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Gold medalists Wang Manyu (left), Sun Yingsha (center) and Chen Meng celebrate on the podium after winning gold in the women's table tennis team event at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Table tennis
Aug 11, 2024

China completes golden sweep of table tennis with women's team win over Japan

China has now won 37 of the 42 golds since table tennis debuted at the Summer Olympics in 1988.
Robert Read (second from left), an executive of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, at a rally held in front of the the Embassy of Denmark in London last week
JAPAN
Aug 11, 2024

Japan will face condemnation if it convicts Sea Shepherd founder, ally says

Founder Paul Watson was placed on an international wanted list in 2010 on suspicion of obstructing Japan's research whaling. Last month, he was detained in Greenland.
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Aug 11, 2024

Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom

For over half a century, Japan has been a sizable buyer of LNG, and its government, banks and energy companies have played a key role in continued investment.
Yuka Kagami celebrates with her medal after winning the women's 76-kg freestyle wrestling event on the final day of the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Aug 12, 2024

Japan finishes third on medal table after strong showing at Paris Olympics

Japan won 20 gold medals at the Paris Olympics for its best showing at an overseas Games.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a summit in Bangkok in November 2022. Despite Japan-China relations stagnating in recent years, Xi's administration presents some interesting opportunities for an overture between the two countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 12, 2024

Will Japan and China’s relations continue to stagnate?

Japan and China have historically been at odds and relations have stagnated. This pattern can be broken by seizing the moment, one that offers some key opportunities.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Aug. 2
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2024

Kishida holds phone talks with Tajik and Turkmen leaders

On the call, Kishida conveyed Japan's continued commitment to strengthening relations with Central Asia and his desire to rearrange his trip to the region.
 Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2024

Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists

A revision of the current system is being considered to prevent goods bought tax-free from being resold within the country.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at the presidential office in Taipei on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024

Is it fifth time's the charm for Shigeru Ishiba?

Ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race, a short trip to Taiwan is allowing the former defense minister to burnish his foreign policy chops.
A satellite image shows Typhoon Ampil south of Japan on Thursday afternoon.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2024

‘Very strong’ Typhoon Ampil set to approach eastern Japan on Friday

While the storm is not likely to make landfall, the Izu Islands and the Kanto and Tohoku regions will see its impacts from Thursday to Saturday.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attend a government-hosted national memorial service for World War II casualties at the the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2024

Japan marks 79 years since World War II surrender

Events were held across Japan to honor the around 3.1 million people who died in the war.
Only two other class of persons were treated with anything like the merciless ferocity meted out to lovers: subversives and Christians.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Aug 17, 2024

Love was a most subversive affair in Edo Japan

As the shogunate required order in society, love was seen as a threat to rational thinking — something that you might die for.
Surgeons perform the world’s first genetically modified pig kidney transplant into a living human at Massachusetts General Hospital in March.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 16, 2024

Hurdles remain in Japan for transplants of pig organs into humans

Among the issues are the risk of previously unknown infectious diseases, animal welfare and the need to protect recipients from discrimination.
The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 19, 2024

It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers

Protecting beachgoers from drowning, heatstroke and possible tsunami, lifesavers are seeking formal recognition for what they do.
Graffiti was found on the pillar bearing Yasukuni Shrine’s name and at its base at the Tokyo shrine's entrance Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2024

Pillar at entrance to war-linked Yasukuni Shrine vandalized again

Staff discovered Chinese characters for “toilet” and various letters of the English alphabet written on the pillar bearing the shrine’s name on Monday.
A portrait taken on May 26, 1979, shows French actor Alain Delon during the filming of "Le toubib" directed by Pierre Granier Deferre, in Sissonne, central France.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 20, 2024

Alain Delon: A 'god' in Japan

The French actor, who died on Aug. 18, held special appeal for his Japanese fans, as he embodied a "thirst" that postwar youth could identify with.
Berlin's growing military engagement with Indo-Pacific allies and partners is meant to signal that Germany "stands firmly at the side of those countries that are committed to complying with international law and do not accept it being called into  question," German Navy chief Vice Adm. Kaack told The Japan Times.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2024

Sea lane fears drive German military's Asian engagement, navy chief says

Developments in the Indo-Pacific, both economic and geopolitical, have direct implications for the security and prosperity of Germany, Vice Adm. Jan Christian Kaack says.
Visitors walk through the Hozomon Gate as they visit Sensoji temple in Tokyo earlier this month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 21, 2024

Japan sees record number of visitors for second straight month

The estimated number of tourists visiting Japan surged 41.9% from a year earlier to 3,292,500 in July, hitting a second-straight monthly high.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a joint news conference in Seoul in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

Kishida eyes visit to South Korea in early September

Kishida apparently hopes that he and Yoon will confirm the importance of keeping relations between their countries on track.
Japan coach Futoshi Ikeda consoles Fuka Nagano after their quarterfinal loss against the United States at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 3.
SOCCER
Aug 22, 2024

Nadeshiko Japan parts ways with coach Futoshi Ikeda

The 53-year-old led Nadeshiko Japan to the last eight at the Women's World Cup last year, but the team was unable to improve on that showing in Paris earlier this month.
The introduction of a two-tier pricing system which charges foreign tourists more than local residents is being considered at Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

More Japan tourist hot spots consider two-tier pricing system

However, experts have warned that the system may lead to discrimination if it is not carefully thought out.
Robert C. Neff, passed away at after a long illness at 77 years old on July 31, 2024, at his home in Hayama, south of Tokyo.
COMMUNITY
Aug 25, 2024

The American journalist ahead of the game on an ascendant Japan

Neff was part of a golden age of magazine journalism as Tokyo bureau chief for Businessweek magazine and a lover of hot spring retreats.
The 2024 Kentaro Kaneko Award ceremony will be held Oct. 15 at the International House of Japan in Tokyo’s Minato Ward.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Aug 24, 2024

America-Japan Society announces recipients of 2024 Kentaro Kaneko Award

This year's Kentaro Kaneko Award celebrating achievements in furthering U.S.-Japan relations goes to a volunteer, an educator and a legendary musician.
Severe Tropical Storm Shanshan is seen in a satellite image from Friday afternoon
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

Japan braces for typhoon landfall early next week

Severe Tropical Storm Shanshan, set to strengthen into a typhoon by Saturday, is forecast to make landfall in Shikoku or Honshu.
A construction worker in Akasaka-Mitsuke, Tokyo, on Wednesday. High temperatures are projected to linger on past the summer.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

High temperatures expected to continue in Japan through October

The warm fall will follow what has already been a particularly hot summer, with July’s average temperature coming in at a record high for the month.
Tepco employees serve scallops at an event in Tokyo last month.
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2024

Japan scallop exports shifting away from China dependence

The efforts led to increases in scallop exports to the United States and other markets, highlighting the scallop supply chain's shift away from China.
Typhoon Shanshan is expected to become more powerful and hit western Japan on Tuesday, after which it is forecast to make its way north throughout the week.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024

Typhoon Shanshan to hit western Japan on Tuesday

By Wednesday, the maximum wind speed is expected to reach up to 162 kilometers per hour around Amami Oshima island and southern Kyushu.
Oceanographic research vessel Mirai is docked at the port of Sekinehama in Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, on Monday before it embarked on an Arctic voyage later in the day.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024

Japan's Mirai research vessel embarks on Arctic journey

Mirai is tasked with ocean research and weather observations in the Arctic Ocean, in hopes of finding the cause and impact of rapid global warming in the area.
Akira Ishiwatari (right), a Nuclear Regulation Authority commissioner, inspects a trench dug on the grounds of the Tsuruga nuclear power plant's No. 2 reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 28, 2024

Tsuruga nuclear reactor found noncompliant with safety standards

The Nuclear Regulation Authority will decide whether to formally adopt the report after collecting public comments on it for about a month.
Vehicles are stranded on flooded road on Thursday following heavy rains from Typhoon Shanshan in the city of Tamana, Kumamoto Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2024

Heavy rain batters Japan after Typhoon Shanshan makes landfall in Kyushu

Later Thursday, Shanshan was downgraded to a severe tropical storm, but it was still bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the region and beyond.
Naoto Ooka inspects a new heat-resistant rice breed called Emihokoro that has been planted at the government-run Saitama Agricultural Technology Center in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on Aug. 7.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2024

As sweltering summers ravage crops, Japan bets on heat-resistant rice

Supermarkets have struggled to keep rice shelves stocked in recent months.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear