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Chinese President Xi Jinping during an event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

Decoding Xi’s new catchphrase aimed at reviving China’s economy

Slogans matter in China, and the adoption of new catchphrases can herald profound shifts in policy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the media at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

Five takeaways from Putin’s orchestrated win in Russia

Putin always seeks to project an image of political stability and control, which the carefully choreographed presidential votes are designed to burnish.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in October last year.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

Putin to travel to China in May for talks with Xi, sources say

The visit could be the Kremlin chief's first overseas trip of his new presidential term.
Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday ahead of the MLB opening series between the Dodgers and Padres.
BASEBALL
Mar 20, 2024

No explosives found at Seoul stadium after bomb threat against Ohtani

Authorities did not find anything at the venue after special investigators searched the premises in the morning.
People visit the Huawei stand at the 2024 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2024

U.S. weighs sanctioning Huawei’s secretive Chinese chip network

Any move would come after the Chinese telecom giant notched a significant technological breakthrough last year.
With 56 of his first 66 career wins coming via sumo’s two most fundamental techniques (namely frontal push out and frontal force out), Takerufuji utilizes a straight-ahead traditional style that is sure to endear him to purists.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 21, 2024

Red-hot rookie Takerufuji off to historic start in Osaka tourney

In remaining unbeaten over the meet’s first 11 days, Takerufuji equaled all-time great Taiho’s record for the best-ever start for a debutant.
The resignation of Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong on Wednesday is "not really a good sign for a country often boasted for having very strong political stability.”
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 21, 2024

‘Political earthquake’ shakes up succession battle in Vietnam

The ouster of a second president in just over a year leaves a leadership vacuum in one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.
Ryuichi Kihara and Riku Miura compete during the World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 21, 2024

Canadian pair lead Japan's Miura and Kihara after short program at worlds

In the women's singles competition, Kaori Sakamoto's bid for a third straight title got off to an unsteady start in the short program.
Despite a difficult past and a skittish temperament, Brexit is not immune to a little bribery in the form of treats.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Mar 25, 2024

Brexit needs someone to stand by his side

If you can get past the missing welcome mat, you’ll soon be enjoying this dog’s special charm.
Lawyers representing plaintiffs in lawsuits seeking damages for Minamata disease hold banners outside the Kumamoto District Court in the city of Kumamoto on Friday, criticizing the ruling as “unjust.”
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2024

Japan court rejects redress claims by unrecognized Minamata victims

Across Japan, nearly 1,800 individuals have filed similar lawsuits, with 1,400 cases consolidated in the Kumamoto district court.
Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, the Air Self-Defense Force's chief of staff, speaks during a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 22, 2024

ASDF lieutenant general suspended over workplace bullying

It is the first punitive action against an ASDF lieutenant general for harassment.
A new brain wave study published Friday suggests that hearing the names of their favorite toys actually activates dogs' memories of those objects.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 23, 2024

'Good boy!' Dogs do understand us, says new study

A new study published suggests that hearing the names of their favorite toys actually activates dogs' memories of those objects.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako speak to evacuees at an evacuation shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2024

Imperial couple visits quake-hit Noto Peninsula

During their day trip, the imperial couple inspected afflicted areas in the prefecture's Noto Peninsula and met evacuees at a shelter.
People lay flowers at a makeshift memorial near Crocus City Hall, a concert venue outside Moscow that was the site of a mass shooting on Friday night.
WORLD
Mar 24, 2024

Deadly Moscow attack shatters Putin’s security promise to Russians

The tragedy outside Moscow is a blow to a leader riding an aura of confidence only days after a stage-managed election victory.
People gather near lit candles outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue on Sunday, declared a day of mourning declared following a deadly shooting, in the Moscow Region, Russia.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2024

Concert hall attack revives terrorism fears for Russians in Moscow

A series of terror attacks that began in the late 1990s spread a climate of fear across the country as Putin was rising to power.
Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned on Wednesday among anti-graft probes into Hanoi’s top leadership.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 25, 2024

Vietnam could lose its 'China +1' appeal among political turmoil

Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong resigned on Wednesday among a wider probe. This could compromise Hanoi's image as an economic alternative to Beijing.
Sunao Takao (center) interprets as then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump talk prior to a working lunch at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 26, 2024

Japan tees up Abe's ex-interpreter to help chart course with Trump

Japanese officials are preparing to deploy the Harvard-educated bureaucrat to bolster engagement with the Republican candidate's campaign.
A Russian law enforcement officer walks near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a shooting incident, outside Moscow, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 26, 2024

The leader of Islamic State group linked to Moscow attack has global ambitions

The leader of the Afghan branch of the group has overseen its transformation into one of the most fearsome branches of the global Islamist network.
Afghan evacuees arrive at Narita International Airport in October 2021. Applicants from Afghanistan made up the majority of those recognized as refugees by the Japanese government last year, similar to 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 26, 2024

Japan granted refugee status to record 303 asylum-seekers in 2023

While this is a jump from the 202 people in 2022 and a new record high, the number is still considerably lower when compared with Western countries.
The most significant outcome of Taiwan’s elections is not President-elect Lai Ching-te and the DPP’s victory, but rather the party's loss of the legislature and the return of divided government after a 16-year hiatus.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2024

A divided government awaits Taiwan's new president

The most significant outcome of Taiwan’s elections is not the DPP’s victory, but rather its loss of the legislature and the return of divided government.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to address a joint session of parliament in New Delhi in June 2019.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2024

Making sense of society

In a world that is becoming fragmented within and across countries, it is easy to lose hope for social and economic progress.
Directed and co-written by Sunao Katabuchi, animated film “In This Corner of the World” depicts the beauty of nature and the horrors of war with equal potency.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 27, 2024

Films that give the Japanese perspective of the atomic bomb

Movies about the nation's darkest days — in genres such as dramas, fantasies and anime — offer another side to Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' story.
The Barbados-flagged bulk carrier vessel True Confidence in Ravenna, Italy, in 2022
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2024

Deaths on Houthi-ravaged vessel herald perilous era for Middle East shipping

The experience of the True Confidence shows the threat to the oil tankers, cargo carriers and seafarers who are still using this vital waterway for trade.
Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai addresses a news conference Monday after he announced that he will not run in the next general election amid the political funds scandal engulfing his party.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024

Why LDP elder Nikai's announcement is a big deal (and isn't)

Despite portraying it as a move to preserve Nikai's legacy, it's seen as a proactive attempt to insulate himself and his associates from further scrutiny.
The 2024 grand prix winner was Zerogravity, a marine activity provider with a focus on accessible tours and accommodation.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 29, 2024

Japan Travel Awards promote inclusive tourism

While currently far from a global player, the Japan Travel Awards is filling a void for recommendations on forward-looking travel-centric organizations.
The 8620-class steam locomotive was manufactured in 1922 during Japan's Taisho Era (1912-1926).
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 30, 2024

One last journey for Japan's oldest steam train

Japan's 101-year-old steam locomotive has made its final journey, thought it may live on as a museum piece in the future.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed his eagerness to revise the political funds law in the current session of parliament, slated to end on June 23.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2024

Spotlight on political reform after budget clears Japan's parliament

Ruling and opposition parties are eager to outline a bolder plan for reform to raise their profile among voters amid growing political disenchantment.
For some fundamentalist Christians, Donald Trump is seen as divine instrument even though his behavior seems at odds with their religious values.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2024

What fundamentalist Christians see in Trump

Navigating the paradox that is the intersection of fundamentalism and politics in America.
Antony Blinken
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 30, 2024

U.S. to impose new visa curbs on Hong Kong officials over rights crackdown

The U.S. plans to impose the restrictions "on multiple Hong Kong officials responsible for the intensifying crackdown on rights and freedoms."
A mural showing Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani is seen on the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The mural, by artist Robert Vargas, is 150 feet (46 meters) tall and is titled "LA Rising."
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 30, 2024

Shohei Ohtani is home and focused on baseball. Dodgers fans are relieved.

Los Angeles finally got a close look at baseball’s megastar, as a gambling situation involving his former interpreter took a back seat to opening day.

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