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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has floated an idea of creating an Asian version of the NATO security framework.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2024

Ishiba's 'Asian NATO' dead on arrival as new PM set for diplomatic debut

Many Asian countries maintain delicate ties with China, making the creation of any defense group aimed at countering Beijing's influence difficult.
South Africa's Kurt-Lee Arendse scores in a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against France in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 15, 2023.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 8, 2024

Springbok Arendse signs for Japan's Dynaboars

The 28-year-old former Sevens flyer joins the Dynaboars on sabbatical from the Pretoria-based Bulls.
Iwao Hakamata, together with his sister Hideko, speaks to his supporters on Sept. 29 in the city of Shizuoka after the Shizuoka District Court handed down a not-guilty verdict in a retrial of a 1966 quadruple murder case against him.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 8, 2024

Ex-boxer Iwao Hakamata finally exonerated over 1966 murder case

Prosecutors have decided not to appeal against the Shizuoka District Court's not-guilty verdict at the end of a rare retrial, his lawyers said.
The Sega Corp. and Atlus Co. booth at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba last month featured a sneak peak at Metaphor: ReFantazio.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 8, 2024

Man behind Persona games flips to fantasy in latest release

Though new to the realm of fantasy, game designer Katsura Hashino and his team were driven by the challenge of simply seeing if they could pull it off.
Eiji Maeda, former executive of the Bank of Japan
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 9, 2024

BOJ’s next hike likely to come in January, former official says

The central bank will be watching the U.S. presidential election, the trend in service prices this autumn and momentum ahead of next year’s annual wage talks.
SV League players and Chairman Masaaki Okawa (front, holding a volleyball) during a news conference in Tokyo last month.
MORE SPORTS / Volleyball
Oct 9, 2024

Japan's new volleyball league has big dreams as it gets set to launch

The SV. League replaces the V. League as Japan's top volleyball league and aims to eventually become the best volleyball league in the world.
Chinese residents living in Japan take part in a “white paper” protest in solidarity against China's COVID-19 lockdowns, in Tokyo in November 2022.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2024

Chinese nationals in Japan testify to harassment by Beijing, report says

One man said Chinese police had used his relatives to try and lure him back to the country.
As streaming services like Netflix invest in Japanese content, the hope is to revitalize the nation’s cultural exports and elevate its television landscape.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 9, 2024

Netflix’s ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ reveals some surprising truths

"Tokyo Swindlers" can reveal some home truths — even when they’re presented by a group of fraudsters.
A researcher holds a plate of nematodes in a lab at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Monday. American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Medicine the same day for their discovery of microRNA and its role in how genes are regulated.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

Nobel Prize for medicine recognizes microRNA — and curiosity

Although microRNA's key role in regulating gene expression hasn't yet resulted in groundbreaking treatments, it may still significantly impact our health in the future.
Even with the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" and improvements in on-screen representation, Asian actors still comprise just 18.4% of film roles, which is an improvement compared to 3.4% in 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

To win back audiences, put more Asians behind the camera

The movie industry is losing out at a time when it can ill-afford to do so. Betting on Asian talent would help.
Two childhood friends (Hayato Kurihara, left, and Yukito Hidaka) living in a near-future Japan see a rise in student protests against oppressive surveillance in “Happyend.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2024

‘Happyend’ tests teen friendship with authoritarian dystopia

Neo Sora’s ambitious coming-of-age film follows a group of friends attempting to disrupt a surveillance society with something less than life-or-death urgency.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso speaks during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei in August 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Former PM Taro Aso calls Taiwan a ‘country' — much to China's chagrin

Tuesday’s remarks were not the first time Aso has sounded off about Taiwan and how a conflict over the island would represent an emergency for Japan.
Two of Google's researchers shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work revealing the secrets of proteins through AI.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2024

AI steps into science limelight with Nobel wins

The science now bundled together as artificial intelligence has a long history, emerging in the 1950s and 60s with simple algorithms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on July 25.
WORLD
Oct 10, 2024

Looming Israeli strike on Iran offers fresh test of U.S. sway

With Israeli retaliation against Iran expected at any time, the U.S. is finding it has few assurances against further escalation.
U.K. Conservative leadership candidates Kemi Badenoch (left) and Robert Jenrick after delivering speeches at the party's annual conference, in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 10, 2024

Who are Badenoch and Jenrick, the candidates to lead U.K. Tories?

By choosing Badenoch or Jenrick, the Conservative party looks set to appeal to supporters lost to Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform U.K. party.
Squats are a good way to exercise your legs and glutes, just don't neglect exercising your mind when it comes to new vocabulary.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 10, 2024

Studying Japanese is like exercise: The more you do it, the better you'll feel.

Get to know the language of weight training as experts say strengthening muscles is key to remaining comfortable and injury-free in your old age.
Japan Sword Co. is a regular exhibitor at the Antique Dealers’ Fair & Exhibition in Tokyo. Its booth at a previous event in 2021 featured more than a few treasures.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 10, 2024

Hold history in your hands at this triennial antiques fair in Tokyo

Open to the public, the Antique Dealers’ Fair & Exhibition will allow visitors to see pieces up close, which might just spur a purchase.
Francisco Lindor (center) celebrates with his teammates in the dugout after hitting a grand slam against the Phillies during Game 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday in New York.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 10, 2024

Francisco Lindor hits grand slam to propel Mets past Phillies and into NLCS

He joined Edgardo Alfonzo as the only Mets players to hit a postseason grand slam, and the Mets booked their first NLCS appearance since 2015.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, awards Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh (left), the commander of the Aerospace Force, with the Fath badge in Tehran on Sunday for the missile attack on Israel. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 10, 2024

Today's Tehran looks a lot like the Tokyo of the 1930s

Current tensions between Iran and Israel have parallels to historical events in 1930s Japan.
Masakazu Tokura
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2024

2025 Expo head expects ticket sales to speed up

Around half of the 14 million advance tickets that the organizer aims to sell by the start of the Expo have been sold.
People engage in discussions during a program of School for Life Compath in Biei, Hokkaido, in August 2021.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2024

Danish-style 'schools for life' gaining popularity in Japan

The schools promote personal growth and lifelong learning, covering topics such as self-discovery, societal exploration, modern art and forest adventures.
The Aichi Prefectural Police headquarters in Nagoya. Aichi police have arrested a 36-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of murder following the death of a couple, believed to be his parents, in their apartment in Nagoya's Midori Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 11, 2024

Nagoya man arrested after death of couple believed to be his parents

Police are working to confirm the victims' identities and are investigating suspect Keisuke Kita’s possible involvement in both deaths.
The Bank of Japan's surprise rate increase on July 31 led to Japanese stocks plummeting into bear-market territory, with the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average falling 12.4% on Aug. 5 alone.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 11, 2024

Bank of Japan vows better messaging to avoid more market turmoil

There is "strong will" within the central bank to learn from what had happened during its last rate increase, BOJ Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino.
The Tokyo District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 11, 2024

Ex-Daiichi Sankyo employee faces 18 years for allegedly poisoning wife

The indictment states that Keisuke Yoshida intentionally poisoned his 40-year-old wife, Yoko, by having her ingest methanol at their home in Tokyo.
Serhiy Tsapok (left) and a firefighter extinguish the remains of a fire in a forest near Yarova, Sviati Hory National Park, Donetsk region, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, July 29.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Oct 11, 2024

Ukraine's vast forests devastated in hellscape of war

Both Russian and Ukrainian armies blast thousands of shells at each other every day, shredding the earth in grinding combat that echoes World War I.
The Yankees' Gerrit Cole pitches against the Royals in Game 4 of their playoff series in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday.
BASEBALL
Oct 11, 2024

Yankees advance in MLB playoffs as Guardians stay alive

The Yankees will face either the Tigers or the Guardians in the ALCS.
Nanako Fujita made her debut in 2016.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Oct 11, 2024

Star female jockey Nanako Fujita retires following suspension

Fujita was suspended for using a smartphone for outside communication on the day before a race.
Thursday night's electronic dance music-infused event had the signature trappings of Elon Musk's salesmanship, but some Tesla investors and experts said they were hoping for more concrete details.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 12, 2024

Tesla's robotaxi event was long on Musk promises. Investors wanted more details.

Concrete details on how the company plans to transform from an automaker into an autonomous driving and artificial intelligence titan were missing.
A Haas F1 car branded with Toyota Gazoo Racing on Friday at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Oct 12, 2024

Toyota returns to F1 with Haas technical partnership

Toyota Gazoo Racing will become Haas' official technical partner with both parties sharing expertise, knowledge and resources.
Palestinians sit next to the rubble of houses destroyed in Israel's military offensive in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 7
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2024

Nobel laureate Nihon Hidankyo co-chair worries about children in Israel and Gaza

While the group's co-chair said the prize would give a boost to efforts to show that it was possible to abolish nuclear weapons, he expressed sorrow over ongoing wars.

Longform

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