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JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2023

Johnny's denies that it was involved in reporter blacklisting

The agency responded to the backlash that arose over a journalist blacklist for a news conference addressing sexual abuse allegations by its late founder.
Australia had the chance to embrace reconciliation with its First Nations peoples in the Voice referendum. Voters chose division instead.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2023

Ignorance sank Australia’s Indigenous Voice referendum

Australia had the choice to embrace reconciliation with its First Nations peoples. Misinformation, dirty politics and apathy prevailed instead.
Elon Musk, owner of the X social media platform and carmaker Tesla, attends the opening ceremony of a new Tesla factory in Gruenheide, Germany, in March 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 18, 2023

X unveils ‘Not a Bot’ paid program and new Japan feature

The new “Not A Bot” subscription method is Elon Musk’s latest way of nudging users toward paying for the platform.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Oct. 3
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

China-linked 'spamouflage' targeted Canadian PM and lawmakers

The campaign, using networks of new and hijacked social media accounts to post bulk messages, took place in August and September.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 25, 2023

Prosecutors raid Tokyo ward mayor's office over election campaign

The special squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office were acting on a criminal complaint filed by local residents against the mayor.
A rally in support of Israel is held in Tokyo on Oct. 11 during which participants, including Israelis living in Japan, demanded the immediate release of all hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2023

A primer on the Israel-Hamas war


Japan's image of Israel is shallow and distorted, as many people fail to understand the existential threat that Hamas' aggression poses.
Hulu was founded in 2007 as a joint venture between News Corporation and NBC Universal, with Disney joining soon after as a partner.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 2, 2023

Disney to complete takeover of Hulu with $8.6 billion deal

The acquisition comes as the company strives to boost subscriber numbers at its Disney+ streaming service.
Journalists and activists call for justice and protection of media workers during a rally following the killing of a radio journalist in Quezon City, Philippines, in October 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Nov 5, 2023

Radio broadcaster killed in the Philippines

The Philippines is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and their killers often go unpunished.
A union team captain reacts after SAG-AFTRA approved a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to bring an end to the 118-day actors strike, at a brewery in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 9, 2023

Hollywood actors reach tentative deal with studios to end strike

The deal also provides protections against unauthorized use of images generated by artificial intelligence.
Japan’s public bathhouses have been in decline for decades, with the number of such facilities in Tokyo alone dropping by nearly half in the last 15 years.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 14, 2023

Japan seeks digital detox with return to ‘way of the sauna’

Public bathhouses have been in decline for decades, with the number of sentō baths in Tokyo dropping by nearly half in the last 15 years.
Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has said that trade talks with China could help stabilize relations.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2023

Japan and China to hold regular talks on trade, media reports say

Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said the talks could help stabilize relations.
Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto Prefecture hands out "blindfold" stickers that visitors can use to cover up their wishes written on wooden plaques.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2023

Privacy concerns prompt people to cover up Shinto prayer plaques

The plaques have been used to express wishes for centuries, and now some shrines are allowing them to be covered with stickers for privacy reasons.
As technology and politics increasingly force society to determine truth from fiction, Merriam-Webster's dictionary has selected the word "authentic" as word of the year.
WORLD / Society
Nov 28, 2023

Merriam-Webster crowns 'authentic' as word of the year

The winner beat "deepfake," "rizz" and "coronation" for honors as the word that most often sent people to the dictionary.
Fox Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 29, 2023

Rupert Murdoch being deposed in Fox defamation case: source

Establishing that Murdoch was involved in decisions about coverage would help voting technology company Smartmatic prove liability.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2023

Japan’s 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning

A.R.E — based on the Japanese word “are” (“that”) — took the top spot, after the Hanshin Tigers popularized the term as an indirect reference to victory.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 4, 2023

Kishida denies media report of ties to Unification Church

The prime minister reportedly had an exchange with Masayoshi Kajikuri, the head of the Universal Peace Federation Japan, in 2019.
Data has shown that the United States women's team — which has routinely been targeted for online abuse over the years — was subjected to the most abuse during the 2023 Women's World Cup.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Dec 12, 2023

One in five players at Women's World Cup suffer online abuse: study

Nearly 50% of the verified online abuse was homophobic, sexual or sexist in nature.
Poland's Iga Swiatek in action during the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, in November.
TENNIS
Dec 21, 2023

Tennis governing bodies aim to combat online abuse of players

The bodies will use Threat Matrix, which uses a combination of AI and open-source data, to provide a rapid threat assessment of personal safety.
The U.S. head office of TikTok in Culver City, California
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2023

Whoever designed TikTok Shop should get coal for Christmas

With TikTok Shop's debut holiday season, is sees a mixed bag of success and struggles.
Local media in China exposed a secretive surrogacy service that may be helping to deliver more than 300 babies a year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 27, 2023

Chinese media expose prompts probe into illegal baby surrogacy

Despite Beijing’s repeated crackdowns and an outright ban, underground surrogacy services continue to thrive in China.
Tokyo is considered a 15-minute city, where many residents live within a short walking or cycling distance from the shops and facilities they need.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2024

Don't let the culture wars sabotage 15-minute cities

In 15-minute cities, amenities can easily be reached on foot. Why are conspiracy theorists attacking the idea and what nuance is missing from the debate?
Air traffic at the Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq, was suspended in the early morning on Tuesday amid explosions.
WORLD
Jan 16, 2024

Iran attacks Israel's 'espionage centers' in Iraq, state media says

Revolutionary Guards said they also struck in Syria against the Islamic State group.
Sheryl Sandberg at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in 2019. Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 as the No. 2 to co-founder Mark Zuckerberg to oversee the fledgling company’s advertising, partnerships, business development and operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 18, 2024

Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg to leave board after 12 years

Sandberg was key to turning the social network into one of the world’s biggest and most financially successful companies.
A clock thrown away at a trash site in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday shows the approximate time that an earthquake hit the area on Jan. 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 19, 2024

Nanao mayor says Line group chat was essential to relief efforts

The group chat consisting of 300 municipal leaders nationwide allowed Yoshitaka Chatani to directly communicate with other mayors who were eager to help.
Taylor Swift attends the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 7.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 27, 2024

Outrage over deepfake porn images of Taylor Swift

One image of the U.S. megastar was seen 47 million times on X, the former Twitter, before it was removed Thursday.
U.S. television host Tucker Carlson interviews Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in on Feb. 6. Carlson was criticized for failing to challenge the Russian leader on much of what he said.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2024

Putin interview showed why he really invaded Ukraine

Tucker Carlson lobbed questions to help the Russian president serve up his usual string of half-truths and outright falsehoods about the war in Ukraine.
Fans of virtual YouTuber Selen Tatsuki and VTubers in general took to social media to express their outrage over major agency Nijisanji terminating Tatsuki’s contract.
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Feb 16, 2024

High-profile shakeups prompt scrutiny of virtual YouTuber industry

As VTubers enter a new era defined by prestige, Selen Tatsuki and Mikeneko's recent dramas demonstrate how complicated getting famous can be.
Marcus Rashford has scored just five times for Manchester United this season.
SOCCER
Mar 1, 2024

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford asks critics to have 'more humanity'

Rashford asked his critics to show a "bit more humanity" before they question his commitment to Manchester United
JAPAN / Society / First person
Mar 1, 2024

Ohtani is taken. It’s enough to make you cry.

It’s official, and it's over: Shohei Ohtani has left the future husband market and, in the blink of an eye, leveled a field of fairy-tale dreams.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

China scraps premier's briefing, breaking years of convention

The decision removes a rare platform for investors to learn more about the nation’s policy direction under President Xi Jinping.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’