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Foreign Minister Yōko Kamikawa will likely face some institutional challenges in achieving quick and meaningful progress in advancing the United Nation's Women, Peace and Security initiative.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 2, 2024

Japan unveils task force for gender-inclusive security issues

U.N. mandate spurs Japan into action with new task force aimed at enhancing women's roles in global conflict resolution.
Western strategy in the Middle East has been a failure, leaving the region less stable than ever, exemplified by the conflict in Gaza.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2024

Why 'the rest' are rejecting the West

Western strategy in the Middle East has been a failure, leaving the region less stable than ever.
People distribute bags of flour to Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on behalf of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in November. The agency has come under fire after a few of its employees were accused of supporting terrorism.
EDITORIALS
Feb 2, 2024

Hold UNRWA accountable — but don’t harm those in need

Some 30,000 UNRWA employees serve 5 million people in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, with 13,000 of them working in Gaza alone.
Driveline Pacific Rim director Frank Minamino (second from right) poses with Lions pitcher Kaito Yoza (left) Hawks pitcher Shuta Ishikawa (second from left) and the Lions' Kona Takahashi.
BASEBALL
Feb 2, 2024

NPB pitchers embracing Driveline Baseball method

NPB players are working with Driveline Baseball in greater numbers.
The title monster in “Godzilla Minus One” is a threat, of course, but the real story is about finding community in the wake of destruction.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 3, 2024

‘Godzilla Minus One’ stomps into ‘Oppenheimer’ territory

Those movies, along with “The Boy and the Heron,” are essentially in conversation about the moral weight of American and Japanese actions in World War II.
Haas' Kevin Magnussen competes during the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 3, 2024

Haas and new boss Komatsu expecting to start 2024 season at the back

Haas, with Germany's Nico Hulkenberg and Denmark's Kevin Magnussen, finished last in 2023 with only 12 points from 22 races.
Japan's Mone Chiba celebrates after winning the women's competition at the Four Continents championships in Shanghai on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 3, 2024

Japan's Chiba fights off nerves to triumph in women's Four Continents

Chiba's compatriot Rinka Watanabe came second in the free skate, in which she landed a notoriously difficult triple axel.
“Metallic Rouge” centers on android assassins on Mars and explores classic science fiction tropes like whether robots have souls.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Feb 4, 2024

You're spoiled for choice with new anime to watch this winter

From the fantasy series "Delicious in Dungeon" to the sci-fi offering "Metallic Rouge," nearly 50 new shows are airing this season.
Yuma Kagiyama competes in the men's free skate at the Four Continents figure skating championships in Shanghai on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 4, 2024

Japan's Kagiyama smashes competition to take Four Continents title

Kagiyama made an error early in the free skating but his expressive, lightning-quick performance still earned him 200.76 points for a total of 307.58.
A majority of pollen allergy cases in Japan are caused by cedar trees, which cover 18% of Japan’s forests, due mostly to Japan’s forestation policy after World War II.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Feb 4, 2024

As hay fever season approaches, here’s what you need to know to prepare

Your eyes start itching, your nose keeps running and you can’t stop sneezing. It's nearly time for Japan's dreaded hay fever season.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (third from left) visits a navy base in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran. U.S. President Joe Biden is being urged to attack Iran directly, but that may not be the right solution.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 4, 2024

Biden’s air strikes won’t work, nor would hitting Iran

Deterrence, especially as it pertains to air strikes, isn’t only about what U.S. does, but also what Iran thinks.
The Fugaku supercomputer at Riken Center for Computational Science in Kobe in June 2020. Many companies leverage its simulation capabilities to streamline processes, saving labor on experiments and calculations crucial for the development of large products.
BUSINESS
Feb 5, 2024

Fugaku supercomputer tops predecessor in corporate usage

While Fugaku has primarily garnered attention for academic applications it has also proved instrumental in product development.
Prolonged factory deflation is threatening the survival of smaller Chinese exporters, who are locked in relentless price wars for shrinking business as higher interest rates abroad and rising trade protectionism squeeze demand.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Feb 5, 2024

China's small exporters threatened amid price wars and low demand

Producer prices have been falling for 15 straight months, crushing profit margins to the point where industrial output and jobs are now at risk.
Lionel Messi sits on the bench during Inter Milan's friendly against Hong Kong XI in Hong Kong on Sunday.
SOCCER
Feb 5, 2024

Lionel Messi and David Beckham booed after Argentine star sits out Hong Kong friendly

The Hong Kong government said organizers owed fans an explanation after the match.
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2024

Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo

Bound together by shared neglect and marginalization, the group have formed a distinct, social media-linked youth subculture on the streets of Shinjuku.
A Beijing court heard Yang Hengjun's trial in secret in May 2021 and the case against him has never been publicly disclosed. He has denied working as a spy for Australia or the United States.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 5, 2024

Beijing court gives Australian writer suspended death sentence

Yang Hengjun had been accused of spying for a country China has not identified and the details of the case against him have not been made public.
Giant African snails are unpopular among local residents and are referred to as an alien species that shouldn’t be touched, as they damage crops and sometimes hosts rat lungworms.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 19, 2024

Giant African snails mark 90 years of history in Okinawa

The snails, one of the world’s largest of the kind, are native to East Africa, and their shells can grow to as high as 20 centimeters.
Japan's Hiroki Ito stands on the pitch with his teammates after their loss against Iran in the Asian Cup quarterfinals in Doha on Saturday.
SOCCER
Feb 5, 2024

Japan's Asian Cup exit raises questions ahead of World Cup qualifiers in North Korea

Former Japan star Keisuke Honda, who was part of the team that won the Asian Cup in 2011, said the country's soccer needed "innovative change."
Naomi Osaka takes part in a news conference after losing her women's singles match on the second day of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 15.
TENNIS
Feb 6, 2024

Inspired by daughter, Osaka aims to return to top spots this year

The four-time Grand Slam champion suffered an early Australian Open exit following 15 months out of the sport.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan during an interview at his residence in Lahore on May 18, 2023. His name may not be on the ballot, but Khan will be on the country's mind as Pakistan votes in an election on Feb. 8 that observers say is deeply flawed without his participation. The former international cricket star has been given three lengthy prison sentences in under a week and banned from politics for 10 years — officially excluding him from an election it never looked like he would allowed to contest.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 6, 2024

Days before Pakistan vote, former leader Imran Khan campaigns from jail

Khan's campaign involves use of generative AI technology to create audio footage of him reading speeches conveyed to lawyers from his prison cell.
Wall Street giants are endorsing India as the prime investment destination for the coming decade.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 6, 2024

Wall Street snubs China for India in a historic markets shift

India has vastly expanded infrastructure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his bid to lure global capital and supply lines away from Beijing.
Pills move through a sorting machine at a pharmaceutical plant in Visakhapatnam, India. A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2024

U.S. taps Indian pharma, but supply chains still lead back to China

A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
Orienspace's Gravity-1 rocket blasts off from a sea-based platform off the coast of Haiyang, Shandong province, China, on Jan. 11.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2024

China startup aims to close gap with SpaceX on reusable rockets

Reusable rockets are transforming space access, as companies can reuse the most expensive parts of the device with little refurbishment.
Flags fly at Union Station in Washington on June 27. With the U.S. presidential election approaching, caution is being urged over the widespread proliferation of propaganda.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 13, 2024

The battle to tackle U.S. election propaganda heats up

The race is set to become more and more intense amid increased political polarization and pluralistic values.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Danielle Collins during her first round loss at the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Feb 7, 2024

Osaka trying not to 'feel like a failure' after early Abu Dhabi exit

Despite a close opening set that witnessed supreme serving from both players, Osaka struggled in her service games in the second set.
South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann speaks to star midfielder Son Heung-min after their loss to Jordan in the semifinals of the Asian Cup on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Feb 7, 2024

Asian Cup final a step too far for South Korea's 'zombie football'

In Tuesday's semifinal, Juergen Klinsmann's side was beaten by a hard-working Jordan team that claimed a famous 2-0 win.
Opening up to foreign workers may ultimately be Japan’s best hope for stemming a rapid population decline.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 7, 2024

Record 2 million foreign workers are changing the face of Japan

Opening up to job seekers from abroad may ultimately be the country's best hope of stemming a rapid population decline.
Women workers demand equal pay during a protest in Melbourne.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2024

Asia is fighting off the diversity backlash

Gender equality is at a crossroads amid a corporate backlash that is threatening progress in in workplace diversity.
Straight-to-video films, locally called “V-Cinema,” were popular in the 1990s and into the 2000s, becoming a training ground and launchpad for Japanese directors and actors.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 8, 2024

Threatened with extinction, V-Cinema hopes for new saviors

Physical deterioration and copyright issues mar the influential film genre that once served as a launchpad for directors and actors in Japan.
Japanese fans of Taylor Swift take a selfie before entering Tokyo Dome for the pop star's Eras Tour show in Japan on Feb. 7.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 7, 2024

Taylor-mania hits Tokyo as Swift resumes tour before Super Bowl

Excited fans from countries such as Australia, Thailand and China joined the vast crowd at Tokyo Dome ahead of the megastar's Eras Tour show on Wednesday.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past