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Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd at Roland Garros during a ceremony honoring his career at the French Open on Sunday in Paris.
TENNIS
May 26, 2025

Roland Garros pays tribute to 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal at French Open

Nadal dominated the French Open after winning in his debut as a teenager in 2005, lifting the trophy a record-breaking 14 times.
Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
May 26, 2025

Do Japan's trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?

Trees have long occupied a sacred place in Japanese culture. In the fast pace of the 21st century, however, they're increasingly losing out to progress.
Shu Yamamoto runs a ramen shop in the city of Hiroshima by renting a barbecue restaurant during its off hours.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 26, 2025

Off-hours property rentals take off in Hiroshima

The renter can cut down on startup costs for their business while the owner can earn extra income, though it means sharing responsibilities.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts during the third quarter in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday. The Knicks beat the Pacers 106-100.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 26, 2025

Karl-Anthony Towns leads Knicks past Pacers in Game 3

New York will attempt to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2 on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
Yu-Hsuan Lin, 27, poses for a photo with a Harvard hat and hoodie in Taipei on May 24.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2025

Taiwan students heading to Harvard 'anxious' after U.S. enrolment block

Taiwan's education ministry said it expects 52 Taiwanese students to be affected by the U.S. government's move.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new plan to restrict updated COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk groups has sparked confusion and criticism, with experts warning it could limit public access and bypass established advisory channels.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2025

The FDA’s new COVID-19 vaccine policy is clear as mud

The U.S. health agency's promises of transparency and choice for COVID-19 vaccines fall short in its first big test. 
Naomi Osaka during her women's singles match against Paula Badosa at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Monday
TENNIS
May 27, 2025

Osaka despondent after French Open first-round exit

The player won a lower-level title on clay earlier this month and is back in the top 50 but is still fighting to return to the sport's upper echelons.
A photo provided by a witness shows the scene of an explosion in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
May 27, 2025

Gas explosion injures 10 at Tokyo construction site, prompting evacuation

Police said workers had been driving piles into the ground for a new condominium when they likely struck an underground gas pipe, triggering the explosion.
Mateusz Urbanowicz’s recent book “Imaginary Storefronts” collects his illustrations of the mundane Japanese street scenes that have given him immense inspiration.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 31, 2025

Mateusz Urbanowicz: ‘Miyazaki inspired me to put the audience first’

The Polish artist and animator talks about how he came to Japan and the inspiration he draws from ordinary streets and storefronts.
Yuka Saso of Japan hits a tee shot at the first hole during the first round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament in The Woodlands, Texas, on Apr 24.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
May 28, 2025

Yuka Saso chasing third U.S. Women’s Open title at Erin Hills

The Philippines-born Japanese golfer is gearing up for the U.S. Women's Open this week at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, and she'll do so as the defending champion.
US Coco Gauff reacts after a point during her women's singles match against Australia's Olivia Gadecki on day 3 of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Tuesday.
TENNIS
May 28, 2025

Gauff finds groove after forgetting rackets as Medvedev exits

Gauff forgot to take her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a commanding first-round win.
Atsuko Okatsuka tries out some of the jokes from her new special, “Father,”  at the Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya in January.
CULTURE / Stage
May 30, 2025

Atsuko Okatsuka brings big 'dad' energy to new special

The comedian’s upcoming special, titled “Father,” blends whimsical comedy and family drama — just in time for Father's Day.
French veteran Richard Gasquet played the final match of his career on Thursday at the French Open in Paris.
TENNIS
May 30, 2025

No. 1 Jannik Sinner moves ahead as Richard Gasquet says goodbye at French Open

French Open veteran Richard Gasquet's career ended with a defeat against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, while seasoned veteran Novak Djokovic continued his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title by battling into the third round of the French Open on Thursday.
American Robert Jefferson runs a YouTube channel called The Kamakura Gardener that invites viewers to enjoy the pleasures of gardening, cooking and slow living.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 2, 2025

‘A garden is a grand teacher’: The Kamakura Gardener nurtures via YouTube

Veteran broadcaster Robert Jefferson has built up a following through his comforting video content about gardening, cooking and living in Kamakura.
Located in Nagano Prefecture, Samurai Gakuen tries to help young and old individuals who have withdrawn from society rediscover their places out in the world.
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 31, 2025

How ‘hikikomori’ shut-ins ‘start to have dreams for the future’

As many as 1.5 million “hikikomori” shut-ins withdraw from social life in Japan, but one school in Nagano is finding success is coaxing them back into the world.
Rio Takeda tees off on the 10th hole during the first round of the U.S. Women's Open in Erin, Wisconsin, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
May 30, 2025

Rio Takeda in six-way tie for lead after first round of U.S. Women's Open

Defending champion Yuka Saso's bid for a third U.S. Open title in five seasons got off to a rocky start with a 2-over-par 74.
Mao Saigo watches her putt during the second round of the U.S. Women's Open in Erin, Wisconsin, on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
May 31, 2025

Mao Saigo takes three-shot U.S. Women's Open lead

The Japanese golfer, who won a five-way playoff to lift her first major trophy at the Chevron Championship, shrugged off a spectacular piece of bad luck to build a lead.
Iris Ohyama began sales of government-stockpiled rice at a home center location in Chiba Prefecture on Saturday morning.
JAPAN
May 31, 2025

Japanese customers brave the rain to line up for cheap stockpiled rice

Lines formed in the early hours of Saturday morning at an outlet in Chiba Prefecture as people clamored to purchase 5 kilogram bags of rice for ¥2,000.
Elon Musk boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in March. As Musk became one of Donald Trump's closest allies last year, he was also using drugs far more intensely than previously known, according to people familiar with his activities.
WORLD / Politics
May 31, 2025

On the Trump campaign trail, Elon Musk juggled drugs and family drama

Musk’s drug consumption went well beyond occasional use and also came as he dealt with personal drama related to his growing number of children.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic prepares to serve during his third-round French Open match against Austria's Filip Misolic on Saturday in Paris.
TENNIS
Jun 1, 2025

Djokovic and Sinner flex muscles to reach French Open last 16 as Keys survives

Djokovic eased past Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier to keep his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title on track.
Maja Stark hits a chip shot during the first round of the U.S. Women's Open on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 1, 2025

Maja Stark takes one-shot lead entering final round of U.S. Women's Open

A trio from Japan — Rio Takeda, Hinako Shibuno and Mao Saigo — are tied for third at 5-under 211.
Maja Stark holds up her championship trophy after winning the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament in Erin, Wisconsin, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 2, 2025

Maja Stark beats out Rio Takeda to capture U.S. Women's Open

Takeda made an early double bogey in an otherwise solid round to stay close to the top of the leaderboard all day.
After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 2, 2025

How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic

Labor shortages and shifting mindsets are driving younger Japanese workers to challenge the country’s traditional office culture.
Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning her fourth-round French Open match against Elena Rybakina at Roland Garros, Paris on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jun 2, 2025

Alcaraz and Swiatek pass tough French Open tests

Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
Alexander Bublik reacts after a point during his men's singles match against Jack Draper on Day 9 of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Monday.
TENNIS
Jun 3, 2025

Bublik downs Draper at French Open for 'best moment of his life'

Unseeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik hailed his surprise four-set victory over Jack Draper in the French Open last 16 on Monday as the "best moment of his life."
A man weaves cane into a chinlone ball, used in the ancient Myanmar game considered a blend of sport and art, at a workshop in Hinthada township in the Irrawaddy delta region.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 3, 2025

Ancient Myanmar ball game battles for survival in troubled nation

Myanmar's 2021 military coup and subsequent civil war have made it increasingly difficult for craftsmen to source materials for chinlone balls.
Since moving to Tokyo from New York City in 2014, Hiraku Morilla has been promoting Keith Haring’s legacy in his professional life and advocating for the LGBTQ+ community.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 6, 2025

Hiraku Morilla: ‘Pride means respect for those who walked so we could run’

The New York-raised director of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection reflects on his queer, multiracial identity and LGBTQ+ rights in Japan.
Aryna Sabalenka plays a backhand return to China's Zheng Qinwen during their quarterfinal women's singles match at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Jun 4, 2025

Swiatek and Sabalenka set up French Open semifinal as Alcaraz sweeps through

World number five Swiatek has been struggling for her best form and has not reached a final since winning the French Open title last year.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli (center), along with his teammates, celebrates with the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 final cricket match against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Jun 4, 2025

'Emotional' Kohli fulfills IPL dream as Bengaluru claims first title

"This win is as much for the fans as it is for the team, it's been 18 long years," said Kohli, one of India's all-time greats in all formats of the game.
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes during the Europa League Final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao, Spain on May 21
SOCCER
Jun 4, 2025

Fernandes confirms he rejected Saudi move to stay at Man Utd

United captain Fernandes was one of the few players to emerge with credit from a disastrous season, scoring 19 goals and making 19 assists across all competitions.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear