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JAPAN
Sep 29, 2023

Japan universities split over new IT section on entrance exam

Universities in Japan are divided in their responses to a new subject — covering the basics of programming, information and communications networks, and databases — on the standard university entrance examination to be held beginning in January 2025.
From left: Prin, Sen and jiGook of QI.X call themselves one of the first openly queer, transgender K-pop acts.
CULTURE
Sep 30, 2023

Queer K-pop group QI.X wants to change South Korea

In conservative South Korea, few LGBTQ entertainers have ever come out. The young members of QI.X don’t see the point of staying in.
A performer going by the name “Tanefukube” leads shishi-odori dancers during Tono Meguritoroge’s grand finale at Rokko-shi shrine.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 30, 2023

Dancing with ghosts at Tono’s rural folk festival

The Tono region is Japan’s go-to setting of scary stories to tell in the dark.
Victor Salinas, who was recruited to travel to Russia in a military support role but eventually changed his mind, at his home near Havana on Sept. 12.
WORLD
Sep 30, 2023

How Cubans were recruited to fight for Russia

Cubans can earn a windfall for enlisting with the Russian army amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Yvie Oddly poses in front of Eagle Tokyo Blue, a Ni-chome bar instrumental in organizing many events around the Japan visits of "RuPaul's Drag Race" stars.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 2, 2023

A 'Drag Race' tour brings inspiration and profits

When the competitors of "RuPaul's Drag Race" come through Tokyo, the local scene gets a major boost.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters following a GOP briefing at the Capitol in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 2, 2023

U.S. House speaker vows to survive ouster threat in shutdown showdown

Hard-line Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz said he would file a "motion to vacate," a call for a vote to remove McCarthy as speaker of the House.
Suns forward Kevin Durant says he's ready to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics as he seeks a fourth gold medal.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 3, 2023

Kevin Durant among NBA stars ready to play for Team USA at Olympics

LeBron James has been a major force behind the scenes in pulling together top players for Team USA, according to some who may join him in the squad.
Generative AI will change work for young professionals, but their reasoning skills will still be needed.
COMMENTARY
Oct 5, 2023

Is ChatGPT coming for entry-level jobs?

If entry-level workers get that much faster and better, won’t companies be able to get by with fewer of them? Maybe.
Ayatana's hand-pounded curry paste is just one example of what chef Bo Songvisava calls her revival of traditional Thai cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 8, 2023

Ayatana elevates Thai comfort food to gourmet cuisine

Japan has no shortage of Thai food, but this new Kyoto restaurant aims to transcend its reputation of a casual bite.
Max Verstappen (right) celebrates with Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner, after the Dutch star won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sept. 24 to clinch the constructors' title for the team.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Oct 6, 2023

Lewis Hamilton says 'phenomenal' Max Verstappen raised bar in F1

Verstappen needs just three points to secure another F1 title.
The charges against a former U.S. Army soldier underscore the volume of national security secrets flowing to China, which has made aggressive efforts to recruit spies and steal technology.
WORLD
Oct 7, 2023

Ex-U.S. soldier accused of trying to give classified info to China

The underscore the volume of U.S. security secrets flowing to China, which has made aggressive efforts to recruit spies and steal technology.
Over four days in September, Japan Soca Weekend brought together the Tokyo area's Caribbean community for dance parties, outdoor blowouts and a crowning Carnival festival on a racetrack in Chiba.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Oct 10, 2023

‘Peak happiness’ at the first Japan Caribbean Carnival

For Japan’s Caribbean community, Carnival provides a deep sense of community and offers a cure for homesickness.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen (center) celebrates with his team after winning the Formula One driver's championship in Lusail, Qatar, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Oct 8, 2023

Max Verstappen says third F1 title is his best

Red Bull's star Dutchman is the 11th driver overall to win three drivers' titles and one of only five to win three in succession.
Dar San Ye smoking in her home in Yangon. Forty years ago, she stood in a river squaring up to a North Korean agent on the run after a botched assassination, a live grenade primed in his hand.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 9, 2023

The Burmese barmaid who nabbed a North Korean assassin

On October 9, 1983, a hit team from Pyongyang attempted to blow up the South Korean president when he visited Yangon.
Due to the small number of priests in the Orthodox Church in Japan, some have to care for as many as five different churches.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 14, 2023

Rev. Stephen Keiichi Uchida: 'Your life has value’

Rev. Stephen Keiichi Uchida serves as a priest in the Orthodox Church in Japan and leads three churches in rural Kushiro, Hokkaido.
U.S. wrestlers (from left) Christina Griffin, Madison Guinn, Etan Perez and Kellyann Ball celebrate after winning bronze in the women's team competition at the Sumo World Championships in the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa on Sunday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 11, 2023

American women make history at Sumo World Championships in Tokyo

The achievement by the U.S. team, two of whom are new to the sport, ended a 22-year wait for American women to reach the podium at the worlds.
The classic Japanese ghost story often features a vengeful female ghost.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 12, 2023

[Rebroadcast] Japan’s got ghosts

This week we discuss a few horror movies before “Uncanny Japan” podcast host Thersa Matsuura tells a classic Japanese ghost story.
Naoya Hatakeyama’s “Rikuzen Takata 2011-2023” is a display of hundreds of color contact prints of his hometown, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture. The images show the shifting landscape of a place that was heavily affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 13, 2023

Tokyo Biennale 2023 seeks healing through art

The contemporary art festival creates safe spaces for its artists and their works by embracing a “we accept anything” maxim.
The Phillies' Nick Castellanos rounds the bases after hitting his second home run against the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS in Philadelphia on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 13, 2023

Nick Castellanos homers twice to power Phillies into to NLCS

The Phillies will host the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series on Monday.
Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, first came to Japan in 1990 as the bass player in Beats International. He says he shares a similar sense of silliness with Japanese people, and that is part of what keeps drawing him back to the country.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 13, 2023

Fatboy Slim: 'Let's just be stupid for one night'

The DJ shares his love of soccer and silliness with fans during his two-city Japan tour.
BASEBALL
Oct 14, 2023

Marines too much for Hawks in Game 1 of Climax Series

The Marines can advance to the final stage against the PL champion Orix Buffaloes with a victory.
Sebastian Coe speaks at a news conference during an International Olympic Committee session in Mumbai on Saturday.
OLYMPICS
Oct 15, 2023

Sebastian Coe says IOC made 'only decision' in banning Russia

The IOC's move came after the Russian Olympic Committee recognized regional organizations from four annexed Ukrainian territories.
Residents of Shaar HaGolan, Israel, attend a ceremony Thursday to pay tribute to the Israelis killed during the Hamas militant attack on Oct. 7.
WORLD
Oct 15, 2023

Hamas attacks shatter Israel's kibbutz ideal

When the sirens wail at the Sha'ar HaGolan kibbutz, there is total panic — and not just from those who live there permanently.
Hiruzen Kougei employee Moeko Hirao, craft brewer “Sugichan” and furry friend Tsubu help out with the tomato harvest at 6:37 a.m.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Oct 16, 2023

The farmer's intern: A month in the Japanese countryside

Escaping the chaos of Tokyo for a month, our writer heads to rural Okayama Prefecture and discovers the delights of natural farming.
Writer Baye McNeil (left) poses for a picture with Cameron Peagler, who organized the Black Gold event in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Oct 16, 2023

An OG's tips for Japan: Create beauty and don't fake your smile

Speaking at Black Gold, an event aiming to connect the Black and Japanese communities, our columnist offered seven tips to enjoying life in Japan.
“The Burden of the Past” is based on the real-life experiences of ex-cons and the editorial team of a magazine that supports former prisoners in finding jobs and reentering society.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 16, 2023

'The Burden of the Past' addresses bleak reality of ex-cons with some hope

Atsushi Funahashi’s film is grounded in the director’s own research about the hurdles former prisoners face when attempting to rejoin society.
Obtaining dual nationality and having it uniformly recognized by authorities in Japan is no simple matter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2023

When Japan's dual nationality ban meets a legal gray zone

Lawyer Yuri Kondo decided to naturalize as an American citizen. What followed was a mix of ambiguity and the feeling of a loss of identity.
Shintaro Mochizuki hits a return against Taylor Fritz during their match at the Japan Open on Oct. 19.
TENNIS
Oct 20, 2023

Wild-card Shintaro Mochizuki upsets Taylor Fritz at Japan Open

Mochizuki went into the tournament without a tour-level win to his name.
Meiji University professor and cinema expert Lindsay Nelson writes about 
J-horror (Japanese horror) in her book, “Circulating Fear.”
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 28, 2023

‘Horror has always been a vehicle to talk about social problems’

A J-horror expert gives her take on the essence of the genre and the cultural roots of its creative choices.
Labyrinth organizer Russell Moench sparked controversy with transphobic tweets, leading booked artists to pull out of the highly regarded electronic music festival’s 2023 edition.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 20, 2023

Art and politics clash at Labyrinth 2023

A controversy surrounding the prestige electronic music festival sparks an old debate over separating art and the artist.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.