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SLIM's photo of 10 lunar rocks. Photos taken by SLIM have already contributed to understanding about the moon’s surface.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 29, 2024

Japan’s moon lander stops responding in the dark

The Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon, also known as SLIM, did not respond to a signal sent to it by Japan's space agency on Monday evening.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike attends the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Wednesday. Koike, who is coming to the end of her second term as governor, did not formally announce her intent to run for July's gubernatorial election on Wednesday despite indications that she might.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2024

Tokyo Gov. Koike keeps guessing game going on candidacy declaration

Despite indications that she might make a formal announcement on Wednesday, the 71-year-old incumbent made no mention of the July gubernatorial election.
Saori (Satomi Ishihara) is thrust into a parent’s worst nightmare when her daughter goes missing, and her socially awkward brother emerges as the prime suspect.
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2024

‘Missing’: A kidnapping story fully aware of loss

Keisuke Yoshida’s “Missing” explores a mother’s anguish (without overdoing it), commenting on modern Japan’s dark media landscape.
With brightly colored hair and equally colorful attire, the 48-year-old Maaya Orii certainly stands out in a crowd.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 1, 2024

Paging Dr. Maaya, the neurosurgeon doubling as a fashion designer

Maaya Orii works as a neurosurgeon in Tokyo on weekdays and as a doctor in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on weekends. In her spare time, she’ll shift gears and focus on fashion.
OpenAI said that a Chinese network known as Spamouflage, which used its models to research social media activities, has been generating articles in various languages that were then posted on social media platforms and forums.
JAPAN / Society
May 31, 2024

Chinese group used OpenAI tech to discredit Fukushima water discharge

OpenAI said that a Chinese network used its models to generate articles in various languages accusing Japan of polluting the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 1, 2024

U.S. defense chief stresses commitment to Asia as concerns mount

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington was focused on the region even as the White House grapples with the conflicts raging in Ukraine and Gaza.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel aboard the BRP Bagacay observe a China Coast Guard ship during the distribution of fuel and food to fishers by a civilian-led mission in the disputed South China Sea on May 16.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 3, 2024

Beijing slams 'ignoble' U.S. role in South China Sea dispute

Responding to a warning by the Philippines' president, Beijing accused Washington of exploiting the issue to "drive a wedge between China and other regional countries."
Fans cheer after Japan's men's volleyball team qualified for the Paris Olympics on Oct. 7 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Volleyball
Jun 4, 2024

Japanese volleyball’s fastest growing fan base — female superfans

More than 80% of the fans at men’s domestic competitions are said to be women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Visitors take pictures in a booth showing photographs before a rally to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdowns, at the Library Square in Taipei on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

35 years on, Tiananmen memory eroded by Chinese censorship and Sino-U.S. rivalry

While commemorations of the crackdown are effectively banned in mainland China and in Hong Kong, events were being held in Taiwan and other locations.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, outside a U.S. federal court in Santa Ana, California, on Tuesday
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 5, 2024

Ohtani's ex-interpreter pleads guilty to stealing nearly $17 million

Ippei Mizuhara admitted to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence, and one count of filing a false tax return.
After a teenage girl loses her parents, she grapples with her new reality under an aunt’s guardianship in “Worlds Apart.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 6, 2024

‘Worlds Apart’ explores family, loss and unconventional ideas of love

A 15-year-old girl is orphaned when her parents die right before her eyes.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara heads to a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in Singapore on June 2. Kihara will attend the upcoming meeting with Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, along with their Philippine counterparts.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 11, 2024

Japan and Philippines to hold ‘two-plus-two’ security talks in July

At the meeting, the two sides could sign a reciprocal access agreement to facilitate mutual visits by the Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military.
A bereaved parent (Anne Watanabe, right) takes in an abused child with memory loss (Toma Nakasu) and convinces him that she’s his real mother in Kosai Sekine’s “Stay Mum.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 13, 2024

‘Stay Mum’: A tale of deception that doesn’t add up

A bereaved parent takes in an abused child with memory loss and convinces him that she’s his real mother.
The share of women in legislative, senior official and management roles increased by 1.7 percentage points from 2023 and 4.6 percentage points from 2006, according to a World Economic Forum gender equality report.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 12, 2024

Japan makes gains in political empowerment in gender equality report

Overall, Japan ranked 118th out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum report, making it the lowest-ranked G7 nation.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to reporters Wednesday before declaring her candidacy for the gubernatorial election in the afternoon.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

It’s official: Koike will seek reelection as Tokyo governor in July

The incumbent governor finally declared her candidacy on the last day of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly session.
Kali Adem port, north of Jakarta, is flooded due to rising sea levels and land subsidence. Climate change has a dire impact on the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities, therefore exacerbating maritime security challenges.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2024

Climate change threatens security in the Indo-Pacific

Leaders need to recognize that climate change is a maritime security challenge due to its impact on coastal regions, which exacerbates old problems and creates new ones.
U.S President Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Fasano, Italy, on Thursday
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 14, 2024

G7 agrees on $50 billion loan to support Ukraine with Russian assets

The loan to the war-torn country will be repaid using interest generated by $300 billion worth of immobilized Russian funds, G7 leaders said.
Pope Francis and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida talk ahead of a Group of Seven session on artificial Intelligence, energy, Africa and the Mediterranean on the second day of the G7 summit in Borgo Egnazia, Italy, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2024

G7 agree on AI code of conduct and joint initiatives for Africa

The bloc also agreed to build a common framework to combat illegal migration, with the aim of cracking down on human trafficking.
While the government aims to supply all public elementary school pupils with an electronic device for learning in school, communication between parents and teachers is still largely paper-based.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 17, 2024

Parents need digital tools to cope with 'first-grade barrier'

More flexibility and efficiency would lighten the load put on the families of public elementary school children, where paper-based communication is still too prevalent.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur region last September.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 18, 2024

Putin pledges to take Russia-North Korea ties to 'a higher level'

The Russian leader is expected to ask for even more weapons, while Kim will seek continued military tech support and cash to keep his regime afloat.
German and Japanese fighter jets take part in an exercise over Japan. Germany's air force plans to send three of the fighters to Japan next month for the first-ever joint aerial exercise between the Luftwaffe and Air Self-Defense Force.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2024

Germany laser-focused on Indo-Pacific despite hurdles, top envoy to Japan says

German Ambassador Clemens von Goetze expects soaring ties with Japan to continue to reach unprecedented heights.
PRESS
Jun 21, 2024

The Japan Times が第6回 『Sustainable Japan Award 』 を公募

株式会社ジャパンタイムズは 第6回Sustainable Japan Awardの公募を開始しました。
Founder and owner Kazunori Otowa (left) in the kitchen of his eponymous restaurant together with his two sons, head chef Hajime Otowa (center) and restaurant manager Sou Otowa.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Jun 22, 2024

Kazunori Otowa: Tochigi’s patriarch of French fine dining

Superb cuisine, family values and deep regional roots have elevated Restaurant Otowa to its lofty position.
RB's Yuki Tsunoda during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on June 8.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jun 21, 2024

'Emotional control' driving sunny Tsunoda to blossom in F1

Where the likeable Japanese racer would once rant and rave at perceived injustices out on track, nowadays he is calmness personified. Almost.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toast during a reception at the Mongnangwan Reception House in Pyongyang on Wednesday following summit talks.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 21, 2024

New Kim-Putin pact sparks unease — and talk of more aid for Ukraine

An opaque new treaty signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week could end up bolstering U.S.-allied cooperation.
The U.S. will no longer view itself through the lens of exceptionalism, regardless of whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden wins the next election.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 24, 2024

American exceptionalism is dead no matter who wins the election

The U.S. will no longer view itself through the lens of exceptionalism regardless of the presidential election's outcome, focusing instead on its narrow self-interests.
Izumi (Hana Sugisaki, left) tries to get to the bottom of a murder case that ends up going all the way to the top of Japan’s national intelligence agency.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 27, 2024

‘Sakura’: Secret agents, a murder mystery and one very determined young sleuth

Hana Sugisaki’s performance as a lowly employee in a prefectural police department stands out from typical portrayals in a domestic whodunit.
Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte emerged as the sole candidate for NATO secretary-general after his final challenger, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, dropped out of the race last week.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 27, 2024

NATO’s next chief, Mark Rutte, will have his work cut out for him

The war in Ukraine, uncertainty about Washington's position in the alliance and growing tensions with China are among the challenges he will face.
Voters listen to a stump speech in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Candidates turn to AI in Tokyo governor race

Experts warn that while social media give voters more insight into candidates, there are risks of information bias.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike gives a speech before the start of Toden Pro Wrestling, the first-ever pro wrestling event inside a streetcar of the Toden Arakawa Line, in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Koike has small lead as Tokyo election campaign enters final week

The Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan and disaster resilience have emerged as key issues as the race enters the home stretch.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan