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U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European leaders in Washington on Monday amid signs of U.S. and its NATO partners drifting further apart. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 19, 2025

All is not quiet on the Western front

The Trump-Putin Alaska summit is further evidence that the U.S. and its NATO partners are drifting further apart with each passing month.
Khalid Jamil playing for India on July 24th, 2001. Jamil was this month appointed coach of the national team.
SOCCER
Aug 19, 2025

Global soccer players' union urges India to revive top league

The fate of the Indian Super League, which is usually played between September and April, hangs by a thread.
Omar Garcia Harfuch has earned respect from rank-and-file military and security forces by showing up, gun-in-hand, on the front lines, one source said.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2025

Battle-tested cop is Mexico's hope to tame cartels and placate Trump

Garcia Harfuch has earned praise for helping deliver on Sheinbaum's vision of increased cooperation with the U.S.
A Japanese soldier (Eiji Funakoshi) with tuberculosis struggles to survive in the Filipino countryside during World War II in “Fires on the Plain.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2025

‘Fires on the Plain’: Haunting imagery in restored 1959 war film stands the test of time

Now restored in 4K, Kon Ichikawa’s film is a far from simple survival story that stares into humanity’s darkest corners.
The sun sets over Gaza on Tuesday, as seen from the Israeli side of the border between Gaza and Israel. Mediators Egypt and Qatar have been pushing proposals to restart indirect talks between the sides on a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2025

Israel weighs Hamas offer of 60-day Gaza truce and hostage release

Efforts to pause the fighting gained new momentum over the past week after Israel announced plans to seize control of Gaza City at the heart of the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli women take part in a protest demanding the end of the war in the Gaza Strip near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, close to the Israeli border with Gaza, on Aug. 10.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2025

As Netanyahu expands Gaza war, some reservists grow more disillusioned

They accuse the government — the most far-right administration in Israel's history — of perpetuating the war for political reasons.
A photograph of Akiko Kirkham and her husband, Glenn Kirkham, in their younger days
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2025

Japanese woman faced hardships in Australia after World War II

Memories of the war, such as the Imperial Japanese Army's bombing of Darwin, remained vivid for many Australians, and marriages between Australians and Japanese often faced unease.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on June 5. Soruces say Lutnick has been pushing the idea of the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that receive CHIPS Act funding, and that Trump likes the idea.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 20, 2025

Washington eyeing government stakes in chipmakers given CHIPS Act funds: sources

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is said to be exploring how the U.S. can receive equity stakes in firms such as Micron, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung.
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (right) throws a pass during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Aug. 16.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Aug 20, 2025

Colts name Daniel Jones QB1 as QB2 Anthony Richardson 'respects' call

Signed to a one-year, $14 million contract in the offseason, Jones joined the Colts to take part in an open competition for the job.
Trucks heading toward the Jianxiawo lithium mine, in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China. The U.S. government said it will increase scrutiny of lithium, steel and other materials imported from China.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 20, 2025

U.S. targets Chinese steel and lithium for forced-labor scrutiny

The move fits within Trump's trade goals and previous government action against alleged forced labor in China.
Students visit the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park in late April. Attitudes in Japan are shifting away from the traditional pacifist views that have held sway since the end of World War II.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2025

Trump shock spurs Japan to think about the unthinkable: nuclear arms

There is a growing willingness to loosen the country’s decades-old pledge not to produce, possess or host nuclear weapons in its territory.
Exports fell 2.6% in value in July from a year earlier, posting the biggest downturn since February 2021, led by cars, auto parts and steel.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 20, 2025

Japan’s exports tumble most in four years as U.S. tariff pain intensifies

Exports fell 2.6% in value from a year earlier, sliding more than the median forecast of a 2.1% decline, the Finance Ministry has reported.
Left: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani attends a regional forum in Mecca earlier this year. Right: Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer attends a special session of the Knesset in Jerusalem, in 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2025

Syrian and Israeli diplomats met in Paris to discuss 'de-escalation,' report says

The attempt at diplomacy comes amid tensions as Israel has occupied territory and hit targets across Syria.
A training session at Shikoroyama stable in June 2016. Sumo training sessions are increasingly simulated or the preserve of group tours.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Aug 20, 2025

Is sumo becoming a victim of its own popularity?

In 2025, fans and tourists alike are all too often getting an experience that pales in comparison to what was previously possible.
Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. The former prime minister has signaled he’s ready to take his conciliatory approach to the government to new heights, hinting that the time for clashes with the Liberal Democratic Party is over.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2025

CDP softens stance toward LDP in bid to bolster political center

“Right-wing populism has grown too strong,” CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda said. “Unless the center gains more strength, Japanese politics won’t improve.”
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that a document on his country's trade deal with Japan is being prepared.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 20, 2025

Lutnick: Japan’s $550 billion will be directed by Trump

The U.S. commerce secretary said the funds promised by Tokyo in the course of tariff talks will be deployed to benefit the United States.
A tourist enjoys the Ras Hankorab beach in the Red Sea Wadi Al-Gemal protectorate in southern Egypt. The local environment is under threat amid development projects.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 21, 2025

Tourism deal puts one of Egypt's last wild shores at risk

The shadowy contract, which allows for the construction of a resort on one of the country's last undisturbed Red Sea beaches, was halted but not permanently canceled.
Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby visits BlackSea Technology facilities to view a drone test in Baltimore, Maryland, in June.
WORLD
Aug 21, 2025

The U.S. Navy is building a drone fleet to take on China. It's not going well.

A recent naval test designed to showcase the Pentagon’s top autonomous drone boats ended in failure due to software glitches and human error.
Novak Djokovic in action with Olga Danilovic during their round of 16 mixed doubles match against Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev at the U.S. Open on Tuesday
TENNIS
Aug 21, 2025

Aging Djokovic out to turn back time in push for U.S. Open glory

Djokovic has placed all his chips on New York in what many see as his last realistic shot at Grand Slam glory.
A damaged car in the Liuli River in the Huairou district of Beijing on Aug. 13. Flooding exposed weaknesses in the rural emergency response infrastructure for Beijing, whose urban core is surrounded by several rural districts like Huairou.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 21, 2025

Is historically arid Beijing ready for a wetter future?

Recent floods revealed how historically dry Beijing, home to 22 million people, remains insufficiently prepared for what experts say will be an increasingly wet future.
"'Permanent peace' was uttered for the entire world. I hope there will be peace all over the world," said Michiko Suzuki, granddaughter of former Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2025

Granddaughter conveys former wartime prime minister's wish for peace

Michiko Suzuki, a granddaughter of former Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki, continues to convey his wish for peace through her writings and lectures.
The U.S. military's Marine Air Defense Integrated System is expected to be deployed in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2025

New air defense system to be used in upcoming U.S.-Japan drill

The U.S. military's Marine Air Defense Integrated System is expected to be deployed in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) talks with the main commanders of the Korean People's Army's overseas operations units that participated in the war alongside Russia, at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 21, 2025

North Korea has 'undeclared' ICBM base near China border: report

The facility in North Pyongan province likely houses six to nine nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles and their launchers.
Smoke rises from the US Navy vessel USS New Orleans as water is sprayed to help put out the fire, near the White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 21, 2025

Fire on U.S. Navy ship off Japan put out after burning for 12 hours

Two U.S. sailors were treated for minor injuries from the fire on the USS New Orleans, anchored near Okinawa, the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.
Kazuhiro Nomura, president of BK Japan Holdings, which operates Burger King in Japan
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 21, 2025

Big burgers and bigger ambitions for Japan's Burger King

The fast-food chain has grown fourfold in just six years.
Chatbots are pivoting to the ad model and optimizing for eyeballs, just like social media did. And AI knows more about us than Google or Facebook ever did.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 21, 2025

Ads ruined social media. Now they’re coming to AI.

Imagine a person telling their AI they’re feeling depressed, and the system recommending some affordable holiday destinations or medication to address the problem.
Seven & I Holdings' market value dipped below Aeon for the first time in two decades, as shares in the operator of 7-Eleven stores languish after Alimentation Couche-Tard abandoned its bid for the company.
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2025

Seven & I value eclipsed by Aeon as revamp struggles to impress

Aeon, Japan’s second-biggest grocery conglomerate, reached a market capitalization of ¥5.19 trillion ($35.2 billion) at the close of trading in Tokyo on Thursday.
The entrance of Nissan's global headquarters, in Yokohama
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2025

KKR is a front-runner in Nissan’s $610 million HQ sale

KJR Management, a Japanese real estate unit of KKR, offered around ¥90 billion ($610 million) for the 22-story office building.
A lot of Japanese workers join online group texts to communicate with their coworkers, but at what point do those chats threaten a healthy work-life balance?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 22, 2025

Expressing annoyance with work group chats in Japanese

Some employees value the convenience; others feel trapped by after-hours texts and social expectations embedded in office messaging culture.
A Ukrainian service member throws a grenade during training in the Donbas region, Ukraine, in April. Russia controls about 88% of the Donbas region, according to U.S. estimates and open-source data.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2025

Putin demands Ukraine give up Donbas, not join NATO and no Western troops: sources

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly dismissed the idea of withdrawing from internationally recognized Ukrainian land as part of a deal.

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