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The total length of Japan's expressways in service stood at 10,328 kilometers as of the end of March 2025.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2025

20 years after privatization, free expressways still 90 years away

The privatization was a key policy of then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Ari Bayuaji's artwork of the benevolent Bali god Barong is on display in a glass case on the ground floor of Hollywood Beauty Plaza.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2025

Artist Ari Bayuaji materializes monsters from ocean plastic

From his series “Weaving the Ocean,” the demon Rangda is on display at Go for Kogei 2025, while the more benevolent Barong sits in a glass case in Roppongi.
Plotter's signature customizable leather binder is just one of many products contributing to the ongoing boom in the popularity of Japanese stationery.
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 2, 2025

Tokyo's newest stationery store sells 'a slower, more human rhythm'

After years of selling its products in third-party stores, Japanese brand Plotter has officially opened a dedicated storefront in Tokyo.
The U.S. government shut down on Wednesday, though essential services are still being offered.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 2, 2025

U.S. federal shutdown affects Americans in Japan and diplomatic talks

Some consular services are being offered, but the U.S. Embassy site is not being regularly updated
"My children cried all night from hunger. I boiled grass and gave it to them just to keep them quiet," said Ajib Bahar, 38, from a refugee camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 2, 2025

Myanmar's war-torn Rakhine state grappling with hunger crisis, aid groups say

More than 100,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition, with less than 2% able to access treatment, according to data provided by aid workers.
The total number of foreign children registered in Japan as residents eligible for education at elementary or junior high schools stood at 163,358, up by 12,663.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2025

8,432 foreign children in Japan seen not attending school

The total number of foreign children registered in Japan as residents eligible for education at elementary or junior high schools stood at 163,358, up by 12,663.
A special inspection is expected to cover the Saga Prefecture police department's criminal division, particularly the crime lab, and the administration division including the education and training unit.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2025

Saga police to face special probe over faulty DNA analyses

The former employee in question was referred to prosecutors last month for allegedly fabricating DNA analyses and falsifying analysis dates in 130 cases over roughly seven years.
What’s worse, waking up to find a bear going through your trash or getting an earful from your neighbor on garbage separation?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 3, 2025

Don’t poke the bear: Learn how to sort your garbage the right way

Bears are increasingly wandering into towns and cities looking for food. Make sure you don’t tempt them with your leftovers.
Young people from Okinawa in the Kansai region dance during the first Eisa festival in Osaka’s Taisho Ward in September 1975.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Oct 20, 2025

Taking pride in its Okinawan roots, Osaka’s Eisa festival marks 50th year

The festival celebrating the traditional Okinawan summer dance was created for young workers to resist discrimination and reclaim pride in their roots.
Asahi's troubles carry outsized weight given Super Dry’s dominant market share and the cutthroat competition among Japan’s major brewers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2025

Asahi blames ransomware for crippling Japanese beer plants

The maker of Japan’s most popular beer warned that the perpetrators may have made off with data, though it’s investigating the extent of the infiltration.
AI chip giant Nvidia announced last week that it would invest $100 billion to help OpenAI, the front-runner in generative AI, build data centers.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 3, 2025

Boom or bubble: How long can the AI investment craze last?

AI-related spending is soaring worldwide, expected to reach approximately $1.5 trillion by 2025, research has shown.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detain a man after conducting a raid at an apartment complex in Denver, Colorado, in February.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2025

Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure by Trump administration

The apps alert users to ICE agents in their area, but the U.S. Justice Department says the apps could increase the risk of assault on agents.
Kabuki has been trying for years to attract a new generation of fans. One way to do this has been to adapt manga and anime franchises, such as “Naruto,” for the stage. 
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 3, 2025

The summer kabuki came roaring back

A hit film and shifting demographics are drawing new audiences to kabuki, sparking hopes for a revitalized future.
A Russian oil tanker is investigated by French authorities off the coast of the western France port of Saint-Nazaire on Thursday.
WORLD
Oct 3, 2025

Macron says 'shadow' tanker detention signals new plan to pressure Russia

Macron said it was yet to be determined whether the vessel had been involved in drone incursions in Denmark last week.
Yoshitami Kameoka, elected to the Lower House for the first time in 2005, served in posts including state minister for post-disaster reconstruction.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2025

Ex-LDP lawmaker Kameoka pleads not guilty over cash distribution

Kameoka, elected to the Lower House for the first time in 2005, served in posts including state minister for post-disaster reconstruction.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30.
WORLD
Oct 4, 2025

U.S. military strikes another alleged drug boat off Venezuela

The strike comes as the Trump administration presses ahead with a strategy to target narco-traffickers it calls unlawful combatants at war with the U.S.
An underwater data center being developed by Chinese maritime technology company Highlander is seen under construction at a shipyard in Nantong, in China's eastern Jingsu province.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 4, 2025

China trials 'energy-saving' underwater data centers

One Chinese company is planning to submerge a pod of servers in the sea off Shanghai with hopes of solving computing's energy woes.
Drinks produced by Asahi at a liquor store in Tokyo. Retailers in Japan are warning customers of possible Asahi Super Dry beer shortages after a cyberattack paralyzed production and distribution at the major brewer.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2025

Asahi ships beer using paper and fax after ransomware attack

Asahi said it had identified evidence indicating a potential information leak, but was still verifying its nature and scope.
People attend a vigil to remember the victims of the Manchester Synagogue attack in Manchester, U.K. on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2025

U.K. confronts rising long-term terror threat from Gaza war

The attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday has crystallized concern building in the British security services since Oct. 7, 2023.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 5, 2025

Taiwan's Lai congratulates Takaichi on LDP leadership win

The Taiwanese leader expressed his heartfelt congratulations in a post written in Japanese on X, calling Takaichi a steadfast friend of Taiwan.
Employees work on photovoltaic cell modules at a factory that produces the modules for export, in Lianyungang, China, last month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 6, 2025

China is beating the U.S. in the battle for energy export dominance

This year, more than half of China’s electric-car exports have come from outside the OECD.
Indian Army chief Upendra Dwivedi waves as he arrives to attend the ceremonial reception of Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in New Delhi in May.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 6, 2025

‘We have drawn lessons,’ Indian Army chief says of brief clash with Pakistan

India and Pakistan’s brief war earlier this year has offered numerous lessons on the evolving nature of warfare, according to Indian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Upendra Dwivedi.
Cuba Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 27.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2025

Citing Cuban fighters in Ukraine, U.S. urges allies to shun Havana at U.N.

U.S. diplomats will tell countries that the Cuban government is actively supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine with up to 5,000 Cubans fighting alongside Moscow's forces.
Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) Chairman Raul Lambino shakes hands with guests during a ceremony for the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding at The Manila Hotel in Manila in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Oct 6, 2025

How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines

China paid for a cyber campaign to weaken support for Philippine government policy and to sow discord over Manila's security alliance with the United States.
Shirakawago, a U.N. World Heritage site in Gifu Prefecture
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2025

Spanish tourist injured in latest bear attack

The 44-year-old tourist was pounced on from behind as he was walking to a bus stop on Sunday.
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi (center) speaks to reporters on Sunday after meeting Taro Aso, the party's supreme advisor, at the party's headquarters.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2025

Suzuki eyed for LDP secretary-general, reflecting Aso’s growing influence

Former Prime Minister Taro Aso's influence in the Liberal Democratic Party under the newly elected Sanae Takaichi is becoming increasingly more evident.
Law enforcement officers stand guard outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, after U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut on Sunday temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from sending any National Guard troops to police Portland, in south Portland, Oregon, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2025

Trump says may invoke Insurrection Act to deploy more troops in U.S.

The U.S. president openly mulled use of the Insurrection Act after a federal judge in Oregon temporarily halted a National Guard deployment in Portland.
The government's revised action plan for preventing human rights violations linked to corporate activities is likely to focus on small companies as a "priority area."
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2025

Japan's revised corporate action plan on human rights to prioritize small firms

The government aims to accelerate efforts across entire supply chains by encouraging small businesses, which have been slower to adopt human rights measures, to make improvements.
Participants from various countries take part in a discussion at a global forum to discuss eliminating nuclear damage on Monday in the city of Hiroshima.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2025

Nuclear victims hold global forum in Hiroshima

The event was held for the first time in 10 years.
Thales is 10 years old, but has the vigor and good cheer of a much younger dog.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 7, 2025

Chipper Yorkie-Maltese mix still young at heart

Ten-year-old Thales, named after a Greek philosopher, is decidedly unserious and will make an energetic companion for the right household.

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