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Visitors walk along the Marina Barrage water catchment area in Singapore in 2009.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 10, 2023

Singapore fighting rising seas to save $50 billion in real estate

During a half-century of independence, Singapore has fought to expand its territory, inch by hard-won inch. On the tip of the Malaysian peninsula, the island city-state piled up sand to expand its coastline and reclaim land from the sea.
A bill would have banned the act of letting children play in a park or travel to school on their own, as well as parents going out and leaving their high school-age children behind to take care of younger siblings.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 10, 2023

Saitama to withdraw proposed ban on leaving children unattended

The bill had been criticized by many parents in the prefecture and beyond as being too restrictive and impossible to follow.
Iranians gather in Tehran on Saturday to show support for Palestinians after Hamas' attack on Israel.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2023

Gauging Iran’s culpability in the Israel conflict

Tehran has a lot of layers to sift through as it determines the extent of its support and the possible repercussions.
The Environment Ministry previously planned to carry out the probe on the so-called forever chemicals, which have been detected in well water in many parts of Japan, in fiscal 2024.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2023

Probe into PFAS contamination to take place earlier than planned

The Environment Ministry previously planned to carry out the investigation on the so-called forever chemicals in fiscal 2024.
Ukrainian marines practice house-to-house combat during training exercises in the region of Vuhledar, Ukraine, on Aug. 25.
WORLD
Oct 11, 2023

‘Always under fire’: On the battlefield with Ukraine’s elite troops

In the forest belts of eastern Ukraine, the Russian forces continue to mount relentless assaults in a maze of scorched pines.
The U.K.'s decision to cut back on its HS2 high-speed rail network runs contrary to the path taken by Japan, which stuck to a long-term infrastructure plan.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023

U.K. effort to imitate Japan's shinkansen falls short

There is value of sticking to a long-term infrastructure plan, as Japan has done for almost 50 years with its high-speed rail system.
Signage for Japan's top banks, MUFG Bank, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2023

Japan’s top banks pay women about half of what men earn

The country has a relatively high labor participation rate for women, but many of the positions they occupy have little prospect of better pay.
Pedestrians walk past a McDonald's restaurant in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2023

Hong Kong takes economic hit as Chinese tourists fail to splurge

Changes in travel habits come as the Chinese economy weakens and youth unemployment remains high.
A representative of Chevalier Brewery presents a bottle of its sake adapted to French drinkers' tastes.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 15, 2023

Sake fights an uphill battle for France’s wine lovers

Among many French drinkers, sake is still associated with cheap, low-quality alcohol only served at the end of meals in Japanese restaurants.
Voters fill out ballot papers at a polling station on Sydney's Bondi Beach on Saturday as polls open in Australia's historic Indigenous rights referendum.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 14, 2023

Australian voters reject greater Indigenous rights

The result will be a setback to reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Australians and a political blow to the center-left Labor government.
Israeli soldiers during searches of burned homes in Kfar Azza, a village just across the border from Gaza that was attacked by Palestinian gunmen, in Israel, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 14, 2023

The secrets Hamas knew about Israel’s military

Hamas gunmen surged into Israel in a highly organized and meticulously planned operation that suggested a deep understanding of Israel’s weaknesses.
Residents of Shaar HaGolan, Israel, attend a ceremony Thursday to pay tribute to the Israelis killed during the Hamas militant attack on Oct. 7.
WORLD
Oct 15, 2023

Hamas attacks shatter Israel's kibbutz ideal

When the sirens wail at the Sha'ar HaGolan kibbutz, there is total panic — and not just from those who live there permanently.
Hiruzen Kougei employee Moeko Hirao, craft brewer “Sugichan” and furry friend Tsubu help out with the tomato harvest at 6:37 a.m.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Oct 16, 2023

The farmer's intern: A month in the Japanese countryside

Escaping the chaos of Tokyo for a month, our writer heads to rural Okayama Prefecture and discovers the delights of natural farming.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 16, 2023

Unification Church calls government move a violation of rights

A news conference offered a glimpse of how the church will defend itself against a request to revoke its religious corporation status.
South Korea's Aegis-equipped destroyer Yulgok Yi I (right), the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (top), the Aegis-equipped USS Shoup destroyer (bottom center), the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Hyuga destroyer (left) and the South Korean Navy's Cheonji (center) sail in formation during a joint maritime drill in international waters southeast of South Korea's Jeju Island on Oct. 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 17, 2023

Military deterrence alone will not dissuade China, experts warn

Governments must be proactive in pressing for diplomatic solutions, as a focus on military power won't make the world safer, analysts say.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 17, 2023

Marines and Carp hope to maintain Climax Series momentum

The CL and PL league champions, the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes, will enter the fray with places in the Japan Series on the line.
Ukrainan President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels on Oct. 11.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 18, 2023

Ukraine uses U.S. long-range missiles against Moscow for first time

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the weapons had "proven themselves" after inflicting heavy damage on airfields under Russian control.
Children sit in the back of an ambulance at Shifa Hospital after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in an explosion at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza on Tuesday. Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other for the blast.
WORLD
Oct 18, 2023

Hundreds reported killed in blast at a Gaza hospital

Israel and Hamas traded blame for the tragedy, which inflamed the region just as U.S. President Joe Biden was set to arrive in Israel.
A Chinese fighter jet is seen during an intercept of a U.S. aircraft in the South China Sea, including by approaching a distance of just 12 meters before repeatedly flying above and below the U.S. aircraft and flashing its weapons.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 18, 2023

U.S. sees 'sharp increase' in Chinese military's 'risky' behavior

The Pentagon said it has documented nearly 300 dangerous incidents that affected U.S., allied and partner aircraft since the fall of 2021.
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 18, 2023

Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures

The tourism ministry unveiled its overtourism prevention plan, summarizing the various efforts that have begun to be made in areas around the nation.
BUSINESS / Tech / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Oct 23, 2023

Hokkaido waits to gauge impact from upcoming Rapidus chip plant

The nationally backed effort to revive Japan’s semiconductor industry has been called the region’s largest-ever development project.
Xi Jinping speaks during the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 19, 2023

Xi says green projects will anchor China’s overseas spending

Beijing is in a unique position to help mitigate climate change as the world’s largest producer of everything from solar panels to batteries.
People inspect the area of a hospital where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other, and where Palestinians who fled their homes were sheltering amid the ongoing conflict with Israel, in Gaza City, the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 21, 2023

Uncertainty still surrounds Gaza hospital strike

Was a hospital in Gaza hit by Israeli fire? Or a misfired Palestinian rocket? How many civilians were killed? Experts are not ruling out any scenario.
A Ukrainian defensive fortification on the west bank of a lake along the Dnieper River, in the Kherson region, on Jan. 23. Ukrainian forces have in October stepped up assaults across the Dnieper near the city of Kherson, prompting speculation that Kyiv might be planning a more ambitious effort to open a new front in the push to retake territory from Russia.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 21, 2023

With raids across Dnieper River, Ukraine may be seeking new front in war

Military experts are reporting extensive strikes on Russian-held territory in the south, potentially with the goal of establishing a bridgehead.
The site of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital after a blast ripped through the facility on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2023

In global conflict zones, hospitals and doctors are no longer spared

Over the last two decades, medical facilities and staff have become casualties of war more frequently, in violation of international law.
A water company employee fills bottles with potable water in Pozoblanco, Spain, in September 2023. The struggle for drinking water in this village of 18,000 has become a glimpse of what may lie ahead for parts of Europe where drought and extreme heat are on the rise.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Oct 23, 2023

A peek into Spain's future: water by truck, not tap

Tanker trucks have been deployed to deliver 180,000 liters of potable water a day
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2023

Man suspected of involvement in teenage girl’s death in Tochigi

Police are looking into how the two became acquainted, with local media reports saying they may have met on social media.
Mourners bury children and their father, who were killed during Israeli airstrikes on their home, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

Israel steps up attacks as U.S. urges 'continuous flow' of Gaza aid

European leaders looked set to follow the U.N. and Arab nations in calling for a 'humanitarian pause' in hostilities to deliver aid.
Taiwan Vice President and presidential candidate Lai Ching-te
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

Taiwan presidential front-runner assails China's Foxconn probe

The major Apple supplier is facing a tax probe in China, two sources close to the company said Monday, confirming a report in Chinese state-run media.
A concierge-in-training (Natsumi Kawaida) learns the ins and outs of working at an upscale department store in “The Concierge.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 26, 2023

‘The Concierge’: Frivolous fun with vintage charm

Yoshimi Itazu’s anime set in a department store for animal clientele offers a glittering experience with fluid animation and a vivid color palette.

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