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Upper House lawmaker Muneo Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2023

Hokkaido lawmaker leaves Nippon Ishin over visit to Russia

Calls from within the party to punish Suzuki had been growing, especially after he told Russian media he was sure Moscow would win its war with Ukraine.
A notification of a banking system glitch at an MUFG Bank's branch in Tokyo's Taito Ward on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2023

Disruption of Japan's payments clearing network continues

The issue affecting 11 lenders, including MUFG Bank, has disrupted at least 1.4 million transactions.
Trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura speaks at a ceremony at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday to launch a new platform for the trade of carbon credits.
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2023

Carbon pricing platform kicks off at Tokyo Stock Exchange

More than 180 organizations, including oil firms and regional banks, have decided to participate in the platform.
Shogi player Sota Fujii holds a card that says "eight titles," in the city of Kyoto on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 12, 2023

Sota Fujii becomes first player to win all eight major shogi titles

The 21-year-old took the Oza crown, having won Game 4 to finish the best-of-five match against 31-year-old Takuya Nagase.
An official speaks during a government-sponsored tour of the 2025 Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island, Osaka, on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 12, 2023

As 2025 Osaka Expo nears, foreign pavilion woes continue to mount

Over 50 countries had been expected to design and build their own pavilions. So far, only two have been greenlighted by Osaka city to begin construction.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Tuesday in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 12, 2023

Why are ruling party lawmakers calling for tax cuts?

As the prime minister prepares for a new economic stimulus package, it's members of his own party who are raising a fuss.
Fukushiro Nukaga
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

LDP to recommend former finance minister as Lower House speaker

Fukushiro Nukaga, 79, is expected to take over for Hiroyuki Hosoda when parliament resumes next week.
Smoke billows following Israeli strikes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

Israel calls for all civilians to leave Gaza City

Israeli said it would operate "significantly" in the coming days and that civilians would only be able to return when another announcement was made.
Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen speaks about the current situation in Israel amid the ongoing conflict with the Hamas militant group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

Israeli and Palestinian envoys to Japan detail a week of violence

Both envoys expressed hope for Japan's diplomatic role in the conflict, but from very different perspectives.
Smoke plumes billow over Gaza City after Israeli airstrikes Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 13, 2023

Hamas mines depths of inhumanity. Israel must not do same.

There is the very real danger of a wider war. Netanyahu vowed “to change the Middle East,” a statement with ominous overtones.
Tesla, which opened a factory in Lingang, China, was expected to be one of many large, foreign companies to open facilities in the region. Few have followed.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2023

China’s slowdown casts pall over Xi’s Yangtze Delta project

The setback is particularly obvious in Lingang, a free-trade zone in the southeastern tip of Shanghai and a key part of the Yangtze Delta project.
The Tokyo headquarters of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 15, 2023

Japan opposition seeks law on Unification Church asset protection

Despite differing views on method, the CDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai want to prevent the organization's money being deliberately moved overseas.
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops fire a howitzer during a training exercise near Mt. Fuji in August 2018.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 15, 2023

LDP and Komeito to resume talks on defense equipment export rules

The focus of the talks on military equipment and ammunition will be on the handling of those that are produced under license in Japan.
A ball of fire and smoke rises during an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2023

Gaza border crossing set to reopen before Israeli ground assault

Hundreds of metric tons of aid from several countries have been held up in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for days, pending a deal for its safe delivery to Gaza.
Accepting foreign workers with expertise and skills "helps boost Japan's economy and society," Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi says.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 17, 2023

Justice minister counting on skilled foreign workers

Accepting foreign workers with expertise and skills "helps boost Japan's economy and society," Minister Ryuji Koizumi said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to Amman, Jordan, early Tuesday after overnight negotiations in Tel Aviv with Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2023

U.S. whirlwind Israel diplomacy hits hard Middle East realities

The top U.S. diplomat's flurry of travel to Arab capitals appears to have resulted in little beyond President Joe Biden's planned visit to Israel.
Various student and left-wing organizations march in support of Palestinians in New Delhi on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023

Hamas' war and what it means for India

Some strategic thinkers are calling for a broader "Indo-Abrahamic Alliance" that includes not only the I2U2 but also Egypt and Saudi Arabia
A Chinese fighter jet is seen during an intercept of a U.S. aircraft in the South China Sea, including by approaching a distance of just 12 meters before repeatedly flying above and below the U.S. aircraft and flashing its weapons.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 18, 2023

U.S. sees 'sharp increase' in Chinese military's 'risky' behavior

The Pentagon said it has documented nearly 300 dangerous incidents that affected U.S., allied and partner aircraft since the fall of 2021.
An artist's rendition of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Britain, Italy and Japan
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2023

Japan considers allowing exports of fighter jets to third nations

The government has clarified its position that it would be "desirable" to lift a ban in place on such exports.
Hamas fighters take part in a military parade in Gaza on July 19 to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 18, 2023

What pushed Hamas to launch its boldest attack ever?

Nothing justifies Hamas' brutality, but analyzing its motivations and goals is the first step to unpacking the present crisis.
Obtaining dual nationality and having it uniformly recognized by authorities in Japan is no simple matter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2023

When Japan's dual nationality ban meets a legal gray zone

Lawyer Yuri Kondo decided to naturalize as an American citizen. What followed was a mix of ambiguity and the feeling of a loss of identity.
People gather on Wednesday near the al-Ahli hospital where hundreds of Palestinians were killed earlier in a blast that Israeli and Palestinian officials blame on each other.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 19, 2023

Gaza hospital tragedy escalates war risk, no matter who’s to blame

The Gaza hospital tragedy escalates the conflict and raises questions as to what really happened and who is to blame?
The health ministry found that, following the reported death of a TV personality in May 2022, the number of excess suicides in Japan spiked for two or three weeks.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 20, 2023

Copycat suicides spiked in Japan after celebrity's 2022 death

A government report is calling for the media to ensure that coverage is in line with the World Health Organization’s suicide reporting guidelines.
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Palestinian groups.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2023

Fears grow that Israel-Hamas war could spread across Middle East

Tensions surged as the U.S. said it was sending more military assets to the region and Israel appeared poised for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The site of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital after a blast ripped through the facility on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2023

In global conflict zones, hospitals and doctors are no longer spared

Over the last two decades, medical facilities and staff have become casualties of war more frequently, in violation of international law.
A view of destroyed houses in the Beit Hanoun district of Gaza Strip as seen from Sderot, Israel, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

Israel strikes Gaza and Lebanon as Netanyahu convenes generals

Israel has amassed tanks and troops near the fenced border around Gaza for a planned ground invasion aiming to annihilate Hamas.
A protest for the return of the hostages on a main street in Tel Aviv on Saturday. The Biden administration has advised Israel to delay a ground invasion of Gaza, hoping to buy time for hostage negotiations and to allow more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in the sealed-off enclave, according to several U.S. officials.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

U.S. advises Israel to delay Gaza invasion, officials say

The U.S. has suggested that more time is needed for hostage negotiations, the delivery of aid and mapping out ways to avoid more civilian casualties.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during an opening ceremony of a diplomatic symposium at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

China's top diplomat to visit U.S. ahead of possible Xi trip

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be the highest-ranking Chinese official to travel to Washington in about five years.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu salutes before delivering a speech during the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

China ousts defense chief and removes ex-top envoy from Cabinet

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has been removed from his positions as defense chief and state councilor, state-run media said.
Lawyers Kazuyuki Minami (left) and Masafumi Yoshida (right) representing a transgender woman show off signs that say "unconstitutional" and "sent back" to a lower court, during a news conference Wednesday in Tokyo after a Supreme Court decision.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 25, 2023

Supreme Court hands down landmark decision on transgender rights

A law requiring sterilization surgery to change a person's legal gender has been declared “unconstitutional."

Longform

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