NEWSWORTHY
Pope says he hopes to visit Japan next year, fulfilling wish
Pope Francis said Wednesday he hopes to visit Japan next year, a trip that would enable him to draw attention to both the legacy of Christian martyrs centuries ago and survivors of the atomic bombs in 1945. Francis made the announcement while meeting with members ...
Russia launches biggest war games in decades
Russia began its biggest war games since the fall of the Soviet Union on Tuesday close to its border with China, mobilizing 300,000 troops in a show of force that will include joint exercises with the Chinese army. China and Russia have staged joint drills ...
China stalls on licenses for U.S. financial companies amid Trump tariff battle
Amid a worsening tariff battle, China is putting off accepting license applications from American companies in financial services and other industries until Washington makes progress toward a settlement, a business group official said Tuesday. The disclosure is the first public confirmation of U.S. companies' fears ...
Sailors slam Japan for having dolphin show at World Cup opening
The Japanese organizer of the World Cup sailing competition has been criticized for having included a dolphin show in the opening ceremony. World Sailing, a governing body that seeks to protect marine cetaceans, said in a statement it was "disappointed" that the organizing committee of ...
Nations supportive of commercial whaling block South Atlantic sanctuary bid
Pro-whaling nations on Tuesday blocked a near two-decade effort to create a South Atlantic haven for the endangered marine mammals, deepening divisions at an already fractious International Whaling Commission meeting in Brazil. The South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary was backed by 39 countries with 25 voting ...
U.S. approves possible $3.1 billion sale of early-warning planes to Japan
The U.S. State Department said Monday it is ready to approve the sale of up to nine early-warning military planes to Japan, in a sale worth more than $3 billion. The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, made by Northrop Grumman, are equipped with powerful radars that ...
The real question for Tokyo now is where the Trump administration will go from here.
New Zealand deploys patrol plane to Japan for North Korea sanctions enforcement
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said on Friday his government was deploying a maritime patrol aircraft to Japan to assist with efforts to enforce United Nations sanctions against North Korea. A New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 aircraft would carry out patrols of international ...
More men pass entrance exams than women at 80% of Japan's medical schools: survey
The government released preliminary results of a survey on medical school entrance exams in the wake of a prestigious university admitting it lowered the scores of women to curb their enrollment.
Japan to halt Iran oil imports under U.S. pressure, after failing to win waiver: reports
Japan's major oil wholesalers are preparing to suspend crude oil imports from Iran in October, amid fears Washington will sanction countries importing Iranian crude, local media reported. U.S. President Donald Trump in May pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and last month ...
Japan claims sixth consecutive WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup crown
Powerhouse Japan blanked Taiwan 6-0 in the final to capture its sixth straight championship in the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup on Friday. Iori Miura and Yuki Kawabata drove in two runs apiece and Nozomi Abe had an RBI single as five-time defending world champion ...
Japan's men's 4x100-meter sprint foursome showed on Thursday it has not lost a step since its runner-up finish in Rio, winning the Asian Games title with ease. Running a 38.16-second time, the team of 100-meter bronze medalist Ryota Yamagata, Shuhei Tada, Yoshihide Kiryu and Asuka ...
