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Paul Pogba had expected to return to action for Juventus before the midfielder received a provisional suspension for doping.
SOCCER
Sep 12, 2023

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba provisionally suspended for doping

Pogba could face a four-year ban if the "B" sample also tests positive for testosterone.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks during an interview in his Tokyo office on September 7
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2023

Japan's opposition struggles to move beyond political fragmentation

The leadership race for the DPP has reignited debate over the state of the opposition, with calls for a united front clashing with divisions over policy.
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, a nuclear fusion demonstration project, in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France, in October 2016
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2023

Fusion research shouldn’t be a nuclear weapons side hustle

Some question the wisdom of improving nuclear weapons while advocating for the separation of fusion research from weapons development.
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended since October 2022 after a positive doping test.
TENNIS
Sep 13, 2023

Simona Halep to appeal four-year ban for anti-doping rule violations

The 31-year-old former Wimbledon and French Open champion had been provisionally suspended since October 2022.
King Charles III coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on May 6
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2023

Charles III has been a very dull monarch, thank God

Defying expectations, King Charles III is popular. Losing the fervor or his years as prince and being dependable — even dull — has paid off.
Sofia Coppola (right), Bill Murray (center) and Scarlett Johansson attend the Venice Film Festival to present their movie “Lost in Translation” in August 2003.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2023

The complex legacy of ‘Lost in Translation,’ 20 years on

Sofia Coppola's acclaimed film relaunched Tokyo's global fame, but along the way it forgot to show its Japanese characters some love.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses with his new Cabinet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2023

Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle is about keeping friends and rivals close

The Cabinet reshuffle and Liberal Democratic Party senior leadership changes reflect a leader concerned with factional politics and potential rivals.
The incoming and outgoing presidents of Johnny & Associates, Noriyuki Higashiyama and Julie Keiko Fujishima, bow at a press conference on Sept. 7.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 14, 2023

Johnny’s talent agency has admitted to a past of abuse. What next?

Karin Kaneko joins the show to update us on how the story is unfolding.
Starting next year, all renovations to the new Imperial Hotel are scheduled to finish in 2036.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 16, 2023

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel enters the history books

The curtain is about to close on Frank Lloyd Wright’s contribution to Tokyo’s skyline.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks Tuesday during a press briefing outside his office on Capitol Hill in which he announces an impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden with regard to his role in the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.
COMMENTARY
Sep 15, 2023

Republican impeachment inquiry marks low point in U.S. history

If any president can be impeached without reason, it is likely that every president will be impeached so long as the opposing party controls the House.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un receives a send-off as he departs by train from Pyongyang for a visit to Russia on Sunday.
COMMENTARY
Sep 15, 2023

North Korea’s newfound confidence is a dangerous and challenging thing

It is increasingly clear that Pyongyang has been emboldened by the formation of a new anti-U.S. bloc, prompting it to reach out to Beijing and Moscow.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Family Research Council and FRC Action annual Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 17, 2023

Sinner, savior or both? Trump woos evangelicals and women

Despite the legal, moral and sexual escapades of the Republican front-runner, support among his devotees remains strong.
Ukraine's Kateryna Volodko hits a return against Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic during a qualifying match prior to the start of the WTA Guangzhou Open in Guangzhou, China, on Saturday.
TENNIS
Sep 17, 2023

Women's tennis returns to China after Peng Shuai boycott

The WTA tournament in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou will be the first in mainland China since 2019.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 17, 2023

Climate litigation remains a tough sell in Japan despite wins overseas

So far, Japan has seen just four climate lawsuits, all concerning the construction and operation of coal-fired power plants.
On average, women spend more time on housework than men.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2023

It’s time for women to quit housework (again)

Women of the world unite in dedicating more time to yourselves and less to housework. Men might learn something along the way, too.
The far-right Confederation Liberty and Independence party rally against measures imposed by the Polish government to stem the spread of COVID-19, in Warsaw in October 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

The far right is advancing in a vulnerable Europe again

Disruptors in far-right political parties are taking advantage of resentment born out of COVID-19, a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference last Wednesday following a Cabinet reshuffle.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 20, 2023

Kishida may reveal priority areas for economic package next week

The size of an envisaged fiscal 2023 state supplementary budget to finance the economic measures will be a major focus, informed sources said.
The XL bully dog is different than a normal pet. It is a symbol of fear, aggression and its muscular body and fierce countenance reflects this.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2023

Some kinds of dogs shouldn’t be allowed as pets

The case is weaker for a ban on bully dogs in the U.S. because population density is much lower and Americans seem to have a higher risk tolerance.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 21, 2023

Kishida to outline economic support measures next week

Speaking in New York, Kishida warned that Japan’s economic situation remains unstable.
Preliminary data suggests that updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to a previous variant known as XBB, could still offer protection against the new edition.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023

New Pirola COVID-19 variant shows value of booster shots

Data suggests the updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to the XBB variant, could still offer decent protection against the new edition.
Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 21, 2023

Does a university cannabis scandal point to a larger trend?

A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise.
Sogo & Seibu’s flagship store in Ikebukuro is closed due to a strike on Aug. 31. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2023

As goes the Sogo department store, so goes Japan

The number of department stores located outside Japan's 10 biggest cities has dropped by 30% in the past decade.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

Zelenskyy under pressure as Ukraine's allies shift priorities

Allies are pushing the Ukrainian leader to turn his attention to what kind of country will emerge from the war, even as Kyiv struggles for a breakthrough.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval ratings stood at 59%, according to a recent poll, up from 37% when elected last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2023

South Korea's Yoon lambasts critics, calling them ‘communists’

The remarks may rally his conservative base and distract from unease about some of his policies, but it risks fueling division and alienating some voters.
Protesters on Thursday held a rally in the Armenian capital Yerevan urging the government to intervene in the Nagorno-Karabakh region after Azerbaijani forces entered the enclave earlier this week.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2023

Azerbaijan may have won the war, but a bigger test begins

The strength of a cease-fire and peace talks over Nagorno-Karabakh will be tested by Azerbaijan's commitment to a true, long-term transition.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2023

Is this the end for Japan’s iconic Studio Ghibli?

It’s tough to find an appropriate analogy for the Ghibli sale; the only one that comes close is Disney's purchase of Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006.
Since the arrival of ChatGPT and other bots, fears over the potential for abuses and unintended consequences have gripped the public conscious.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2023

Worried about rogue chatbots? Hire a hacker.

It’s the good hackers being dangerous that allows us to find out what are the risks to artificial intelligence.
Wales' Aaron Wainwright celebrates with fans after his team's win over Australia at the Rugby World Cup in Lyon, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 25, 2023

Wales blows out Australia to punch ticket to World Cup quarterfinals

Wales became the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup after producing a record-breaking performance against Australia.
The Nikkei stock index on June 1. Japan equity has gained 95% since 2020, the highest rate among G7 nations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2023

Japan shows how to defeat secular stagnation

Outperforming other G7 countries on several economic indicators, Japan is demonstrating how prosperity can grow despite a shrinking population.
Rupert Murdoch in his office in New York in 2007. Murdoch's decision to step down from the boards of News Corp. and Fox Corp. marks the end of a decadeslong media career.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2023

Rupert Murdoch, the last of the press barons

No living person has influenced the media landscape like Rupert Murdoch. Should we view his career in a favorable light, or is his legacy one of darkness?

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami