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Men read newspapers with front-page articles on the India-Pakistan conflict, in Amritsar, India, on May 8, a day after India launched strikes on Pakistan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 13, 2025

No truce in India-Pakistan disinformation war

Platforms such as Facebook and X are still flooded with misrepresented footage of the attacks that killed at least 60 people and sent thousands fleeing.
Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku and kabuki actor Nakamura Shido II first performed together in 2016. This month, they’re reviving the show for the Osaka World Expo.
CULTURE / Stage
May 17, 2025

Traditional performing arts are plugging into modern audiences

Noh and kabuki are getting an image update by teaming up with pop culture figures such as Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku and DJ Ken Ishii.
Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department headquarters. Along with the National Police Agency, the MPD will carry out a major reorganization to beef up investigations into tokuryū groups.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2025

Japan police to launch team targeting tokuryū masterminds

The new police office is set to gather and assess information on tokuryū leaders around the country and identify targets for crackdowns.
A man talks of his experience of being hit by a spread of fake information about him online after appearing in a reality show.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 23, 2025

Online defamation still pesters reality show participants

Television broadcasters and online streaming services have taken steps to support and protect cast members, but defamation has not stopped.
Requiring journalists to have escorts in much of the Pentagon building is the latest in a series of restrictions placed on the press by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
WORLD / Politics
May 24, 2025

Trump administration puts new limits on reporters at Pentagon

The move is the latest in a series of restrictions placed on the press by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Rescue workers at the site of a Russian missile attack in Kyiv on Sunday.
WORLD
May 27, 2025

Ukraine confirms China gives supplies to Russian military factories

China has forged even closer trade and other economic relations with Russia since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
A new law to promote the development of artificial intelligence while addressing its risks passed at an Upper House plenary meeting on Wednesday.
JAPAN
May 28, 2025

Japan enacts bill to promote AI development and address its risks

The new law includes a provision to allow the government to disclose the names of malicious businesses in the event of crime using AI.
People hold up signs during a rally in support of international students at the Harvard University campus in Boston on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
May 29, 2025

Halt of U.S. visa process puts Japanese students' futures in question

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has confirmed that the embassy and U.S. consulate offices in Japan have suspended scheduling new interviews for student visa applicants.
A group of media companies have launched a fact-checking initiative for election-related online information, beginning with this month's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2025

Media firms launch election fact-checking initiative

The collaboration between Jiji Press, the Yomiuri Shimbun group, Saga Shimbun and Nippon Television Network aims to enhance the fairness and credibility of fact-checking work.
A Mercedes-Benz production line in Rastatt, Germany, earlier this month. European auto suppliers alone have filed hundreds of requests to China for rare earths since early April, with only about a quarter granted.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 6, 2025

The world's auto supply chain is in the hands of a few Chinese bureaucrats

China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets — a crucial component in EV motors — and it added them to an export control list in April.
New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins speaks during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 31.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 9, 2025

New Zealand looking at new ways to grow security ties with Japan, defense chief says

The move is part of a reset in New Zealand’s foreign and defense policy as Wellington grows concerned over international security tensions.
A woman near the Kremlin in Moscow on May 19
WORLD / Politics
Jun 9, 2025

Russian intelligence says it collects WeChat data. What does that mean?

The disclosure highlights the rising level of concern about Chinese influence in Russia as the two countries deepen their relationship.
Emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, in December last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 10, 2025

Expanding missile threats and airspace closures are straining airlines

The aviation industry, which prides itself on its safety performance, is investing more in data and security planning.
In Japan, the National Police Agency and others secured the safety of 129 domestic servers under the Interpol-led operation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 12, 2025

Japan joins international crackdown on malware-linked servers

The National Police Agency and others secured the safety of 129 domestic servers under the Interpol-led operation.
Eight banks have entered into an agreement with the National Police Agency to share information on suspicious accounts as part of efforts to combat special fraud schemes.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 18, 2025

Major banks team up with police to combat special fraud

Under a new agreement, the banks will send information on suspicious accounts directly to the police instead of channeling it through the Financial Services Agency.
For non-native speakers of the language, diving into Japanese books on a whim might just broaden your horizons and offer a fresh perspective on any topic imaginable.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 30, 2025

Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew

Whether you want to learn about regional geopolitics or the history of cheese, reading Japanese books can offer a whole world of new perspectives for non-native speakers.
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2025

Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity

The discovery raises serious concerns about the integrity of the research in the papers and highlights flaws in academic publishing.
A firefighter stands next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, in Ahmedabad, India, on June 13.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 9, 2025

Fuel switches in focus as preliminary crash report of Air India jet nears

It is not clear how much information would be available in the report, which comes about 30 days after the June 12 tragedy.
AI-created images of Holocaust-related subjects displayed on a laptop and a smartphone screens
WORLD / Society
Jul 15, 2025

Holocaust AI fakes spark alarm

Critics say that AI-generated images, text and videos are offensive and contribute to Holocaust distortion by conjuring up a "fantasy-land Auschwitz."
American lawyer Alan Dershowitz returns to the courtroom for the criminal trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump after a short break at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on May 20, 2024.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 21, 2025

Former Epstein lawyer calls for release of additional materials

U.S. President Donald Trump has been under mounting pressure from his supporters to release more information related to the government's sex-trafficking probe into Jeffrey Epstein.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks to The Japan Times at Europa House in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Wednesday, ahead of an EU-Japan summit.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2025

EU and Japan aim for deeper defense cooperation in high-tech arena

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says she sees "a lot of room for cooperation" with Tokyo, particularly in technology-driven areas.
Police officers prepare the venue where Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was scheduled to deliver his first campaign speech for the Upper House election, on July 3 in Kobe.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 24, 2025

Police detect 889 threatening posts ahead of Upper House poll

The National Police Agency confirmed the 889 threatening posts through cyber patrol and also thanks to reports from the public between June 16 and Saturday.
Voters cast their ballots for the Upper House election at a polling station in Tokyo on July 20.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 2, 2025

Japan to ramp up measures against foreign election interference

In last month's Upper House election, foreign actors were suspected to be behind the spread of disinformation on social media.
Yuji Sakoda, superintendent-general at the Metropolitan Police Department, bows to apologize for the misconduct in the Ohkawara Kakohki case during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 7, 2025

Tokyo police admit 'serious mistake' in investigation of spray dryer firm

The probe was led by "dysfunctional" leadership, resulting in false accusations being leveled at company executives, a report released Thursday showed.
Hideji Kenjo, who was stationed at a police box in Gunma Prefecture at the time, recounts the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet, on July 28 at the prefectural police headquarters.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2025

Police officer recounts handling 1985 JAL jumbo jet crash

Hideji Kenjo was stationed at a police box in Gunma Prefecture at the time of the accident on Aug. 12, 1985, which claimed 520 lives.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing faces serious threats from attempted trade secret theft and U.S. tariff uncertainty, but its technological dominance and strategic importance keep Taiwan’s “silicon shield” intact — for now.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2025

Espionage and tariffs can’t tarnish TSMC’s crown

It’s been a long week for the world’s largest chipmaker. But it’s still selling the shovels during an AI gold rush.
A screenshot of Starto Entertainment's X account post on Wednesday raises awareness about fake accounts presented as those of its performers.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 14, 2025

Starto Entertainment fans targeted by social media phishing scam

Fans were lured to a fake livestream concert link that could only be accessed after they input their credit card information.
AI can amplify the long-known ability to implant false memories, with new MIT and University of California, Irvine, research showing that chatbots, misleading summaries and altered images or videos can distort what people recall.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2025

AI doesn’t just lie — it can make you believe it

Memory manipulation, notes Pat Pataranutaporn, a researcher with the MIT Media Lab, is a very different process from fooling people with deep-fakes.
Kaoru Wada, chief of Kanagawa Prefectural Police, bows in apology during a news conference in Yokohama on Thursday. In a review report, police said the initial response to a stalking-murder case in Kawasaki was inadequate and the response system had been ineffective.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 4, 2025

Kanagawa police say they improperly handled Kawasaki stalking-murder case

Since June last year, the victim and her family had repeatedly consulted with police about violence and stalking by the suspect, who has been indicted on murder and other charges.
U.S. President Donald Trump salutes the troops during the U.S. Army’s 250th Birthday parade in Washington on June 14, which coincided with his 79th birthday. Trump 2.0 is reshaping global alliances with new defense and diplomatic strategies.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 9, 2025

‘Trump Doctrine’ a fundamental challenge to allied unity

Many in traditional foreign-policy circles struggle to see the method in Trump’s pursuit of “strategic surprises.”

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight