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Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence near Moscow on Monday during Modi’s first visit to Russia in five years.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 9, 2024

The China factor in Modi’s mission to Moscow

In his first visit to Moscow in years, Modi's focus was driving a wedge between Russia and China — with Putin one of the few world leaders who can counterbalance Xi.
Dolphins Arena in Nagoya. While the new IG Arena will almost certainly provide a more enjoyable experience for fans, the hope is that action on the raised ring will retain the heat that Dolphins Arena has long been famous for.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 10, 2024

A farewell to a Nagoya sumo arena known for heat — inside and outside the ring

The upcoming Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament will be the last to be held at Dolphins Arena, which has been the scene of numerous memorable moments over the years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others at a position of Ukrainian servicemen in the town of Kupiansk last November.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2024

Being Volodymyr Zelenskyy: How war has changed Ukraine's leader

His ambition when he was elected in 2019 had been to help Ukraine become a modern democracy, before that was shattered by Russia's invasion in 2022.
Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori waves to supporters as he is wheeled out of the Centenario Clinic in Lima on Jan. 04, 2018. He was sent to prison in 2009 over massacres committed by army death squads in the 1990s but was released last year for humanitarian reasons.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 15, 2024

Alberto Fujimori to stand in 2026 Peru elections, his daughter says

It is unclear if the ex-president is eligible to stand for election due to his conviction over massacres committed by the army in his campaign against Maoists guerillas.
Keiju Okada (left) and Miho Yoshioka compete in the 470-class mixed two-person dinghy event of the sailing world championships in August in the Netherlands.
OLYMPICS / Sailing
Jul 17, 2024

Japanese craftsmanship to play vital role in dinghy sailing in Paris

Fifteen of the 19 boats in the new 470-class mixed two-person dinghy event at the 2024 Paris Games will use sails made by North Sails Japan.
The S&P 500 drops from all-time highs amid a selloff in chipmakers.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 18, 2024

High-flying chipmakers see worst plunge since 2020

Concern about tighter U.S. restrictions on chip sales to China spurred a selloff in the industry that has led the bull market in stocks.
More Japanese firms have gone bankrupt in the first half of this year due to soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related support.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2024

Triple whammy takes Japan bankruptcies to decade high

Soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related financial support are taking a heavy toll on smaller businesses.
A passerby holding a parasol wipes her face as she walks on the street amid a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures, in Tokyo on July 9.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Boiling Point
Jul 19, 2024

How to prevent and respond to heatstroke in Japan this summer

Staying hydrated and controlling the rise in one's body temperature are the fundamental ways for preventing and alleviating heat-related illnesses.
Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani speaks with Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga during MLB All-Star festivities at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 19, 2024

Dodgers and Cubs to open 2025 MLB season in Tokyo

The opening series at Tokyo Dome marks the 25th anniversary of the first regular-season games played in Japan.
Shoko Miyata had been set to lead the Japanese women's gymnastics team at the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jul 19, 2024

Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata leaves Olympic team over drinking and smoking

The decision to have Miyata leave the team appeared to strike some observers as being overly harsh.
“Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” incorporates six Murakami short stories from three books into a single intertwined narrative that centers on a trio of lonely Tokyoites.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jul 20, 2024

'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman' is an immersive journey into Murakami's world

Pierre Foldes' beautiful adaptation of six Haruki Murakami stories features one of the author's most memorable characters, who injects the film with self-aware humor.
At a waste center in Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, residents separate trash into 45 different categories as the town aims to become "zero waste."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2024

How circular economy initiatives are changing the world

From Asia to Europe to Africa, public and private entities are finding new ways to revolutionize the economic paradigm from a linear to a circular model. In Japan, too.
The exchange rate for the Japanese yen against the euro (left) and the U.S. dollar is displayed at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on June 27.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 23, 2024

Citi flags possible euro-yen intervention if rate nears ¥180 level

The euro-yen pair traded as high as ¥175.43 on July 11 — a record since the common currency was launched in 1999 — before retreating.
U.S. President Joe Biden will get the first test of how much sway he still retains when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Washington for a previously planned visit this week.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024

Biden looks to project strength abroad despite lame-duck status

Having no electoral pressure may give U.S. President Joe Biden the ability to act more boldly in foreign affairs.
People walk along a flooded street in Manila on Wednesday amid heavy rainfall from Typhoon Gaemi.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 24, 2024

Deadly Typhoon Gaemi floods Philippines, shuts Taiwan

The Philippines is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events, which have cost the nation about $1.2 billion annually between 2000 and 2016.
Takeo Suzuki from the Pentax division of Ricoh Imaging demonstrates the Pentax 17 half-frame film camera at the Pentax Club House in Tokyo on June 28.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2024

New Japan film camera aimed at 'nostalgic' young fans

Japan's major camera brands stopped making analogue models in the 2000s, prompting sellers in big cities to refurbish old models for new analogue enthusiasts.
Flavor Flav is at the Paris Games as the hype man for the U.S. water polo team.
OLYMPICS
Jul 26, 2024

Hip-hop legend Flavor Flav relishes role as hype man for U.S. water polo team

The rapper is using his fame to help support the U.S. team.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks to the women and men's National Collegiate Athletic Association champion teams in her first public appearance since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 27, 2024

Silent no more, Harris seeks her own voice without breaking with Biden

The U.S. vice president's expressions of concern for Palestinian suffering marked a shift in emphasis from the president’s statements.
Samsung has won the long-awaited approval from artificial-intelligence giant Nvidia for a version of its high-bandwidth HBM3 memory chips.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 30, 2024

Samsung begins closing gap in making AI memory chips for Nvidia

The advances that include winning approval from artificial-intelligence giant Nvidia come after months of stumbles for Samsung.
U.S. Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 31, 2024

Harris to hold Philadelphia rally with vice president pick

Kamala Harris is being forced to select her running mate on a highly compressed timeline.
Israel is engaged not only in fighting real wars but also in ideological conflicts that shape its security, existence and global legitimacy.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2024

Challenged on all fronts: Israel’s five wars

What do those who support Israel's right to self-defense suggest it do to combat an enemy that entrenches itself in hundreds of miles of tunnels beneath civilians?
Founded in the early 2000s, Ichiro's Malt has since become a third pole in Japan's whisky world dominated by beverage giants.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 4, 2024

In sleepy Chichibu, Japan's whisky landscape is quietly shifting

Ichiro’s signature flavor profile of rich, woodsy flavors complemented by a clear fruitiness owes in large part to the tempermental 'mizunara' Japanese oak.
Members of the Romanian Olympic women's gymnastics team check their smartphones during a training session early last month.
OLYMPICS
Aug 2, 2024

Social media trolls beware: Olympic athletes have had enough

Online abuse has become such an issue that the Japanese Olympic Committee released a statement asking fans to mind their manners on the internet.
Gold medal-winning judoka Teddy Riner of France celebrates his victory at the Paris Olympics in the French capital on Friday.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Aug 3, 2024

France's Teddy Riner reigns supreme with record fourth gold

The judoka now has three individual titles — a record shared with Japan's Tadahiro Nomura, who won three consecutive titles in the -60kg category in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
The Great War of Africa between 1998 and 2003 was the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II. Now, hostilities between Congo, Rwanda and Uganda are reigniting.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 5, 2024

Africa is heading toward another deadly war

Armed clashes between Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and others could see a repeat of the world’s deadliest conflict since WWII, unless an escalation can be averted.
The turmoil affecting global markets came on the heels of Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s decision to raise rates, but you can't fault him given the volatile worldwide economic conditions.
COMMENTARY
Aug 6, 2024

Tokyo market rout — oops, the BOJ did it again

Japan’s central bank isn’t responsible for the bloodbath. But it’s reliving a terrible habit of hiking rates at the worst possible time.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attend the Japan-U.S. Extended Deterrence Dialogue in Tokyo on July 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 7, 2024

Japan-U.S. alliance transforms with concrete 'two-plus-two' talks

Despite the long and challenging history of Japan-U.S. two-plus-two meetings, this year's Tokyo meeting was truly groundbreaking.
Vinesh Phogat of India (in red) wrestles Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba in the women's 50-kg semifinals on Tuesday at the Paris Olympics. Phogat was later disqualified for being 100 grams over the weight limit.
OLYMPICS
Aug 8, 2024

Disqualification costs India a medal, but its Olympic future still looks bright

Vinesh Phogat had a chance to win a first Olympic gold for Indian women. But even after he disqualification, the country's female athletes have a promising future.
France's Victor Wembanyama celebrates after Les Bleus won their semifinal match over Germany at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Basketball
Aug 9, 2024

Wembanyama says Olympic final 'once-in-a-lifetime' chance

The hosts returned to the final for the second straight Olympics after defeating Germany 73-69 on Thursday, and will take on the United States for the title.
A ward for heatstroke patients at a hospital in Chennai, India, in May. The country experienced a severe heat wave over the spring and summer, raising concerns about the long-term impact of climate change-induced extreme heat on human health.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2024

Climate change: A health emergency in the making

Global warming's impact on health is an increasingly urgent issue — just look at excess deaths caused by extreme heat. But are health care systems well-equipped enough?

Longform

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