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January 15, 2025
 

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The Resilience lunar lander is integrated into the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Jan. 7.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 15, 2025
Japanese space startup launches second bid for historic moon landing
A successful landing would make Ispace the first private Asian company to touch down on the moon.
Hoshoryu (right) defeats Kirishima on Sunday. Hoshoryu has the look of a contender in the early days of the year's first tournament.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 15, 2025
Wide-open field has the New Year Basho looking like anyone's tourney
There has still been enough shakiness among the top-rankers to preclude ruling out any kind of outcome in the year's first tournament.
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, South Korea, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
South Korean investigators arrest impeached President Yoon
His arrest, the first ever for an incumbent president, is the latest head-spinning development for one of Asia's most vibrant democracies.
Naomi Osaka hits a return during her second round win over Karolina Muchova on Wednesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 15, 2025
Osaka gets 'revenge' on Muchova in Australian Open fightback
The Japanese star, who won in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, dropped the first set against 20th seed Karolina Muchova before winning 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
The influx of foreign tourists in Japan is pushing up hotel room prices, forcing some business travelers to stay at capsule hotels.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 15, 2025
Japan's tourism boom prices out local business travelers
The average price of a basic room at a business hotel in Tokyo has nearly doubled between 2019 and last year.
The flag of Greenland flutters at the Inussivik hall in Nuuk in 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Why does Trump want Greenland and could he get it?
Greenland's strategic location and resources could benefit the U.S.
Zheng Qinwen reacts after a point against Germany's Laura Siegemund during their second round match at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jan 15, 2025
'Queen Wen' deposed in huge shock at Australian Open
The normally ice cool Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen got hot under the collar as she was sent packing 7-6 (3), 6-3 by the world No. 97.
The flight data recorder retrieved from Jeju Air flight 2216, which crashed killing 179 people in December. Black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the flight stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea's transport ministry said Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 15, 2025
Crashed Jeju jet’s black box failure shows decadeslong gap in power rules
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board first recommended that cockpit voice recorders be fitted with an independent power source in the late 1990s.
Pete Hegseth, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Trump nominee Pete Hegseth weathers Democrat grilling largely unscathed
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be secretary of defense.
A damaged school bus is seen after residents fled from the Eaton fire, one of six simultaneous blazes that have swept across Los Angeles County, in Altadena, California, on Saturday.
WORLD / Society
Jan 15, 2025
LA schools rush to reopen as memories of COVID-19 disruption linger
Educators, administrators and parents are taking steps to mitigate learning loss and provide relief to families adversely affected by wildfires.
Yuichiro Tamaki, currently the suspended leader of the Democratic Party for the People
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Tamaki vows support for government budget if 3-party pact is implemented
The suspended leader of the Democratic Party for the People voiced support for the budget bill if the items in the pact with the ruling parties are carried out.
Elon Musk, left, with Vivek Ramaswamy on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 5.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2025
SEC accuses Elon Musk of bilking Twitter investors out of millions
The agency’s complaint accuses Musk of failing to promptly report that he had amassed more than 5% of the social media platform’s stock in early 2022.
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel face significant legal challenges in their case against the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 15, 2025
Nippon Steel’s case against Biden probably unwinnable, attorneys argue
A U.S. president's rejection of a deal following review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has only been successfully challenged once.
A street in Pattaya, Thailand
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2025
Thai police arrest Japanese man over ¥1.36 billion retiree scam
The scam involved fraudsters impersonating Japanese government staff to sell bogus health insurance packages, according to the police statement.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hopes to visit the United States in early February, at the earliest, or in the middle of the month, at the latest, to have talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Ishiba may visit U.S. early next month for his first summit with Trump
The Japan-U.S. summit could take place in early February, at the earliest, or in the middle of the month, at the latest.
Tiger Woods lines up a putt during an event in Orlando, Florida, in December.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jan 15, 2025
Tiger Woods pledges support amid 'unimaginable loss' in Los Angeles
Flames that razed the Pacific Palisades came uncomfortably close to The Riviera Country Club, which is slated to host the 2028 Olympic golf tournament.
Jurgen Klopp, Red Bull's new global head of soccer, is interviewed at a media event in Salzburg, Austria, on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Jan 15, 2025
Klopp excited about Red Bull role as he dismisses return to management
Klopp insisted he was happy to be away from the daily grind of club management after more than two decades working in a dugout.
Kaja Kallas, vice president of the European Commission, in Brussels on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
EU’s top diplomat aims to use economic muscle against Russia
The EU is trying to find ways to ramp up its defense spending to rearm the continent while also putting pressure on Russia to join possible peace talks over Ukraine.
A soldier stands near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on Jan. 1 in New Orleans.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 15, 2025
Law enforcement prepared for Super Bowl in New Orleans after attack, official says
Tens of thousands of football fans are set to descend on the city next month, with the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, capping a weeklong celebration.
Former MUFG Bank employee Yukari Imamura, a suspect in the theft of gold ingots worth ¥260 million, leaves the Nerima Police Station in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2025
Ex-MUFG Bank employee arrested over theft of 20 kg gold deposits
At least 60 clients have been victims of the safe deposit box thefts, with the total damage expected to exceed ¥1 billion.
A firefighter monitors the spread of the Auto Fire in Oxnard, North West of Los Angeles, California, on Monday.
WORLD
Jan 15, 2025
Fire-hit LA faces new peril as dangerous winds ramp up
A week after blazes erupted and spread uncontained, forecasters predicted "particularly dangerous" Santa Ana winds in Los Angeles would spike the wildfire threat anew.
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
U.S., Egyptian leaders focus on 'coming hours' in Gaza cease-fire talks
Officials say an agreement for a truce in the besieged enclave and release of hostages was closer than ever.
The entrance gate to Arakura Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with Mount Fuji in the distance.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Jan 15, 2025
From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost
While the Bible’s God demands obedience and punishes sin, the 'Manyoshu' radiates innocence, joy and harmony with nature.
Strong quake strikes southwestern Japan
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck southwestern Japan at 9:19 p.m. on Monday evening
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
Osaka Expo kicks off pavilion reservation lottery amid sales concerns
The mascot character of the Osaka Expo promotes the event at Tokyo's Haneda Airport last week.
Japan top diplomat visits South Korea amid political turmoil in Seoul
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, shake hands during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Monday.
Japan farm ministry aims to dispatch corporate workers to rural areas
To counter the impact of aging rural demographics, the agriculture ministry is introducing a new initiative to dispatch corporate personnel to rural areas to increase the number of people engaged with farming communities.
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost
The entrance gate to Arakura Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with Mount Fuji in the distance.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
30 minutes with Yuzuru Hanyu
Yuzuru Hanyu smiles during an interview in his hometown of Sendai in between performances of his latest tour, Ice Story.

Podcast

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’
SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

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It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake