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April 28, 2025
 

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RIGHTS

Kanata Kimoto had his womb and ovaries removed in Thailand when he was 24, so he could have his legal gender status changed. Now he questions whether such an invasive and costly procedure was necessary.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 22, 2023
Calls grow to abolish Japan's surgery requirement for gender change
Between 2004 and 2022, a total of 11,919 people had their gender changed through the law in Japan.
Smoke rises over buildings in the Gaza Strip on Saturday amid Israeli strikes.
WORLD
Oct 21, 2023
At Cairo summit, U.N. chief urges cease-fire to end Gaza 'nightmare'
Addressing a Cairo summit, Antonio Guterres said the Palestinian enclave of 2.4 million people was living through "a humanitarian catastrophe."
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.
Palestinian refugees flee to Rafah, in southern Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023
Japan must uphold humanitarianism in the Middle East
War cries from Israel and Hamas must be met with appeals for the defense of human life, a position Japan has historically held.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 16, 2023
Unification Church calls government move a violation of rights
A news conference offered a glimpse of how the church will defend itself against a request to revoke its religious corporation status.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told his Saudi Arabian counterpart that Israel's actions in Gaza have gone "beyond the scope of self-defense."
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2023
China says Israel acting 'beyond scope of self-defense'
Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks came as Israel appeared poised for a ground offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza.
South Korea's government and international rights organizations have said defectors who are deported back to the North face harsh punishment.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 13, 2023
South Korea protests to China over suspected North Korea repatriations
South Korea had been unable to determine the number of people involved and whether there were defectors among them.
A gender-equality supporter protests against discrimination at an event held in Tokyo for International Women's Day in March 2021
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 13, 2023
Japan’s gender gap has never been wider. Can Kishida close it?
The government emphasizes the need to improve gender equality, but correcting Japan's dismal record requires a nuanced approach.
A dove flies over the debris of houses destroyed in Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
WORLD
Oct 12, 2023
Gazans bombarded by Israel have no hope and no escape
The Palestinian territory, one of the most crowded places on Earth, has been under siege since Saturday in a near-constant bombardment.
Iranian rights activist Narges Mohammadi at the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Tehran in 2007. Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
WORLD
Oct 6, 2023
Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi wins Nobel Peace Prize
The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited her “fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”
Protesters calling for the protection of human rights in Hong Kong gather in Tokyo on Sunday
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2023
Protesters in Tokyo target China on founding anniversary
Groups supporting Tibet, Uyghurs, Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong and Taiwan came together to condemn China over alleged repression and genocide.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi address a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol in Washington in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 1, 2023
Modi’s Hindu nationalism stokes tension in Indian diaspora
Canadian and U.S. universities have become battlegrounds for critics and defenders of Hindu nationalism, punctuated by threats of violence and even death.
Armenian refugees from Nagorno Karabakh in the center of the town of Goris, Armenia, on Saturday
WORLD
Oct 1, 2023
'How can we live with them?' Terrified Armenians flee Karabakh
According to a count by the Armenian authorities, 100,417 people have entered Armenia since Sept. 24.
Kenyan schoolchildren use computers in Nairobi on May 6.
WORLD / Society
Sep 28, 2023
Girls avoiding internet due to abuse and bias, report warns
A survey of more than 10,000 teens and their parents found that girls are constantly being told they are vulnerable and not competent online.
Members of the Afghan women's volleyball team spin balls for photos after practice in Hangzhou, China, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 28, 2023
Games-displaced Afghan women athletes defy Taliban at Asian Games
There are 17 Afghan women competing at the Asian Games
Sofia, 18, and Andre Oliveira, 15, are part of a group of six that took action in the European court against 32 countries for allegedly failing to do their part to avert climate catastrophe.
WORLD
Sep 27, 2023
Youth vs. Europe: 'Unprecedented' climate trial to kick off at rights court
If the complaint is upheld, it could result in orders from national courts for governments to cut carbon dioxide emissions faster than currently planned.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 27, 2023
Supreme Court may adjust requirements for gender status change
If the court deems the surgery requirement for a gender change to be unconstitutional, it is expected to pave the way for an amendment of the law.
Anon Numpa, a prominent activist and former human rights lawyer, speaks to media ahead of a Thai criminal court's verdict in a case of him allegedly having insulted the monarchy, at the criminal court in Bangkok on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 27, 2023
Top Thai protest leader jailed on royal insult charges
Thailand has some of the world's strictest royal defamation laws, which shield King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family from criticism.
Ukrainian refugees arrive at Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 5, 2022.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2023
Japan to introduce new residency status for asylum-seekers
A program to offer a long-term residence status that will allow asylum-seekers to work in Japan will be introduced in December.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses media on the first day of the five-day long special parliamentary session, in New Delhi on Sept.18.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 26, 2023
India's ruling party linked with anti-Muslim hate speech: report
The report found that more than half of the documented incidents this year were orchestrated by the ruling BJP and affiliates.
China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost
China Coast Guard officers unfurl a national flag on Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea this month in this screen shot taken from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Japan to resist Trump efforts to form trade bloc against China
As Japan gears up for the trade talks, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is also seeking to cushion the blow that the U.S. tariffs may have on the domestic economy.
As many as nine dead after driver plows into Vancouver festival crowd
An ambulance is parked at the site of the Lapu Lapu day festival, where a vehicle drove into a crowd killing several people in Vancouver on Saturday.
Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’
Arunima Mazumdar, a New Delhi-based communications professional, began sharing her love of Japanese literature online in 2022. The platform has grown into a robust community known as Dokusha Book Club.
Japan struggles with gray zone of AI deepfakes exploiting children
AI-generated content — including those made using pictures of real people, which are known as “deepfakes” — is not explicitly covered under Japan's current legal framework, nor are human-drawn illustrations that depict child abuse.
Expo '25 gives the world a masterclass in mascots
2025 Osaka Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku dances on the stage during the event's official opening ceremony on April 12.
Japan struggles with gray zone of AI deepfakes exploiting children
AI-generated content — including those made using pictures of real people, which are known as “deepfakes” — is not explicitly covered under Japan's current legal framework, nor are human-drawn illustrations that depict child abuse.
‘Wildcat Dome’ challenges Japan's historical narratives
On the surface, "Wildcat Dome" tells a personal story of damaged children — now adults — bound together by tragedy. Underneath, there’s a constant undercurrent of political consequence, invisible and pervasive like radioactive particles.
Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time
Magokoro Yoshihira (center) is the managing director of Yui Associates, which operates the neighborhood fixtures of Sanya Cafe and Juyoh Hotel. Yusuke Takahashi (left) met Yoshihira during a difficult period in his life and now works as the cafe’s chef. Nancy Anne (right) has worked for over 10 years at Juyoh Hotel and enjoys the multicultural environment.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin

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