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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo in January as former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (left) looks on.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 16, 2024

In LDP presidential poll, three kingmakers hold all the cards

The decisions of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, his predecessor Yoshihide Suga and LDP Vice President Taro Aso will heavily influence the result.
Ronald Rowe, the acting Secret Service director, speaks during a news conference regarding the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
WORLD
Sep 17, 2024

U.S. Secret Service, the agency with a 'no fail' mission

The Secret Service provides lifelong protection for current and former presidents, vice presidents and their families.
The Bank of Japan is holding its policy board meeting this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 17, 2024

Japan set to hold rates steady as yen rallies and LDP candidates stump

A rate hike by the Bank of Japan right after an expected cut by the Federal Reserve would cause more turbulence, UBS Securities' chief Japan economist says.
Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean observed from aboard the Mirai research vessel on Monday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 17, 2024

Japan's arctic research vessel Mirai reaches sea ice area

Mirai has arrived at what is known as the ice edge, where countless pieces of ice stretching across the horizon bob with the waves.
A person walks through floodwater in an area near the Nysa Klodzka river in Lewin Brzeski, Poland, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Sep 18, 2024

Central European floods wreak havoc while new areas set to evacuate

Areas along the Czech-Polish border were among the worst-hit since the weekend.
The Ferrari of Charles Lecrerc, with a Shell logo placed prominently on the car's nose, during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 18, 2024

Energy companies have spent $5.6 billion on 'sportswashing': report

The report says soccer, auto racing, rugby and golf are the sports most sponsored by energy companies.
The Liberal Democratic Party's suspected ties with the Unification Church have been little discussed in the ongoing leadership race campaign.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2024

Unification Church issue continues to haunt LDP amid leadership race

The Asahi Shimbun daily has published a photo purporting to show a meeting between then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a senior official of the religious group in 2013.
This aerial photograph taken on July 8 shows lakes of snowmelt in the Tian Shan mountain range.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 18, 2024

'Disappeared completely': Melting glaciers worry Central Asia

The effects of a warming planet have been particularly visible in Central Asia.
French Ambassador Philippe Setton says that, despite previous differences over whether Japan should host a NATO liaison office, Paris aims to deepen ties with Tokyo "in all security areas."
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2024

France-Japan military pact expected by year-end, envoy to Tokyo says

Concerns over the worsening security situation in the Indo-Pacific are speeding up negotiations on a visiting-forces pact between France and Japan.
China's Liaoning aircraft carrier sails in waters near Okinawa Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 19, 2024

Chinese carrier sails between Japanese islands near Taiwan for first time

China's Liaoning aircraft carrier passed through a narrow waterway between Yonaguni and Iriomote islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates after a campaign event in Nagoya on Saturday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2024

LDP leader candidates split on separate surnames for married couples

While party conservatives worry about damaging family unity, others say it’s time to push through a legislative change.
The street where a 10-year-old boy is said to have been stabbed with a knife, on Thursday in Shenzhen in southern China.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2024

Japanese school student stabbed in Shenzhen dies

The assault echoes an earlier incident of violence in June, when a man attacked a bus used by a Japanese school in Suzhou, China.
Japanese high school teachers visit an elementary school in the Philippines' Caohagan Island that holds classes outside.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Oct 7, 2024

Asia rises as study destination for Japanese students and teachers

Countries in the region are emerging as an attractive alternative to the West amid surging prices and the weak yen.
Candidates for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election take part in a debate in Tokyo on Saturday. Of the nine candidates, three — Takayuki Kobayashi, Taro Kono, and Shigeru Ishiba — have been particularly vocal with their views on the country's energy strategy.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2024

LDP presidential hopefuls face tough choices on Japan's energy future

Candidates must decide what role nuclear power will play in the government's long-term energy strategy.
Typhoon Yagi approaches Huizhou, China, on Sept. 5.
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 19, 2024

Historic rainfall inflicts chaotic floods across four continents

Though different meteorological phenomena are behind the series of storms, climate scientists agree an underlying factor is global warming writ large.
The Typhon missile system at Laoag International Airport, in Laoag, Philippines, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 19, 2024

U.S. keeps missile system in Philippines as China tensions rise

China and Russia condemned the move — the first deployment of the system to the Indo-Pacific — and accused Washington of fueling an arms race.
Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the 43-year-old son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, announces his candidacy for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency in Tokyo on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2024

The second act of the Koizumi theater

Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s style and rhetoric echo those of his father, but there are key differences between the two men.
Public awareness and support for people with dementia has significantly improved in Japan over the years, but the long-term sustainability of such support systems is a concern, experts say.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 20, 2024

Dementia advocates worry public attitudes preventing diagnosis

Eighty percent of the public thinks dementia is a normal part of aging, meaning the need for correct diagnosis and care is possibly being neglected.
Members of the Secret Service counterassault team keep watch as U.S. President Joe Biden arrives aboard Marine One in New Castle, Delaware, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2024

Secret Service admits complacency over Trump shooting in July

A review "identified deficiencies in the advanced planning and its implementation," Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. said.
Shinjiro Koizumi, a former environment minister, during a news conference at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo earlier this month.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2024

Koizumi ranks as top choice in polls among lawmakers in Japan’s LDP race

The surveys also said many lawmakers remain undecided or could change their minds, indicating a fluid situation with just a few days to go until the vote.
A destroyed car in the Biala Ladecka river following flooding in Zelazno, Poland, on Friday
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 22, 2024

U.S. election uncertainty clouds U.N. climate finance progress

Governments are analyzing a possible win by Kamala Harris, who promotes climate spending, or by Donald Trump, a climate denier who wants to boost fossil fuels.
A China Coast Guard ship (left) collides with the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Teresa Magbanua near the Sabina Shoal, in disputed waters of the South China Sea, on Aug. 31.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2024

'Quad' cements ties with coast guard patrols amid China concerns

China has long objected to the Quad, calling it part of a concerted effort to encircle and contain Beijing.
Decades after Bhutan introduced its Gross National Happiness index, the idea that gross domestic product is an inadequate indicator of human well-being and social progress is gaining ground.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2024

Is gross national happiness the way forward?

The World Happiness Report's top-ranked countries tended to be smaller Western countries, led by Finland. Larger Western economies tend to perform worse.
Former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, takes part in a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 22, 2024

Koizumi enjoys most support among lawmakers in LDP race: Jiji survey

Ahead of Friday's voting, Koizumi, 43, was backed by over 50 LDP lawmakers, according to the survey of LDP lawmakers and others conducted by Sunday.
Former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a candidate for ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, speaks during a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2024

Does Shinjiro Koizumi have what it takes to lead Japan?

The 43-year-old is determined to put his past missteps behind him, promising to be a leader who can steer the country through rough waters.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to kill thousands of barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to protect the endangered spotted owl.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2024

If killing one species might save another, should we do it?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to kill thousands of barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to protect the endangered spotted owl.
The top three U.S. money managers — State Street, Vanguard, and BlackRock — have dramatically reduced support for environmental and social proposals.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 23, 2024

Big three money managers cut support for climate proposals

Total shareholder support for environmental and social resolutions fell to about 19% during the latest proxy season from roughly 22% in the year-earlier period.
The powertrain of a Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic SUV. A Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle burst into flames in the South Korean city of Incheon in July, fueling public fear over the safety of battery-powered cars in recent months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 23, 2024

A Mercedes-Benz fire could cloud South Korea’s EV shift, or give it a boost

Seoul's push for battery-supplier transparency and parking lot safety could pave the way for a more resilient environment for EVs in the future.
French riot police take position as part of a demonstration by dockers during the inauguration of the first French offshore floating wind turbine, Floatgen, in the port of Saint-Nazaire, France, in 2017.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Sep 24, 2024

Offshore wind opponents in Australia and Europe look to U.S. for advice

Many hope they can transform what was once a disorganized scattering of local activists into an increasingly sophisticated global network.
Subway operator Tokyo Metro said that its initial public offering was aiming to raise around ¥319.6 billion.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 24, 2024

Larger IPOs set to test dominance of smaller listings in Japan

New listings look to be gaining momentum as the Nikkei 225 Stock Average has rebounded more than 20% from this year’s intraday low on Aug. 5.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers