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Tokyo Healthcare University professor Takayuki Mifune explains how he is trying to re-create bonito broth from 1,300 years ago.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Dec 4, 2023

The quest to re-create what the Japanese ate 1,300 years ago

Professor Takayuki Mifune and his team are hoping to understand, in minute detail, the culinary habits of our Japanese ancestors.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd during halftime of a game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, on Nov. 25.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2023

Trump denied immunity against U.S. election subversion charges

In the ruling, a federal judge said the office of the president doesn’t come with a "lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.”
A Ukrainian special forces unit operating on the waters of the River Dnieper, where Russians held the opposite bank, on Nov. 5, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2023

Crossing the Dnieper: What a Ukrainian military operation might mean

Ukrainian troops have taken positions along the Dnieper River, posing a threat to Russia’s dominance of the region.
Ukrainian Paralympic Committee President Valeriy Sushkevych has said a recent vote to allow Russian athletes to compete at the Paris Games was tainted.
PARALYMPICS
Dec 3, 2023

Ukrainians strive to force IPC into Russia Paralympics U-turn

Sushkevych says he has "new facts" that reveal the extent of the Russian Paralympic Committee's support for the war in Ukraine.
The Euro trophy in front of the drawn groups for the 2024 edition of the tournament, in Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday
SOCCER
Dec 3, 2023

Germany to take on Scotland in Euro 2024 opener as draw set

The Germans, three-time winners, will kick off the one-month tournament in Munich on June 14, with the final on July 14 at Berlin's Olympic stadium.
The floor is painted red for the NBA In-Season Tournament game between the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 3.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Dec 3, 2023

The NBA’s new in-season cup is bringing in viewers

Modeled after cup competitions in European football, the tourney is meant to add some spice to a sometimes bland stretch of the NBA calendar.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a session at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 3, 2023

For embattled Kishida, Dubai trip fails to pay dividends

The PM's visit to Dubai for a U.N. climate summit will do little to offset woes at home, including an LDP funding scandal and sagging approval ratings.
The Toshihiro Nikai-led LDP faction has been accused of insufficient reporting of its political funds.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 3, 2023

Second LDP faction suspected of breaching political fund law

The allegation came after a similar practice at the faction previously led by the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to light recently.
Rohingya refugee Abdur Rahaman at a temporary Indonesian immigration shelter in Lhokseumawe, in Aceh province.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 4, 2023

Young Rohingya leave Bangladesh camps for university dream

Refugees still face challenges in obtaining an education in Indonesia.
The Bulls' court is painted red for their NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Nets at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 3.
BASKETBALL
Dec 4, 2023

New in-season tournament delivering early returns for NBA

The NBA In-season Tournament was established to add spice to the early part of the season.
A man talks on the phone during COP28 in Dubai on Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2023

Japan, France back plan to boost climate lending with IMF reserves

Multilateral development banks say they can bolster climate finance in developing markets by leveraging the IMF's Special Drawing Rights.
An aerial view shows the Eiffel tower by the River Seine in Paris. A plan to hold the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on the river looks set to go ahead, even after a deadly attack in the French capital at the weekend.
OLYMPICS
Dec 5, 2023

'No Plan B': France set on Olympics river opening despite attack

Media reports have indicated grave concern within the security forces that the opening ceremony could be vulnerable to attack.
People walk through Dubai's Expo City during COP28 on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 5, 2023

COP28 crowds: A dangerous distraction or sign of success?

With a record 84,000 registered attendees, this year's COP28 is a far cry from the first in 1995, a low-key affair with fewer than 4,000 delegates.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force warship searches for the crashed CV-22 Osprey off Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2023

Japan defense chief says concerns linger after U.S. Osprey crew remains found

Dive teams have found the remains of five more crew members from a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft that crashed off southwestern Japan last week.
The Lower House plenary session approves the relief bill in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2023

Bill for victims' relief in Unification Church case clears Lower House

The bill aims to prevent a religious organization's assets from being transferred overseas so that it can be set aside to provide relief.
U.S. military officers on boats depart the Anbo Port on Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

Biden ‘heartbroken’ as U.S. confirms eight dead in Osprey crash

The crash — the first fatal accident involving an Osprey in Japan and deadliest ever since it became operational — has rekindled concern over its safety.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the U.K. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Britain, on Nov. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

EU set to hold talks to finalize agreement on world's first AI law

Brussels wants a legal armory to protect EU citizens' rights, while some member states worry that too much regulation will stifle innovation.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to members of the government and the ruling parties in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

Kishida moves to limit damage as political funding scandal deepens

Kishida has asked party executives to refrain from hosting fundraising events "until the party clarifies its efforts to restore the public’s trust."
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori attends a trial as a witness at the navy base in Callao, Peru, on March 15, 2018. Picture taken through a window.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

Peru’s top court orders Fujimori released from prison

Fujimori’s lawyer told reporters that the former president would most likely be released from prison Wednesday.
U.S. military Ospreys and helicopters are lined up on a runway at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on Dec. 1
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 7, 2023

U.S. military grounds all Osprey aircraft after Japan crash

A preliminary investigation into the crash last week indicated that problems with the aircraft — not a mistake by the crew — had led to the deaths.
A field study by elementary school students takes place in the Izawa River basin in Shiso, Hyogo Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 24, 2023

Unveiling Shiso, a hidden gem of nature and coexistence

With 90% of its area covered by forest, the Hyogo city boasts picturesque streams and a bounty of access points to refreshing natural spring water.
Naomi Osaka in action during the third round of the Australian Open in January 2022
TENNIS
Dec 7, 2023

Osaka and Nadal set for Grand Slam comebacks in Australia

Osaka gave birth to daughter Shai in July and has not played since September 2022, having also struggled with her mental health.
A sign for "Oppenheimer" at a movie theater in Los Angeles. The film will open in Japan next year.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 7, 2023

'Oppenheimer' to screen in Japan next year after nuclear controversy

The film will open in 2024, Tokyo-based distributor Bitters End said in a statement, but it did not give a specific date for the release.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 7, 2023

If Kissinger was serving as the U.S. secretary of state

There was no other U.S. diplomat whose reputation in Japan and China was as polar opposite as that of Henry Kissinger.
Spectators watch as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a payload of 21 Starlink satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 27.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 7, 2023

Starlink arctic test paves way for U.S. government contracts

Smooth performance under extreme conditions makes satellite service a crucial asset in an increasingly vital area of competition with Russia and China.
With the envisioned free university tuition program for families with three or more children, the government hopes to step up its financial assistance to households struggling with education costs.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 7, 2023

Japan plans to make university tuition free for large families

The program will cover households with three or more children from fiscal 2025.
Hunter Biden departs the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 26.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 8, 2023

Hunter Biden faces federal tax charges in Los Angeles

The new criminal case could reveal more evidence that supports corruption allegations levied by Republicans.
Fans in Osaka take photos as the company formerly known as Johnny & Associates removes references to its founder. The agency announced its new name, Starto Entertainment, on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 8, 2023

Johnny’s changes name to Starto Entertainment

The announcement signals a new chapter in the talent agency’s history as it scrubs references to its disgraced founder from its current structure.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s future is uncertain as a fund-raising scandal casts a shadow over who will lead the Liberal Democratic Party. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 8, 2023

Unpacking the scandal rocking the LDP to its core

What may be termed as the “faction parties scandal” is a shock to the system that will have deep implications for the Japanese political landscape.
Demonstrators call for action on climate change and environmental justice during a march in Washington in July 2018.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2023

There can be no climate justice if rich countries don’t pay

Rich countries are responsible for the climate crisis and it's only fair that they bear the burgeoning costs that poorer nations are having to pay.

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