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The latest research indicates that heat stress is likely to worsen the condition of people with Alzheimer’s disease — which accounts for over half of all dementia cases in Japan — by making them more irritated or exacerbating their cognitive decline.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Boiling Point
Jul 29, 2024

For aging Japan, a troubling link between heat and dementia

The latest research indicates that heat can exacerbate cognitive decline and worsen dementia symptoms.
A crystallizer, used in the process of manufacturing nickel sulphate hexahydrate, stands at the BHP Group Kwinana Nickel Refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia, in 2019.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 29, 2024

Companies ‘paralyzed’ as Australia prepares tough climate rules

Over 6,000 companies in Australia will need to make fully comprehensive disclosures on emissions that include climate impacts across supply chains.
A screen shows news coverage of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meeting with China's Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 29, 2024

Italy's Meloni vows to 'relaunch' cooperation with China

Rome seeks to improve trade ties with Beijing after exiting the Belt and Road infrastructure investment plan last year.
A man cools himself in a water mist spray in Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Multiple regions topped 40 degrees Celsius for the first time this year on Monday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 29, 2024

Multiple places in Japan see mercury top 40 C for first time this year

Notable readings include a peak of 41 degrees Celsius in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, as well as 40.2 C in the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (left) speaks with Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (center left) as Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (center right) is greeted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) after the four delivered remarks to the media after their "Quad" ministerial meeting at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 29, 2024

'Quad' top diplomats decry situation in South China Sea

The top diplomats from Japan, Australia, India and the U.S. also pledged to boost maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Aomori Gov. Soichiro Miyashita holds a news conference Monday over the prefecture's plan on a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2024

Safety deal to be signed for Aomori nuclear fuel storage

A safety agreement is necessary for a spent nuclear fuel interim storage facility to start operations.
Skateboarding women's street gold medalist Coco Yoshizawa (left) alongside silver medalist and compatriot Liz Akama in Paris on Monday.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
Jul 30, 2024

A star is born as teen Coco Yoshizawa basks in the glow of skateboarding gold

Yoshizawa has been receiving congratulatory messages from all corners after her golden performance on Sunday in Paris.
China's President Xi Jinping (right) walks with Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for a meeting in Beijing on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 30, 2024

Meloni touts China as a ‘key player’ in the Ukraine peace process

The Italian leader’s charm offensive in China comes just months after her abandonment of China's flagship investment pact threatened to derail bilateral ties.
Victor Wembanyama of France battles Japan's Josh Hawkinson (left) and Yuki Kawamura during France's overtime win over Japan at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday in Lille, France.
OLYMPICS / Basketball
Jul 31, 2024

France edges Japan in overtime in Olympic men's basketball after four-point play

The teams were neck-and-neck for nearly the entire four quarters at Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
Fans at the Olympic shooting venue cool off during a heat wave in Deols, France, on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 31, 2024

In Olympic Village, heat tests limits of organizers' green ambitions

France is now in the middle of a heat wave that pushed the mercury in Paris into the mid-30s degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
A rescuer walks past a damaged car at a landslide site in the southern Indian state of Kerala on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 31, 2024

Over 100 killed after landslides strike India tea estates

Climate change has exacerbated the monsoon rains that are crucial to the water supplies in the southern India state.
A firefighter monitors a controlled burn set along Highway 32 near Chico, California, on Tuesday. A controlled burn helps reduce fuel for the Park Fire.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 31, 2024

Raging California wildfire grows bigger than city of Los Angeles

Hot and extremely dry weather is expected to prevail in the U.S. areas around the wildfire, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said.
A public safety officer wipes away sweat in Times Square during high temperatures in New York on June 20.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 31, 2024

This is how we know when the world has its hottest day

These conclusions rely on a near real-time picture of the Earth’s climate for roughly every 30-square-kilometer chunk of the planet’s surface.
Japan's industrial production in June fell 3.6% from the previous month, reflecting plant suspensions at vehicle-makers including Toyota due to faulty vehicle certifications.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2024

Japan’s industrial output falls, clouding recovery outlook

The production of cars and auto parts drove the reading lower as an ongoing probe involving carmakers such as Toyota continues to disrupt output.
Diners in the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid in 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 31, 2024

Spain ranked as the best country for remote work: report

Japan, which announced a digital nomad program on April 1, was 16th on the list.
The world needs a smaller, more focused Olympics to ensure sustainability and relevance amid changing global conditions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 31, 2024

Olympics host cities don’t belong on a warming planet

The world needs a smaller, more focused Olympics to ensure sustainability and relevance amid changing global conditions.
An excavator digs next to a damaged building after several landslides hit the southern state of Kerala, India, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 1, 2024

Hopes of finding survivors fade in India's Kerala following landslides

India's weather department has forecast more heavy rain over the next 24 hours for the area.
A Samsung HBM chip
WORLD / Politics
Aug 1, 2024

U.S. weighs restrictions on China’s access to AI memory chips

The new restrictions are likely to be unveiled as soon as late August as part of a broader package that also includes sanctions against over 120 Chinese firms.
Yuto Horigome defended his Olympic title in men's street skateboarding on Monday to continue Japan's dominant run in the event.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
Aug 1, 2024

Why Japan is so dominant in street skateboarding

Skateboarding has only been a part of the Olympics for two editions, but the sight of Japanese skaters on the podium in the street competition is already a familiar one.
What would the Fuji Rock Festival have looked like if it had been an urban festival? Not like this, that's for sure.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 2, 2024

The Fuji Rock experience is as much about its natural setting as it is about music

Having attended every edition of Fuji Rock except one, Philip Brasor believes the concert's natural setting is one of its best draws.
China always seems to be one step ahead of America in economic strategies, advancing in electric vehicle and battery production while the U.S. struggles to keep up with evolving trade and supply chain challenges.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2024

West plays 'whack-a-mole' as China dominates EV and battery sectors

A more proactive, multilateral approach by the U.S. to supply chain and trade policy is necessary to counter China’s economic influence.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government is working hard to enhance Japan's global and regional influence through strategic defense reforms and international partnerships.
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2024

Japan’s defense reforms and diplomacy boost regional security

Considerable progress was made this week in a series of meetings with Tokyo's counterparts in various endeavors, the heart of which is the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Toshimitsu Motegi, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 2, 2024

Motegi shows readiness to run in LDP presidential race, but hurdles remain

He faces three leadership hurdles: the disbandment of factions, low public popularity and even his current position as the secretary-general.
Leon Marchand swims during the 200-meter individual medley final at La Defense Arena in Paris on Friday.
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Aug 3, 2024

Leon Marchand breaks Michael Phelps’ Olympic record to win fourth gold in Paris

Marchard set his fourth Olympic record of the Games during the race.
David Keith believes that by intentionally releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, it would be possible to lower temperatures worldwide, blunting global warming.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 3, 2024

This scientist has a risky plan to cool Earth. There’s growing interest.

David Keith believes that intentionally releasing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere may lower temperatures worldwide, blunting global warming.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio following their bilateral meeting at the Luxon's residence on June 19.
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2024

New Zealand scraps clean, green policies to boost economy

New Zealand's government is shifting its priorities toward increasing exports to support its flailing economy.
Hiroshima citizens place flowers at the Cenotaph, commemorating those lost in the atomic bombing of the city, on Tuesday, the 79th anniversary of the attack.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2024

Hiroshima marks 79 years since atomic bombing as nuclear war fears rise

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui stressed the need to “not be resigned to pessimism” as conflicts across globe prompt growing focus on nuclear deterrence.
Kohei Saito, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Tokyo, in a "common forest" in Hachioji, Tokyo, in July
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2024

Slow down to save the planet, says Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito

Capitalism is the root cause of climate change, and we need to stop chasing growth, Saito argues.
Shares faced historic sell-offs at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday, but some retail investors see them as an opportunity to buy the dip, betting that the downturn is temporary.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 6, 2024

Japan’s retail investors show resiliency despite market turmoil

Some small investors chose the opportunity to buy the dip, betting that the market downturn was temporary.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks on July 30 during a parliamentary inquiry into a series of scandals involving the ministry and the Self-Defense Forces.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 6, 2024

The wider international and domestic implications of the SDF scandals

The problems have put the spotlight on Japan’s ability to convince its partners that it’s ready to shoulder a larger security role.

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