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(From left) Nanami Fukuoka, Natsumi Matsunaga and Riana Tashima, students from Denshukan High School in Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Mutsumi Machitori, their teacher, show their research in late March.
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Kyushu
May 6, 2024

Students in Fukuoka learn of school's tragic past in World War II

After investigating a cenotaph at their school, pupils researched 17 alumni who died at a nearby munitions factory.
Optica headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 3, 2024

Huawei secretly backs U.S. research, awarding millions in prizes

Huawei Technologies is the sole funder of a research competition that has awarded millions of dollars since its inception in 2022.
A man rides past journalists reporting on the aftermath of the Shady Fire in Santa Rosa, California, on Sept. 28, 2020.
ENVIRONMENT
May 3, 2024

Violence against environmental journalists rises, UNESCO says

More than 70% of the 905 journalists the agency surveyed in 129 countries said they had been attacked, threatened or pressured.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a news conference at WHO headquarters in Geneva in July 2020.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 4, 2024

'Get this done,' WHO chief urges pandemic accord talks

World Health Organization member states have spent the last two years drafting an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
A Cambridge research fellow's dismissal is sparking outcry amid a freedom of speech debate about the university's diversity, equality and inclusion policies.
COMMENTARY
May 7, 2024

Will Cambridge support free speech?

Cambridge research fellow's dismissal sparks outcry amid a freedom of speech debate at the university and its diversity, equality and inclusion policies.
Her, a self-described feminist bar in Shanghai, on March 15. Women in Shanghai gather in bars, salons and bookstores to reclaim their identities as the country’s leader calls for China to adopt a “childbearing culture.”
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 7, 2024

In China, ruled by men, women quietly find a powerful voice

Women in Shanghai gather to reclaim their identities as the country’s leader calls for China to adopt a “childbearing culture.”
The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kaga destroyer has undergone the first stage of modifications to turn it into a de facto aircraft carrier for F-35B stealth fighter jets.
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 13, 2024

MSDF’s Kure base expanding mission as it marks 70th anniversary

The unit has increased its activities not only in national defense, but also in disaster relief operations and overseas missions.
Interpreters of the European Parliament in Brussels on April 11
WORLD / Politics
May 8, 2024

Babel in Brussels: The shadow army of EU interpreters

Humming with different languages like a modern-day Tower of Babel, the European Union's institutions are the world's largest employer of interpreters.
Increasingly denuded areas can be seen on the slopes of Mount Ibuki in Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture, on April 10.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
May 13, 2024

Deer cause damage to Mount Ibuki, known for its rare alpine flowers

As the amount of snowfall has decreased, affected by global warming, the number of deer has increased.
Having succeeded her father, Akira Mori, Miwako Date has been CEO of real estate development firm Mori Trust since 2016.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
May 19, 2024

Leading a major property developer with an eye on art and culture

Third-generation CEO Miwako Date is making her mark with Mori Trust's regional luxury hotels.
Ryo Wakabayashi, a distal myopathy patient, lives alone in the city of Fukushima.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Tohoku
May 20, 2024

Persistence pays off with approval of distal myopathy drug

The disease is estimated to affect only 300 to 400 people in Japan.
Coffee trees in the Izumi district of Motobu, Okinawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
May 20, 2024

New study finds Japan’s coffee cultivation has roots in Okinawa

Farmers in Okinawa hope the discovery will serve as a catalyst for boosting coffee production in the prefecture.
Kendrick Lamar has long been cast as the authentic and artistic representative of modern rap.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 10, 2024

Japanese MCs jump in on the Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap beef — and pick a favorite

The way artists here have joined the feud between two of rap's biggest names says more about hip-hop beefs in Japan than you realize.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint press conference with Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (not pictured) in Kyiv on May 10.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

Ukraine peace plan summit eyes minimal goals to woo Global South

China’s presence, in particular, is seen as important for the success of the summit, given the influence diplomats say Beijing has on Moscow.
Meta's board of experts is seeking public comments regarding a post criticizing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on its Threads text messaging app.
JAPAN / Society
May 17, 2024

Meta seeks public opinion on Threads post criticizing Japan's PM

This is the first time the board has examined a case related to Threads.

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.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang (from left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are expected to meet in Seoul on May 26 and 27.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2024

Japan, China and South Korea eye economics and infectious disease fight in joint statement

But another focus will be whether the three countries will be able to keep in step over issues related to nuclear-armed North Korea.
Language support groups in Fukushima Prefecture are calling for the creation of a better environment for foreign children to learn Japanese.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
May 27, 2024

With more foreign children, Fukushima struggles with language support

A number of children attending schools in the prefecture in fiscal 2023 were unable to fully understand Japanese.
Missile systems form part of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9. The FBI tries to maintain a tricky balance in spy operations: the more access informants have to valuable intelligence, the higher the risk that they could be compromised.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

FBI shed informants linked to Russian influence operations

After a secret review several years ago, the bureau cut off confidential sources thought to be connected to Russian disinformation.
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.
Rishi Sunak speaks at a meeting of finance ministers ahead of the 2021 G7 leaders' summit in London on June 4, 2021.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2024

G7 finance chiefs seek common line on Russian assets and China

Negotiators have been discussing for weeks how to best exploit some $300 billion worth of seized Russian funds.
Water tanks used to cultivate seaweed on land by Three Lines in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 3, 2024

Poor seaweed harvest prompts Kyushu University team to look toward land

The team has found some success with on-land farming, although increasing production yields for commercialization remains a challenge.
Workers prepare boxes of oyster products for shipping at Suzuki Suisan in Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture. The company stopped offering free shipping services in March.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jun 3, 2024

Transportation firms grapple with new driver overtime cap

The overtime cap introduced in April has led to increased transportation costs and some logistical headaches as firms try to adjust.
"Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California" is a welcome reminder of how Japanese basics are best done and, perhaps, how to get a little closer to how things still should be.
LIFE
May 26, 2024

A California dreamin’ cookbook of 'izakaya' favorites

In an age where traditional knowledge is being forgotten, “Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California” is a treasure trove.
The Telegram app has become a key weapon for pro-Kremlin accounts to spread disinformation aimed at undermining support for Ukraine.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 29, 2024

Too small to police, too big to ignore: Telegram is the app dividing Europe

The messaging app has become a key weapon for pro-Kremlin accounts to spread disinformation aimed at undermining support for Ukraine.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (center) arrives with his delegation for a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2024

U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs agree on importance of military talks

The meeting marked the first face-to-face talks by the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs in 18 months.
The World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 2, 2024

WHO countries prolong talks on pandemic accord

Despite increasing momentum in recent months, only 17 of the draft agreement's articles had been fully approved by countries by the deadline.
An ambulance bearing a message calling for the appropriate use of ambulance services enters Matsusaka Municipal Hospital in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Jun 10, 2024

City in Mie Prefecture starts charging some ambulance-borne patients

Matsusaka is targeting patients taken to any of its three core hospitals by ambulance but who are assessed as not needing hospitalization.
A variety of instant noodle products is sold at Miyagi Co-op Saiwaicho Store in Sendai. The city placed second in household spending for instant noodles in a 2023 nationwide ranking.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Jun 10, 2024

Tohoku's love for instant noodles shines through in survey

The spending for instant noodles in Tohoku cities far exceeds the national average.
The European Union has repeatedly warned while heading into the June 6 to June 9 vote that Russia would ramp up disinformation campaigns in the 27-country bloc.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 5, 2024

France, Germany, Poland facing 'permanent' Russian disinformation attacks: EU

The European Union has repeatedly warned while heading into the June 6 to June 9 vote that Russia would ramp up disinformation campaigns in the 27-country bloc.

Longform

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