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Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. greet each other at a campaign event in Duluth, Georgia, in October. Kennedy, Trump’s choice for health and human services secretary, wants to purge the agency of corporate influence.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 4, 2024

Trump taps team geared toward retribution and remaking of U.S. government

Trump's pick of Kash Patel to lead the FBI brought into sharper focus the president-elect's seriousness about striking back at those he believes have wronged him.
If the deal goes through, the Japanese steelmaker has promised not to transfer any U.S. Steel production capacity or jobs outside the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 5, 2024

Nippon Steel committed to U.S. Steel takeover, executive says

"There is no global strategy without the U.S.," Takahiro Mori, the Japanese company's vice chairman, said this week.
“A Big Home” offers a sincere portrait of the vulnerable youth who live in more than 600 group homes across Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 5, 2024

Vulnerable youth look for sense of belonging in ‘A Big Home’

Ryo Takebayashi’s documentary profiles the residents of a group home, but shies away from making emphatic statements about the circumstances that brought them there.
Protesters call for the resignation of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a demonstration in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 5, 2024

South Korean ruling party opposes Yoon impeachment as defense minister quits

The opposition Democratic Party planned to put up a vote in parliament to impeach Yoon at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, a party spokesperson said.
Then-U.S. Presidential nominee Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Trump Tower in New York City in September.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2024

Trump's plan for Ukraine comes into focus, with ceding land possible

Other options allegedly being explored for ending the war include taking NATO membership for Ukraine off the table.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announces his decision to impose martial law on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 5, 2024

South Korea turmoil strikes at heart of U.S. alliances in Asia

The potential impeachment of South Korea’s president after an aborted attempt to impose martial law may complicate U.S. efforts to counter China.
Bitcoin has risen to $100,000 for the first time amid optimism in the market that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration will provide support to the digital-asset industry.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 5, 2024

Bitcoin hits $100,000 in highly anticipated crypto milestone

A price of $100,000 pushes the market value of Bitcoin to just shy of $2 trillion, making it a larger investment asset than all but a handful of public companies.
The plastics issue is particularly difficult due to a lack of viable substitutes and oil producers are increasingly investing in refineries for plastic production as they expect increased demand in that sector.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2024

Plastics failure is a canary in the climate coal mine

This delay reflects the real-world obstacles these international negotiations face, as a single country can block progress.
Sake bottles are displayed at the 19th World Cultural Heritage Conference, as sake was added to UNESCO'S Intangible Cultural Heritage list, in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 5, 2024

Japanese sake brewing added to UNESCO intangible heritage list

Traditional sake brewing marks the 23rd Japanese entry on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list, joining other culturally significant arts such as washoku and kabuki.
Prosecutors said Tamotsu Shiiki, 58, had sex with a 12-year-old girl at a karaoke parlor on Aug. 20 after he approached her on the streets, well aware that she was underage.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 5, 2024

Former Nippon Ishin lawmaker pleads guilty to statutory rape

The lawmaker had approached her on the streets of the Kabukicho entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Aug. 20 and was aware she was underage.
Japan's base salaries grew at a 32-year-high pace in October, offering statistical support for the prospects of a central bank rate hike this month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2024

Record base pay gains keep door open for BOJ hike

Base pay for full-time workers increased by 2.8% in October from a year ago, the biggest gain for comparable data back to 1994.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (center) receives an award in Naha on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 6, 2024

Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts honored by city of Naha

Roberts, who was born in the city, was presented the award by Mayor Satoru Chinen on Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron vows to stay on as leader during a televised broadcast from the Elysee Palace in Paris on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 6, 2024

Macron vows to serve remainder of term as French president

"The mandate you gave me democratically is for five years and I will exercise it fully,” the French president said in a televised speech.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visit the cenotaph for the victims of the Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Park in Hiroshima in May 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2024

Former PM Kishida worried upheaval in Seoul may hurt ties

Kishida, who left office in September, formed a warm relationship with Yoon over frequent meetings.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced in a statement on Thursday that David Sacks will be the "White House A.I. & Crypto Czar."
WORLD
Dec 6, 2024

Trump appoints former PayPal exec David Sacks as AI and crypto czar

Sacks is considered a member of the "PayPal Mafia" of former workers and executives at the digital finance firm that includes prominent Trump supporters.
A Metropolitan Police Department flyer on high-paying illegal work advertised on social media, known as yami baito
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2024

Police may be able to use fake IDs to investigate yami baito

The new measures would allow investigators to sign up for shady jobs with disguised identities and make contact with individuals behind the recruitment.
Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko pose for a commemorative photo with Turkish government officials and performers after watching performances at the Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul on Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2024

Crown prince and crown princess mark Japan-Turkey diplomatic ties

The pair attended a ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
South Korea's Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung (center) takes part in a joint news conference with other opposition parties and activists on Friday in Seoul to urge the passage of an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol after his aborted attempt to impose martial law.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2024

South Korea's impeachment battle is democracy in action

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces an impeachment motion filed by the opposition Democratic Party, which accuses him of insurrectionary behavior.
A Ukrainian serviceman wipes a mirror at an outdoor washbasin near the Kharkiv region in November.
WORLD
Dec 7, 2024

In Ukraine, more and more exhausted soldiers abandon their posts

Since 2022, Ukraine opened nearly 96,000 criminal cases against servicemen who abandoned their positions since Russia’s invasion.
No new turbines have been ordered in Sweden since the first quarter, according to the latest data from industry group Svensk Vindenergi, the longest such stretch in two years.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 7, 2024

Free green power in Sweden is crippling its wind industry

The country has one of the greenest grids in the world. But even more is needed to electrify the rest of its economy.
Anti government fighters stand on top of a Syrian army jet after they took over a military airbase near the central city of Hama on Friday.
WORLD
Dec 7, 2024

Iran begins to evacuate military officials and personnel from Syria

Among those evacuated to neighboring Iraq and Lebanon were top commanders of Iran’s powerful Quds Force.
A low pressure storm system known as a "bomb cyclone" moves off the coast of the U.S. Pacific Northwest and western Canada in a composite satellite image on Nov. 20.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 7, 2024

Google introduces AI agent that aces 15-day weather forecasts

They report that their new model can, among other things, outperform the world’s best forecasts meant to track deadly storms and save lives.
Makoto Uchida, President and CEO of Nissan, holds a press briefing at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2023. Uchida is under presser to deliver a turnaround and to keep his job at the troubled carmaker.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 8, 2024

Nissan boss Uchida races to save the automaker — and his job

Makoto Uchida is under pressure to reverse Nissan’s fortunes after years of turmoil following the 2018 arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a Liberal Democratic Party meeting of regional chapter secretaries-generals in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 8, 2024

Ishiba vows to show resolve in run-up to Upper House poll

Ishiba vowed to strengthen the party ahead of next summer's House of Councilors election.
Vissel Kobe players celebrate after clinching the J1 league title for the second straight season, on Sunday at Noevir Stadium Kobe.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 8, 2024

Vissel Kobe defends J1 championship after roller-coaster title race

The defending champions cruised past Shonan Bellmare 3-0 at home thanks to goals from Taisei Miyashiro, Yoshinori Muto and Takahiro Ogihara.
The United Nations once projected the world’s population would peak at 10.3 billion in the 2080s, but now expects 700 million fewer inhabitants by 2100.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 4, 2024

Why falling fertility is not a crisis

The current population decline mirrors past transitions like the industrial revolution, where smaller families fueled economic growth and innovation.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visit Merton College in Oxford, during their state visit to the United Kingdom in June.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2024

Empress Masako marks 61st birthday

The empress said that thoughts of people affected by disasters, including the massive Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake, continue to weigh on her mind.
Japan's economy expanded in the July-September period at a faster pace than initially estimated, with consumer spending relatively solid for a second straight quarter, in a sign that underlying strength may be returning to the economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 9, 2024

Japan’s economy shows more resilience as BOJ considers hike timing

GDP grew at an annualized pace of 1.2% in the three months through September from the previous quarter.
A Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle (EV) at a dealership in Colma, California, on Jan. 26
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 9, 2024

Trump's EV skepticism threatens $54 billion in Korean investments

Some Korean companies have slowed or hit the pause button on any ongoing construction of some plants in the U.S. because they’re concerned about reduced demand for EVs.
Terumi Tanaka (front left), co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, and others arrive at Oslo Airport on Sunday. Norwegian Nobel Committee Chairperson Jorgen Watne Frydnes stands in the back row on the right.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2024

Nihon Hidankyo delegation arrives in Oslo for Nobel Prize ceremony

The delegation comprises 30 people aged 32 to 92, including children and grandchildren of hibakusha.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?