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Candidates for the July 7 Tokyo gubernatorial election Yuruko Koike (left), Shinji Ishimaru (center left), Toshio Tamogami (center right) and Renho pose for a photo after a public debate in Tokyo this week.
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2024

Tokyo governor candidates call for measures on low birth rate

Suggestions range from higher income for younger workers to subsidies for painless deliveries.
A rare earths plant owned by Neo Performance Materials in Sillamae, Estonia
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 27, 2024

In race to regain rare earth glory, Europe falls short on mineral goals

EU demand for rare earths is forecast to soar sixfold in the decade to 2030 and sevenfold by 2050.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks during an interview at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo on June 3.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2024

Koike’s governorship shaped by slogans and questions over follow-through

The Tokyo gubernatorial election is seen as hers to lose, but how did she become Japan's most famous female politician and what has she actually achieved?
U.S. President Joe Biden looks down as he participates in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with his predecessor and current Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, at CNN's studios in Atlanta on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

Here’s what it would take to replace Biden as nominee

Democrats have ways to replace Joe Biden on the presidential ticket — but doing so without their standard-bearer’s acquiescence would be a daunting task.
Carlos Alcaraz takes part in a practice session at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London on Thursday ahead of the start of Wimbledon.
TENNIS
Jun 29, 2024

Young guns Alcaraz and Sinner ready to fire as Wimbledon prepares for new era

If Djokovic struggles in his return from injury, all eyes would then be on Alcaraz and Sinner as they usher in a new era at Wimbledon.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visit Merton College at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, on Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2024

Imperial couple wrap up visit to U.K. after trip down memory lane

Their formal state visit concluded Thursday with a goodbye from King Charles and Queen Camilla, but they squeezed in a trip to Oxford before flying home.
Former Giants star Orlando Cepeda stands in front of his old No. 30 during a ceremony to retire his number, in San Francisco in 1999.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 29, 2024

Orlando Cepeda, baseball slugger known as the Baby Bull, dies at 86

Playing for 17 seasons in the major leagues, Cepeda hit 379 home runs, had 2,351 hits, drove in 1,365 runs and had a career batting average of .297.
Voters listen to a stump speech in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Candidates turn to AI in Tokyo governor race

Experts warn that while social media give voters more insight into candidates, there are risks of information bias.
Self-Defense Force troops take part in an amphibious landing exercise on Tokunoshima island in Kagoshima Prefecture last November.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2024

Japan's SDF marks 70th anniversary as it faces change and challenges

The SDF is grappling with dramatic policy shifts while facing down challenges ranging from recruitment to rising Chinese military assertiveness.
Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at an EU-Japan trade summit in Brussels in 2019. Abe was an early believer in the need for Japan to strengthen relations with Europe based on shared values and interests.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2024

Strong Europe-Japan relations are a legacy of Shinzo Abe

Late former Prime Minister Abe was an early believer in the need for Japan to strengthen its relationship with Europe based on shared values and mutual interests.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attend a European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Hungary takes EU presidency echoing Trump but likely to lack bite

EU lawmaker concerns regarding the new presidency are based on Prime Minister Viktor Orban's many clashes with Brussels over democratic norms.
Hyundai Wia robotic arms on the production line at the Kia plant in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, on Jan. 3
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2024

How one of the world's strongest car unions is dealing with EV job losses

Hyundai Motor and Kia’s moves toward electrification are provoking anxiety in South Korea’s highly active and organized labor movement.
Tiananmen Square in Beijing
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

What to expect from the Third Plenum, China’s big policy meeting

The Third Plenum gathers about 400 government bigwigs, military chiefs, provincial bosses and academics to steer China's political and economic course.
The Spirit of Barrow statue celebrates Barrow-in-Furness’s long history of shipbuilding.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Starmer pledge on nuclear stance mends hole in Labour red wall

The arrival of the railways in the mid-1800s helped transform Barrow into an industrial powerhouse. Submarines have been built in the town’s shipyard since 1886.
Palestinians, who fled the eastern part of Khan Younis, walk after the Israeli army ordered they evacuate their neighborhoods in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD
Jul 2, 2024

Palestinian militants fire into Israel as tanks advance in Gaza

The attack showed Palestinian militants still have rocket capabilities almost nine months into the war.
A Taliban spokesperson addresses a press conference in Kabul on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2024

Taliban told to 'include women' in public life at U.N. talks

Excluding civil rights groups from the talks was the price for the Taliban government's participation in them.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during the launch of the party's general election manifesto in Manchester, England, on June 13.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 2, 2024

Labour win in U.K. election would likely mean continuity for Asia

While the party has focused on domestic challenges in the run-up to Thursday's election, it maintains a deep interest in the region, experts say.
Shigeru Ishiba, former Secretary-General of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks to reporters in Sapporo last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2024

Suga meets with Ishiba, fueling speculation over LDP leadership race

The meeting has fueled speculation over Ishiba's moves ahead of the LDP's leadership race expected to be held in September.
A team of lawyers representing bereaved families of victims of the 2022 sightseeing tour boat accident off Hokkaido heads to the Sapporo District Court in Sapporo to file a lawsuit on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 4, 2024

Bereaved families sue operator over Hokkaido boat accident

The 29 family members of 14 passengers of the sunken boat are seeking ¥1.5 billion ($9.2 million) in damages from the boat operator and its president.
Environmental activist Phuon Keoraksmey is arrested after a verdict in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, where a Cambodian court sentenced 10 environmentalists to between six and eight years in jail for plotting to commit crimes in their activism.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

Cambodia sentences green campaigners over their environmental activism

A lawyer for the activists in Cambodia condemned the sentences, saying he would consult with his clients on whether to appeal against the ruling.
The right-wing slogan “Make Europe Great Again” — a play on Donald Trump’s campaign slogan — is gaining prominence in European politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2024

‘Make Europe Great Again’ is becoming 'MEGA.' Should Japan worry?

The right-wing "Make Europe Great Again" movement is gaining traction, but Japan shouldn't put it in the same box as its more problematic cousin, MAGA, in the U.S.
Polls suggest Labour leader Keir Starmer will emerge victorious from Thursday’s U.K. general election despite often being perceived as stiff and acting holier-than-thou.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2024

Keir Starmer's character remains as elusive as his policies

Despite his rags-to-ruling-class backstory, Labour leader Keir Starmer isn't that popular or well understood. But he'll win Thursday's election in the U.K. anyway.
Chinese EV-maker Nio’s Onvo L60 SUV is unveiled in Shanghai in May. As an EV powerhouse, China should share the fruits of its success with the rest of the world.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2024

Easy solutions to EU-China tariff dispute

The EU should see the futility of tariffs on Chinese EVs, and China should not retaliate but instead share the fruits of its success in building up its auto sector.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2024

Putin meets Xi again as leaders hail ties

Since their last meeting in May, the Russian president has been strengthening his partnerships around Asia.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states leaders' summit in Astana on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2024

How China and Russia compete, and cooperate, in Central Asia

Even as China has expanded its economic influence across Central Asia, it still faces challenges to its diplomacy from Russia.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) looks on as French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to reporters on the day of a joint Franco-German cabinet meeting in Gransee, Germany, on May 28.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2024

As France votes, Europe holds its breath

The big fear for the European Union's traditional political mainstream is an outright National Rally victory in France.
Senior member of the Indian National Congress, Shashi Tharoor, says that Narendra Modi and his BJP party seemed "shaken” by a fiery parliamentary speech by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 5, 2024

Modi’s BJP ‘shaken’ by stronger opposition, says Congress leader

The comments come one month after India’s election results showed the Congress-led opposition alliance delivering a surprise setback to the BJP.
Presidential candidate Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian holds up a banner during a campaign event in Tehran on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 5, 2024

Iran voters face stark choice in competitive presidential runoff

Deciding the next Iranian president may hinge on how many Iranians who sat out the vote in the general election participate in the runoff.
Labour leader Keir Starmer reacts as he speaks at a reception to celebrate his win in the election, at Tate Modern in London on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 5, 2024

Keir Starmer set to be U.K. PM as Labour trounces Tories in election

Analysts largely expect continuity in Downing Street's foreign policy with the Indo-Pacific despite there being no mention of the region in Labour's election manifesto.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is struggling to stay in office amid low public approval ratings and discontent from within his party. However, it is extremely rare for a sitting LDP president running for reelection to be dethroned.
EDITORIALS
Jul 5, 2024

Kishida fights for his political life

Despite low public approval ratings and discontent in the LDP, all is not lost for Prime Minister Kishida if the summer is kind to him and he plays his cards right.

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