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A volunteer hoping to join the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attends basic training at an undisclosed location in the Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Jan. 9.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2024

Trump reviews peace talks ultimatum plan for Ukraine and Russia

The proposal would mark a big shift in the U.S. position on the war and would face opposition from European allies.
Then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (right) and Army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov vote in Russia's presidential election in March.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 26, 2024

ICC issues arrest warrants for Russia army chief and ex-defense minister

The warrants are the latest in a series of actions by the court over the Ukraine war, including an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Crosses adorn a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 26, 2022.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 26, 2024

U.S. surgeon general declares gun violence a 'public health crisis'

The advisory by Vivek Murthy, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, is the first such major report on gun violence from a surgeon general.
Emergency personnel and investigators examine the site of a deadly blaze that tore through a lithium battery factory owned by South Korean battery maker Aricell in Hwaseong on Tuesday, a day after the fire left 23 dead.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 26, 2024

Deadly fire exposes harsh conditions migrant workers face in South Korea

Foreign nationals do dirty, hazardous work, and advocates say the blaze that killed 23 at a battery plant shows that they need better protection.
Oshoma watches the All Japan Championships at the Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2022.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 26, 2024

Rising star Oshoma blends traditional background with unique approach

Despite his late arrival in sumo’s higher ranks, it would be wrong to dismiss Oshoma's impressive 10-win top-tier debut.
An anti-government protest in Tel Aviv in January. In a TV interview on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the terms of a U.S.-led cease-fire deal and said he was prepared to open a second front against Hezbollah, in Lebanon.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2024

Netanyahu's strategy is war, war and more war

The Israeli prime minister gave a rare and revealing interview to a domestic TV channel on the weekend that confirmed that he has a plan for Gaza. And that is war.
A firefighter works in a rural area of Corumba, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, on Wednesday.
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 27, 2024

'Breathing smoke': Brazil's Pantanal wetlands hit by record fires

In the first half of this year, satellites recorded more than 3,300 fires in the region.
Expedition tents at Everest Base Camp, 140 kilometers northeast of Kathmandu, in May 2021
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 27, 2024

As ice melts, Everest's 'death zone' gives up its ghosts

Among those scaling the soaring Himalayan mountain this year was a team aiming to bring corpses down.
Candidates for the July 7 Tokyo gubernatorial election Yuruko Koike (left), Shinji Ishimaru (center left), Toshio Tamogami (center right) and Renho pose for a photo after a public debate in Tokyo this week.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2024

Tokyo governor candidates call for measures on low birth rate

Suggestions range from higher income for younger workers to subsidies for painless deliveries.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group, speaks during the company's annual general meeting in Tokyo last Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2024

SoftBank to back AI startup Perplexity at $3 billion valuation

SoftBank will invest between $10 million and $20 million in the firm, which aims to use AI to compete with Alphabet’s Google search.
The rate of the yen against the dollar displayed in the trading room at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.com in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 27, 2024

Yen taken back to the '80s by messaging missteps and loss of confidence

Some analysts see the speculative fever as unsustainable, and that any signs of U.S. inflation falling faster than expected could allow a dramatic comeback.
A rare earths plant owned by Neo Performance Materials in Sillamae, Estonia
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 27, 2024

In race to regain rare earth glory, Europe falls short on mineral goals

EU demand for rare earths is forecast to soar sixfold in the decade to 2030 and sevenfold by 2050.
Core inflation in Tokyo accelerated in June on rising fuel bills and the boost to import costs from a weak yen, keeping alive expectations for a near-term interest rate hike by the central bank.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2024

Tokyo inflation quickens, keeping BOJ on track for rate hike

Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.1% in the capital, accelerating from 1.9% in May.
Cameras and lenses are displayed at Fujifilm Holdings headquarters in Tokyo on June 7.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 28, 2024

Fujifilm once struggled to sell cameras. Now, it can't keep up with demand.

Fujifilm is struggling to meet demand for the X100 camera, prized by young 20-something social media users for its looks and high-end functions.
People protest near the Diet building in Tokyo in May 2020 against a bill to raise prosecutors’ retirement age.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 28, 2024

Nondisclosure of prosecutor tenure extension records reversed

The case was in relation to a former head of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor's Office.
Prospective candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election include digital minister Taro Kono (left) and former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2024

Potential candidates in LDP presidential election come into view

Digital minister Taro Kono and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba appear ready to run in September.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves tour a Morrisons supermarket during a Labour general election campaign event in Wiltshire, England, on June 19.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

Revolt against Starmer’s Labour by long-time backers puts star candidates at risk

There’s little prospect the trend will cost Labour the election, but some of the party's leading lights could lose their seats.
Market participants project the pace of Japan’s stock market rally to slow in the second half of this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2024

Japan’s stock rally is forecast to slow in second half of 2024

The benchmark Topix index will climb about 2.9% by the end of the year, while the 225-issue Nikkei average will rise about 4.8%, according to projections.
People offer flowers during a memorial ceremony in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Sunday to pray for those killed due to heavy rains in the area four years ago.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2024

Victims of heavy rains in Kumamoto remembered four years on

Bereaved families and others on Sunday prayed for those killed due to heavy rains in Kumamoto Prefecture four years ago.
Self-Defense Force troops take part in an amphibious landing exercise on Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture last November.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2024

Japan's SDF marks 70th anniversary as it faces change and challenges

The SDF is grappling with dramatic policy shifts while facing down challenges ranging from recruitment to rising Chinese military assertiveness.
People watch a news broadcast of a North Korean missile test, at the main rail station in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 1, 2024

North Korea fires two missiles, with one possibly failing near Pyongyang

The launches came just days after large-scale military exercises between South Korea, Japan and the United States concluded.
As the 1924 Exclusion Act came into effect in the United States, people in Japan were not happy. It would define American immigration policy for near three decades.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jul 1, 2024

Japan Times 1924: Anti-America Day observed by all Japan

Two very different views of the United States from Japan, separated by 25 years and, more importantly, a war, define this month's look back at Japanese history.
Business sentiment among large manufacturers in Japan in the April-June quarter improved for the first time in two quarters, but the mood among big service-sector firms worsened for the first time in four years, according to a Bank of Japan survey.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2024

Japan's shaky business mood and GDP downgrade cloud BOJ hike timing

A mixed economic outlook complicates the BOJ's decision on how soon to raise interest rates, analysts say.
Masayoshi Tani on June 12 visits his house in the Fukami district of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was destroyed and isolated by the Jan. 1 earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 1, 2024

Temporary housing brings relief to Noto quake survivors, but fears remain

The uncertainty of whether they can return to their original homes and rebuild takes a toll on survivors, many of whom who are elderly and living on pensions.
The number of construction workers in Japan stood at 4.83 million in 2023, down by more than 2 million from the peak of 6.85 million in 1997.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2024

Amid labor shortages, Japanese builders urged to improve conditions

The government is advocating wage increases and the full implementation of a five-day workweek.
Samples of newly designed yen banknotes at the National Printing Bureau's Tokyo plant on June 19
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Jul 1, 2024

What you need to know about Japan's new banknotes

The last time the country redesigned its banknotes was 20 years ago.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping with French President Emmanuel Macron in France in May. As part of a charm offensive, Xi visited France and other European countries in the spring.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 1, 2024

Expectations vs. reality of Xi Jinping's charm offensive

Beijing is trying to win back favor in several countries to tackle its economic woes, with Xi courting bilateral relations with leaders in Europe and beyond.
Canada Day is held on July 1 to mark Canada’s founding in 1867. This year, the country celebrates its 157th anniversary among resounding successes and tough challenges at home and abroad.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2024

Canada at 157: Lots to celebrate, but also to rethink

At 157, Canada is stable and prosperous, but cracks are starting to form. Its citizens think politicians are out of touch and the country holds little sway abroad.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike gives a speech before the start of Toden Pro Wrestling, the first-ever pro wrestling event inside a streetcar of the Toden Arakawa Line, in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Koike has small lead as Tokyo election campaign enters final week

The Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan and disaster resilience have emerged as key issues as the race enters the home stretch.
Slovenia's players react after the team's Euro 2024 round of 16 defeat to Portugal in Frankfurt on Monday.
SOCCER
Jul 2, 2024

Slovenia's historic Euro 2024 run bittersweet for coach Kek

The team's players have memories to cherish after holding England 0-0 to progress from the group stage.

Longform

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