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Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after defeating Jannik Sinner in the China Open final on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Oct 3, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz regains joy for tennis after dramatic win in Beijing final

The four-time Grand Slam champion won 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in the longest men's singles match in the tournament's history.
A damaged road in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 6, after a major earthquake struck the area on New Year's Day
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Oct 6, 2024

Important tool or alarmism? Japan experts split on megaquake advisories.

Supporters say the advisories are about reducing risk, but critics see a system that isn’t based on science and one in which the cons outweigh the pros.
The city of Kyoto boasts historic artifacts and cityscapes that millions are willing to travel thousands of kilometers to see, but such treasures are not cheap to maintain, prompting the city to ask foreign tourists for a helping hand.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 13, 2024

Kyoto partners with e-gift service company to let tourists Donate & Go

The new donation service allows foreign tourists to contribute toward the preservation of cities they visit while receiving a gift in return.
People in Japan get some of the least sleep in the world, so when the rare time comes to turn in, many are turning to bedtime stories to drift off to sleep.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 12, 2024

Can't stop tossing and turning at night? Perhaps a bedtime story would help.

“Bedtime routines vary from family to family, from person to person,” says one researcher. “It's important to find what works best for each person.”
Feminist Women's Health Center employees Sincere Porter, Naomi Desta-Bell, Habeebah Yasin and Kwajelyn Jackson following a vigil and rally for abortion rights and in response to the deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller, who died of complications during pregnancy, in Atlanta on Sept. 28.
WORLD / Society
Oct 20, 2024

Advocates hope U.S. election will mark turning point for Black maternal health

Such concerns go beyond abortion rights, an issue that has galvanized women since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in 2022.
Debt-laden companies in Japan are rapidly growing in number, in some measures even faster than in 1992 after the collapse of its asset price bubble.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024

Zombie companies may finally succumb to bankruptcy on BOJ hikes

Bankruptcies topped 5,000 cases for the first time in a decade between April and September, a report by Tokyo Shoko Research showed earlier this month.
Rare bottles of Suntory’s Hibiki 100th anniversary whisky can only be purchased duty-free in-flight on ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines are highly sought-after items among whiskey aficionados.
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2024

Rare whisky on sale duty free for first-class fliers in Japan

The rare bottles are highly sought-after items among whiskey aficionados and often sell for a lot more in liquor shops and online stores.
Baku Olympic Stadium, the venue of the COP29 United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Oct 26, 2024

Future of U.N. climate dialogue threatened by budget shortfall

An analysis found a budget hole of at least €57 million — or nearly half of the funding needed for the U.N. climate secretariat to run annual climate negotiations.
Japanese comedian and Shohei Ohtani impersonator Aki Teriyaki has been to every MLB game Ohtani's teams have played since 2022.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 28, 2024

Meet the tiny, but mighty, Shohei Ohtani impersonator who went to 500 MLB games

Japanese comedian and Shohei Ohtani impersonator Aki Teriyaki has been to every MLB game Ohtani's teams have played since 2022.
A custom-made split keyboard at Yusha Kobo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2024

Make a one-of-a-kind mechanical keyboard at this Akihabara shop

At Yusha Kobo, customers pick switches, keycaps and all the other components needed to fashion one-of-a-kind keyboards that meet their exacting needs.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki (left) and his counterpart in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Opposition parties band together to shape Lower House agenda

Four main opposition parties have agreed to jointly request the opening of a session of the budget committee and a special committee on political reform.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reviews Self-Defense Forces troops during the SDF's 70th anniversary at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2024

Ishiba considering U.S. visit for first in-person talks with Trump

The Japanese government is working with the Trump team on arranging the visit and officials may visit the U.S. next week to discuss details.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te is planning a stopover in Hawaii as part of an overseas trip starting in the coming weeks, sources said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 15, 2024

Taiwan president plans Hawaii visit on sensitive trip to Pacific, sources say

Six sources briefed on the visit said that the president is planning a stopover in Hawaii as part of an overseas trip starting in the coming weeks.
Jiro Hamazumi (right), deputy secretary general of the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, holds a news conference on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2024

Nihon Hidankyo's crowdfunding campaign achieves initial goal on first day

The amount of donations collected under the campaign surpassed ¥10 million shortly past 11 p.m. Friday Japan time. Donors reached about 1,400 people.
A rubber-tired tram system, tentatively called the “Fuji Tram,” would run along magnetic markers, reducing environmental damage, according to the Yamanashi Prefectural Government.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 19, 2024

Why Yamanashi gave up building a light-rail system on Mount Fuji

As an alternative, the governor proposed a new plan to use a rubber-tired tram system.
U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein talks to reporters following a meeting in Beirut on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024

U.S. envoy en route to Israel in bid toward ceasefire with Hezbollah

U.S. diplomatic efforts, led by envoy Amos Hochstein, are focused on brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to prevent further regional destabilization.
Trump faced a barrage of lawsuits that slowed down his ability to turn campaign promises into reality the last time he was in the White House, even if those challenges ultimately fell short.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 28, 2024

Trump agenda set to collide with slow pace of U.S. legal system

The stubborn realities of litigation stymied the president-elect’s ability to carry out quick changes during his first term.
Designed by Kei Atsumi and Motoya Iizawa, "The Warp" was a 3D-printed tea pavilion with organic, twisting curves placed in downtown Dubai.
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 30, 2024

Far East meets Middle East at Dubai Design Week 2024

This year's Dubai Design Week functioned much like a portal between continents, philosophies and futures.
Nihon Hidankyo co-Chairperson Terumi Tanaka (center), a Nagasaki atomic bombing survivor, attends a news conference after the group won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, in Tokyo on Oct. 12. Tanaka is part of a 30-strong delegation will collect the prize in Oslo.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2024

30-strong Nihon Hidankyo delegation to collect Nobel Peace Prize

The group has raised over ¥36 million in a crowd-funding campaign to cover the travel expenses of such a large delegation.
Passengers line up at Narita Airport to board a flight to Seoul on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2024

Japanese companies weigh impact of South Korea's martial law chaos

The Foreign Ministry estimates that over 40,000 Japanese nationals reside in South Korea, with around 3,000 Japanese companies maintaining local offices.
The town of Futaba is still dealing with the effects of 3/11, but that isn't stopping some residents from looking forward.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 7, 2024

Futaba pivots to 'hope tourism' to revive its fortunes

Whether you’re a long-term resident of Japan or flying in for a holiday, the message is clear: Futaba welcomes you.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a signing ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Nov. 28.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 11, 2024

Lula faces Biden parallels as surgery raises questions over age

The operation raises difficult questions about whether the 79-year-old leftist leader is fit to meet the challenges that are piling up in front of him.
Protesters attend a rally calling for the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party in Seoul on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 11, 2024

South Korean police blocked from raid on president's office

The attempted raid came as former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun tried to kill himself shortly before his formal arrest late Tuesday.
The silhouettes of Mount Fuji, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building and Shinjuku skyscrapers are seen during sunset in Tokyo in November.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2024

Tokyo remains third in global city index for ninth consecutive year

While Tokyo notched improvements in research and development, cultural interaction, livability, and accessibility, its score declined in the economy category.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting during the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 12, 2024

Trump invites Xi to attend inauguration, report says

The invitation signals an effort by Trump to court his Chinese counterpart on the heels of threats of fresh tariffs against China.
A view of a damaged house following a landslide and an earthquake in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 7.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2024

Japan's emperor and empress to visit disaster-hit Noto for third time

The imperial couple are concerned about those living on the Noto Peninsula hit by the two disasters, aides have said.
Tokyo Comic Con took place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Dec. 6, 7 and 8.
CULTURE
Dec 18, 2024

Comic cons are far more than just cosplay

The conventions allow fans of comics to meet their heroes — both actors and authors — with manga and anime playing an increasingly bigger role each year.
For the 20 Questions column this year, writers asked their interview subjects about everything from their lives in Japan to their thoughts on news topics.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 28, 2024

There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024

We take a look back at some of the best answers that our interviewees gave for 20 Questions from throughout the year.
The Toyama City Library, designed by Kengo Kuma, in November. The library is part of a building called Toyama Kirari that also houses the Glass Art Museum.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 8, 2025

New York Times chooses Toyama and Osaka as top places to go in 2025

The city of Toyama was praised by the Times as a place where tourists could “enjoy cultural wonders and culinary delights while skipping the crowds.”
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visits the Saint Michael's Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 11, 2025

Top Japanese diplomat to visit Seoul to shore up ties amid political chaos

Iwaya, who will be the first Japanese foreign minister to visit Seoul in seven years, will meet with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul and Acting President Choi Sang-mok.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’