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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on June 26. The Donald Trump-ordered strikes on Iran, said to be an example of the “Trump Doctrine,” ignore decades of failed U.S. attempts to force adversaries to back down through short bursts of military power. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2025

The 'Trump Doctrine' is wishful thinking

The Donald Trump-ordered strikes on Iran, claimed to prove a unique “Trump Doctrine,” ignore decades of failed U.S. attempts to force adversaries to back down.
Rapidus last week printed circuitry on wafers using 2-nanometer gate-all-around process technology, President Atsuyoshi Koike told reporters Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2025

Rapidus reports 2-nanometer progress, moving Japan closer to semiconductor goals

Uncertainty about U.S. President Donald Trump’s willingness to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack is among motivations for Japan’s efforts to build its own foundry.
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates after winning his heavyweight title fight over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jul 20, 2025

Usyk knocks out Dubois to become undisputed world heavyweight champion

The victory saw Ukraine's Usyk extend his unbeaten professional record to 24 fights as the WBA, WBC and WBO champion added his British opponent's IBF belt to his collection.
Women and children arrange their containers as they line up at a standpipe, where incomplete water connections caused by USAID funding cuts to the NGO Mercy Corps have led to ongoing water shortages, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 16.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2025

Trump's funding cut stalls water projects, increasing risks for millions

The White House's decision to slash nearly all U.S. foreign aid projects has created new hazards for some of the people they were designed to benefit.
A nurse takes a blood sample from a child for an HIV test at a clinic in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, South Africa, on March 12.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2025

Tighter borders bar poor nations from summits — on poor nations

Sudanese climate activist Roaa should have been leading meetings with other youth advocates at a United Nations climate conference in Germany in June.
Tigers pitcher Jon Duplantier eats <i>umeboshi</i> pickled plums to replenish sodium.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 23, 2025

NPB teams trying to fight off Japan's torrid summer heat

On June 27, Seibu Lions pitcher Tatsuya Imai was replaced after suffering heatstroke while pitching during a game held at the team's Belluna Dome.
Before multiplexes entered the Japanese theatrical market in the early 1990s, moviegoers frequented “roadside theaters” — cinemas located in central urban areas near train lines. The Marunouchi Toei, which will close July 27, is the last of such theaters in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 24, 2025

Marunouchi Toei closes as Japan’s cinema landscape evolves

As audiences gravitate toward the luxury, tech and varied lineups of multiplexes, Tokyo’s last "roadside theater" closes after 65 years, marking the end of an era in moviegoing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump speak to the press following their meeting in Turnberry, Scotland, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jul 28, 2025

Out-gunned Europe accepts least-worst U.S. trade deal

The agreement on a blanket 15% tariff is a reality check on the aspirations of the bloc to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the U.S. or China.
Who will buy the cars, SUVs, and trucks like the F-150 Donald Trump has promised to sell in Japan? Who will purchase 100 Boeing jets? And what will the $550 billion Tokyo-backed fund actually look like?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 29, 2025

Who buys the F-150s, and more Japan deal mysteries

The long-awaited trade deal between the U.S. and Japan has investors celebrating after months of uncertainty. But as the song goes, nagging questions always remain.
A pair of Japanese soldiers (Shinichi Tsutsumi, left, and Yuki Yamada, right) stay up a tree rather than standing down after the end of World War II in “Army on the Tree.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2025

'Army on the Tree': World War II film leans into absurdist theater

Among the films that commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II this year, Kazuhiro Taira’s film adapted from a play stands out for its lack of iffy politics.
Participants take part in the Pride March in Amsterdam on July 26.
WORLD / Society
Aug 4, 2025

Going Dutch: LGBTQ+ Americans find Trump-free life in Netherlands

In the face of rolled back rights, some LGBTQ+ people have voted with their feet.
Activists stage a demonstration in front of the United Nations Offices in Geneva on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Aug 5, 2025

Pressure from oil producers and U.S. threaten global pact on plastics pollution

Plastic production is set to triple by 2060 without intervention, choking oceans, harming human health and accelerating climate change, according to the OECD.
Smoke rises from Gaza after an Israeli airstrike on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
Aug 8, 2025

Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City

The plan reportedly involves evacuating Palestinian civilians from Gaza City and launching a ground offensive there.
People huddle near a large fan blowing icy-cold mist at the Osaka Expo on July 12. Amid Japan's relentless summer heat, organizes have put myriad measures in place in order to keep guests safe.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Aug 10, 2025

Osaka Expo highlights the challenge of holding events in Japan's scorching summer

Giant umbrellas, mist fans and human-sized ice boxes are some of the many ways organizers are offering respite to visitors.
Kaoru Mitoma celebrates scoring Brighton's second goal against Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Feb. 8.
SOCCER
Aug 12, 2025

Kaoru Mitoma looks to build on Premier League success with Brighton

No Japanese player will be more essential for their team’s Premier League ambitions than Kaoru Mitoma.
Palestinians wait to collect food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Aug. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2025

Palestinian mother 'destroyed' after image used to deny Gaza starvation

For Faiza Najjar, the fact that her family's reunion got caught up in a misinformation campaign was devastating.
Russian traditional nesting dolls with images of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump. Ukrainian and European leaders worry that the hastily arranged Alaska meeting between the two leaders risks playing into Russia’s hands.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2025

Putin is about to outplay Trump again in Alaska

Trump isn’t wrong to try sitting down with U.S. foes and rivals, even where more conventional leaders would avoid the risk. But hastily arranged encounters rarely result as hoped.
The Bank of Japan maintains a wait-and-see approach as calls grow for it to raise rates.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Aug 19, 2025

Bank of Japan encouraged to increase rates soon, before it’s too late

Business and political leaders argue that inflation is too high and must be brought under control soon.
Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. The former prime minister has signaled he’s ready to take his conciliatory approach to the government to new heights, hinting that the time for clashes with the Liberal Democratic Party is over.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2025

CDP softens stance toward LDP in bid to bolster political center

“Right-wing populism has grown too strong,” CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda said. “Unless the center gains more strength, Japanese politics won’t improve.”
A damaged car in the Liuli River in the Huairou district of Beijing on Aug. 13. Flooding exposed weaknesses in the rural emergency response infrastructure for Beijing, whose urban core is surrounded by several rural districts like Huairou.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 21, 2025

Is historically arid Beijing ready for a wetter future?

Recent floods revealed how historically dry Beijing, home to 22 million people, remains insufficiently prepared for what experts say will be an increasingly wet future.
A girl uses her smartphone as she walks her dog in Moscow on July 30.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 21, 2025

Online behavior under scrutiny as Russia hunts 'extremists'

Internet users who search for web pages, books, artwork or music albums that the authorities deem extremist will be fined under new legislation.
U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance meet Democratic Republic of the Congo Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner  (far right) and Rwanda Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe (far left) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on June 27.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 24, 2025

Trump’s count of wars he’s ‘settled’ remains a matter of dispute

Looking to bolster his legacy as a global peacemaker, Donald Trump has boasted often in recent days that he’s ended at least six wars.
People walk on the street near members of the national guard after U.S. President Donald Trump deployed the national guard and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 25, 2025

Trump clashes with Democrats as he expands national guard plans

Trump this month deployed the national guard to the streets of Washington in a widely criticized show of force.
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 8, 2025

Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service

Hotels hit by labor shortage hope to reduce their burden, while restaurants and the local community aim to attract more visitors.
Nomura Holdings will require employees in Japan to spend two days a week in the office, double the current requirement.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 26, 2025

Nomura doubles minimum work-from-office requirement in Japan

The change is scheduled to take effect in spring next year, putting staff in Japan on par with Nomura’s global employees.
Suyun Ham, an engineering professor at UTA, reviews data from a recent inspection with two other researchers. Ham likens his technology to a “portable MRI,” which can detect cracks and other hidden dangers in a bridge.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 26, 2025

Are bridges near you safe? This MRI-like scan may prevent disaster

An engineering professor from the University of Texas at Arlington is experimenting with a novel approach to inspecting bridges for heat damage.
Containers at a dock at the Port of Cape Town in Cape Town in 2024. China’s exports to Africa so far in 2025 are more than in the whole of 2020 and on track to exceed $200 billion for the first time.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 27, 2025

China is pouring exports into Africa faster than anywhere else

China’s exports to Africa so far in 2025 are more than in the whole of 2020 and on track to exceed $200 billion for the first time.
Keihan Holdings President Yoshihiro Hirakawa speaks during an interview on Aug. 19 in the city of Osaka.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2025

Keihan to gain connection to Yumeshima in Osaka after casino resort opening

The Keihan Holdings president also revealed a plan to partially automate train operations to cope with a labor shortage at the railroad unit.
Virtual singer Kaf got her start in 2018 by posting songs and covers to YouTube. Now, after having performed live shows at major venues including Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan, she is turning to voice acting and starring in the new anime series “Kamitsubaki City Under Construction.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Aug 28, 2025

Virtual singer Kaf's music becomes magic in 'Kamitsubaki City Under Construction'

After evolving from an online presence into a live performer, Kaf has now stepped into voice acting as part of a multimedia project built around a supergroup of virtual artists.
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 28, 2025

Can anime carry the memories of World War II?

The medium could serve as a doorway to exploring the complexities behind the war and the horrors associated with it.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?