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Australia's Emma McKeon in action at the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka in July 2023
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Jul 3, 2024

Olympic swimmers hope for winning edge with latest 'rocket suits'

Competitors believe innovation can be the difference in a sport where medals are sometimes decided by a mere fingertip, although the evidence is not as clear.
Japan’s redesigned yen banknotes are shown at the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday, the day the new ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 bills went into circulation. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2024

The new yen notes have an important story to tell

The inspiring stories of the three trailblazers whose portraits are featured on the new yen banknotes say a lot about the past, present and future of Japan.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jul 5, 2024

EU voices concern at Orban Moscow visit rumor

Orban is the only EU leader to have maintained close ties with the Kremlin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
A humanoid robot to be used by West Japan Railway for maintenance operations
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 5, 2024

Japan deploys humanoid robot for railway maintenance

The machine can use various attachments for its arms to carry objects, hold a brush to paint or use a chainsaw.
Asuka was one of Japan's earliest imperial capitals before the court eventually decamped for other locales.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 6, 2024

Cycling through Asuka, the forgotten capital of ancient Japan

During the Yamato Period (300-710), this village was one of the earliest capitals of the nascent Yamato state, even meriting its own aptly named Asuka Period (552-645).
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer
WORLD / Politics
Jul 7, 2024

Untested Starmer is suddenly the West’s last man standing tall

Keir Starmer — who’s spent the last six weeks campaigning under the one-word banner of ‘change’ — is about to discover how in politics, it can come at you fast.
Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture. The mayor of Himeji has suggested that foreign tourists pay four times more to enter the castle than the current ¥1,000 entrance fee.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024

Japan really should charge tourists four times more

The suggestion by a Kansai mayor that foreign visitors pay more for tourist attractions doesn't go far enough. The government should establish a nationwide policy.
Attendees wave the flags of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region during an event aboard a Star Ferry to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule in Hong Kong on July 1.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 9, 2024

As Singapore steps up scrutiny, affluent Chinese return to Hong Kong

Fallout from a blockbuster $2.2 billion money laundering case has put Singapore's family offices and wealthy immigrants under a microscope.
Yumiko Takano, chief executive officer of Oriental Land, speaks during a news conference in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, on Tuesday. Oriental Land has secured a deal with Disney Enterprises to launch Disney Cruises in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2024

Disney to add new ship in Tokyo to expanding cruise business

The new ship will be modeled after the Wish, the largest vessel in Disney's fleet.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko speaks in the suburbs of Kyiv on Tuesday in front of mine-clearing vehicles provided by Japan.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2024

Ukraine receives first shipment of mine-clearing vehicles from Japan

The shipment is part of ¥91 billion in grant aid aimed at assisting the country's reconstruction, with about 20 units scheduled for delivery this year.
A mystery-solving event with clues embedded in constellations projected on a dome is held at a planetarium in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on June 7.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2024

Japan's planetarium operators shoot for the stars with new events

The number of planetarium visitors in fiscal 2022 totaled 7.9 million, recovering to about 90% of the level before the COVID-19 pandemic.
A woman holds a baby wrapped in a blanket as displaced Palestinians leave an area in east Khan Younis after the Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for parts of the city on July 1.
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024

Gaza's pregnant women defy odds to give birth and protect their babies

For new mothers in Gaza, giving birth in a warzone is just the first step on a traumatic journey marked by constant fear and anxiety.
Dolphins Arena in Nagoya. While the new IG Arena will almost certainly provide a more enjoyable experience for fans, the hope is that action on the raised ring will retain the heat that Dolphins Arena has long been famous for.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 10, 2024

A farewell to a Nagoya sumo arena known for heat — inside and outside the ring

The upcoming Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament will be the last to be held at Dolphins Arena, which has been the scene of numerous memorable moments over the years.
A general view of the Belmarsh prison in London on May 20
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

U.K.'s overflowing prisons present PM Starmer with early crisis

The U.K. prison population has doubled over 30 years despite falling crime rates, and is projected to exceed 100,000 by 2026.
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jul 15, 2024

No AC this summer? No problem (for me).

I do have a unit, and I dutifully clean the filters now and then, but over the past two or three years, I’ve learned to live entirely without it.
Ground Self-Defense Force troops conduct a military drill on the uninhabited island of Irisuna in Okinawa Prefecture in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 12, 2024

Japan’s new defense white paper delivers strongest words yet on Taiwan

Tokyo pins the blame squarely on China's large-scale military exercises around the democratically ruled island for continued tensions in the region.
A Yamato Transport delivery center in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. Japan's parcel delivery firms are expanding drop-off services amid a rise in their redelivery rate and a shortage of truck drivers.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2024

Availability of parcel drop-off services increasing in Japan

The services are expected to help reduce redeliveries to lessen the heavy burden on delivery vehicle drivers.
A police officer patrols a beach following what Russian authorities say was a Ukrainian missile strike, in Sevastopol, Crimea, on June 24.
WORLD
Jul 14, 2024

Ukraine is targeting Crimea, a crucial base for Russia’s invasion

Now armed with U.S.-made precision missiles, Kyiv seeks to raise the cost for Russian occupation forces who have long used the peninsula as a base of operations.
Police officers stand guard in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, in April 2023 during a Lower House by-election campaign.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 15, 2024

Japan police to tighten security after Trump shooting

Specifically, prefectural police across the country have been urged to enhance vigilance in areas around venues for political events.
Ko Maung Saungkha, center, a poet who is a rebel commander in Myanmar, on the first day of training for new recruits in Karen State, on May 7.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 17, 2024

In the war against the junta in Myanmar, a poet commands a rebel army

Myanmar is a country entranced by poetry, with poets treated like celebrities and verse that has long been political used to galvanize the masses.
The North Korean flag flutters at the North Korea consular office in Dandong, China, on April 20, 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 17, 2024

'Shocking': U.N. report details North Korea's widespread forced labor

In a damning report, the U.N. rights office detailed how people in North Korea have been "controlled and exploited."
Seoul Queer Culture Festival participants hold a huge rainbow flag during parade in Seoul on July 1, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 18, 2024

Top court hands South Korean gay couple win on spouse status

The two plaintiffs filed the suit against the National Health Insurance Service in 2021 after their spousal benefits were stripped.
The Illuminate USA solar panel plant in Pataskala, Ohio, on Monday
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 18, 2024

Many U.S. solar factories are lagging, except for those China owns

Chinese companies will have at least 20 gigawatts' worth of annual solar panel production capacity on U.S. soil within the next year.
The Sado Gold Mine, so heavily tapped that the mountain bearing it has been cleaved in two, is up for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 20, 2024

Land of punishment, land of gold

The Sado Gold Mine may soon become Japan’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site, but the island’s history is much more complicated than a single tourist destination.
A group of Chinese tourists walks through the Ginza district of Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 19, 2024

Japan sees more tourists than before pandemic, breaking half-year record

The weak yen is attracting large crowds to Japan, with many tourists splashing out.
People hold umbrellas while watching baseball to deal with the heat in the city of Shizuoka on July 7.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 19, 2024

As risk of heatstroke rises in Japan, so does that of COVID-19

Patients examined for suspected heatstroke have been diagnosed with COVID-19 instead, as symptoms can be similar.
Workers engage in restoration work on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, where two maintenance trains had derailed on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2024

Accident halts Tokaido Shinkansen services between Hamamatsu and Nagoya

JR Central said the resumption work is expected to continue until the evening and it is not clear when the services will be fully resumed.
A drone view of Neve Daniel, a Jewish settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on March 12
WORLD
Jul 22, 2024

Israeli settlers court Republican religious right after Hamas attacks

While Donald Trump has suggested U.S. policy could change, neither he nor the Republican Party have been explicit about their position toward a Palestinian state.
One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 22, 2024

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Homeless influencers, fantasy boyfriends and bubble-era bars — Kabukicho seems to have it all.
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2024

Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins

With the squad being the only one in Paris not to feature any overage players, it is clear that this competition is partly about building for the future.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami