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NHK's building in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, where sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa reportedly took place
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2023

Johnny’s founder accused of sexually abusing teen in NHK bathroom

The man, who was a high school student at the time, said that he was assaulted in the fall of 2002 when he attended a dance lesson.
Upper House lawmaker Muneo Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2023

Hokkaido lawmaker leaves Nippon Ishin over visit to Russia

Calls from within the party to punish Suzuki had been growing, especially after he told Russian media he was sure Moscow would win its war with Ukraine.
Sapporo previously hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972.
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2023

Sapporo officially drops bid for 2030 Winter Olympics

The city's major, however, made it clear that the Hokkaido capital is still hoping to host a future Winter Olympics, perhaps as soon as 2034.
The government will ask the Tokyo District Court to revoke the religious corporation status of the Unification Church.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 12, 2023

Government seeks court order revoking Unification Church’s status

If the request is approved, the group would forfeit its religious corporation status along with the associated tax benefits.
The Diamondbacks' Ketel Marte reacts after hitting a home run against the Dodgers in the third inning of the NLDS in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday.
BASEBALL
Oct 12, 2023

Upstart Diamondbacks finish off sweep of Dodgers

The win was the latest chapter in the D-Backs' improbable and impressive playoff run.
The Japan headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Explainer
Oct 13, 2023

What’s next in the Unification Church saga?

The government sought a court order on Friday to strip the Unification Church of its religious corporation status. The process is just beginning.
A landscape covered with ice in northern Greenland
ENVIRONMENT
Oct 19, 2023

Reversing warming may stop Greenland ice sheet collapse, study says

The melting of Greenland's vast ice sheet is estimated to have contributed more than 20% to observed sea level rise since 2002.
Sections of the forests in Colville, Washington, have already been thinned, allowing trees to grow less densely and reducing the risk for wildfire.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Oct 26, 2023

How to prevent forest fires by building cities with more wood

Not everyone is convinced mass timber will help forest health.
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023

The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked

One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
Lewiston Chief of Police David St. Pierre speaks as Maine Gov. Janet Mills looks on during a news conference after mass shooting suspect Robert Card was found dead on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 28, 2023

Suspect in Maine mass shooting Is dead, official says

The discovery of the suspect's body ends a sweeping search that had forced thousands of residents throughout the U.S. state to remain in their homes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (center) and state officials visit Anitkabir, mausoleum of Turkish Republic's Founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in Ankara on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 30, 2023

Gaza overshadows Turkey's centenary as Erdogan pledges support

Daylong events honored the republic's secular founder whose transformation of the overwhelmingly Muslim nation created long-standing divisions.
The front entrance gate leading to the former Ashigakubo Elementary School in Yokose, Saitama Prefecture. The school, which was more than a century old, was forced to close in 2009.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2023

School's out forever in aging Japan

As the number of children in Japan decreases, public money has been made available to help municipalities repurpose old schools.
Palestinian Hamas militants take part in a rally marking the 31st anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip, in December 2018.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 4, 2023

How Hamas aims to trap Israel in Gaza quagmire

The militant group has prepared for a drawn-out war and believes it can hold up Israel's advance to force its archenemy to agree to a cease-fire.
Britain's former Prime Minister and newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron walks outside 10 Downing Street in London on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2023

Sunak brings back Cameron and sacks controversial interior minister

The return of David Cameron suggests the prime minister wants to bring in a more centrist, experienced hand rather than appease the right of his party.
Rubble left by Israeli air strikes targeting Gaza. The humanitarian crisis there has led U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to call for an immediate cease-fire.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2023

The rules-based international order is collapsing in Gaza

After decades of missed opportunities, the war in Gaza is testing regional and global actors' commitment to an international rules-based order.
Smoke rises from Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war on Saturday.
WORLD
Nov 18, 2023

Forever war? Israel risks a long, bloody insurgency in Gaza

None of the ideas floated so far by Israel, the United States and Arab nations for the postwar administration of Gaza have managed to gain traction.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter dance at a White House Congressional Ball in Washington, on Dec. 13, 1978.
WORLD
Nov 20, 2023

Former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter dies at 96

Seen as unassuming and quiet before coming to Washington in 1977, Carter developed into an eloquent speaker, campaigner and activist.
Japan’s national bar exam was held on Nov. 8 with a pass rate of 45%. Though for decades the pass rate was much lower, this seeming improvement has come on the back of several regulatory blunders.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2023

The failure behind Japan’s bar exam pass rate

The pass rate for Japan's bar exam has fluctuated, with this year's level coming on the back of several misguided interventions.
Blue Bottle Studio Kyoto's tasting sessions combine excellent coffees, curated music and a technical display of barista-ship.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 26, 2023

Blue Bottle Kyoto gives coffee the 'kaiseki' treatment

The menu unfolds with each course crafted to present a different facet of coffee culture.
A Walmart worker organizes products for the Christmas season in 2016.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2023

Walmart shifts to India and reduces imports from China

The shift shows how the rising cost of importing from China and escalating political tensions are pushing U.S. firms to import more from other countries.
Snow guns make snow ahead of a test event for the Beijing Winter Olympics in Zhangjiakou, China, in December 2021.
OLYMPICS
Nov 30, 2023

Global warming casts cloud over Winter Olympics future

The warming of the planet is highly likely to further reduce the places capable of guaranteeing suitable conditions for a Winter Games.
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo's Shinji Ono in action during his final professional match on Sunday in Sapporo.
SOCCER
Dec 3, 2023

Japanese soccer great Shinji 'Genius' Ono retires at 44

Nicknamed "Genius," Ono made his international debut as an 18-year-old and played for Japan at the 1998 World Cup in France two months later.
Rural China is now one place that is providing respite for young people. Zhang Boai, 20, joined a program that positions rural jobs not as stop-gaps but as lucrative commercial opportunities in their own right.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 4, 2023

China's graduates swap city dreams for farm life amid jobs crisis

As the world’s second-largest economy slows, young people are bearing the brunt of an unemployment crisis that’s leaving one of five of them jobless.
Sumo stablemaster Shikoroyama (right) with wrestler Abi in Nagoya in June 2019
SUMO
Dec 18, 2023

Sumo stablemaster Shikoroyama dies at 60

Shikoroyama made his professional sumo debut from the Izutsu stable, then headed by his father, in 1979.
In Toshiba, JIP takes on a sprawling company far bigger and more complex than any it acquired before.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 19, 2023

In buying Toshiba, JIP takes on corporate Japan's toughest job

While the fund has quietly built up a track record by carving out businesses from big manufacturers, Toshiba is more complex than any it acquired before.
Donald Trump vowed to seek Supreme Court review after Colorado’s top court on Tuesday barred him from the 2024 presidential ballot there.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 21, 2023

Trump’s fate rests with the U.S. Supreme Court he shaped

The court will play a pivotal role in determining whether Trump will land in prison — or return to the White House.
Holiday classic "Tokyo Godfathers" centers on three homeless people who have formed a makeshift family.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 23, 2023

Satoshi Kon’s unexpected anime classic for the holidays

The late director and animator's "Tokyo Godfathers" celebrates 20 years with new screenings.
A designer at work at Vietnamese internet firm VNG in Ho Chi Minh City
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 24, 2023

'Beyond our borders': Vietnam tech firm VNG takes on world best

Beyond gaming, VNG also dabbles in fintech and AI, with a mission to show the world what Vietnam and its engineers are capable of.
Kazuhiro Araki, head of the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea (COMJAN), said that the issue of abductions would not be resolved unless the government put the unrecognized abductees on its official list and negotiated with North Korea.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2023

Families seek reunion with kin possibly abducted to North Korea

Their advanced age and a lack of information about the missing cause them increasing frustrations.
As Japan’s borders opened back up and tourists eager to document their long-awaited trips to the country streamed back in, 2023 saw a handful of prominent content creators stir up trouble with local residents to grab attention online.
LIFE / Digital / 2023 in Review
Dec 29, 2023

Social media binged on bad behavior in 2023

Mischief makers like Johnny Somali and "sushi terrorism" instigators gained attention online amid a deluge of Japan-related content this year.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?