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Police watch over the Dotonbori area in Osaka on Oct. 20 as Tigers fans flocked to the area to celebrate the team's advance to the Japan Series.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 30, 2023

Police prep crowd control plans in case Tigers win Japan Series

The Tigers are facing off against the Orix Buffaloes in the series, which kicked off on Saturday.
Currently, if foreign nationals hope to obtain a residence status enabling them to start a business, they must secure a place of business and have two or more full-time employees or a capital fund of at least ¥5 million ($33,000).
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2023

Japan mulls eased residency requirements for foreign entrepreneurs

Foreign nationals may be allowed to stay for two years if they have certified business plans and even if they do not have a place of business or capital.
Tsuneo Suzuki (center), the suspect arrested after a police raid of a post office in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday, is taken to a police station in the prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 31, 2023

Shooting suspect arrested after police raid Saitama post office

Two men were injured in the shooting at a hospital, while two female staff members of the post office were said to be unharmed.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends an extraordinary session at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 23.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2023

Prime Minister Kishida and a month of misery

The challenges Fumio Kishida faces are eroding confidence in his leadership and are likely to influence policy decision-making.
The Nihon University football club dormitory in Tokyo
JAPAN / Society
Oct 31, 2023

Nihon University staff downplayed drug use problem, report says

The report shows how the university’s system of governance led to the delay in taking action against the American football team’s culture of drug use.
Reporters take cover upon hearing sirens warning of an incoming rocket attack from Gaza, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, on Oct. 23
WORLD / Politics
Oct 31, 2023

Media reporting on Israel-Hamas war face singular challenges

Lack of access to Gaza, with both the Israeli and Egyptian access points closed, is creating difficulties journalists say they have rarely seen before.
Buffaloes third baseman Yuma Mune hits a two-run double against the Tigers in Game 3 of the Japan Series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 31, 2023

Buffaloes edge Tigers in Game 3 of Japan Series

After dueling 8-0 blowouts, the Japan Series finally got a close game.
People carry a coffin as a mass funeral takes place to bury victims of a military strike on a camp for displaced people near the northern Myanmar town of Laiza on Oct. 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 1, 2023

U.S. targets Myanmar's state energy firm with partial sanctions

The action prohibits certain financial services by Americans to the state oil and gas enterprise starting on Dec. 15, the Treasury said in a statement.
Gonoyama (right) faces Daieisho at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Sept. 22
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 1, 2023

The risers — and fallers — in the latest sumo rankings

The sumo rankings ahead of the upcoming Kyushu Basho produced its share of winners and losers.
Texas Rangers players storm the field after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the World Series in Game 5 on Wednesday in Phoenix.
BASEBALL
Nov 2, 2023

Rangers down Diamondbacks in Game 5 for first World Series title

A 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 5 on Wednesday clinched the Rangers' first title in three trips to the Fall Classic.
Under President Vladimir Putin rule, reason, logic, and humanity appear to have been systematically eroded from Russian life, similar to the era of Stalin and his gulags. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2023

Russian life imitates dystopian art

The state in Russia has always tended toward absolutism and its coercive and penal arms have rarely wielded as much power as they do now.
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023

Japan's 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year

From the year's scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation's hope, fears and diversions.
Tigers rookie Shota Morishita hits a two-run triple to left against the Buffaloes in the eighth inning in Game 5 of the Japan Series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Thursday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 2, 2023

Tigers rally for victory to move within win of Japan Series title

The Tigers are seeking their first Japan Series title since 1985.
Yukimasa Ida’s first major museum exhibition showcases a young artist in full command of his craft but still looking for something deeper to say.
CULTURE / Art
Nov 4, 2023

‘Panta Rhei’: Yukimasa Ida is still searching for his own voice

Kyocera Museum of Art's major exhibition finds a young artist sampling great works of the past but looking for something deeper to say.
The Hong Kong skyline. The city's sedition law — one of the legacies of British rule — had remained dormant for over half a century but saw a resurgence in use following the 2019 protests and subsequent unrest.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Nov 3, 2023

H.K. student gets two-month sentence for 'seditious' posts from Japan

The court said she had violated a colonial-era sedition law by expressing support for Hong Kong independence in posts mostly made while studying in Japan.
Palestinian Hamas militants take part in a rally marking the 31st anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip, in December 2018.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 4, 2023

How Hamas aims to trap Israel in Gaza quagmire

The militant group has prepared for a drawn-out war and believes it can hold up Israel's advance to force its archenemy to agree to a cease-fire.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi hold a news conference after meetings about the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Amman on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 5, 2023

Arab world and U.S. split on Gaza cease-fire as Israel presses on

In a rare open display of disagreement, the top U.S. diplomat pushed back, saying a cease-fire would only let Hamas militants regroup.
Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto pumps his fist after retiring the side in the 5th inning of his complete game victory over the Hanshin Tigers on Saturday at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Nov 5, 2023

In likely farewell, Yamamoto dazzles one last time for Buffaloes fans

Yamamoto proved his manager right in one of the most important outings of his career Saturday — potentially his last in NPB.
Trading with borrowed shares will be banned for equities on the Kospi 200 Index and Kosdaq 150 Index from Monday until the end of June.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 5, 2023

South Korea to ban short-selling of stocks until June 2024

Investors say short-selling leads to unfair advantages for foreign and institutional investors.
A serviceman of an artillery unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine holds a howitzer ammunition before firing toward Russian troops at a position near a frontline, at an undisclosed location in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2023

'We're losing': Ukrainians reel from war chief's stalemate warning

The frontline between the Ukrainian army and Russian forces occupying the east and south of the country has barely moved since last November.
Poland's Iga Swiatek kisses her trophy on the podium after winning the WTA Finals Championship in Cancun, Mexico, on Monday.
TENNIS
Nov 7, 2023

Swiatek wins WTA Finals and regains world No. 1 ranking

The Polish player broke Pegula five times and won the final 11 games in a 59-minute slaughter to capture her first WTA Finals title.
Demonstrators hold banners in front of the TotalEnergies headquarter building at La Defense in Courbevoie, France, on Nov. 3, ahead of the international climate conference COP28 in Dubai later this month.
WORLD
Nov 7, 2023

Impasse broken on climate fund before COP28 but tough road ahead

Both developing and developed countries said they had made major concessions to avoid a failure that would have soured U.N. climate talks.
Meta has said it will bar political advertisers from using Facebook's generative AI tools.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2023

Meta to restrict use of generative AI tools in political adverts

The move may limit campaigns' access to tools lawmakers have warned could turbocharge the spread of election misinformation.
Japan's real wages dropped 2.4% in September from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2023

Japan's wages and spending extend declines in test for BOJ policy

Japan's real wages dropped 2.4% in September from a year earlier.
Nintendo reported operating profit of ¥94.5 billion and revenue of ¥334.9 billion in the September quarter, both beating analyst expectations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2023

Nintendo lifts annual profit forecasts

The Kyoto-based entertainment company said it now expects operating income of ¥500 billion ($3.3 billion), up from ¥450 billion previously.
People wait for the arrival of a train going west, in Kherson, Ukraine, on Oct. 31.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 7, 2023

Ukraine’s secret plan to save a city trapped in purgatory

Since Russian troops were pushed out of the city of Kherson, they have bombed it relentlessly. Closely held river operations could change that.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speak as they wait for a group photo session during the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2023

G7 top diplomats call for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Israel-Hamas war

The statement didn’t mention a cease-fire, only noting the necessity of humanitarian action.
From convenience stores and pizza franchises to makers of mattresses and whisky, businesses are looking to cash in on the popularity of "Godzilla Minus One."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 8, 2023

Latest Godzilla movie is a beast at the Japan box office

Boosted by mammoth marketing campaign, "Godzilla Minus One" racks up over ¥1 billion in opening weekend.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa meets Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo on Oct. 21.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 8, 2023

Explaining Japan's nuanced approach to the Israel-Hamas war

Japan has the potential to influence the conflict due to its distinctive position within the international community.
Staff at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 collect used paper cups after the event on Oct. 15.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2023

Japanese paper-makers pioneer domestic recycling of paper cups

Until now paper cups have typically been discarded as flammable waste, but are made from high quality pulp that can be reused.

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