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A site in a specified reconstruction area in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, where demolition and decontamination work is conducted
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2023

Possibly contaminated iron scraps from near Fukushima plant sold

Workers at a subcontractor of Kajima took the scraps without permission, violating the process of dealing with contaminated waste.
Kioxia's Kitakami plant in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture. Western Digital and Kioxia initially aimed to reach a decision on a merger in August, but discussions have dragged on as the companies tried to iron out details.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2023

Banks prepare ¥2 trillion funds for Kioxia-Western Digital merger

The moves towards a refinancing commitment would mark a step forward in the merger, which has faced months of delays.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi converses with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2023

The Modi-Jaishankar partnership serves India’s global interests well

Important contributors to India’s rising global profile are the communication skills, professionalism and competence of Foreign Minister Jaishankar.
Characters from the Super Mario Bros. franchise adorn the front of Super Potato, a well-known retro game shop in Akihabara.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 20, 2023

Let the gaming begin: A guide to Tokyo's video game landmarks

Whether it's arcades, retro finds or chip-tune nightclubs, Japan's capital won't disappoint gamers wanting to geek out.
Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2023

Poor nations have 'every right to be angry' on climate: Guterres

The U.N. chief said that poorer countries had done the least to cause global warming but were bearing the brunt of its impacts.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen (right) and AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda take part in a fan event in Tokyo on Wednesday, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, at the weekend.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 21, 2023

Red Bull's march to the title in focus as F1 arrives in Japan

The team will be looking to secure a second straight constructors' championship on the home turf of its engine supplier, Honda.
Alongside Germany's Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show is one of the last remaining major gaming conventions in the world.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 21, 2023

Tokyo Game Show returns in full force with ‘largest-ever’ event

Participants at the gaming convention should expect long wait times for demos, but the Final Fantasy remake is worth it.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at the Economic Club of New York, a group of top business executives and bankers, in New York on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2023

Kishida seeks to shake up to $5 trillion asset management industry

The Japanese government is reviving its decades-old policy pledge to move ¥2 quadrillion of household financial assets into investment.
Yusuke Hashimoto (center) leaves the Metropolitan Police Department in a police car on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 22, 2023

Former Japan cancer center doctor arrested over bribery

The doctor allegedly had Zeon Medical company pay ¥1.7 million into his bank account in 2021 in exchange for ensuring the usage of their products.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

In Washington, Zelenskyy makes case for critical aid to Ukraine

The Ukrainian leader thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for a new $325 million military aid package of weaponry and air defenses.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

Zelenskyy under pressure as Ukraine's allies shift priorities

Allies are pushing the Ukrainian leader to turn his attention to what kind of country will emerge from the war, even as Kyiv struggles for a breakthrough.
Freshness and seasonality, along with the chef's ability to highlight both, feature heavily in Japanese fine dining.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 24, 2023

Does Japan's fine dining philosophy stand alone?

While Japanese fine dining is not as categorically defined as French gastronomie, a culture of refined dining has long existed in the country.
John Williams (right) and Seiji Ozawa (center) have been friends for decades. Their long-awaited reunion in Japan comes courtesy of a musical collaboration between Williams and the Saito Kinen Orchestra for the 31st edition of Ozawa’s annual music festival.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2023

Music legends John Williams and Seiji Ozawa reunite at Matsumoto festival

The American composer and conductor led a special program featuring his famous film scores at his long-time friend's annual event in Nagano Prefecture.
Protesters on Thursday held a rally in the Armenian capital Yerevan urging the government to intervene in the Nagorno-Karabakh region after Azerbaijani forces entered the enclave earlier this week.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2023

Azerbaijan may have won the war, but a bigger test begins

The strength of a cease-fire and peace talks over Nagorno-Karabakh will be tested by Azerbaijan's commitment to a true, long-term transition.
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in 2020
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2023

Human success means evolving with AI, not shunning it

Most future jobs will be hybrid, powered by human and artificial intelligence. The challenge lies in striking the right balance.
U.S. President Joe Biden raises a toast with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong in Hanoi on Sept. 11.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

Biden aides in talks with Vietnam for arms deal that could irk China

Such a deal could consummate the newly upgraded partnership between Washington and Hanoi as tensions boil in the South China Sea.
Paternity leave has not taken root in Japan due to concerns over decreases in income and disruptions to the work side of life.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Japan local governments working to encourage paternity leave

From Saga to Yamanashi, local officials are trying a variety of policies to give their male employees a chance to better participate in family life.
Women with portable electric fans in the Yurakucho district of Tokyo on Sept. 12. In Japan, Cool Biz became especially popular with women, who tended to wear lighter clothes and often complained about the cold temperatures needed to make business suits comfortable for their male colleagues.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Where did all the dark-suited Japanese businessmen go?

Under Cool Biz, salarymen and government workers don short-sleeved shirts in the summer as offices are kept above 28 degrees Celsius to save energy.
Since the arrival of ChatGPT and other bots, fears over the potential for abuses and unintended consequences have gripped the public conscious.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2023

Worried about rogue chatbots? Hire a hacker.

It’s the good hackers being dangerous that allows us to find out what are the risks to artificial intelligence.
Fans shoot Friday's second practice session at Suzuka Circuit.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 25, 2023

Amateur race photographers thrive at Suzuka Circuit

The famed Japanese speedway's "cameraman seats" were launched 10 years ago as a way to accommodate both hobbyist shooters and regular race fans.
Zaein, created by artificial intelligence company Pulse9, is one of South Korea's most active virtual humans.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 26, 2023

In South Korea, AI-driven virtual humans go mainstream

Digital humans have been created for some of the country's largest conglomerates, with research indicating the tech could be worth $527 billion by 2030.
A Philippine Coast Guard member cuts a rope connecting a floating barrier that was installed near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, in this undated photo released late Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 26, 2023

Philippines removes floating barrier in South China Sea

Manila said Tuesday said it had conducted “a special operation” to remove a 300-meter floating barrier installed by China.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at the Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2023

Macron is pushing the EU into $900 billion fight with China

The bloc's new approach is being shaped by French concerns that Beijing’s trade practices have started to pose a critical threat to core industries.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako release young barfin flounder and shrimp into the sea during the 42nd annual national marine convention in the town of Akkeshi in Hokkaido on Sept. 17.
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2023

Talks on imperial succession stall under Kishida administration

The prime minister has said that ensuring stable imperial succession is "an issue that cannot be put off," but no concrete steps have been taken.
A Chinese coast guard vessel (rear center) shadows Philippine fishing boats anchored near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Sept. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 27, 2023

China's coast guard pursue Filipino fisherman in disputed waters

Since 2012, China has deployed vessels to block or restrict access to a fishing ground that has been tapped by generations of Filipinos.
China's COSCO Shipping Ports is the world’s largest shipping company and port terminal operator.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2023

China’s port investments and risks to national security

The gray area between domestic and foreign jurisdictions and private and state-owned enterprises should be cause for concern.
The Palais de Rumine, one of the former buildings of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland where famed-Italian sociologist, economist, political scientist and philosopher Vilfredo Pareto taught and penned many of his major works.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2023

Italian intellectual Vilfredo Pareto and the roots of politics

The great Italian public intellectual Vilfredo Pareto saw free trade as beneficial to all and military spending as detrimental to many.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 22
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Solomons leader says he spurned U.S. summit 'lecture'

The pro-China prime minister severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2019, unlocking large sums of Beijing aid and investment.
Anton Korynevych (left), permanent representative of the Ukrainian President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Oksana Zolotaryova, director of the International Law Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, speak to the press at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Ukraine conducts 'lawfare' to hold Putin to account

Over the past two weeks, judges in The Hague have heard lawyers for the two warring nations argue over details of the Genocide Convention.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leaves a meeting in Jakarta on Sept. 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Marcos' challenge of China pressures U.S.

There are questions about how far Manila is willing to go and whether the U.S. would really have its back if the situation escalates.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat