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Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani poses with President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman at Ohtani's introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium on Dec. 14, 2023.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 13, 2025

Dodgers' Andrew Friedman hails team's growing Japan connection

“I think the atmosphere is going to be electric. ... I think it’s the closest I’ll ever get to traveling with the Beatles."
Rolled steel is stored at a Hyundai Steel plant in Dangjin, South Korea, in 2011.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 13, 2025

South Korean steelmakers eye U.S. investments as Trump tariffs kick in

Posco and Hyundai Steel say investments in operations in the U.S. are among their options. Meanwhile, European steel mills warn of a flood of surplus metal.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends an Upper House Budget Committee session in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 13, 2025

How Upper House pressure led to Ishiba's stunning reversal on medical cost caps

An unprecedented second amendment to Japan's budget shows opposition in the Lower House is not the only external pressure to which the government is exposed.
Alimentation Couche-Tard founder and executive chairman Alain Bouchard (left) and President Alex Miller hold a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2025

Alimentation Couche-Tard ramps up campaign to take over Seven & I

The Canadian convenience store giant and owner of Circle-K has sought to combat skepticism surrounding the deal, most recently with a news conference in Tokyo.
Participants perform Kagami Biraki (the opening of the sake barrel) at an event promoting this year's World Exposition held at the Japanese Embassy in Brasilia on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2025

Japan embassy in Brazil holds Osaka Expo promotional event

The tourism promotion event comes as this year marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries being established.
Dodgers stars (from left) Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki disembark at Haneda Airport after arriving on Thursday for the upcoming MLB Tokyo Series games at Tokyo Dome.
BASEBALL
Mar 13, 2025

Hundreds of fans vie for glimpse of homecoming MLB hero Ohtani

The roughly 500 fans who waited at Tokyo's Haneda airport did not get a chance to welcome their hero, with strict security measures in place.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the prime minister's official residence on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2025

Opposition blasts Ishiba over gift certificates given to LDP lawmakers

Ishiba gave gift certificates worth ¥100,000 each to over 10 new lawmakers, sources have said. The prime minister apologized but said the move was not illegal.
Alcohol is shaping up to be a key friction point in the brewing trade war.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 14, 2025

Trump threatens tariffs on European wine and spirits in escalating trade war

The threat came in response to a European Union plan to impose tariffs on American whiskey and other products next month.
Officials from Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), the Ministry of National Defense’s research arm, say the lessons from the Ukraine conflict are clear for the democratic island: drones and other autonomous systems are crucial for its defense.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 14, 2025

Drones, budgets and infighting: Taiwan's daunting defense challenges

In bridging its military gap with China, Taiwan needs to both overcome key technical challenges of asymmetric warfare.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 14, 2025

Americans worry Trump is too closely aligned with Russia, poll finds

The two-day poll also found little appetite among Americans for Trump's expansionist agenda.
George Glass, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Japan, speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2025

Trump's ambassador pick to press Japan to spend more to host U.S. troops

The remarks by George Glass were the latest volley from the Trump administration to target Japan, following comments by other nominees.
Microchips are a major source of "forever chemicals” that are linked to cancer and other health problems.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 14, 2025

As chips race spews ‘forever chemicals,’ startups emerge to destroy them

A wave of companies are offering potential solutions that won’t cut the chemicals out of the supply chain but destroy them.
"We sincerely apologize for our failure to promptly stop the spread of unauthorized credit card use and act quickly in our response to customers who suffered damage," President Shunsuke Shirakawa told a news conference on Thursday in Tokyo's Chuo Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 14, 2025

Damage from Aeon card fraud in Japan reaches ¥9.9 billion

Such fraudulent transactions have been on the rise since last spring, affecting tens of thousands of Aeon card users.
A hamburger made with "okonomiyaki" savory pancakes
BUSINESS
Mar 14, 2025

Osaka Expo to showcase Japan's food industry

Major conveyor-belt sushi chain Kura Sushi will open a store at the expo featuring it's longest circular conveyor belt ever.
“Ravens” stars Tadanobu Asano as Masahisa Fukase, a real-life figure who was known for his photos of the psychedelic party scene of 1960s Shinjuku, portraits of his wife and images of the ravens of his home prefecture of Hokkaido.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2025

‘Ravens’ is a portrait of art, love and inner demons

Director Mark Gill brings the turbulent life of celebrated photographer Masahisa Fukase into focus in his new film.
Bong Joon-ho’s latest film “Mickey 17” is centered on a man so desperate for work he’s agreed to be endlessly “reprinted” and endlessly killed doing super-risky jobs.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2025

The sci-fi satire 'Mickey 17' might be a classic — someday

Bong Joon-ho's latest dystopian film offers a brutal metaphor for societal inequality.
Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox looks on during the first quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on March 7.
BASKETBALL
Mar 14, 2025

Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox set for season-ending surgery

The 27-year-old was cast in San Antonio as the co-star to second-year standout big man Victor Wembanyama.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during a practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, in Melbourne on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 14, 2025

Leclerc fastest in second Australian GP practice as Hamilton slots fifth

Yuki Tsunoda has a good session in his RB and finished with the fourth-fastest time.
A Red Knot (left) and a Ruddy Turnstone gather with other shorebirds to feed on Atlantic horseshoe eggs along a beach in Little Creek, Delaware.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Mar 14, 2025

Many U.S. bird species seen as reaching population 'tipping point'

A report found that avian populations are decreasing in almost every habitat, including grasslands and arid regions.
K-Ballet Tokyo celebrates its 25th anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 15, 2025

K-Ballet Tokyo marks 25 years of passion and perseverance

The dance company celebrates a milestone anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
A red panda at the central zoo in Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Mar 14, 2025

Nepal community efforts revive red panda population

Conservationists say educational outreach and sustainable livelihood programs helped improve the effectiveness of Nepal's conservation efforts.
Takuya “Moby” Okamoto after Game 5 of the 2016 World Series, which the Cubs went on to win in seven games to snap a 108-year drought
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

In a sea of Dodger Blue, Japanese superfan ready to cheer on the Cubs

The Dodgers may garner the lion's share of attention in Japan among MLB clubs, but don't tell that to Takuya “Moby” Okamoto, Japan's biggest Cubs fan.
After multiple failed attempts, Emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339) and his loyalists overthrew the Kamakura shogunate and restored imperial power — for a time.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Mar 15, 2025

Divine authority and mortal desires in the turbulent 14th century

The literary monk Kenko yearned for an “uncontaminated world,” even during the tumultuous rule of Emperor Go-Daigo, who toppled the shogunate and consolidated imperial power.
Kyoko Watanabe made a home for herself in Ishinomaki after moving there to participate in disaster relief efforts following 3/11, and now operates a business focused on the creative reuse of <i>akiya</i> (abandoned houses).
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 17, 2025

From abandoned houses to ‘creative communities’: An Ishinomaki entrepreneur's vision for rural Japan

Kyoko Watanabe moved to Miyagi Prefecture to help with disaster relief efforts following 3/11. She ended up building a company and a vision for revitalizing rural Japan.
People in Japan appeared to have the smallest difference between the amount of sleep they get on weekdays and weekends, suggesting the lowest incidence of social jet lag.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 14, 2025

People in Japan get the least sleep, Pokemon study finds

Does that make Japan the land of the never-setting sun?
The Nikkei stock average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Many firms on the TSE have price-to-book ratios of less than 1, lowering the perceived quality of the exchange, which should consider taking steps to increase valuations and trading volume.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 14, 2025

Tokyo Stock Exchange must weed out underperforming firms

Tokyo wants to become Asia's top financial hub, but faces big obstacles. Among them, the presence of too many companies with low profitability and growth prospects.
A woman clutches an urn containing the ashes of a loved one during a funeral ceremony for victims of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, at a cemetery in Manila on Wednesday, the day after his arrest.
EDITORIALS
Mar 14, 2025

Duterte may yet pay for his lawless war on drugs

According to the Philippine government, at least 6,252 people died “during anti-drug operations” since July 2016.
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani arrives for practice on Friday at Tokyo Dome.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

Hype reaches fever pitch as Ohtani and the Dodgers get set for games in Tokyo

Shohei Ohtani talked about getting over jet lag and his excitement for the Tokyo Series as the Dodgers prepare to put on a show for Japanese fans.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer takes part in a television interview at the Capitol in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2025

Relief as U.S. Congress averts government shutdown

Lawmakers already reeling from President Donald Trump's radical federal spending cuts voted to keep the lights on through September.
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a video meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on Friday.
WORLD
Mar 15, 2025

Putin tells Ukraine troops in Russian region to 'surrender'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused his Russian counterpart of seeking to sabotage a ceasefire initiative.

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