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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Tokyo in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2024

A critical year for the Japan-U.S. alliance

The foundation of the Japan-U.S. partnership is a belief in the need to support and maintain the rules-based global order.
Construction work is underway on Wednesday in Oura Bay in Okinawa Prefecture, the site of the coastal airfield that will replace Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2024

Futenma moves forward, but local concerns must be addressed

Originally planned to have been finished by now, the base project is now anticipated to take over nine years to complete.
A Post Office sign at a branch in a local convenience store near Ascot, England, on Friday. The Post Office scandal, where some 980 U.K. Post Office workers were wrongfully convicted of theft and false accounting, was triggered by faults in a Fujitsu computer system called Horizon that was used by U.K. Post Offices and inaccurately reported shortfalls in their accounts, resulting in private prosecutions of innocent branch managers for theft.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jan 13, 2024

It took a TV show to bring justice in U.K.’s Post Office scandal

After a two-decade struggle, it was a TV drama that finally prompted the government to promise a swift end to the saga in favor of the victims.
An intermediate-range ballistic missile, said to be solid-fueled, is launched during a test at an unspecified location in North Korea in this picture released Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 15, 2024

Test of latest North Korean weapon adds to threat facing Japan

Pyongyang said the missile was “loaded with a hypersonic maneuverable controlled warhead" that experts say is capable of evading defenses.
Keiji Furuya (left), head of a Japanese group of lawmakers promoting Japan-Taiwan relations, meets with Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 15, 2024

Japan finds ally in new Taiwan president-elect amid fears of war

Lai Ching-te signaled he will deepen cooperation with Japan by meeting with Tokyo’s de facto ambassador and a Japanese lawmaker just a day after the election.
Smoke billows above Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 16, 2024

Israel to end war in southern Gaza 'soon' as U.N. demands cease-fire

A day after Israel's prime minister said fighting would continue for months, the Israeli army confirmed one of four divisions in northern Gaza had withdrawn.
After two meetings of an ad-hoc panel established by party leader and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this month, fissures between lawmakers have emerged, and at the moment the outcome of the debate remains hard to predict.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2024

Dissolving factions becomes focus of LDP funding scandal task force

The discussions have led to divisions between lawmakers, and at the moment the outcome of the debate remains hard to predict.
The Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo. In the wake of a political funding scandal, some are calling for the dissolution of the LDP's factions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2024

Eliminating factions isn’t the answer to the funding scandal

In the wake of a political funding scandal that has embroiled the LDP, some are calling for the dissolution of the party's factions. That would be a mistake.
A large billboard depicting an Iranian missile with a phrase in Persian that reads "prepare your coffins" on the side of a building in Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Iran says missile strikes show it will be ‘tough and decisive’

Supporters of Iran’s authoritarian clerical regime have been incensed by recent attacks on Iran that made it appear vulnerable, demanding a powerful response.
The Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, the eventual winner, casts his vote during the island's election in Tainan, Taiwan, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2024

Taiwan's election and its potential impact on East Asian politics

China tried to interfere in the Taiwanese elections through the systematic use of "cognitive warfare," but failed.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida referred to the underreporting by the faction that he previously led as “a series of administrative errors” and added that the group was going to make necessary amendments on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

LDP political funds probe nears close with top lawmakers likely unscathed

Clerical staff of LDP factions will likely face indictment over underreporting of revenues in political funds reports, while party heavyweights will emerge largely unscathed.
Singapore's former Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran (center) and his defense counsel Davinder Singh (left) leave the Singapore State Courts on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

Singapore minister quits after biggest graft case since 1986

The scandal has cast a pall on the city-state known for its clean governance. If convicted, the minister faces fines and a possible jail term.
Japan's core inflation stayed above the central bank's 2% target in December but slowed for a second straight month, reinforcing expectations it will be in no hurry to phase out its massive monetary stimulus.
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2024

Japan’s slowing inflation supports case for BOJ to wait longer

Growth in consumer prices excluding fresh food slowed to 2.3% in December from a year earlier.
Taiwan's election results reflect the democratic aspirations of its citizens but is a cause for disappointment in Beijing.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2024

The winner of Taiwan's election was democracy

The biggest disappointment was felt in Beijing, where inducements, threats and warnings failed to sway Taiwan’s voters.
Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' prime minister, during an interview on day two of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 17
WORLD / Politics
Jan 22, 2024

Rutte’s backers are pushing to lock him in as NATO’s next leader

The Dutch leader is already the strong favorite to succeed current Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg when his term ends in October.
Projections for Japan's primary balance are presented at a meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2024

Japan’s baseline forecasts show government missing budget goal

The primary balance is projected to be around minus 0.4% in fiscal year 2025.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the dissolution of his LDP faction on Friday, marking a significant shift in the wake of a political funding scandal.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 22, 2024

Mired in scandal, the LDP chips away at its factions

Three LDP factions, including Kishida's, announced their dissolution last week. While it's unlikely that all groupings will meet the same fate, reform is in the air.
Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip
WORLD / Politics
Jan 24, 2024

One-month Gaza truce is the focus of intensive talks, sources say

Despite the difficulty of bridging the gap in positions, a source described the talks as intensive and said a deal could be agreed to "at any minute."
International calls for a cease-fire to spare civilians have been unsuccessful, with Israel vowing to continue until Hamas has been destroyed and all hostages have been freed.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 26, 2024

U.S. sets up channel with Israel seeking answers on civilian casualties

The channel has been set up following concerns about the "constant" reports of Israeli strikes that have resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths.
Shitsui Hakoishi, 107, works with researcher Yasumichi Arai (left) while her younger brother, Hidemasa, looks on. Researchers like Arai believe the healthy and active Hakoishi's cells may hold the secret to living a long life.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Jan 27, 2024

Living until 100, if not forever, in good health

Immortality may be out of reach, but can a slew of research projects prolong our natural aging process?
South African officials speak ahead of the International Court of Justice's ruling on emergency measures against Israel following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide, in The Hague on Friday.
WORLD
Jan 27, 2024

South Africa invokes Mandela's legacy with case against Israel

To many South Africans, the country’s outspoken advocacy on behalf of Palestinians has become a point of national pride.
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with the trophy after winning her second-straight Australian Open women's singles title on Saturday in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 27, 2024

Sabalenka overpowers Zheng to retain Australian Open crown

Aryna Sabalenka continued to be an irrepressible force at the Australian Open as she powered to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.
A news broadcast shows a North Korean missile test at the main railway station in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 28, 2024

North Korea fires multiple cruise missiles toward Sea of Japan

The latest launches come days after Pyongyang test-fired a new type of cruise missile and amid fears that leader Kim Jong Un could be girding for war.
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released Nov. 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 28, 2024

U.S.-China talks fall short in nudging Beijing toward Red Sea breakthrough

Top officials wrapped up two days of meetings on managing the rivals' relationship, but saw little progress on addressing the crisis in the waterway.
The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, even faster than the shinkansen. However, demand for the new railway service remains lacking.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 29, 2024

Linking 17,000 islands in Indonesia tests a nation on the rise

President Joko Widodo's grand vision for the world’s largest archipelago is colliding with financial realities.
Shigeru Ishiba, a heavyweight in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, says the Bank of Japan should immediately end its negative interest rate policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2024

Dark-horse prime minister candidate calls for ending BOJ's negative rate policy

An outspoken Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, Shigeru Ishiba consistently ranks among favorites to become the next prime minister in opinion polls.
Shoko Kawata stumps in the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2024

Japan's youngest female city mayor is focused on women's empowerment

The election of Shoko Kawata, 33, was unexpected — but was a welcome change for some.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a Lower House plenary session in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2024

Kishida faces heat from all sides over political funds scandal

The prime minister finds himself in hot water not only with the main opposition party, but also with his own ruling party.
Takuro Adachi’s documentary “Sono Kodo ni Mimi wo Ateyo” follows doctors working in Aichi Prefecture’s busiest ER over nine months.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2024

‘Sono Kodo ni Mimi o Ateyo’: An absorbing dive into pressures of the ER

Filmed at the height of the pandemic, Takuro Adachi’s documentary spotlights emergency room doctors who attend to patients from every strata of society.
A placard reads, "deport AfD now," during nationwide protests against racism and plans of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to deport foreigners, in Bonn, Germany.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2024

Ban AfD or fight it? Germany ponders how to counter its far-right

There are growing concerns that the right-wing party could sweep elections set for June and September.

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