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Excitement for Nintendo's next console is high, but a vocal contingent of fans are voicing criticism over the company's pricing strategy.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
May 5, 2025

‘Drop the price’: Behind the pushback on Nintendo’s Switch 2

Nintendo games have never been cheap, but the company seems to be nickel-and-diming more than ever with its new console.
Tokyo Gendai is described by fair organizers Art Assembly as Tokyo Bay’s first international contemporary art fair in 30 years.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 22, 2023

Can a new art fair finally put Tokyo on the map?

Tokyo Gendai puts on a good event but still needs to change Japanese opinions on contemporary art.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2023

Japan calls on China to approach Fukushima water release in 'scientific manner'

The issue of the water release took up a substantive amount of the hourlong talks between the nations' top diplomats, but the two did not come to a clear agreement on the matter.
Some economists hope the labor ministry panel will make an annual average minimum wage proposal of above ¥1,000 this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2023

The average minimum wage may top ¥1,000 this year. But is that enough?

Aside from the symbolic hurdle, a more substantial issue remains: Will momentum for wage hikes from this spring continue or will it be short-lived?
Mexican chef Marco Garcia has developed an innovative cuisine by fusing his love of Japanese classics, especially sushi, with the staple foods and flavors of his homeland.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 17, 2023

At Ebisu’s Tacos Bar, seafood tortillas with sushi inspiration

Chef Marco Garcia’s focus at Tacos Bar is entirely on seafood — and what excellent fish it is.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile in this undated photo released in March 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 25, 2023

From 'Young General' to 'Supreme Leader': The evolution of Kim Jong Un

North Korea's thinking on its relations with the U.S. has undergone dramatic changes, and Kim Jong Un's past evolution offers indications of where the country might be headed.
Russian and North Korean flags fly above a street in Vladivostok, Russia, in 2019. As Pyongyang prepares to mark the Korean War's 70th anniversary, Kim Jong Un's regime has Russia to thank.
WORLD
Jul 26, 2023

North Korea’s depleted coffers are filling up again thanks to Russia

New funds are enabling Kim Jong Un to ignore financial incentives designed to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.
A man watches as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks during a special statement on television at a restaurant in Phnom Penh on Wednesday. Hun Sen, one of the world's longest-serving leaders, said he will resign and hand power to his son, after almost four decades of hardline rule.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 26, 2023

Cambodia’s leader of four decades signals retirement after vote

Hun Sen is widely expected to hand over power to his son after indicating on Chinese TV that his succession will take place within weeks.
The population of Japanese nationals fell 801,000 in 2022 from a year earlier to 122,423,038, marking the largest drop since the survey began in 1968, government data showed Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 26, 2023

Number of Japanese drops in all 47 prefectures for first time as foreign population surges

As of Jan. 1, Japan's population, including foreign residents, stood at 125,416,877, down around 511,000 from a year earlier.
Investigators involved in the case shed light on one of Japan’s biggest crime stories of the 2000s in “Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2023

‘Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case’: Notorious crime story gets slick Netflix treatment

The detectives are the stars in the Japan-only version of Netflix’s true-crime documentary about a missing-person investigation that captured the nation’s attention.
From left: Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hold a news conference in Brisbane on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 29, 2023

U.S. to expand military footprint in Australia

Changes include frequent visits of U.S. submarines to Australia, rotation of U.S. Army watercraft and collaborating on guided missile production.
Paris' Japan Expo, a gathering for fans of Japanese pop culture, says it attracts 250,000 attendees per day.
CULTURE
Jul 30, 2023

In France, Japonisme has turned into Japanmania

Through architecture, fashion, culinary arts and even sports, aspects of Japanese culture are attracting a large portion of France’s population.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 1, 2023

China's Xi calls for combat readiness as PLA marks anniversary

Some say the moves reflect China's perception of increased external threats from the U.S. and its allies, and that Beijing is sending political messages.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2023

July in Japan saw second-highest number of days over 35 C for the month

Temperatures above 35 C were recorded at 2,435 locations, with climate change and El Nino contributing to scorching heat.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4. Trump was indicted on Monday over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election — the most serious legal threat yet to the former president as he campaigns to return to the White House.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 2, 2023

Trump charged with conspiracy for efforts to overturn 2020 election

The indictment alleges Trump knowingly spread lies about the election in order to undermine public faith in the vote and remain in power.
The social media backlash to “Barbenheimer,” an internet trend centered on the simultaneous release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” in the United States, led to the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer trending recently on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 2, 2023

‘Barbenheimer’ memes trigger anger in atomic-bombed Japan

Warner Bros. Japan criticized its U.S. counterpart for participating in internet memes that appear to trivialize the effects of the atomic bombings.
Almost every household in Yamagata has their own recipe for this dish of sliced and lightly sauced vegetables.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Aug 6, 2023

Recipe: Yamagata’s famous summer veggie relish

Unlike in most of Japan, in Yamagata Prefecture, “dashi” can refer to this dish of finely chopped summer vegetables and herbs.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 29
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 6, 2023

U.S. prosecutors ask for protective order, citing threatening Trump post

Despite a history of online bullying, Trump’s campaign issued a statement insisting that he was practicing his First Amendment rights.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speaks during a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

China hacked sensitive Japanese defense networks, report says

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Tuesday that Tokyo has not confirmed that top secret information was leaked.
Footage of a Chinese Coast Guard ship using a water cannon against a Philippine resupply vessel is shown during a news conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 9, 2023

China and the Philippines' dispute over grounded warship heats up

Tensions have risen after China Coast Guard ships blocked and deployed water cannons against two Philippine resupply vessels.
Kiminoi Shuzo's brewery (pictured in 1904) has been a fixture of the community in Arai, Niigata Prefecture, since its 1894 founding.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 13, 2023

Struggling Niigata sake sees ‘a future in Japan’s past’

New challenges are forcing Niigata’s brewers to adapt their ancient craft to changing times, a balancing act that is often easier said than done.
U.S. President Joe Biden recent comments about China are some of his most direct criticisms yet about the U.S.’s top geopolitical and economic rival.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2023

Biden fears Chinese economy is ‘ticking time bomb’

Biden's comments included several major inaccuracies about the world’s second-largest economy.
A Taiwan Air Force Mirage 2000 jet fighter landing at Hsinchu Air Base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in April.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2023

China’s military, ‘chasing the dream,’ probes Taiwan’s defenses

Day by day, the People’s Liberation Army is turning up the pressure, deploying an ever-wider array of planes and ships.
Gond, which opened in May near Ochanomizu Station, is run by the same group behind the long-running Dhaba India restaurant that closed in April.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 20, 2023

At Gond, a legendary Indian street food lineage endures

You can tell straight away that Gond has a personality to match its extensive and eclectic menu of dishes from around the subcontinent.
At the inaugural World Lambrusco Day held this June, the sparkling wine took center stage beneath the Eiffel Tower.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 20, 2023

Passe or sparkling, Lambrusco can get you through a Tokyo summer

Fizzy, fruity and tantalizingly affordable, the sparkling red wine from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region is a convivial antidote to the summertime blues.
Kapo Choryumon's signature crispy chicken, like much of Hong Kong cuisine, is a blend of influences from the former city-state's long and varied history.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Chefs Table
Aug 20, 2023

Where have Tokyo’s great Hong Kong restaurants gone?

Cantonese, British and Indian cuisines have all influenced Hong Kong recipes, flavor profiles and favored ingredients over the centuries.
Reader opinions have been mixed on Haruki Murakami's latest novel, “The City and Its Uncertain Walls.”
CULTURE / Books
Aug 20, 2023

Haruki Murakami’s latest has readers and reviewers perplexed

Following the arrival of the renowned author’s first full-length novel in six years, critics and readers have been left scratching their heads.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 21, 2023

Japan plans to move some residency applications online by 2025

The expansion of online services is part of the Immigration Agency's efforts to meet the Digital Agency’s plan of achieving a “digital society” by 2025.
Shinobu Yamanaka, a mom of three sons and director of a day care facility in Konan, Kochi Prefecture, serves up to eight "members" six days a week.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2023

Kochi dementia care center aims to set new paradigm in Japan

A new generation of people with Alzheimer’s in Japan are trying to change not only dementia care but also social attitudes toward patients.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on China in Washington last May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 23, 2023

U.S. commerce chief to be latest Cabinet official to visit China

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will visit China next week at the invitation of her Chinese counterpart.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan