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Smoke rises in the aftermath of rocket barrages that were launched from Gaza, in Ashkelon, Israel, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2023

Israel 'at war' as Hamas launches surprise attack from Gaza

The Islamist group's attack — which saw gunmen crossing the border and a barrage of rockets — was the biggest in years against Israel.
People standing on a rooftop watch as a ball of fire and smoke rises above a building in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on Saturday during an Israeli airstrike.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 8, 2023

Israel battles Hamas as PM warns of 'long and difficult war'

Israel said tens of thousands of soldiers were deployed to fight militants and rescue hostages, and then evacuate the entire region within 24 hours.
Palestinian youth near a car that was burned after it had been seized in Israeli territory and brought back to Jabalia, one of the northernmost settlements in the Gaza Strip, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2023

An attack from Gaza and an Israeli declaration of war. Now what?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being pressured to launch a full-scale invasion that Israeli leaders have been scrupulously avoiding since 2005.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 9, 2023

Wage hikes key for BOJ policy normalization

Wage growth trends during next year's spring labor-management negotiations will be closely watched for indicators.
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.
Chey Tae-won in Paris on Monday
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 11, 2023

SK Group boss blames U.S.-China tensions for EV battery prices

SK Group’s operations range from batteries and chips to chemicals and telecoms.
Shogi player Sota Fujii holds a card that says "eight titles," in the city of Kyoto on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 12, 2023

Sota Fujii becomes first player to win all eight major shogi titles

The 21-year-old took the Oza crown, having won Game 4 to finish the best-of-five match against 31-year-old Takuya Nagase.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks past then-Foreign Minister Qin Gang (front left) and defense chief Li Shangfu (front right) as he arrives for the closing session of the National People's Congress at Beijing's Great Hall of the People in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

With purges of top officials, is China’s Xi in trouble? Hardly.

The well-known opacity in Beijing may have clouded assessments of how the turbulence is affecting Xi’s grip on power
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem in July 2017.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023

India’s realism comes of age in response to Israel-Hamas war

Unlike other Global South country leaders, Modi wasted no time expressing solidarity with Israel, an ally of India.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (front right) arrives for a news conference during the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in Marrakech, Morocco, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 14, 2023

Japan tells G20 it may need to act in FX market

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki's remarks came as the yen renewed its declines against the dollar.
The Tokyo headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 15, 2023

Japan opposition seeks law on Unification Church asset protection

Despite differing views on method, the CDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai want to prevent the organization's money being deliberately moved overseas.
A ball of fire and smoke rises during an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2023

Gaza border crossing set to reopen before Israeli ground assault

Hundreds of metric tons of aid from several countries have been held up in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for days, pending a deal for its safe delivery to Gaza.
A Chinese air force fighter jet is parked at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, China, last November.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 17, 2023

'Aggressive' Chinese fighter jets spook Canadian plane on U.N. mission

A Chinese air force fighter jet cut off a Canadian patrol plane, dropping flares in its path, according to military officials.
Voters listen to a speech by a candidate in the Tokushima-Kochi Upper House district in the city of Kochi on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2023

Upcoming by-elections first test of Kishida’s new Cabinet

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faces his first electoral test after making Cabinet and Liberal Democratic Party leadership changes last month.
A Chinese fighter jet is seen during an intercept of a U.S. aircraft in the South China Sea, including by approaching a distance of just 12 meters before repeatedly flying above and below the U.S. aircraft and flashing its weapons.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 18, 2023

U.S. sees 'sharp increase' in Chinese military's 'risky' behavior

The Pentagon said it has documented nearly 300 dangerous incidents that affected U.S., allied and partner aircraft since the fall of 2021.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara visits Ground Self-Defense Force troops at Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 18, 2023

Defense minister’s miscue is an opening for the opposition

Can a single statement by the defense minister really disrupt the Japanese political landscape? For better or worse, it can.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov takes part in a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2023

Russian foreign minister pledges support for North Korea

The trip by Sergey Lavrov is part of a series of high-profile meetings between the neighbors that started in July.
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe (left) and Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt shake hands in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 19, 2023

Self-driving taxi service set to be launched in Tokyo in 2026

Honda, GM and the American automaker’s autonomous driving unit, Cruise, will establish a joint venture next year to prepare for the robotaxi service.
Chinese President Xi Jinping during the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 20, 2023

Europe’s snub turns Xi’s Belt and Road into Global South party

The Chinese leader appears to have reformed the initiative as a club for emerging economies known as the Global South.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, earlier this month.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 21, 2023

Americans are worried about finances, helping Trump in key states

Trump was trusted more on the economy by 49% of swing-state voters surveyed, compared to 35% for Biden.
South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi has been accused of verbally abusing England's Tom Curry during a Rugby World Cup semifinal on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 24, 2023

Springboks clam up on abuse allegations after England semifinal

South African Rugby said on Sunday that it had launched its own internal investigation and that it was "reviewing the available evidence."
Sawai Pharmaceutical president Motohiko Kimura (left) and chair Mitsuo Sawai apologize at a news conference in the city of Osaka on Monday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 24, 2023

Sawai joins list of drugmakers known for manufacturing misconduct

The company had been fraudulently using capsules with new, replaced outer shells for post-approval quality testing, in place of ones it should have used.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu salutes before delivering a speech during the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

China ousts defense chief and removes ex-top envoy from Cabinet

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has been removed from his positions as defense chief and state councilor, state-run media said.
The bird flu virus was most likely brought by birds returning from their migration to South America, where there has been a huge number of cases, British experts have said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 25, 2023

Bird flu detected in Antarctica region for first time

Scientists had been fearing that the worst outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza would reach Antarctica, a key breeding ground for many birds.
Taro Yamada, parliamentary vice minister for education, speaks to reporters at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2023

Parliamentary Vice Minister Taro Yamada steps down over affair

The first Cabinet resignation since a mid-September reshuffle deals a blow to Kishida at a time when public support rates have plummeted.
Kioxia and Western Digital have held merger talks since 2021 but the negotiations have often stalled over a series of issues.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 27, 2023

Western Digital and Kioxia call off merger talks, source says

South Korea's SK Hynix — a major Kioxia investor — has said it does not back the deal due to its impact on its investment asset value.
Prince Hisahito is the only male member of the imperial family eligible to ascend the throne in the generation after Emperor Naruhito and his younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, who is the father of the 17-year-old prince.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2023

LDP to create new team on imperial succession

Prince Hisahito, Crown Prince Akishino's 17-year-old son, is the only member of his generation currently eligible.
Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh (left) and the former emir of Qatar arrive at a cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new Hamad residential neighborhood in Gaza in 2012.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 30, 2023

Israel-Hamas war escalation puts Qatar’s clout to the test

The nation has positioned itself as an key go-between, but has been criticized for housing Hamas leaders while maintaining channels to Israel.
Tigers fans during Game 1 of the Japan Series against the Buffaloes, at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday. The Tigers are known for their high attendance figures and rowdy celebrations among the team's loyal fans.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023

In the Japan Series, it’s a tale of two fanbases

The Tigers and Buffaloes have a lot of similarities, but there's a yawning gap in the support, enthusiasm and attention paid to each Kansai club.

Longform

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