silences critics with Super Bowl title and MVP award

The 26-year-old quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.
Tsuneo Yamaguchi, head of the Nihon Dobutsu Kaigo Center (right), takes in a border collie that was affected by the disaster in the Ishikawa town of Uchinada, from its owner.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2025

Nonprofit continues to care for pets displaced by Noto earthquake

One owner left their dog at the center after being unable to find an evacuation center that would accommodate pets.
The Marquis de Sade’s original rolled manuscript called Le Rouleau de la Bastille of “Les 120 jours de Sodome ou l’ecole du libertinage” (“The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinage”) is displayed before being auctioned in Paris in November 2017. 
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2025

The Marquis de Sade’s guide to cancel culture

The Marquis de Sade’s legacy proves that even the most reviled figures can outlast cancellation.
Former England assistant Steve Holland is preparing for his first match in charge of Marinos.
SOCCER
Feb 10, 2025

Steve Holland set to begin life with Yokohama in AFC Champions League

Yokohama, which lost in last season's final under Australian Harry Kewell, is at home against Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday.
Fuji Media's headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 10, 2025

Fuji Media shares rise to 17-year high on Rheos’ 5% stake

Rheos, which manages a popular fund called Hifumi, holds 5.12% of Fuji Media shares after building its stake from Jan. 20 to Thursday.
A set of miniature "hina" dolls from the late Edo Period (1603-1868), collected by hina furnishings researcher Yumiko Kawauchi
CULTURE
Feb 10, 2025

Miniatures bring hidden worlds to life at Tokyo cultural site

A set of dolls from the late Edo Period is among the items on display on the premises of Hotel Gajoen Tokyo.
Debt servicing costs are estimated to increase, reflecting the Bank of Japan's interest rate hikes.
BUSINESS
Feb 10, 2025

Japan's government debt climbs to record ¥1.32 quadrillion

The combined balance of Japanese government bonds, borrowings and financing bills swelled by ¥7.2 trillion from the end of September 2024.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte attends a news conference in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Friday. Would-be senators elected on May 12 face a duty few bargained for — as jurists in the impeachment trial of Duterte.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

Duterte's future in balance as Philippine election season kicks off

Would-be senators elected during the May 12 vote will be jurists in the impeachment trial of the vice president.
SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son announces  the Stargate Project, an artificial intelligence venture with OpenAI, during a news conference in Tokyo on Feb. 3.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 11, 2025

SoftBank eyes debt-heavy financing for $500 billion AI push

SoftBank and OpenAI’s push to build out tens of gigawatts of datacenter capacity has the potential to be the biggest rollout of computing power ever.
Billionaire Elon Musk's bid is likely to ratchet up longstanding tensions with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the future of the ChatGPT maker at the heart of a boom in generative AI technology.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2025

Musk-led group makes $97.4 billion bid for control of OpenAI

The move was another salvo in billionaire Elon Musk's fight to block the AI startup from transitioning to a for-profit firm.
An unmanned Hamadori drone developed by Japanese company Space Entertainment Laboratory and equipped with various sensor options for surveys is displayed at the Japan Drone 2020 exhibition at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba in September 2020.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2025

Japan exploring drone production capabilities for military aid program

Tokyo has begun asking local firms about their capabilities to determine which systems it could provide under the next tranche of security assistance in fiscal 2025 and beyond.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia exits after his match against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semifinals of the men's singles at the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 24.
TENNIS
Feb 11, 2025

Djokovic 'almost 100%' after injury, aiming for 100th title in Doha

The 24-time Grand Slam champion retired due to a hamstring injury in his semifinal against Alexander Zverev last month.
"I hope skaters who train here will go on to shine on the world stage," Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada told the Japan Times at Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a skating rink in Tachikawa, Tokyo, whose establishment she was involved in, on Jan. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 11, 2025

Mao Asada sets out to safeguard the future of Japanese skating

Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a project that involved the three-time world champion, has become a dream destination for skaters.
YouTube has evolved from a dinner party lark 20 years ago into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake U.S. cable television in paid viewership.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2025

YouTube, the online video powerhouse, turns 20

The video hosting site has gone from hosting a 19-second clip titled "Me at the Zoo" to becoming the world's largest in terms of time spent and ad revenue.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during the AI Action Summit in Paris on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2025

France and EU promise to cut red tape on artificial intelligence technology

European lawmakers last year approved the bloc's artificial intelligence law, the world's first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology.
Firefighters work at a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

Trump funding freeze threatens Ukraine probe of alleged Russian war crimes

At stake are six U.S.-funded projects at the Prosecutor General's Office valued at $89 million, according to a Ukrainian document on the U.S. funding and cuts.
People walk past a banner that reads "no to divorce" outside the Quiapo Church in Manila. The Philippines is one of just two countries — along with Vatican City — where divorce is illegal, and the Catholic Church retains a powerful grip on society and outsize influence on politics.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 11, 2025

Philippine divorce activists vow to fight on

The Philippines is one of just two countries — along with Vatican City — where divorce remains illegal.
Palestinians leave their homes for safety during a raid by the Israeli army in the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank on Monday.
WORLD
Feb 11, 2025

In West Bank, Israeli army operation batters war-depleted economy

Economic contraction is estimated to have more than doubled the short-term poverty rate from 12% in 2023 to 28% by mid-2024.
U.S. President Donald Trump made reference to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who has competed as a woman, in a speech after signing an order on transgender participation in sports, calling her "a male boxer."
SPORTS
Feb 11, 2025

Trump order on transgender athletes clashes with international norms

There was no immediate outpouring of support from international organizations for the U.S. president's move.
President Donald Trump shows a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast track of Hurricane Dorian that was altered with a black marker in Washington on Sept. 4, 2019.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 11, 2025

NOAA told to make list of climate-related grants, setting off fears

Staff members were given a list and told to identify which could be "potentially impacted” by one of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
A suspected victim of modern slavery who was initially denied state support after Britain introduced a tougher immigration policy, in London on Sept. 19
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

U.K.'s tougher immigration policy risks trapping victims in modern slavery

The protections created under Britain's Modern Slavery Act have been eroded by rules introduced in 2023 to curb illegal migration.
Donald Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he accused of being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics."
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 11, 2025

U.S aid freeze risks handing influence to China in Beijing's backyard

Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he accused of being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 12, 2025

China removes buoy in Japan's EEZ near Senkakus amid warming ties

The buoy’s removal comes as Beijing looks to further improve relations with Tokyo — and drive a wedge between the U.S. and Japan.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance waves during a bilateral meeting with the president of the European Commission held at the Chief of Mission's residence at the U.S. embassy in Paris on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2025

Vance warns Europe against overregulating emerging AI

JD Vance’s appearance in Paris is his first major engagement on his first foreign trip as Donald Trump’s vice president.

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