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A North Korean soldier is seen at a guard post inside the country in this picture taken from Paju, South Korea, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in June 2020.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 3, 2024

Seoul to suspend inter-Korean military pact with Pyongyang over balloons

South Korea said the halt will last "until mutual trust between the two Koreas is restored,” after the North sent trash-filled balloons across the border over the last week.
Artificial chemical scents that come from things like perfume or fabric softener can cause discomfort or even sickness for some individuals.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 7, 2024

Scents and sensitivity: Understanding ‘smell pollution’ in Japan

In the country's crowded urban areas, it is important to be aware of how your deodorant, perfume or fabric softener can affect others.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday. Kishida said Tuesday that he was not planning to call a snap election during the current parliamentary session that ends June 23.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

Kishida says he won't call snap election before parliament closes

Kishida's Cabinet has been saddled with record-low approval ratings, as the LDP grapples with a recent political funds scandal within his party.
Brexit architect Nigel Farage said he'll stand as a candidate for Reform U.K. in Britain’s general election on July 4, an about-turn that threatens to destabilize the campaign for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s governing Conservatives.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

Nigel Farage barrels into U.K. campaign in gut punch to Conservatives

With trademark chutzpah, Farage convened what he called an "emergency” press conference to tell reporters that he would, in fact, be standing as a candidate.
Almost 45% of Japanese nationals living abroad feel lonely, with a language barrier the leading cause of loneliness, a survey finds.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024

45% of Japanese nationals living abroad feel alone: survey

The survey found that a language barrier is the leading cause of loneliness, cited by 31.6%, followed by a cultural gap, by 27.9%.
Israeli soldiers ready a tank near the border with Gaza on Thursday. The Jewish state's victory in the Gaza conflict will depend on addressing Palestinian despair.
COMMENTARY
Jun 4, 2024

Israel will always be held to a different standard

Arrest warrants, campus protests and genocide accusations were not inevitable. These were the direct results of Netanyahu’s choices.
Visitors take pictures in a booth showing photographs before a rally to commemorate the 35th anniversary of Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdowns, at the Library Square in Taipei on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

35 years on, Tiananmen memory eroded by Chinese censorship and Sino-U.S. rivalry

While commemorations of the crackdown are effectively banned in mainland China and in Hong Kong, events were being held in Taiwan and other locations.
The annual white paper on forests and forestry includes a special section on pollen allergies for the first time.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024

Government white paper includes goal of halving cedar pollen in 30 years

The annual report on forests and forestry, adopted at a Cabinet meeting on the day, includes a special section on hay fever for the first time.
Thailand is the latest nation to consider competing for a pie of the global casino industry, which IBIS World estimates generated $263.3 billion in revenue last year.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 5, 2024

Thailand plans bill to legalize casinos, spokesman says

Any opening of casinos will be in line with its recent embrace of a more liberal landscape to revive its tourism industry.
Japan’s birth rate has been in decline for decades as more women choose to get married and start a family later in life.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 5, 2024

Japan’s birth rate hit new low in 2023

The latest figure of 1.20 is 0.06 point down from the previous year in 2022 and the lowest since the government started keeping records in 1947.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, meet in Tokyo in May 2022 on the sidelines of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. The coalition is now adrift and the reason for the drop-off is simple: The U.S. is preoccupied with Europe and the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2024

Is 'the Quad' becoming a Potemkin alliance?

Despite its initial promise, "the Quad" coalition now appears to be losing momentum, posing significant security risks.
An Israeli soldier stands next to a tank near the Israel-Gaza Border on May 7.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 6, 2024

Hamas leader demands full end to Gaza war be part of cease-fire deal

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's remarks appeared to deliver the group's reply to U.S. President Joe Biden's proposal.
Toyota has temporarily stopped manufacturing its Corolla Fielder and Corolla Axio models following the data falsification scandal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2024

Japan looks to minimize economic fallout of auto-test falsifications

The top government spokesman has described fraudulent activity uncovered this time as "minimal" compared to that of Daihatsu, which spanned decades.
Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin,” once the victim of high waves that dragged it into the sea, sits at the end of a pier on the south side of Naoshima.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 6, 2024

The sweaty pleasure of Japan’s inconvenient art

This week, writer Thu-Huong Ha is our tour guide into the world of Japan’s inconvenient art movement.
Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taro Aso (left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) and LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi sing the LDP song at the party's annual convention in Tokyo on March 17.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 8, 2024

Kishida could break with Motegi and Aso over fund regulation

To secure backing for the bill, Kishida chose to concede to external parties rather than side with his right-hand men in the LDP.
Bharatiya Janata Party supporters celebrate after India's general election results in New Delhi on Tuesday. The BJP emerged with 240 seats, making it the single largest party in the assembly, but well short of the 272 seats it needs for a majority.
EDITORIALS
Jun 7, 2024

India’s election humbles Modi and his party

Even as Prime Minister Modi and the BJP claimed a historic third term, voters recognized the need for moderation in some of its policies.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2024

Chinese armed vessels patrol waters around disputed islands, angering Japan

China's coast guard said that it had patrolled the waters with vessels carrying weapons in what it called a "routine action."
The head of the Bank of Japan has ruled out using monetary policy to directly influence exchange-rate moves, but signaled the chance of raising rates if the weak yen pushes up inflation more than expected.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 7, 2024

Japan growth strategy panel calls for vigilance to weak yen impact

The call reflects the government's growing concerns about a weak yen.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers questions during a Lower House committee session on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 7, 2024

Japan maintains goal of primary budget surplus from 2025 to 2030

The plan will be reflected in the annual economic and fiscal policy guidelines that the central government aims to adopt at a Cabinet meeting by the end of this month.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks to journalists following an election campaign event at Melksham Town F.C. on Friday. Sunak apologized after skipping events to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France to return early to the U.K.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 8, 2024

The moment the Tories have long dreaded is finally upon them

With Labour so far ahead in the polls, few Tories expect to stay in power after the election.
Israeli soldiers operate in the Gaza Strip in January.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 8, 2024

Diminished Hamas switches to full insurgent mode in Gaza

The militant group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, according U.S. officials familiar with battlefield developments.
With a number of elderly people living alone increasing in Japan, the welfare ministry plans to conduct a survey of municipalities' responses to unclaimed bodies and remains.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 9, 2024

Japan to conduct first survey on unclaimed bodies

The number of unclaimed remains stored by municipalities stood at some 60,000 as of October 2021, according to an internal affairs ministry survey released in 2023.
The government is set to start discussing the idea of extending public health insurance coverage to include childbirth from fiscal 2026.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2024

Japan to discuss public insurance coverage of childbirth

The average of childbirth costs across Japan stood at some ¥482,000 in fiscal 2022.
Japan's economy contracted less than initially reported in the January-March period on upward revisions to capital spending and inventory data.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2024

Japan’s sputtering economy yet to show clear signs of recovery

The data showed both consumers and companies cutting back on spending and unsold supplies building up on warehouse shelves.
The BJP’s failure to secure even a simple majority has damaged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reputation not only in the eyes of Indian voters, but also within his own party.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2024

The Indian election’s winners and losers

The BJP’s failure to secure even a simple majority has damaged Modi’s reputation not only in the eyes of Indian voters, but also within his own party.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting on the restoration of quake-hit areas on the Noto Peninsula, held at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2024

Government team calls for preparations for smooth disaster relief

A report from the team has requested cooperation with the private sector to smooth the way for transportation of relief goods.
Argentina's Macarena Ceballos in action during the women's 100m breaststroke heats at the Pan-Am Games in Santiago on Oct. 21. The swimmer has struggled to train for the Olympics in the chilly Argentine winter after a pump to heat the pool at her training center broke.
OLYMPICS
Jun 11, 2024

As Olympics loom, Argentine athletes fret over dwindling funds

Some 1,200 high-level Argentine athletes and coaches receive stipends of an average $350 per month.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers the work report at the opening session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 5. Li dropped the mention of "peaceful" from unification with Taiwan this year.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2024

The Taiwan question: 'Strategic ambiguity' and U.S. foreign policy

Chinese Premier Li Qiang in a government report delivered at the opening of the National People's Congress dropped the mention of "peaceful" for unification with Taiwan.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attends a meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party chapter in the city of Kagoshima on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 11, 2024

Suga likely to be key player in LDP leadership race

Suga hopes to back a figure that can turn around the party from its woes linked to a political funds scandal, sources said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024

Japan to stick to goal of primary budget surplus next fiscal year

The government will also continue to try to lower the ratio of debt to gross domestic product, a draft of annual policy guidelines for budget planning said.

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