Search - places

 
 
Members of Myanmar's military security force patrol a street in Yangon, Myanmar.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 1, 2024

Myanmar junta extends emergency rule as civil war rages on

This is the sixth time Myanmar's highest body has decided to extend the emergency, further pushing back long-promised elections.
An event that was part of a regional sumo tour in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, in April 2019.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 1, 2024

Summer sumo tour may be tough for wrestlers, but it's a boon for fans

Grueling tours can be quite taxing for top pros, but they offer fans in small cities a rare chance of seeing their heroes up close.
Hakushi Hasegawa places their emotive vocals and dexterous keyboard work at the center of the music on their latest album, “Mahogakko” – reminding listeners that there’s a very human presence at the controls.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 2, 2024

Electronic wiz Hakushi Hasegawa pulls back the curtain

The musician's latest album, “Mahogakko,” strikes a delicate balance between the dazzling and the downright baffling.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda holds a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday. The bank raised rates to 0.25% in just the second hike since 2007.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 1, 2024

Ueda’s big day was lost in a communication black hole

The BOJ should improve its information release process, including fixing leaks and setting fixed release times, to avoid similar issues in the future.
People cross a street in Tokyo's Harajuku district on Wednesday. In July, the deviation from the average temperature between 1991 and 2020 — a period when warming was already well underway — was 2.16 degrees Celsius.
JAPAN / Boiling Point
Aug 1, 2024

Japan experienced its hottest July on record

The number of “extremely hot days” — those where the highest temperature hits 35 C and above — was the largest figure for a July.
Members of rescue teams cross a temporary bridge after multiple landslides in the hills in Wayanad district, in the southern state of Kerala, India, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 2, 2024

Indian soldiers building metal bridge to area affected by landslides

Landslides in the Kerala area destroyed the original bridge, then rising waters washed away a makeshift bridge.
Wreckage from a crashed U.S. Air Force CV-22B Osprey is brought ashore at a port on Yakushima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 30, 2023.
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2024

Gearbox fault caused fatal Osprey crash in Japan, U.S. Air Force says

The crash was caused by a "catastrophic” failure of the left-hand gearbox, which destabilized the aircraft.
The judge and last year's winner, Lettie Shiels, sits in the dressing room during the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on Saturday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 4, 2024

Transformative hobby: Going for gold at Japan's World Cosplay Summit

The three-day event in Nagoya drew thousands of fans — many keen to show off their own costumes.
Ngun Nei Par, the general manager at Ginshotei Awashima in Numata, Gunma Prefecture, graduated from a university in Myanmar with a degree in geography.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 6, 2024

Japan needs foreign workers, but it might not want them to stay long

Japanese politicians remain reluctant to create pathways for foreign workers, especially those in low-skill jobs, to stay indefinitely.
Shigekix, whose real name is Shigeyuki Nakarai, in action during the world championships in Leuven, Belgium, in September
OLYMPICS / Breaking
Aug 7, 2024

From the Bronx to Paris: Breaking set for its Olympic close-up

B-boys and B-girls from across the globe will soon compete in Olympic dance battles that feature intricate steps, acrobatic moves and plenty of flair.
Vinesh Phogat of India (in red) wrestles Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba in the women's 50-kg semifinals on Tuesday at the Paris Olympics. Phogat was later disqualified for being 100 grams over the weight limit.
OLYMPICS
Aug 8, 2024

Disqualification costs India a medal, but its Olympic future still looks bright

Vinesh Phogat had a chance to win a first Olympic gold for Indian women. But even after he disqualification, the country's female athletes have a promising future.
Anti-racism counterprotesters assemble ahead of a potential anti-immigration protest in Walthamstow, London, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Society
Aug 8, 2024

U.K. anti-racism protesters take to streets after days of far-right unrest

Nightly riots — during which mosques and migrant-related facilities have been attacked — have erupted across towns and cities.
Fans wave French flags at Champions Park in Paris on Aug. 1. Olympic fever has swept through the city during the Games and some Parisians who went on vacation to avoid the hoopla are now expressing some jealousy over those who stayed.
OLYMPICS
Aug 8, 2024

Parisians who left during Olympics are now 'a little jealous' of those who stayed

Olympic fever has taken over the French capital, leaving some of the Paris residents who fled feeling a tinge of jealousy.
A demonstrator carries a cross during the annual "March for Life" in Washington on Jan. 19.
WORLD / Society
Aug 8, 2024

U.S. public schools are becoming the new religious battleground

The religious movement is fueled by opposition to what conservatives call liberal curricula in school, including a focus on diversity and LGBTQ rights.
The shadows of workers from EKI Energy Services at a ReGen Powertech wind farm in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, India, in 2022
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 8, 2024

Climate crisis hinges on green power for those in need, study shows

Some of the poorest nations also have the world’s best solar energy potential, the report stated.
Moved by an experience with a local hunter, Shota Sasaki has since focused on elevating the image of game meat in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Aug 11, 2024

Elezo Esprit: A visceral celebration of Hokkaido’s wild game

Game meat specialist Elezo Esprit has hunters on staff who are directed to ensure the animals they supply arrive at the butchery within an hour of being killed.
A nature experience program at the Global Mizuiku Summit in Vietnam.
ESG CONSORTIUM
Aug 12, 2024

Suntory nurtures water, forests and future generations

Just like Suntory Holdings says in its corporate philosophy, “To inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature,” the company contributes to the enrichment of people’s lives beyond merely selling food and beverages globally. Although responsive to...
Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Longform
Aug 9, 2024

In search of the ‘Japanese dream’

You've likely heard of the American dream. In Japan, where no such concept exists, immigrants forge their own ideals.
Hamas named Yahya Sinwar as new political leader earlier this month.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 10, 2024

Israel's hunt for Hamas' elusive new chief Sinwar

Israeli commanders believe Sinwar, 61, is hiding in a labyrinthine maze of tunnels that Hamas has built under the Gaza Strip over the years.
Hindus block the streets as they protest against violence in their community in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 12, 2024

Bangladesh government is working to 'resolve' attacks on minorities

After Sheikh Hasina's abrupt resignation and flight abroad, there were numerous reports of attacks against Hindu households, temples and businesses.
Bereaved families of victims of the 1985 crash of a Japan Airlines jumbo jet make a video call at the accident site on the Osutaka Ridge in Gunma Prefecture on Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2024

Victims mourned 39 years after JAL jet crash in Gunma

Mourners prayed for the deceased in front of memorial markers as they hiked their way to the crash site.
California Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains, the first Sikh-American politician to be elected in the California State Legislature, poses for a picture with fellow assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva while attending a luncheon gathering in Artesia, California, on June 8.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2024

Some U.S. Sikhs fear Modi government is threatening them

Some Sikhs in the U.S. described experiencing online harassment and surveillance at their homes.
Designed by Bob Foundation in collaboration with Sugita Ace, the Sonaete series of disaster preparedness kits are packaged in bags, boxes and pouches that look attractive in homes.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 13, 2024

Stylish emergency goods can save precious seconds when disaster strikes

Eye-catching go bags, canary-inspired whistles and more aesthetically pleasing emergency preparedness items you'll want to keep within arm's reach.
Visitors take selfies at Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple in Kyoto.
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2024

Overtourism isn’t the conundrum it’s made out to be

142 countries are projected to exceed their pre-pandemic tourism performance this year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
The destruction left behind by the Borel Fire near Lake Isabella, California, on July 29
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2024

Wildfires are getting weirder. Case in point: 'firenados.'

Sometimes fire thunderstorms even create their own lightning, which spawns new blazes miles away.
Health minister Keizo Takemi fields questions from reporters in March after a Cabinet meeting to deal with health problems caused by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's beni kōji red yeast rice supplements.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 14, 2024

Health Minister Keizo Takemi on how to improve Japan's health care system

Digitalization, hiring high-skilled foreign workers and increasing wages are among the steps that Japan could take.
The city of Kurayoshi in Tottori Prefecture relocated privately-managed war memorials erected in various places in the city to a plot of land owned by the city.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 14, 2024

Maintaining privately built war memorials an urgent task in Japan

Of 16,235 memorials for the war dead built by members of the public, 780 were damaged, according to a welfare ministry survey.
Yuzuki Komiya (left) competes in the first national high school sumo tournament for girls in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, on Saturday.
SUMO
Aug 14, 2024

Women's sumo takes big step forward with first high school championships

Athletes from all over the country took part in the historic meet, with many expressing hope that the tournament would lead to greater exposure for women’s sumo.
Popular commentator and journalist Akira Ikegami speaks about investment fraud on social media at the Aichi Prefectural Police in Nagoya in July.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 14, 2024

Japanese celebrities raising alarm over social media fraud

The amount of money stolen in social media investment fraud schemes between January-June rocketed about seven times from a year earlier, according to police.
Akari Fujinami leapt into the arms of her father and coach after she became an Olympic champion in the women's 53-kg freestyle wrestling class on Aug. 8.
OLYMPICS
Aug 15, 2024

The emotional highs — and lows — of competing for Japan at the Olympics

From golden celebrations like that of wrestler Akari Fujinami to crushing defeats of stars like Uta Abe, Japanese athletes let it all out during the Paris Games.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes