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The victory of Ukraine-born Karolina Shiino (center) in the Miss Japan contest held last month has sparked a debate on what makes someone truly Japanese.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 1, 2024

A Ukraine-born beauty queen and what it means to be Japanese

Shiino's Miss Japan victory has ignited a debate on the definition of "Japaneseness," and raises questions on what it truly means to be Japanese.
A woman makes a donation for people affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake set up at Shinjuku's Keio Department Store's in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2024

¥17 billion raised for quake-hit Ishikawa

A committee made up of members of related organizations will decide how to allocate the funds, which will be distributed via local municipalities.
U.S. President Joe Biden has come under intense pressure from Republicans to take strong action, up to attacks directly on Iranian assets or territory.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2024

The world waits as Biden telegraphs attack on Iran-backed groups

The U.S. has accused Iran of funding groups that have attacked American bases and personnel in the region.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2024

EU breaks deadlock on €50 billion for Ukraine after Orban caves

The deal is crucial for Ukraine, which has warned that its coffers are emptying as it grapples with a weapons shortage.
Villagers and volunteers dig for human remains of victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
WORLD / Society
Feb 2, 2024

Victims of 1994 Rwandan genocide still being found 30 years on

Locating mass graves is an uphill task because only people who took part in the killings or relatives of the killers know their location.
Japanese regulations determine which hunters can handle certain firearms based on the individual's experience and the level of rifling in a long gun's barrel.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 3, 2024

Hokkaido hunters say more firepower means more humane kills

A revision to Japan’s firearms laws would mean new hunters would be temporarily limited to less potent shotguns.
Japan remains largely unresponsive as the U.S. moves toward the escalation of retaliatory strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and other Iranian-supported militants in the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 2, 2024

As the U.S. and Iran inch toward war, Tokyo bickers about political factions

Japan remains largely unresponsive as U.S. moves toward retaliatory strikes in the Middle East, and possibly war.
The title monster in “Godzilla Minus One” is a threat, of course, but the real story is about finding community in the wake of destruction.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 3, 2024

‘Godzilla Minus One’ stomps into ‘Oppenheimer’ territory

Those movies, along with “The Boy and the Heron,” are essentially in conversation about the moral weight of American and Japanese actions in World War II.
A Boeing 737 Max 7 during an FAA evaluation flight at Boeing Field in Seattle in September 2020
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2024

How a roller-coaster week left Boeing's credibility on the line

The tumult is not over. U.S. investigators are soon expected to release a preliminary report on the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines blowout.
Japan's Mone Chiba celebrates after winning the women's competition at the Four Continents championships in Shanghai on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 3, 2024

Japan's Chiba fights off nerves to triumph in women's Four Continents

Chiba's compatriot Rinka Watanabe came second in the free skate, in which she landed a notoriously difficult triple axel.
Iran forward Sardar Azmoun shoots the ball past Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu during the teams' quarterfinal clash at the Asian Cup in Qatar on Saturday.
SOCCER
Feb 3, 2024

Iran eliminates Japan from Asian Cup after late penalty

Iran, which won due to a converted penalty from the team's captain, had not beaten Japan in 19 years.
Yuma Kagiyama competes in the men's free skate at the Four Continents figure skating championships in Shanghai on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 4, 2024

Japan's Kagiyama smashes competition to take Four Continents title

Kagiyama made an error early in the free skating but his expressive, lightning-quick performance still earned him 200.76 points for a total of 307.58.
A majority of pollen allergy cases in Japan are caused by cedar trees, which cover 18% of Japan’s forests, due mostly to Japan’s forestation policy after World War II.
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Feb 4, 2024

As hay fever season approaches, here’s what you need to know to prepare

Your eyes start itching, your nose keeps running and you can’t stop sneezing. It's nearly time for Japan's dreaded hay fever season.
Shohei Ohtani at his introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium in December
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 4, 2024

Ohtani says recovery 'on schedule' and he's 'confident' for opener

"We're right on schedule," Ohtani said. "We're not ahead. We're not behind. We're right on schedule."
A customer tries his Vision Pro at the launch of the product at a store in Los Angeles on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 4, 2024

Vision Pro headset is Apple's next Mac and TV combined

The $3,500 headset, which blends 3D content with a view of the outside world, landed in the company’s physical U.S. stores on Friday.
The chief of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, accompanies cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko as he gets ready to board the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft at the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, in September.
WORLD
Feb 4, 2024

Russian cosmonaut sets record for most time in space — more than 878 days

The 59-year-old took the top spot from compatriot Gennady Padalka, who accumulated a total of 878 days.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

New Kyoto mayor aims to tackle over-tourism with higher fares

Koji Matsui faces many hurdles, and he takes over at a time when the demerits of over-tourism have become a particular topic of concern for residents.
Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2024

Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo

Bound together by shared neglect and marginalization, the group have formed a distinct, social media-linked youth subculture on the streets of Shinjuku.
Britain's King Charles leaves the London Clinic with Britain's Queen Camilla after receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate, in London on Jan. 29.
WORLD
Feb 6, 2024

King Charles diagnosed with cancer just 18 months into his reign

Buckingham Palace said that the king would postpone public-facing duties while he undergoes treatment.
Japan’s shortage of software engineers in particular has caused the country to lag behind in its digital transformation.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 6, 2024

Tech firms in Japan are scouring for talent amid labor shortage

Three-quarters of technology hiring managers in Japan found recruitment to be "very” or "quite” competitive last year.
South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann speaks to star midfielder Son Heung-min after their loss to Jordan in the semifinals of the Asian Cup on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Feb 7, 2024

Asian Cup final a step too far for South Korea's 'zombie football'

In Tuesday's semifinal, Juergen Klinsmann's side was beaten by a hard-working Jordan team that claimed a famous 2-0 win.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2024

Education minister under fire for unreported ties to Unification Church

Masahito Moriyama said he could not remember 2021 meeting with the group or the agreement he signed with it for electoral support.
Japanese fans of Taylor Swift take a selfie before entering Tokyo Dome for the pop star's Eras Tour show in Japan on Feb. 7.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 7, 2024

Taylor-mania hits Tokyo as Swift resumes tour before Super Bowl

Excited fans from countries such as Australia, Thailand and China joined the vast crowd at Tokyo Dome ahead of the megastar's Eras Tour show on Wednesday.
U.S. and U.K. military aircraft have carried out over a hundred bombing missions on Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, as well as against Tehran's proxies in Iraq and Syria, since last month.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 6, 2024

2024 looks to be a very bloody year

Preventing a conflagration and wider wars depends first on preventing regional crises from escalating, which demands a strong deterrent posture.
49ers running back Christian McCaffrey runs with the ball during the team's win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game on Jan. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 8, 2024

McCaffrey sprints into Super Bowl as key cog in 49ers offense

McCaffrey heads into the biggest game of his life in blistering form after a regular season campaign that saw him amass 1,459 rushing yards.
The term “snacking cake” has an adorable je ne sais quoi.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Feb 11, 2024

Recipe: Snacking carrot cake

The term “snacking cake” has an adorable je ne sais quoi. I wish they were more widely available in Japan, so here's one pared back to basics.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking a broad ruling that would end the push around the country to kick him off state ballots.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Supreme Court casts doubt on efforts to bar Trump from ballot

The high court is handling the case on an expedited basis, meaning a ruling could come in weeks.
Yoshikazu Higashitani, who goes by the name GaaSyy, leaves the Tokyo Detention House on Sept. 21 after being released on bail.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 9, 2024

Four-year prison term sought for ex-lawmaker GaaSyy

GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, is accused of making threats against actor Go Ayano and others in online videos.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2024

Japanese firms boosting pay for young workers is good news for Bank of Japan

If wage gain momentum carries over into this year, the BOJ is expected to end the world’s last negative interest rate regime by April.
Kotaro on Sunday, found more than a month after going missing following a New Year's Day earthquake in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Feb 9, 2024

Missing cat reunited with owner over one month after Noto quake

"I thought I'd never see him again. I can't believe it," said Eriko Matsuda, the cat's owner.

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