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New Defense Minister Minoru Kihara says Japan-U.S. joint drills are very important for strengthening the U.S. commitment to the region.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2023

Japan and U.S. boosting joint drills with eye on 'actual combat'

The exercises are intended to prepare forces in areas where a contingency could be possible, in view of military activity by China and Russia.
Visitors climb the slopes of Mount Fuji on Aug. 31. The mountain has long been a popular destination for both domestic and international travelers.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 17, 2023

Tourists have returned to Mount Fuji. Is that sustainable?

A spike in visitors has created various challenges, including overcrowding, littering, strained infrastructure and a shortage of guides and rescue teams.
Australia head coach Eddie Jones says an increase in stoppages in rugby has led to teams using power to dominate on the pitch.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 17, 2023

Eddie Jones says rule changes turning rugby into 'power contest'

The former Japan and England coach is among a growing chorus of voices in the game who have raised concerns about a decrease in continuous play.
Models of military equipment and a giant screen displaying Chinese leader Xi Jinping are seen at an exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing last October.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 17, 2023

In risky hunt for secrets, U.S. and China expand global spy operations

The rival nations are taking bold steps in the espionage shadow war to try to collect intelligence on leadership thinking and military capabilities.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 17, 2023

Climate litigation remains a tough sell in Japan despite wins overseas

So far, Japan has seen just four climate lawsuits, all concerning the construction and operation of coal-fired power plants.
Corruption thrives in times of war, as exemplified by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently being forced to replace his defense minister after top officials were accused of skimming funds or taking bribes. 
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2023

Zelenskyy needs to fight corruption like he’s fighting Putin

There’s no need just to pick on ex-Soviet states like Ukraine. A fire hose of U.S. taxpayer money went missing in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A self-driving Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle in San Francisco in 2017
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2023

With self-driving cars, it's the ethics we have to navigate

Do accidents involving self-driving cars today save lives tomorrow? When it comes to self-driving cars, the challenges aren't just technical, but ethical.
Sebastian Coe greets Mitsugi Ogata, president of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, during the closing ceremony of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Aug. 27.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 18, 2023

Sebastian Coe looks forward to full stadiums in Tokyo for worlds

Sebastian Coe says athletics will still be dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 in 2028.
U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

Can Joe Biden and a wad of cash win rural America for Democrats?

Billions of dollars in federal funding have flowed to rural areas' infrastructure since Biden took office.
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping throws up a forcefield of security controls to repel perceived foreign threats, Beijing’s message to the public is that spooks are everywhere.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023

Xi’s security obsession turns Chinese citizens into spy hunters

The push comes after Xi chaired a National Security Council meeting in May that stressed the importance of "extreme-case scenario” thinking.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023

Debate grows in Japan over proposed background checks for teachers

The Children and Families Agency is proposing to make screening for criminal convictions mandatory for people looking to work in schools or nurseries.
Iranian diaspora in Europe take part in a rally on the eve of the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, in Brussels on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

Protests continue in Iran as Mahsa Amini anniversary passes

The death of Mahsa Amini last year triggered months widespread protests in Iran.
Mia Lee Sorensen with her Danish mother, Lilian Hansen, 72, and father, Bent Hansen, 74, on the coast of Korsor, Denmark, on July 13. South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt and predatory adoption system.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 18, 2023

World’s largest ‘baby exporter’ confronts its painful past

South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt adoption system.
Survivors fill up water from a tanker truck in the earthquake-hit village of Ineghede in Morocco on Sunday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 18, 2023

Dire hygiene spells new threat for Morocco quake survivors

An especially pressing need is the provision of clean water, which was already in short supply in some areas before the quake.
The far-right Confederation Liberty and Independence party rally against measures imposed by the Polish government to stem the spread of COVID-19, in Warsaw in October 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

The far right is advancing in a vulnerable Europe again

Disruptors in far-right political parties are taking advantage of resentment born out of COVID-19, a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Oleg Panchurin, 32, head of the Union of Veterans of the Special Military Operation, speaks during an interview in the town of Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, on Aug. 25.
WORLD
Sep 18, 2023

Back from Ukraine war, Russia's veterans begin reintegration

In the last few months, Russian media have reported a rise in incidents involving veterans from the front.
Nobody wishes for a medical emergency, but preparing for one while you're in a foreign country can only make things easier.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 18, 2023

How to avoid medical purgatory when hospitalized in Japan

Much like a legal will, a visit to the hospital is the last thing for which you want to prepare — yet doing so will save you stress and worry.
Bank of Japan officials view Gov. Kazuo Ueda’s scholarly communication style as the most obvious difference from the previous governor.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 19, 2023

Ueda abandons ‘shock and awe’ on path toward BOJ normalization

BOJ officials view Ueda’s scholarly communication style as the most obvious difference from the previous governor.
A car sits precariously above debris in Libya's eastern city of Derna on Monday following deadly flash floods.
WORLD / Society
Sep 19, 2023

A week after floods, Libyans haunted by fate of the missing

Thousands are dead and thousands more missing. Officials using different methodologies have given widely varying figures of the tolls.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 19, 2023

CDP and DPP face growing rift three years after merger failure

While the DPP has taken a cooperative line with the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition, the CDP has taken a confrontational stance toward the LDP.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2023

Vietnamese activists seek refuge in U.S. after Biden deal

In the United States, the families are expected to seek resettlement under the 'Priority 1' refugee program.
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. Japan will roll out an updated version targeting the XBB variant on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Sep 19, 2023

Japan to begin COVID vaccine drive targeting XBB subvariant

The free shots will be offered until March next year to prepare residents for an expected uptick in infections during the winter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2023

In first court hearing, ex-lawmaker GaaSyy apologizes for defamation

Yoshikazu Higashitani admitted in court Tuesday to making defamatory remarks toward celebrities in videos he posted on social media.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds a copy of China's constitution during a news conference at the Media Center of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 19, 2023

China ousted foreign minister over affair in U.S., report says

Top officials in China were told in August that a Communist Party inquiry into Qin uncovered "lifestyle issues.”
Shohei Ohtani had surgery on his right elbow in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 20, 2023

Shohei Ohtani not expected to pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery

Shohei Ohtani underwent a procedure on his elbow on Tuesday.
A man in a business suit walks past activists during Climate Week in the Financial District of New York on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 20, 2023

In New York, investors fill gaps left by inaction on climate change

Wealthy nations have famously dragged their feet on meeting a pledge of contributing $100 billion per year to developing nations, now four years overdue.
Search and rescue volunteers in Derna, Libya, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 20, 2023

Journalists ordered out of flood-hit Libyan city after protests

An official in the administration that runs eastern Libya said that the decision to move journalists was unrelated to the protests there overnight.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2023

Climate fault lines in clear sight at U.N. General Assembly

Disconnects are likely to remain front and center when many of the same leaders gather in Dubai for COP28 in November.
A woman with HTLV-1 from Okinawa Prefecture talks about her experience of being turned away at a clinic outside the prefecture.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Sep 25, 2023

Website aims to shed light on little-known blood cancer virus

Awareness of HTLV-1, a virus that causes adult T-cell leukemia and other diseases, is low in Japan. A website called Hot Lives aims to change that.
Kioxia's Kitakami plant in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture. Western Digital and Kioxia initially aimed to reach a decision on a merger in August, but discussions have dragged on as the companies tried to iron out details.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2023

Banks prepare ¥2 trillion funds for Kioxia-Western Digital merger

The moves towards a refinancing commitment would mark a step forward in the merger, which has faced months of delays.

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?