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Katsura Yonemaru
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2024

Oldest active rakugoka Katsura Yonemaru IV dies at 99

Katsura had led Rakugo Geijutsu Kyokai, a rakugoka association, for more than two decades.
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.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio following their bilateral meeting at the Luxon's residence on June 19.
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2024

New Zealand scraps clean, green policies to boost economy

New Zealand's government is shifting its priorities toward increasing exports to support its flailing economy.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks at the National Press Club in Tokyo in May 2014.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 5, 2024

Bangladeshi military to form interim government after PM flees country

Sheikh Hasina had sought since early July sought to quell nationwide protests against her government, but she fled after a brutal day of unrest on Sunday.
Women with children interact in a lounge at a postpartum care facility in Ikoma, Nara Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2024

Private companies increasingly expanding into postpartum care

Companies such as Nestle Japan and Mitsubishi Estate have launched initiatives aimed at mothers and children
Commuters take a subway home at Sungsu station in Seoul on July 15.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2024

Declaring ‘crisis,’ South Korean firms tell managers to work more

In South Korea, the five-day workweek is only a generation old, introduced by labor laws in 2004.
Sheikh Hasina, then the prime minister of Bangladesh, in her office in Dhaka on June 11, 2023
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 6, 2024

Swift downfall of iron-fisted Sheikh Hasina marks new era in Bangladesh

Hasina saw her 15-year rule as Bangladesh’s prime minister unravel over the course of a bloody weekend that left scores of people dead.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 event in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 27.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 6, 2024

Cryptoverse: Trump's bitcoin stockpile plan stirs debate

A strategic reserve would be one use for the massive amount of bitcoin held by the U.S. government, but the jury's out on whether it's feasible.
Donald Trump has called for his supporters to stop using Google, doubling down on his criticisms of large technology companies.
WORLD
Aug 6, 2024

Trump suggests avoiding Google in interview with gamer Adin Ross

Trump called for his supporters to stop using Google, calling the search engine "illegitimate.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the White House in Washington on July 3.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 6, 2024

Harris picks Minnesota's Tim Walz for vice president, sources say

Walz is a progressive policy champion and a plain speaker from America's heartland who may help Harris win over rural, white voters.
Kenichiro Fumita celebrates after his win over China's Cao Liguo in their men's Greco-roman 60 kg wrestling final match at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2024

Japan's Kenichiro Fumita wins Greco-Roman gold in 60 kg

Fumita claimed the first wrestling gold of the Paris Olympics by beating Cao Liguo of China, who settled for silver.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her newly chosen vice presidential running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wave to supporters during a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 7, 2024

Kamala Harris bypasses bigger names for Tim Walz's broad appeal

Walz’s task is clear: Bring back Democratic blocs who drifted from Biden, while sharpening the party’s message on the economy.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the newly minted Democratic vice presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally with U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 7, 2024

Harris and Walz campaign together for first time as White House ticket

The event kicked off a multiday tour of U.S. battleground states aimed at introducing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the national stage.
Brazil forward Adriana scores her team's third goal during the women's Olympic semifinals in Marseille on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2024

Brazil shocks world champion Spain 4-2 to reach Olympic final

Playing its sixth Olympic semi, Brazil capitalized on a number of Spanish defensive mistakes to reach Saturday's final in Paris against the U.S.
Critics say excluding Israel from the Nagasaki bombing anniversary while inviting representatives from countries with human rights violations, such as Iran, which is pursuing its own nuclear weapons, undermines the ceremony's message of peace.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 7, 2024

Nagasaki bombing ceremony misses an important invitation: Israel's

Nagasaki’s Mayor Shiro Suzuki explicitly disinvited Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen to the 79th anniversary of the bombing of the city, citing security concerns.
People shake hands with army personnel as they celebrate the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 7, 2024

Bangladesh army refused to quell protest, sealing Hasina's fate

In Bangladesh, resentment still lingers even among retired soldiers that Hasina had been allowed to leave.
Bears think the best days for bank shares may be over, but for investors who are worried the yen may have further room to gain, bank shares have the additional benefit of having limited exposure to foreign-exchange fluctuations.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 7, 2024

Massive losses set stage for big rebound in Japan’s bank stocks

In the first three days of August, the Topix Banks index lost 26.5%, more than the 20.3% fall in the broader Topix index.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a meeting of a Liberal Democratic Party panel on constitutional reform in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 7, 2024

Kishida looks to constitutional reform to win over LDP conservatives

The prime minister has strengthened his tone on constitutional revision ahead of the party's presidential election.
South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik on during an interview in Seoul on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 8, 2024

South Korean nuclear weapons would break U.S. ties, defense chief says

The idea of another term for former U.S. President Donald Trump, who complained about the cost of the U.S. military presence in South Korea, has fueled the debate.
A boy skateboards past Yanaka Cemetery in Tokyo’s Taito Ward. A perfectly peaceful spot the rest of the year, it becomes a place children may test their courage during the Bon holidays.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 8, 2024

Japanese cities turn into ghost towns during the Bon holiday period

As people return to their hometowns to pay their respects to their ancestors, children may try to test their nerves with a "kimodameshi."
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters on July 3.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 8, 2024

Bank of Japan’s surprise rate rise a real head-scratcher for some analysts

Some analysts are skeptical about consumption actually being stimulated, saying that positive wage growth will not necessarily guarantee that.
A tsunami advisory, shown in yellow, was issued following an earthquake in Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024

Tsunami advisory lifted after strong quake jolts Kyushu

The 7.1 magnitude quake, measuring a weak 7 on Japan's intensity scale, triggered small tsunami waves in some areas.
The Nagasaki Municipal Government, which is hosting the city's annual peace ceremony, said it did not extend an invitation to the Israeli ambassador due to security concerns.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024

Nagasaki peace ceremony overshadowed by diplomatic wrangling

Ambassadors of Group of Seven countries are set to skip Friday’s ceremony after the city’s decision not to invite the Israeli envoy to Japan.
Japan, once a secondary player in Southeast Asian regional integration, now needs to balance strengthening ties with ASEAN while navigating its position between the U.S. and China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 8, 2024

Japan takes a soft diplomatic approach to ASEAN ties

Shifting dynamics in Southeast Asia are compelling Japan to carefully navigate its role amid intense U.S.-China competition.
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.
Taxis wait for fares outside the airport in Wuhan, China. Ride-hailing and taxi drivers are among the first workers globally to face the threat of job loss from artificial intelligence, experts say.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 9, 2024

China's drivers worry as robotaxis pick up pace — and passengers

Automating jobs could benefit China in the long run given a shrinking population, economists said.
A meeting of the Lao-Lao liquor cooperative held in the village of Xai in Attapeu Province in June.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 19, 2024

Co-op Okinawa nurtures Laos farmers' cooperatives to encourage growth

By setting up cooperatives, farmers can prevent unfavorable price negotiations by sharing information with one another.
A petrochemical plant in China. Asia's producers face the toughest outlook, with oversupply likely to persist.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Aug 9, 2024

Petrochemical makers enter survival mode amid global glut

Major petrochemical producers in Asia and Europe are selling assets, shutting older plants, and retrofitting facilities.
The Nagasaki peace ceremony on Friday at the city's Peace Park
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2024

Nagasaki marks 79 years since atomic bombing as top envoys pay respects in Tokyo

The ambassadors from the U.S., the U.K. and other Group of Seven nations skipped the Nagasaki ceremony due to Israel being left out.
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Kanto region on Friday evening.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2024

Magnitude 5.3 quake strikes Kanto region

The quake, with an epicenter in western Kanagawa Prefecture, occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. There was no threat of a tsunami.

Longform

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