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Phishing and its social-engineering cousin "pretexting" together accounted for more than 20% of almost 10,000 data breaches worldwide last year.
WORLD / Society
Jan 30, 2025

Age of deepfakes means internet users must be more alert than ever

AI chatbots powered by large language models save attackers time and allow for more elaborate fake messages.
An attendee records a virtual address by U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2025

Trump threats risk stretching Europe's fragile unity to breaking point

The European Commission urged member states in a private meeting last week to remain united, with some comparing the situation to the Brexit negotiations.
A member of the M23 armed group (center) stands in front of two Guatemalan soldiers from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) as they monitor access to the border crossing into Rwanda on Tuesday.
WORLD
Jan 30, 2025

What is happening in Congo and why are M23 rebels fighting?

The latest advances are part of a major escalation of a decades-old conflict over power, identity and resources.
Shukan Bunshun published an editorial from the editor-in-chief on Thursday apologizing for the inaccuracy in its reporting on the Masahiro Nakai scandal.
JAPAN / Media
Jan 30, 2025

Shukan Bunshun criticized by former Osaka governor for not being upfront about correction

Toru Hashimoto has been critical of how the magazine had not been upfront about the change, despite it being a core issue of the scandal.
Rakuten Group said it no longer plans to list its securities arm on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and will instead focus on deepening its partnership with Mizuho Securities.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 30, 2025

Rakuten scraps plan to list securities unit on Tokyo bourse

The Japanese e-commerce pioneer had planned an initial public offering for Rakuten Securities Holdings as part of a push to shore up finances.
A young couple (Ryuya Wakaba and Mai Fukagawa) fulfill a lifelong dream of moving to the countryside, only to find their new community may have sinister intentions toward them in “Welcome to the Village.”
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2025

‘Welcome to the Village’: Tradition takes a twisted turn in the countryside

The ancient tradition of “murahachibu,” ostracizing community members as punishment, gets a contemporary twist in Hideo Jojo’s slow-burn thriller.
Gensho Yasuda’s “Make a Girl” follows an inventor whose relationship with the robot girlfriend he builds becomes increasingly complicated as she develops an unexpected sense of independence.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2025

Indie animator Gensho Yasuda paves his own way with a DIY spirit

With “Make a Girl,” the young Japanese creator takes the leap from short videos to full-length films.
Takeda Pharmaceutical's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2025

Takeda picks first female CEO of centuries-old drugmaker

Julie Kim, 54, has been running Takeda’s U.S. operations since 2022 and will assume the role of CEO in June next year, subject to shareholder approval, the company said.
Players in Jakarta, Indonesia, take part in the “Red Light, Green Light” game from the Netflix series “Squid Game.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 30, 2025

'Cute and murderous': How the iconic killer doll in 'Squid Game' came to life

Young-hee, the innocent-looking robotic doll who has a deadly role in the mega-hit Netflix series, is partly inspired by the production designer's daughter.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on Thursday about the midair crash between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 31, 2025

Trump blames diversity programs over midair collision

The crash was nation's most deadly commercial airline accident in over a decade.
The GCT Deltaport container terminal at Roberts Bank Port in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, on Sunday
WORLD
Jan 31, 2025

Trump to hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on Saturday

Trump indicated the 25% rate could represent a floor, saying that the tariff levels "may or may not rise with time.”
At 29 kilograms, Fanta’s size may be intimidating, but he’s easygoing and full of tenderness.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jan 31, 2025

Fanta-stic cuddler seeks new home

This gentle giant loves squeaky toys and will make a wonderful companion.
A memorial for the Skating Club of Boston members killed in a midair collision between a passenger plane and a U.S. military helicopter on Wednesday is seen at Tenley E. Albright Performance Center, in Boston on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Jan 31, 2025

Tight-knit U.S. figure skating community mourns skaters lost in plane crash

The athletes, coaches and family members on board the flight were returning from the National Development Camp in Kansas.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce speaks on stage after the AFC championship game in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 31, 2025

Travis Kelce embraces Chiefs' role as villains ahead of Super Bowl

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is offering no apologies for his team's success.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already indicated that the State Department will be instrumental in helping U.S. President Donald Trump achieve his policy to "curb mass migration."
WORLD / Politics
Jan 31, 2025

Rubio to take up Panama canal and migration in Latam visit

The new U.S. secretary of state will find a region reeling from the Trump administration's shock-and-awe approach to diplomacy.
The Spurs' Victor Wembanyama was named as a reserve for the NBA All-Star Game on Thursday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jan 31, 2025

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama makes All-Star team

The 21-year-old Frenchman will be making his NBA All-Star Game debut. 
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet is displayed at the DSEI Japan defense show at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba in March 2023.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 31, 2025

Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss bringing Saudi Arabia into jet project

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said Italy is in favor of Saudi Arabia joining the joint development of a new sixth-generation fighter jet.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a letter to the U.N. stating the U.S.' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, on Jan. 20.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 31, 2025

The global climate order teeters under a second assault from Trump

Inflation and threats to energy security have eroded the political strength of climate-forward leaders and emboldened Trumpian populists around the world.
A Japanese class at a job placement company in Hanoi in 2022. The number of foreign workers in Japan hit a record high in 2024.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2025

Japan’s foreign workforce hits fresh record as labor crisis deepens

Japan had a record 2.3 million foreign workers as of October 2024, marking a 12.4% increase from the previous year.
YouTuber Kazuki Nakata looks at his indoor farm at his home in Kawasaki on Monday. The 37-year-old now has nearly 90,000 subscribers eager to learn how to stretch out store-bought vegetables and grow new ones amid soaring produce prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 31, 2025

Japanese look for creative ways to fight soaring food prices

As the price of agricultural products has risen, Japanese have also been eating less of them.
Ukrainian military vehicles close to the border with Russia’s Kursk region, in Ukraine on Jan. 9.
WORLD
Jan 31, 2025

North Korean troops no longer seen on front lines fighting Ukraine

The North Korean troops, sent to bolster Russian forces trying to push back a Ukrainian offensive inside Russia’s borders, have not been seen at the front line for about two weeks.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani speaks to reporters at the parliamentary building on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2025

Top U.S. and Japan defense officials agree to beef up military ties

The newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, confirmed that the U.S.-Japan defense treaty covers the uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Sebastian Coe speaks during a news conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Jan 31, 2025

Sebastian Coe admits mistakes in handling of prize money issue at Olympics

World Athletics announced its prize money decision unilaterally ahead of last year's Paris Games without consulting the IOC.
Eddie Jones watches warmups before Japan's test against France in Paris on Nov. 9, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jan 31, 2025

Australia lines up test against Eddie Jones and Japan in Tokyo

Japan's Brave Blossoms are coached by Eddie Jones, who took the role after leading Australia to a disastrous finish at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during an Upper House plenary session in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2025

Ishiba aims to get assurances from Trump over Senkaku Islands

Ishiba also said he intends to seek assistance from Trump in resolving the issue of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea decades ago.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow visit St. Sergius monastery, which is considered the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church, in the town of Sergiyev Posad, near Moscow, in June.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 29, 2025

Putin's distortion of Russian spirituality and authority

Vladimir Putin is merely the latest in a series of murderous modernizers stretching from Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great to Catherine the Great and Stalin.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s reluctance to engage with newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump while strengthening ties with China raises concerns about Japan’s strategic priorities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 31, 2025

Ishiba nudges his ‘little Japan’ closer to China

Prime Minister Ishiba’s reluctance to engage with Trump while strengthening ties with China raises concerns about Japan’s strategic priorities and its alliance with the U.S.
Fuji TV executives take questions during a news conference on Monday in Tokyo in which some participants became unruly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2025

Fuji TV’s go-big PR strategy wins grudging praise globally

Fuji TV held a marathon 10-hour news conference on Monday to address allegations of sexual misconduct by Masahiro Nakai, a celebrity and former presenter for the broadcaster.
Dress-up games and dating sims were once forgotten genres, but now expanded player bases are helping to generate major profits.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Feb 1, 2025

Gaming’s feminine side is starting to make big bucks

Two recent releases — a sci-fi dating sim and a souped-up dress-up simulator — are starting to change the conversation around previously dismissed genres.
The first official government survey of Hokkaido backcountry skiing could spell changes for trails in the northern prefecture.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 1, 2025

First official survey set to change backcountry Hokkaido skiing

From October 2024, the land ministry has been gathering opinions on Hokkaido’s alpine adventurers with an eye toward increased support and safety for off-piste enthusiasts.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan