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Lawrence Wong will become Singapore's fourth prime minister on Wednesday. He will be tasked with steering the city-state into new territory as its economy slows down and its population ages rapidly.
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2024

New Singaporean PM faces some economic headwinds

Lawrence Wong will be sworn in as the city-state's fourth prime minister on Wednesday. Despite Singapore's strong economy, new challenges lie ahead.
French President Emmanuel Macron during an interview on the fringes of the Choose France summit in Versailles, France, on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2024

Macron puts French banks in play with plan to transform Europe

Macron has been trying to persuade his EU partners to embrace reforms that he says would turn the bloc into a more united and powerful economic force.
Makoto Hasebe (top) celebrates with his Japan team mates after qualifying for the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in Rustenburg, South Africa, in June 2010. Hasebe captained the Samurai Blue in three consecutive World Cups.
SOCCER
May 14, 2024

Makoto Hasebe bows out at the top, on his own terms

With 114 Japan caps and more than 380 Bundesliga appearances, the player has earned an almost legendary status.
Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, during a rally in Gaza City on April 14, 2023
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024

Secret Hamas files show how it spied on everyday Palestinians

A 62-slide presentation on the activities of the General Security Service reveals the degree to which Hamas penetrated the lives of Palestinians.
Shoma Uno thanks his fans after a news conference explaining his decision to retire, on Tuesday in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
May 14, 2024

Figure skating champion Shoma Uno says he has 'no regrets' in retirement

The 26-year-old two-time world champion thanked his fans for their support and said that he was excited to move on to the next phase of his career.
Lee Hsien Loong steps down as Singapore's prime minister on Wednesday, passing the baton to his deputy Lawrence Wong, the second non-member of the Lee family to lead the wealthy Asian nation.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 15, 2024

Lee Hsien Loong, the scion PM who modernized Singapore and stifled dissent

He has left his own imprint on the wealthy city-state after steering it through a global financial crisis and pandemic while diversifying its economy.
Patty Ortega, widow of slain Philippine environmental activist and radio host Gerry Ortega, points to old photographs of her late husband at their home in Puerto Princesa in Palawan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2024

A 13-year fight for justice in Philippine activist's murder

Environmental activist and radio host Gerry Ortega was shot in a clothes shop along a busy road in the Palawan capital of Puerto Princesa in 2011.
Iran's urban development minister and India's ports and shipping minister signed the contract in the town of Chabahar, in a ceremony broadcast live on state media.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

India and Iran sign 10-year agreement to develop port project

The contract will see India Ports Global invest $370 million into "providing strategic equipment" and "developing transport infrastructure."
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks during a news conference, before a shooting incident where he was wounded, in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 16, 2024

Shooting of Slovak premier brutally exposes political divide

Robert Fico's attempted assassination underscores not only the nation’s ongoing political tensions but also Europe's polarization.
Shipping containers at Pier J at the Port of Long Beach wait for processing in Long Beach, California, in 2018.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 16, 2024

U.S. efforts to reshape global supply chains gathers pace in Asia

Investment flows are shifting along with trade, with global firms investing in Southeast Asia to avoid U.S. tariffs on China.
Author Yukio Mishima accepts the Arts Festival Award in the drama category at the 20th Arts Festival Award Ceremony on Jan. 22, 1966.
LIFE / Bilingual
May 16, 2024

Unraveling the Japanese prose of Yukio Mishima

Achieving success at a young age, Yukio Mishima's creative use of compound verbs and kanji stand out in his writing.

A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2024

America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them

A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
A demonstration condemning the killing of three Chinese teachers from the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute in April 2022. Terrorist groups in Pakistan are targeting Chinese nationals and threatening Beijing's Belt and Road initiative projects in the country.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2024

Should we stay or should we go? China's dilemma in Pakistan

Beijing is pouring billions into Pakistan to complete a key Belt and Road initiative artery. But this is threatened by terrorist groups targeting Chinese nationals and interests.
The U.S. military's secretive X-37B, a crewless space shuttle-like space plane, lifts off on its seventh mission to orbit, the vehicle's first launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket capable of lofting it far higher than ever before, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, last December.
WORLD
May 18, 2024

New star wars plan: Pentagon rushes to counter threats in orbit

Citing rapid advances by China and Russia, the United States is building an extensive capacity to fight battles in space.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomes Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last July.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 18, 2024

Saudi crown prince seeks soft power in game hub Japan

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Japan soon, where he will hold talks on energy while hunting more opportunities in gaming.
The proportion of recent graduates in Japan who have worked as interns have experienced sexual harassment during their internship was 30.1%, according to a labor ministry survey, up 4.6 percentage points from the previous survey in fiscal 2020.
JAPAN / Society
May 18, 2024

Japan survey finds 30% of student interns experience sexual harassment

The proportion of such respondents was 30.1%, up 4.6 percentage points from the previous survey in fiscal 2020.
Seize The Grey wins the Preakness Stakes as jockey Jamie Torres celebrates at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
May 19, 2024

Seize the Grey wins Preakness Stakes to deny Triple Crown hopeful Mystik Dan

Mystik Dan failed in its bid to become the 14th horse to complete U.S. flat racing's coveted Triple Crown.
Electronic boards display the exchange rate for the yen against the U.S. dollar and the closing numbers of Tokyo Stock Exchange share price in Tokyo on May 1.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
May 19, 2024

From Tokyo to New York, stock markets are on a record-hitting spree around the world

Of the world’s 20 largest stock markets, 14 have hit all-time highs recently.
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
May 19, 2024

The politicians moving Japan forward on climate

In the halls of power, climate-friendly voices may be few and far between, but some in politics are pushing for more aggressive action on decarbonization.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with commanders of troops of military districts, in Moscow on May 15.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024

The technocrat who’s taking control of Putin’s war effort

While other technocrats in Russian President Vladimir Putin's orbit privately see his geopolitical moves as problematic, the new defense minister is a true believer.
People take selfies at a pop-up shop for the Japanese volleyball manga series "Haikyu!!" in Tokyo on April 19. Men's volleyball is flying high in Japan with the national team ranked fourth globally ahead of the Paris Olympics.
CULTURE / Books
May 22, 2024

'Haikyu!!': Comic heroes fuel Olympic volleyball manga mania in Japan

"Haikyu!!" has sold 60 million copies since its 2012 inception, and has been turned into an anime series and a film.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the South China Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela (top right) and Assistant Director-General of the Philippines’ National Security Council Jonathan Malaya (top left) attend a presentation showing alleged Chinese activities at Scarborough Shoal, during a news conference in Manila on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 20, 2024

Philippines urges China to allow scrutiny of disputed shoal

Maritime tension has been rising in the South China Sea between Manila and Beijing.
People in Tehran demonstrate in support of Iran's attack on Israel on April 15. After the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the question is whether his successor will take a similar foreign policy path by keeping slivers of communication open and avoiding direct conflict with the United States.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

Aggression or caution: The choice facing Iran’s next leaders

After the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister it will be possible to maintain communications between Washington and Tehran?
Passengers of Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore, which made an emergency landing in Bangkok, greet family members upon arrival at Changi Airport in Singapore on Wednesday.
WORLD
May 22, 2024

‘It felt like we had crashed,’ a Singapore Air passenger says

With a good two hours left before Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 was due to touch down in Singapore, the plane was suddenly and forcefully shaken.
Spain's Rafael Nadal takes part in a practice session ahead of the French Open, in Paris on Tuesday.
TENNIS
May 22, 2024

Djokovic backs Nadal for French Open title

Nadal is contending with injury problems and growing competition from a younger generation.
The entrance to Maruyama Park, one of Sapporo's most popular parks for summer recreation. The Maruyama Park area is part of a designated region where Sapporo plans tougher bear countermeasures, including the possible use of bear traps.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
May 27, 2024

From coexistence to separation: Sapporo's battle with bears

An increasing number of bears in Hokkaido is forcing the prefectural capital to change its strategy for dealing with the animals.
Lee Dong-hyun and her son, 19-month-old Choi Hee-woo, pose at a playground on May 17, ahead of the final public hearing at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday of a climate lawsuit against the South Korean government, for which Hee-woo is the youngest plaintiff.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2024

Embryo activist: Baby's lawsuit takes on South Korea climate inaction

South Korea is the G20's second-highest carbon emitter per capita.
Iwao Hakamata's older sister Hideko (left) marches to the Shizuoka District Court in the city of Shizuoka on Wednesday for a retrial of her younger brother Iwao, who had been on death row over a 1966 murder case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2024

Trial ruling date for man accused of 1966 murder set for September

Iwao Hakamata, who in a rare example is being retried over a 1966 murder case, will be given a verdict on Sept. 26.
Kakunoshin Yanagida (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi), a ronin and master of go, seeks revenge and justice in Kazuya Shiraishi’s “Bushido.”
CULTURE / Film
May 23, 2024

‘Bushido’: A realistically stylish samurai throwback

Slashing realism, fluid camera work and moody color palettes achieve an evocative effect in Kazuya Shiraishi’s samurai drama “Bushido.”
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs with the ball during the first quarter of the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs in Baltimore on Jan. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Football
May 23, 2024

Slimmed-down Ravens QB Lamar Jackson looks to become more agile

Jackson — the most prolific running quarterback in the NFL — is hoping to make it even tougher on opposing defenses this season.

Longform

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