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Leaders of intelligence agencies testify before a congressional committee about worldwide threats in Washington on March 11.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2024

Campaign puts Trump and the spy agencies on a collision course

Some former officials fear that Trump, if elected again, would try to weaken intelligence agencies or undermine their independence.
A rebel fighter of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) raises Karen's national flag after burning Myanmar's national flag in Myawaddy, a Thailand-Myanmar border town, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 16, 2024

Rebels raise flag at seized Myanmar base as commander vows to retain control

The celebrations by the rebel fighters came less than a week after the capture of a key trading town on Thailand's western border.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (left) visits the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2024

Ex-PM Suga inspects Fukushima nuclear plant

Suga may have partly intended to demonstrate his presence ahead of three by-elections for the House of Representatives later this month, observers said.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at a fairgrounds in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

Inside Donald Trump’s embrace of the Jan. 6 rioters

Former President Donald Trump's words and actions regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters suggest he is trying to normalize violence in politics.
A direct military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities by the U.S. and its allies would likely only delay its program while risking regional war and increasing the likelihood of Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons in the long run.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2024

Iran hawks want to strike now. They're wrong.

One thing Iran hawks get right, starting with the contention that by attacking Israel directly on Saturday night, Iran changed rules of engagement.
Junji Ito
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2024

Ex-Kanebo chief and JAL Chairman Junji Ito dies at 99

Ito, who served as president of Kanebo, currently Kracie, and chairman of Japan Airlines, died in December 2021.
Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after the club ousted Barcelona from the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Apr 17, 2024

PSG exorcise old ghosts as Mbappe keeps Champions League dream alive

Another disappointing exit looked possible for the Qatar-owned club, which had gone out in the last 16 in five of the previous seven seasons.
“Beyond the Fog” depicts the struggles of a family-run inn through the eyes of the proprietor’s 12-year-old daughter (Shuri Miyake, right, with Asami Mizukawa).
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2024

‘Beyond the Fog’: Evocative mood piece leaves a dreamy impression

Daichi Murase’s understated drama about a dying community in rural Nara Prefecture benefits from Takeshi Dodo’s beautiful cinematography.
A Tokaido shinkansen. It is unclear whether the snake was venomous or how it ended up on the train, and there was no injury or panic among passengers.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024

Snake on a train: Discovery of serpent delays Tokyo-Nagoya shinkansen

Shinkansen customers can bring small dogs, cats and other animals, including pigeons on board — but not snakes.
Since launching in 1961, the iconic Salone del Mobile furniture fair has firmly established Milan’s status as a leading force in the global design world
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 18, 2024

Salone del Mobile’s Maria Porro: ‘Italy and Japan share many things’

Maria Porro became the leading global design fair's first female and youngest-ever president when she was named to the position in 2021.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during the signing of the Rasht-Astara railway agreement in May 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

New 'sanctions-proof' transport routes put Russia at heart of global trade

Shipping and rail networks via Iran and an Arctic sea passage could strengthen Moscow’s pivot toward China and India and away from Europe.
A volunteer sits near a Starlink terminal constructed for local residents at a street in Kherson, Ukraine, in November 2022.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 23, 2024

Starlink highlights economic security challenges facing democracies

The system has stirred a variety of debates over the issue of military application of civil technology.
Lt. Saw Kaw, a soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army in charge of the Cobra column, walks with his team members after inspecting the house of a high-rank Myanmar soldier at Infantry Batallion 275 at Myawaddy in Myanmar on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

In rebel-held Myanmar town, fragile unity pushes junta to the brink

Armed groups in Myanmar are striving to work together to repel the junta after rebels took control of a crucial trading-post town last week.
Animator Hayao Miyazaki is among Time's 100 most influential people of 2024.
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2024

Hayao Miyazaki among Time's 100 most influential people

Miyazaki, who won his second Oscar last month, was described as a "one-of-a-kind creator" in the magazine.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino speaks at the IISS Special Lecture in Singapore in March last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Aquilino to visit Japan as term set to expire

Adm. John Aqulino is expected to discuss a planned revamp to the command and control framework for U.S. forces in Japan with the SDF chief of staff.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield poses for a photo with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s, on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

U.S. envoy to U.N. uses Japan visit to bolster U.N. Security Council

“The Security Council of 70 years ago does not reflect the realities of today,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
Japanese gymnast Daiki Hashimoto attends a ceremony to unveil the official uniforms of Team Japan for the Paris Games, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS
Apr 18, 2024

How green are your trainers? Team Japan uniforms to have carbon footprint labels

Japanese Olympians stepping up to the podium in Paris will have more than just a medal to be proud of this summer.
Resistance to adopting digital technologies, restrictive EU regulations, and energy-price shocks are potential explanations for Europe's lagging productivity.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2024

Why is Europe losing the productivity race?

A forthcoming report from Mario Draghi will recommend removing barriers to competition, which would intensify the pressure on firms to innovate.
Manga titles that have been uploaded onto Manga-Mura, a manga piracy website, on display in Tokyo in 2022
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2024

Manga piracy website operator ordered to pay ¥1.7 billion to publishers

Kadokawa, Shueisha and Shogakukan said they hoped the lawsuit would help deter other manga piracy site operators from uploading content illegally.
Badminton star Kento Momota leaves a news conference after announcing his retirement from Japan's national team, in Tokyo on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Badminton
Apr 18, 2024

Former No. 1 Kento Momota retires from international badminton at 29

Momota was once badminton's undisputed king, winning 11 titles in 2019 and losing just six of the 73 matches he played that year.
In “Evil Does Not Exist,” Hitoshi Omika plays a single father and village handyman who a Tokyo company tries to recruit as the caretaker of a new glamping site that threatens the area’s natural environment.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 19, 2024

Ryusuke Hamaguchi ponders the dangers of disrupting the rural idyll

"Evil Does Not Exist," which delves into humanity's relationship with nature, was directly inspired by a collaboration with musician Eiko Ishibashi.
Coyotes players salute the fans following their final game home game in Tempe, Arizona, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Ice hockey
Apr 19, 2024

Coyotes moving to Utah after NHL approves sale and relocation of franchise

The NHL has approved the sale and relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah starting with the 2024-25 season.
Members of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission have agreed to cut the 2024 catch quota for saury in the high seas in the northern Pacific in response to declining resources.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2024

Japan and others agree to cut northern Pacific saury catch quota

Nine economies agreed to introduce the rule to calculate catch quotas based on scientific evidence.
Takuya Matsunaga reads a reply from Kozo Iizuka, imprisoned for killing Matsunaga's wife and daughter in 2019 in a high-profile accident in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, at his home in Tokyo earlier this month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 19, 2024

Five years after fatal Ikebukuro crash, bereaved man works to prevent repeat

A man plans to meet with the driver who accidentally killed his wife and young daughter, hoping to learn what went through the driver's mind.
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Apr 21, 2024

A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives

From microbreweries to tiny pubs stocking umpteen bottled choices, Tokyo is now more than ever a beer lover’s dream.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso speaks during a forum in Taiwan in 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 19, 2024

Former PM Aso seeks Trump meeting during New York visit: report

Aso had attempted to meet Trump in January during a trip to the U.S. but was not able to see him.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, in March last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 20, 2024

U.S. 'fully expects' to finalize new AUKUS trade exemptions in next 120 days

The announcement signals a further delay in the move, but offers the prospect of a positive outcome in the project to counter China.
Ukrainian service members fire a multiple launch rocket system toward Russian troops. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago, arms manufacturers have experienced something of a reversal of fortune.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2024

Defense companies are luring Germany’s struggling autoworkers

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago, arms manufacturers have experienced something of a reversal of fortune.
A typical show for the Derek Toro persona features Ice Elloso as a suave, macho hero straight from a Schwarzenegger film, along with a trademark goatee and tons of props and gadgets.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Apr 20, 2024

‘Drag is my superpower’: A night of pride for Filipino kings and queens

Sparkle: Road to Opulence, an April 19 lip-sync and drag performance, kicked off Pride weekend in Tokyo with a bang.
Contact was lost with the two SH-60K helicopters, each carrying four crew, in an area east of Torishima in the Izu Island chain during anti-submarine warfare training Saturday night.
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2024

At least one dead, seven missing after two MSDF helicopters crash off Izu Islands

The two aircraft were believed to have collided during a nighttime training anti-submarine drill, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?