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Former CDP executive Kenji Eda discusses a possible reduction of the consumption tax rate, in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 17, 2025

CDP divisions over proposed tax cut pose headache for Yoshihiko Noda

The nation’s largest opposition party is preparing for the Upper House poll in July, in which it hopes to win enough seats to make a CDP-led coalition government possible.
Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, speaks at the IMF headquarters in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2025

World economy likely to avoid recession despite tariffs, IMF chief says

Donald Trump's stop-start tariff have fueled levels of market volatility unseen since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steve Holland helped Marinos reach the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League Elite, but poor league results led to the end of his tenure with the club.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 21, 2025

Steve Holland runs out of time at Marinos amid poor results and bad breaks

The 54-year-old was dismissed on April 18 with the club languishing in the lower reaches of the J1 table.
A trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Monday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 29, 2025

After 100 days under Trump, investors reassess the allure of 'brand USA'

The market has seen significant rallies fueled in part by trade negotiation optimism, but investors remain concerned about the longevity and strength of any bounce-back.
For centuries, artisans have unraveled strands of the fibrous bark of "shuro" trees to create a medley of everyday objects. Designer Kazuki Nagasawa is now transforming the traditional material into ethereal contemporary pieces.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 9, 2025

Kazuki Nagasawa's sustainable designs are rooted in tradition

The recent SaloneSatellite Award-winner transforms a humble bark, long used by artisans to craft everyday objects, into ethereal works of contemporary design.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent takes questions at the White House on April 29. Bessent, a former hedge fund manager, is leading trade talks with China in Geneva.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2025

U.S. and China conclude first day of talks in bid to ease trade war

U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiators had "a very good meeting” on their first day of an effort to deescalate the rivals' trade war.
Workers sew garments along a production line at Thanh Cong Textile Garment in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on April 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 12, 2025

Chinese factories are looking for the next China

Tariffs have resulted in the cost of sending products to the United States soaring in recent weeks, forcing companies to find new trade routes.
Kyoto's gaming landscape is dominated by Nintendo's headquarters, but a contingent of foreign-born indie developers is also working in the gaming giant's shadow.
LIFE / Digital
May 17, 2025

In Nintendo’s backyard, foreign indie game devs are thriving

“Of course, we’re all in the shadow of Nintendo, but we’re also here because of Nintendo,” says one British indie game developer.
China’s Made in China 2025 program set an ambitious agenda, and a decade later, initial assessments conclude it had mixed success but maintain its goals will shape Chinese policy for years to come.
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2025

Ten years of Made in China 2025 sees mixed success

MIC2025 set an ambitious agenda, and a decade later, early reviews say it has had mixed success but maintain that its goals will shape Chinese policy for years to come.
A female Osaka prosecutor in her 50s speaks about how she was sexually assaulted, at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 21, 2025

Female prosecutor says she experienced secondary victimization in rape case

The prosecutor said the prosecutors office where she worked turned a blind eye after she reported the case, and slanderous comments about her spread at work.
A notice sent from the Sendai Municipal Government to those denied entry to an after-school care facility
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Jun 16, 2025

Sendai faces growing waitlist at after-school care facilities

The Sendai government has been working to expand the capacity of such programs, but many of them are still full.
A Japanese actress known for voicing Hello Kitty sparked national debate with an anti-immigration blog post, highlighting rising tensions over Japan’s growing foreign population and the government's slow response to related concerns.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 12, 2025

Cultural anxiety and Japan's immigration pains

Japan must address legitimate public worries without inflaming xenophobia — or risk populist backlash.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei listens to the national anthem as Air Force officers salute during a meeting in Tehran in February.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 18, 2025

Iran supreme leader sees his inner circle hollowed out by Israel

The killings of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's main military and security advisers has left major holes in his inner circle, raising the risk of strategic errors.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with representatives of international news agencies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum  in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 19, 2025

Putin says NATO rearmament not a 'threat' to Russia

NATO will hold a crucial summit in The Hague next week to discuss increasing defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product.
Tsutomu Uchida has experimented with various cultivation techniques since he started growing avocados in Shizuoka Prefecture in October 2020.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Jun 22, 2025

As Japan warms, avocados emerge as an unlikely savior for farmers

In traditional mikan strongholds like Shizuoka, farmers are growing increasingly concerned about future production and seeing opportunities with avocados.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, speak during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday.
WORLD
Jun 27, 2025

No known intel that Iran moved uranium, says U.S. defense chief in fiery presser

Experts have cautioned that Iran likely moved its stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched nuclear material before the strikes, and could be hiding it.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra waves after Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended her from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, at the Government House in Bangkok on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 2, 2025

Thai leader’s suspension deals new blow to battered economy

Thailand is mired in slow growth, with households burdened by debt, a budget bill outstanding and the threat of U.S. tariffs weighing down expectations.
A person wears a mask depicting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the back of the head during the Budapest Pride March on June 28.
WORLD / Society
Jul 7, 2025

Inside Budapest Pride: How organizers defied Orban's ban

The team behind the parade in Budapest went offline, meeting in private behind closed doors with everyone leaving their laptops and phones outside.
Mourners pay their respects to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday in the city of Nara where he was shot to death while giving a stump speech three years ago.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Jul 8, 2025

Three years after Abe's shooting, where do things stand?

The criminal trial against the alleged shooter is proceeding at a snail's pace due to the sensitivity, complexity and social impact of the case.
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jul 9, 2025

New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way

Modern cooling infrastructure will likely have few sumo fans wishing for a return to the hot and muggy Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
As crypto adoption grows and Bitcoin hits new highs, a surge in violent attacks, kidnappings and hacks targeting holders underscores the steep and often overlooked cost of being your own bank in a cashless world.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2025

Crypto crime is the future. Bank heists are history.

Banks are no longer easy or juicy targets for robbers, with heists down more than 80% since the 1990s as branches close and piles of cash hoarded in safes become a rarity.
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2025

Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies

Farming communities, a key base for the Liberal Democratic Party, are increasingly voicing their distress at how the rice situation is being handled.
An advertisement for Louis Vuitton in Kuala Lumpur on Friday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 29, 2025

U.S. tariffs to test pricing by luxury brands already paying for dramatic hikes

Estimates suggest big luxury companies already raised prices by 33% on average between 2019 and 2023.
Pan Gongsheng
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 29, 2023

China’s central bank chief is taskmaster Xi couldn’t let retire

Pan Gongsheng is expected to turn around growth slowdown for the world's second largest economy and safeguard the $60 trillion domestic financial system.
American skateboarder Nyjah Huston, seen at a party in Beverly Hills, California, celebrating the one-year countdown to the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, says he has recovered from an ACL tear he suffered a year ago.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Aug 1, 2023

American Nyjah Huston ramping up for Olympic redemption in Paris

The 33-year-old said his Tokyo 2020 performance was not too surprising given he had struggled at other fan-free competitions during the pandemic.
Paris Saint-Germain players line up before the team's club friendly against Inter Milan at Tokyo's National Stadium on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Aug 2, 2023

Second straight tour shows PSG's commitment to Japanese market

The French superclub has experienced explosive growth in its global base, especially in Asia, since its 2011 takeover by Qatari ownership.
If you've come to the realization that divorce is the only way forward, there are a host of details about the Japanese marriage system to confirm before you're finally ready to cut ties.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Aug 21, 2023

Navigating the notorious gauntlet of divorce in Japan

Everyone wishes for “happily ever after” no matter where you’re from, but Japan recorded 1,671 bicultural divorces in 2021.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, right, speaks during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao in Beijing on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 29, 2023

U.S. commerce secretary says trade can stabilize U.S.-China ties

The trip to China this week is a key test of efforts by Washington to ease tensions while holding firm on what it considers national security interests.
Arm U.S. headquarters in San Jose, California
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

Arm’s CEO is pitching a made-for-you chip strategy ahead of IPO

The company is shifting its strategy, now focusing on doing complex design work on specific products, tailored for what it sees as key areas of growth.
Lina Khan, chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), speaks during an interview in Washington on Tuesday. The FTC has sued Amazon.com, accusing the e-commerce giant of monopolizing online marketplace services by degrading quality for shoppers and overcharging sellers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2023

U.S. trade watchdog sues Amazon.com in landmark antitrust case

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and 17 states accuse the e-commerce giant of excluding rivals in online marketplace services and stifling competition.

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Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear