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Paramilitary personnel at a security checkpoint ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 8.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 3, 2023

Indian police launch raids on journalists and activists

Those raided are reported to be connected to the English-language news website NewsClick.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Press freedom in India has plummeted since Modi came to power in 2014, rights activists and opposition lawmakers say, with Reporters Without Borders warning that such freedom is "in crisis" in the country.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2023

Indian police launch sweeping raids on journalists, arresting two

Police said the raids were carried out under a stringent anti-terror law that makes it virtually impossible to get bail.
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 11, 2023

Gaza's 75 years of woe: A brief history

The narrow strip of land has been under military rule for most of the last century and is now a fenced-in enclave of more than 2 million Palestinians.
Israeli soldiers prepare for a mission outside Be’eri, a kibbutz that was overrun by Hamas militants on Saturday, in Israel, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

Israeli army to confront resilient foe in anticipated Gaza invasion

Israel's generals will look to lessons learned from past ground offensives in 2008 and 2014.
Japan's latest report on death by overwork delves into the amount of sleep both self-employed and corporate workers are getting and how that affects workers' health.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 13, 2023

Report on overwork highlights Japan's work-life balance issues

Over 90% of self-employed and corporate workers in Japan feel they need at least six hours of sleep, but only about half are getting it, the report said.
Lotte's Hiromi Oka slides home to score the winning run against SoftBank in Game 3 of the PL Climax Series first stage in Chiba on Monday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 17, 2023

Marines and Carp hope to maintain Climax Series momentum

The CL and PL league champions, the Hanshin Tigers and Orix Buffaloes, will enter the fray with places in the Japan Series on the line.
Ukrainian commandos known as Kukhar (left), 23, and Askold, 38, who conceal their identities, in a bare office used as a safe house in Kyiv on Oct. 5. Inside the commando raids unnerving Russia in Crimea; the lightning assaults are part of a larger campaign using drones and missiles to degrade Russian forces and demoralize the public.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

Inside the commando raids unnerving Russia in Crimea

The lightning assaults are part of a larger campaign using drones and missiles to degrade Russian forces and demoralize the public.
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.
From left: Yusuke Nagai, Taiyo Someya and Kaori Sakakibara formed their band Lamp in 2000, developing a cult following over the years with their own blend of 1960s pop harmonies, ’70s folk craft and ’80s bossa nova brightness.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 3, 2023

The slow and steady rise of Lamp, a cult favorite

With new album 'Dusk to Dawn,' the folk rockers bring light to the new Japanese music canon.
U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House on Sept. 25, 2015. Speeches by the Chinese leader show how he was bracing for an intensifying rivalry with the United States from early in his rule.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 14, 2023

Behind public assurances, Xi Jinping spreads grim views on U.S.

Speeches by the Chinese leader show how he was bracing for an intensifying rivalry with the United States from early in his rule.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok in November last year.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Nov 14, 2023

How an executive's arrest struck a blow to Japan-China business

The arrest of a Japanese company executive in China has had what some Tokyo officials described as a considerable chilling effect on business.
Human Rights Watch Asia program officer Teppei Kasai (center) speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 15, 2023

Japan women prisoners suffer serious abuse: Human Rights Watch

Handcuffs during pregnancy, separation from newborn babies and insufficient care for elderly inmates are among the abuses suffered, the rights group said.
Cough medicine seized by police in connection with the case of unauthorized sales of the drug in the Toyoko area of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2023

4 youths nabbed for unauthorized cough medicine sales

Reports indicate that more young people in Japan are overdosing on over-the-counter drugs such as cold pills and cough medicine.
In Japan on a scholarship he fought hard for, Oscar Ruto found himself needing to take a break and headed into Tokyo for a weekend of partying.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 27, 2023

'I wasn't always an alcoholic … and then I was'

As the party season draws near, it's important to deal with yearend stress in healthier ways.
Yasuhide Uno, Usen-Next Holdings CEO, has transformed his father’s company into Netflix’s biggest competitor in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2023

Reluctant CEO becomes billionaire at Netflix rival in Japan

Initially wanting nothing to do with his father's cable music company, Yasuhide Uno's faith in video streaming helped him rebuild it for a new era.
One of Qatar’s lead negotiators Abdullah Al Sulaiti (right) works inside an operation room set up to coordinate the truce and release of hostages between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Doha on Sunday.
WORLD
Dec 1, 2023

How Qatar swayed Israel and Hamas to make a temporary truce work

After seven days of truce, Israel confirmed Friday it was resuming hostilities.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during an event in Pyongyang. Smuggling efforts could be directly linked to the North's military ambitions, analysts have said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 8, 2023

North Korean smugglers disguised under Pacific island flags

With strict sanctions limiting Pyongyang's ability to import fuel, smugglers have adopted increasingly creative methods.
A contingency in the event that China invades Taiwan is emerging as a key focus in Japan’s new defense policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 17, 2023

Will Japan intervene in a Taiwan contingency? It depends.

If Taiwan puts up a fight against a Chinese invasion, it would likely engender a U.S. intervention that would not be possible without Japan’s assistance.
A Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air guided missile at the Air Self-Defense Force's Miyakojima Sub Base in Okinawa Prefecture in November
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023

In major shift, Japan eases rules on exporting defense gear

The policy change could see Japan make its first export of lethal military equipment as early as next year.
A woman points at a Glock handgun during the annual National Rifle Association convention in Dallas in 2018.
WORLD / Society
Dec 28, 2023

Gaston Glock, inventor of cult guns, dies at 94

His gun, wielded by police and outlaws alike, certainly made its mark worldwide, matched by few other weapons.
The Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade takes part in a marine landing drill on Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Nov. 19.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 29, 2023

Kishida’s military build-up plans face bumpy road ahead

One year on, questions remain as to whether the embattled leader, whose support rate recently dipped to new lows, can follow through on his pledges.
A consumer market in New Delhi on Dec. 12, 2023. Long-term investment in India by businesses is stagnant, and foreign money is falling, even as the government is driving growth with infrastructure spending.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 2, 2024

India is chasing China’s economy. Something is holding it back.

While money is flying into India’s stock markets, long-term investment from overseas has been declining.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama dunks during a game against the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jan 6, 2024

Victor Wembanyama sets course to become a basketball billionaire unlike any other

Known to fans as "Wemby,” Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA with a level of buzz unlike any player since LeBron James.
Locals in the Cook Islands are cynical about the growing attention fixed on their small country, with many saying they don't necessarily trust either superpower to do the right thing by them.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

U.S.-China fight for one Pacific nation mirrors a regional battle

The success of Beijing’s strategy in the Pacific was reinforced just this week when Nauru became the latest island nation to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Indonesian Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto salutes supporters during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Feb. 2.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

How could Indonesia’s presidential vote affect foreign relations?

While all three candidates portend continuity with their predecessor, only the front-runner vows more visible leadership in the region.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto votes at a polling station during the general election in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 14, 2024

Prabowo on track to win Indonesia’s presidential election

This is Prabowo’s third time to run for the country’s top job, after losing in 2014 and 2019 to incumbent Joko "Jokowo" Widodo.
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto leaves from his residence to attend a gathering with supporters after polls closed in the country's presidential and legislative elections in Jakarta on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 15, 2024

Prabowo could usher in a new era in Indonesian foreign policy

As president, the ex-general is expected to seek an elevation of Indonesia’s role on the global stage while balancing ties with Washington and Beijing.
A soldier participates in a multinational training exercise in the municipality of Hohenfels in Germany.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 15, 2024

Europe's race against time to rebuild militaries in uncertain world

The continent is a decade away from being able to defend itself unaided, officials say, while Russia could target a NATO member in three to five years.
Sun simulation at the Rail Tec Arsenal facility in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 15, 2023
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 16, 2024

Climate change threatens EU trains, but resilience is expensive

Europe’s railways, a safe, low-carbon technology that still carries a little glamor, are on the brink of a new era.
A relative of a missing passenger on MH370, in Beijing on the one year anniversary of the aircraft's disappearance.
WORLD
Feb 23, 2024

A decade after MH370, planes still at risk of vanishing off the map

An industrywide push to eliminate the chances of a similar case has been stymied by bureaucracy and financial pressure.

Longform

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