Search - 2020

 
 
The Supreme Court could be called upon in the coming weeks or months to act in a challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, depending on how quickly appeals move through the lower courts.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 8, 2025

As U.S. Supreme Court girds for Trump cases, can it be an 'effective firewall'?

Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump's views of presidential authority appear far less restrained than those of his White House predecessors.
The International Criminal Court building
WORLD / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Feb 8, 2025

'Existential threat': What next for the ICC after U.S. sanctions?

Experts say the sanctions announced by Trump will have a wide-reaching impact on the court.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shows a gift from U.S. President Donald Trump, as they hold a joint news conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 8, 2025

Foreign leaders embrace the art of flattery in wooing Trump

Ishiba became the latest figure to offer ample compliments to a president known for his transactional approach to foreign policy.
Toshikazu Shiba (right), 71, works full-time along with younger staff at sofa manufacturer Eucas in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Feb 17, 2025

More older people choosing to work for social connection and survival

Older residents are exploring ways to navigate the later stages of their lives, whether continuing their careers or with new ventures.
U.S. President Donald Trump receives a status report on Hurricane Dorian in the Oval Office in September 2019.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 10, 2025

Trump keeps up his ‘Sharpiegate’ attack on science

The nomination of Neil Jacobs to run NOAA highlights U.S. President Trump’s loyalty-over-expertise approach to leadership.
Giving out courtesy chocolates to coworkers on Valentine's Day is becoming obsolete.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 10, 2025

How giving chocolates on Valentine’s Day is evolving in Japan

One change is fewer people are handing out chocolates to others at work, which had been a widespread practice over the past few decades.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrives to attend a European heads of state meeting on the sideline of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

Trump says ‘no’ when asked if ready to name JD Vance as successor

Vance, a former U.S. senator from Ohio, has embraced Trump’s brand of economic populism, leading to his selection on the Republican ticket.
U.S. President Donald Trump made reference to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who has competed as a woman, in a speech after signing an order on transgender participation in sports, calling her "a male boxer."
SPORTS
Feb 11, 2025

Trump order on transgender athletes clashes with international norms

There was no immediate outpouring of support from international organizations for the U.S. president's move.
Southeast Asian economies, once seen as beneficiaries of the U.S.-China trade war, now face challenges as escalating tariffs and trade tensions threaten their growth and regional stability.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2025

Winners of the first trade war may not be so victorious

Stuck between the U.S. and China, Southeast Asia’s challenges this time around are much greater.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuya Endo (third from left) joins a tour of the BRP Melchora Aquino, the BRP Melchora Aquino, last May. The Philippine Coast Guard ship was provided to Manila under Japan's official development aid program.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

Japan exploring more defense transfers to Philippines, envoy says

As Tokyo revises its export guidelines to ease defense equipment transfers, the partners expect more security cooperation on the horizon.
A suspected victim of modern slavery who was initially denied state support after Britain introduced a tougher immigration policy, in London on Sept. 19
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

U.K.'s tougher immigration policy risks trapping victims in modern slavery

The protections created under Britain's Modern Slavery Act have been eroded by rules introduced in 2023 to curb illegal migration.
Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 12, 2025

Meta rally makes history as it goes on offensive with AI

Even in a market where artificial intelligence winners are rewarded, Meta shares stand out.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shows a picture of him with U.S. President Donald Trump during a joint news conference at the White House on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 12, 2025

Ishiba navigates the low expectations for Japan’s foreign policy

The summit proceeded well enough, but some will argue that this is only because Ishiba had a low bar for his engagement.
This is the 12th straight year that labor unions of major electronics firms have demanded pay scale hikes.
BUSINESS
Feb 13, 2025

Japan electronics unions demand wage hike of ¥17,000

The focus is on whether employers will agree to raise pay significantly as in recent years to ensure that wages rise faster than prices.
Chelsea striker Sam Kerr arrives at Kingston Crown Court in London on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Feb 14, 2025

Chelsea has no plans to discipline star player Sam Kerr after acquittal

Kerr was found not guilty by a jury at Kingston Crown Court in London on Tuesday after calling a British police officer "stupid and white" during an incident in January 2023.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 14, 2025

Xi to chair symposium attended by Jack Ma and other Chinese business leaders, sources say

Xi rarely chairs symposiums about the private sector, and the event underscores the numerous challenges currently facing China.
Volunteer Nhoun Niyok shows villagers how to use a mosquito net to prevent malaria in Cambodia's northeastern Mondulkiri province on Jan. 16.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 14, 2025

Cambodia nears Khmer Rouge survivor's dream of eradicating malaria

The hope is for zero cases this year — a remarkable turnaround for a country that was formerly an epicenter of multi-drug resistant strains.
In a 2024 survey, a total of 14.7% of respondents said they had more or less friendly feelings toward China, up 2.0 percentage points from 2023, and 56.3% said they had such feelings toward South Korea, up 3.5 percentage points.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 14, 2025

Japanese sentiment on China and South Korea improves, survey shows

A total of 14.7% of respondents said they had more or less friendly feelings toward China while 56.3% said they had such feelings toward South Korea.
Officers from the Austrian State Criminal Police are seen near a cordoned off area after a knife attack near the main square in the city center of Villach, in southern Austria, on Saturday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 16, 2025

Syrian arrested after deadly stabbing attack in Austria

Syrian asylum seeker was arrested after a teenager was stabbed to death and five other people were wounded in southern Austria on Saturday.
All Nippon Airways aircraft at Haneda Airport in Tokyo in August 2024. ANA has staked a lot on greener kinds of jet fuel, with 70% of the emissions reductions under its net-zero emissions plan coming from them.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Feb 16, 2025

Sky not the only limit for JAL and ANA’s climate goals

The airlines' similar but different carbon neutrality plans highlight the difficulty of decarbonization, especially as the sector is now growing again.
Mac McClung dunks over a car during the slam dunk contest during the NBA All-Star Saturday night festivities in San Francisco.
BASKETBALL
Feb 16, 2025

Mac McClung leaps over car to three-peat as NBA Slam Dunk champ

The Miami Heat's Tyler Herro won the 3-Point Contest
The National Police Agency has been warning people that gambling on online casinos is illegal in Japan even if they are operating legally overseas.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 16, 2025

Police investigate comedians over alleged online casino gambling

Officials warn that online casinos are illegal in Japan even if they are operating legally overseas, but the number accused of using them continues to rise.
The construction site for an underground station at the Stuttgart 21 railway and urban development project in Stuttgart, Germany, in November 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2025

Late trains, old bridges, no signal: Germany's infrastructure woes

Germany's reputation for efficiency no longer holds true, critics contend.
An F-35B stealth fighter jet loaded in the hangar of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga destroyer
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 17, 2025

SDF's biggest ships are being converted into de facto aircraft carriers

The Izumo and Kaga, each about 248 meters in length and 38 meters in width, are the largest vessels in the MSDF.
One-third of elementary school students in Japan do not like learning English, according to a 2021 poll, an 8% rise since 2013. The pressure of taking proficiency tests is eroding children's  engagement with studying English and its benefits.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2025

Japan’s English-language education doesn’t pass the test

An excessive focus on testing students' English ability is turning language learning into a chore, depriving children of the joy and opportunities of intercultural communication.
A Delta Air Lines plane sits upside down at Toronto Pearson Airport in Toronto, Ontario, on Monday.
WORLD
Feb 18, 2025

Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto crash, injuring 18

Three people on flight DL4819 from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport suffered critical injuries, among them a child.
Britain is the second country after the United States to launch a "two-plus-two" economic dialogue with Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2025

Japan and Britain to hold economic talks on March 7

Britain will be the second country after the United States to hold a "two-plus-two" dialogue with Japan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 18, 2025

Xi’s embrace of China tech CEOs spurs hope of big economic shift

Developing national tech champions is core to Beijing’s plan for boosting the economy as it deflates a bubble in the property market.
A statue of of a bull in Pudong's Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2025

Xi's new corporate champions showcase his priorities and control

The tech champions present at a meeting with the Chinese president suggest that he is rallying troops from the business sector to fight a geopolitical battle.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (center) arrives at the Federal Senate in Brasilia on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 19, 2025

Brazil's ex-President Bolsonaro charged over alleged coup plot

The charge further complicates the far-right firebrand's already narrow hopes of pulling off a political comeback.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji