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Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in December at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
BASEBALL
Apr 12, 2024

How Ippei Mizuhara allegedly wired millions from Shohei Ohtani’s account

Crucially for Ohtani, a U.S. investigation clearly paints him as a victim without any involvement in or knowledge of his interpreter's gambling woes.
Ippei Mizuhara and Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani attend a news conference ahead of MLB's season-opening series in Seoul on March 16.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 12, 2024

Texts between Ippei Mizuhara and bookie show the walls closing in

Federal prosecutors say Ippei Mizuhara stole $16 million from Shohei Ohtani from November 2021 to January 2024.
“Butter” author Asako Yuzuki was inspired by the real-life story of Kanae Kijima, who was nicknamed the “Black Widow” and the “Konkatsu Killer” by the media for killing three men she dated to maintain her luxurious lifestyle of gourmet meals and a high-end cooking school.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 12, 2024

Asako Yuzuki's 'Butter' is a heady serving of food culture and feminism

The author's foodie femme fatale character was inspired by a real-life "black widow" case that caught the public's attention in 2009.
Rapidus' semiconductor foundry construction site in Hokkaido
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2024

Chip plant wizard weathers Hokkaido’s bitter cold in latest test

Construction firm Kajima is plowing through a series of challenges to get a chipmaking factory built on time in snowy Hokkaido.
An exterior view of Qasr al-Basha in 2021 in Gaza City, where Napoleon Bonaparte slept for several nights during his campaign in Egypt and Palestine.
WORLD
Apr 15, 2024

Gaza's historic treasures saved by 'irony of history'

Invaluable artifacts remain intact thanks to the blockade that made life in the Gaza Strip such a struggle for the past 16 years.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on Monday.
BASKETBALL
Apr 15, 2024

Caitlin Clark leads way as top star in intriguing WNBA Draft

The Indiana Fever will — barring an unfathomable change of direction — select Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft.
Held April 19 to 21 and organized by the nonprofit organization Kominka Japan, the Minka Summit bridges architectural tradition with contemporary possibilities.
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 16, 2024

Minka Summit returns for third year of home design, talks and more

The Minka Summit showcases Japan's traditional homes amid modern crises and a steady build in interest.
From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 16, 2024

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

We discuss everything from accessibility in Tokyo to dealing with trains and the country’s shifting attitudes.
Workers clean argeli bark in the Ilam district of eastern Nepal. Thousands of miles away, in Japan, the bark will be used to make yen notes.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 16, 2024

On Himalayan hillsides grows Japan’s cold, hard cash

One of the poorest pockets of Asia supplies a primary ingredient for the economy in one of the richest.
Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the bipartisan select committee, said that China's incentives suggest Beijing wants more fentanyl entering the U.S.
WORLD
Apr 17, 2024

U.S. committee finds China is subsidizing American fentanyl crisis

China denies the allegation, and says the U.S. government must do more to reduce domestic demand.
Chinese runner He Jie, Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat take part in a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Apr 17, 2024

Did three African runners let a Chinese runner win a race in Beijing?

The results of a half-marathon are under investigation after footage of the finish led many to question whether three runners had deliberately slowed down.
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2024

Police warn against investment scams on social media

Scammers are posing as prominent businesspeople to increase credibility and to lure victims into "get rich quick” schemes.
A member of Ukraine’s 17th Tank Brigade on patrol near the front line in the Donetsk region of southeastern Ukraine on Jan. 4.
WORLD
Apr 17, 2024

Ukraine’s big vulnerabilities: Ammunition, soldiers and air defense

Even if outside aid comes through, Ukraine's third year pushing Russia back will be extremely tough as they continue to be outgunned.
Ryoma Shimoseki (90) was playing at Kosei Gakuen High School in Tokyo when he was discovered by NFL Academy coaches.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Apr 17, 2024

Japanese NFL hopeful gets dream chance on football field in U.K.

Ryoma Shimoseki was recently announced as the newest addition to the NFL Academy as he bids to become the first Japanese to make an NFL roster.
Protesters hold images of Aung San Suu Kyi and a flag of Myanmar during a demonstration outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok on Feb. 1, 2023, to mark the second anniversary of the coup in Myanmar.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 17, 2024

Jailed Myanmar leader Suu Kyi moved to house arrest

During her months-long trial, Suu Kyi reportedly suffered dizzy spells, vomiting and at times had been unable to eat because of a tooth infection.
Crew aboard a Philippines Coast Guard vessel eye a Chinese Coast Guard ship in waters off the Philippines in November 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

Philippine Coast Guard to attend joint military drills with U.S. in first

More than 16,700 Filipino and American troops will participate in the drills, set to focus on potential flashpoints in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.
Ayuko Kato, minister in charge of children's policies (right), stands after a bill on expanding child-rearing allowances clears a Lower House committee on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

Lower House panel approves bill aiming to address low birthrate

The bill will expand child-rearing allowances, funded through a new system to collect additional fees on top of public medical insurance premiums.
Elderly women walk past a building destroyed during a Russian missile attack in the town of Selydove, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on April 14. The West needs to take decisive action to support an out-gunned Ukraine before the situation worsens.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2024

If only the West backed Ukraine as it did Israel

Western leaders need to take decisive action to support an out-gunned Ukraine before the situation worsens.
A Ukrainian soldier fires a rocket-propelled grenade during training in the Donetsk region on April 1. Shipments of American weapons could begin flowing to Ukraine again soon after U.S. House approval of a long-stalled aid package, U.S. officials say, with goods from the Pentagon's stockpiles in Germany shipped quickly by rail to the Ukrainian border.
WORLD
Apr 21, 2024

U.S. military aid for Ukraine could soon flow again

The measure, approved by the U.S. House on Saturday, would provide the Ukraine war effort with about $60 billion.
A woman reacts at a memorial set up for victims victims of a stabbing attack at Westfield shopping mall in Bondi Junction in Sydney, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Apr 21, 2024

Doctors cite unmedicated mental illness in Sydney mall attack

No one can know the mind of Sydney shopping mall killer Joel Cauchi, but psychiatrists say one underlying cause of his rampage is evident: he had schizophrenia, stopped his medication and fell out of treatment.
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Apr 21, 2024

Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time

From Okinawa to Australia, “passive acoustic monitoring” projects are feeding scientists with data about changes to ecosystems and biodiversity.
The NanoTerasu facility uses special X-rays to enable researchers to analyze at the nanometer level the properties and functions of materials that cannot be identified with the naked eye.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 22, 2024

NanoTerasu accelerator goes into operation in northeastern Japan

The technology is expected to be used in research in a wide range of areas, from food to medicine.
A rally in support of Ukraine outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Saturday, the same day the House of Representatives approved a $61 billion aid package supporting Kyiv's war effort.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2024

Ukraine aid shows MAGA hasn’t cowed Johnson

The U.S. House speaker rejected the isolationism that has come to dominate his party, extending a lifeline to Kyiv by approving a long-debated aid package.
Digital platforms have been flooded with disinformation, allowing foreign countries to conduct influence operations and leading to widened social divides.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 28, 2024

How democratic states are regulating digital platforms

Some platforms have been flooded with disinformation, allowing foreign countries to conduct influence operations.
Yokohama F. Marinos coach Harry Kewell watches the AFC Champions League semifinal first-leg soccer match between his team and South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai FC in Ulsan, South Korea, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2024

Kewell tells Yokohama to summon spirit of Istanbul to reach final

The former Leeds and Liverpool winger took over as Yokohama coach at the start of this year.
Sauber's Zhou Guanyu (front) and Williams' Logan Sargeant race at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday. The pair are among several drivers who have yet to score a point through five races of the 2024 Formula One season.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 24, 2024

Formula One considers extending scoring positions down to 12th from 2025

Six of the 10 teams need to vote in favor, with further discussion expected, but some bigger outfits have indicated they will not block the proposal.
Sanrio is marking Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary this year. The character's rise mirrors that of kawaii culture globally, and her longevity offers important clues as to the future of cute culture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 22, 2024

Hello Kitty turns 50. What will the next cat's meow be?

The global rise of Hello Kitty, who turns 50 this year, tracks that of Japanese culture. What, then, does the next half-century of kawaii have in store?
Specializing in gastronomy-themed tours, Arigato Travel, founded and directed by Anne Kyle, was once a one-woman operation. Today, it counts more than 100 employees.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 26, 2024

Anne Kyle: 'People want to know what life actually is like here’

The founder and CEO of Arigato Travel grew her business from a one-woman operation to a national outfit of more than 100 employees in a matter of years.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said he has instructed his ministry to investigate whether or not there have been any further incidents.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 26, 2024

Five senior SDF officers punished for mishandling secret info

They passed on secret information to personnel within their units who were not cleared to handle such data.
Members of the town assembly of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, on Friday deliberate a petition calling for a survey to examine the town's suitability for hosting a radioactive waste disposal site.
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024

Town assembly in Saga approves petition for nuclear waste site survey

A town in Saga Prefecture has become the first host municipality for a nuclear plant to approve a petition to accept a survey for nuclear waste.

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