Search - 2021

 
 
Investigators pursue a criminal case in the town of Oshima in Tokyo in January.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 6, 2025

Concern over crime grows in Japan as cases rise for third straight year

The most drastic increase was seen in the number of fraud cases, which numbered 57,324 — up 24.6% from the previous year and with a total of ¥307.5 billion in damages recorded.
"Uketsu" is a completely anonymous writer and YouTuber whose odd books — which blend mystery and horror — have become a smash-hit publishing phenomenon in Japan.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 7, 2025

'Uketsu': The internet phantom haunting Japan's bestseller lists

Anonymous author and YouTuber "Uketsu" deals in a quiet horror that has delighted millions of readers.
Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, leaves the courthouse in Santa Ana, California, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 7, 2025

Ohtani's ex-interpreter Mizuhara sentenced to nearly five years in prison

The case involved the illegal transfer of nearly $17 million from the star's account to pay off gambling debts.
Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles helmets at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Wednesday, ahead of Super Bowl LIX
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 7, 2025

Chiefs eye first three-peat; Eagles out to avenge Super Bowl LVII loss

The Chiefs' run of good fortune has led to a sentiment among fans and media that someone else should get a turn.
Athletes compete in the men's 1,500-meter heats in front of empty stands at the National Stadium in Tokyo during the Tokyo Games in August 2021.
OLYMPICS / Athletics
Feb 7, 2025

Tokyo world athletics party can make up for Olympic lockout, says CEO

Organizing committee head Takashi Takeichi is confident that all nine days of the World Athletics Championships will be sold out.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama will play in the NBA All-Star tournament after being selected by Charles Barkley in Thursday's All-Star Draft.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Feb 7, 2025

Barkley picks global lineup for NBA All-Star tournament

In a revamped format for the Feb. 16 All-Star event in San Francisco, four elite teams will meet in a tournament format.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and U.S. President Donald Trump. Microsoft and Nvidia are quietly engaging with the Trump administration on policies affecting AI, chip exports and data centers
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2025

Tech giants Microsoft and Nvidia taking a quieter approach to Trump

Under Biden, the United States curbed the sale of Nvidia chips to China and capped the sales of its AI chips to more than 100 other countries
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin attend a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in June 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2025

Trump says he has spoken to Putin about ending the Ukraine war

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS state news agency that "many different communications are emerging."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks as he welcomes Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles to the Pentagon for talks in Washington on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 9, 2025

Trump aware and supportive of AUKUS pact, U.S. defense secretary says

The remarks by U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth came as he hosted his first foreign counterpart since his confirmation, Australia's Richard Marles.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 10, 2025

Trump says U.S. making progress on talks with Russia to end war

Trump says he will meet Putin "at an appropriate time" to discuss ending the war, but no date has been set.
South Korea's Choi Min-jeong (center) competes in the women's short track speedskating 1,000-meter final during the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 10, 2025

Choi Min-jeong grabs three golds for South Korea at Asian Winter Games

Short track is one of the few sports with genuine world class competition at the Winter Asiad.
Toshikazu Shiba (right), 71, works full-time along with younger staff at sofa manufacturer Eucas in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Feb 17, 2025

More older people choosing to work for social connection and survival

Older residents are exploring ways to navigate the later stages of their lives, whether continuing their careers or with new ventures.
The site of a sinkhole at a crossroads in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2025

Saitama sewer rupture expected to take years to repair

Repairs lasting at least two to three years would be necessary if the entire sewer needs to be replaced.
Tiger Woods on Day 2 of the 152nd British Open Golf Championship at Royal Troon in Troon, Scotland, on July 19
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Feb 11, 2025

'Just not ready' — Tiger Woods pulls out of Torrey Pines tournament

His decision to play came just days after Woods announced his mother, Kultida, had died last week.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes a victory sign as he arrives at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters to celebrate the party's win in the Delhi legislative assembly election in New Delhi on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2025

Anti-Muslim hate speech surged in India's election year, led by Modi

At rallies Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Muslims as "infiltrators" and claimed the main opposition party would redistribute the nation's wealth to them if it won.
Travel officials from the Middle East experience test cutting for Japanese swords in Setouchi, Okayama Prefecture, in January.
JAPAN
Feb 11, 2025

Government touts exchanges with nations participating in Osaka Expo

Local governments expect their plans to boost youth exchanges, accelerate overseas expansion and promote tourism.
"I hope skaters who train here will go on to shine on the world stage," Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada told the Japan Times at Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a skating rink in Tachikawa, Tokyo, whose establishment she was involved in, on Jan. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 11, 2025

Mao Asada sets out to safeguard the future of Japanese skating

Mao Rink Tachikawa Tachihi, a project that involved the three-time world champion, has become a dream destination for skaters.
U.S. President Donald Trump made reference to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who has competed as a woman, in a speech after signing an order on transgender participation in sports, calling her "a male boxer."
SPORTS
Feb 11, 2025

Trump order on transgender athletes clashes with international norms

There was no immediate outpouring of support from international organizations for the U.S. president's move.
Donald Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he accused of being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics."
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 11, 2025

U.S aid freeze risks handing influence to China in Beijing's backyard

Trump has halted most U.S. government-funded aid globally for 90 days, while moving to dismantle USAID, which he accused of being run "by a bunch of radical lunatics."
The Tesla gigafactory in Austin, Texas. Nothing in Texas law would stop Tesla from launching a robotaxi service.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2025

Tesla robotaxis by June? Musk turns to Texas for hands-off regulation

Nothing in Texas law would stop Tesla from launching a robotaxi service.
A worker walks in front of rolls of steel at a steel company in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 12, 2025

Canada, Mexico and EU slam 'unjustified' Trump steel tariffs

The European Union and Canada vowed to firmly retaliate against the tariffs.
Yokohama F. Marinos' Yan Matheus (center) is congratulated after scoring against Shanghai Shenhua in Yokohama on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Feb 12, 2025

Holland wins first game in charge of Marinos

Steve Holland is in his first job since stepping down following England's defeat to Spain in the final of last year's European Championship.
Japan has effectively exited deflation, but Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s reluctance to acknowledge it reflects outdated economic fears rather than current reality.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 13, 2025

It’s time for Japan to admit victory over deflation

The last time prices declined was in July 2021, the same month the Tokyo Olympic Games took place.
While Nariaki Obukuro’s previous releases often included lyrics with specific references pulled from his own experiences, on “Zatto,” he’s stepping back to explore the joy and pain of the wider world.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2025

Nariaki Obukuro found his groove — just not on the dance floor

A J-pop insider’s shift to soul, reggae and flamenco reflects his personal growth, time spent in London and current events.
Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen celebrates after breaking the indoor mile world record in Lievin, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Feb 14, 2025

Jakob Ingebrigtsen breaks indoor mile world record

He also broke the indoor 1,500 mark he set on the same track three years ago.
Federica Brignone celebrates on the podium after winning the women's giant slalom at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Alpine skiing
Feb 14, 2025

Federica Brignone scorches to giant slalom gold as Mikaela Shiffrin sits out

Alice Robinson, who became the first New Zealander to win a world ski medal, finished second, and American Paula Moltzan claimed bronze.
Emergency responders work at the scene where a car drove into a crowd in Munich on Thursday, leaving several people injured.
WORLD
Feb 14, 2025

Dozens injured as driver crashes car into Munich protest

A suspected attack in Munich renews debates over immigration and public safety ahead of an upcoming election.
Demonstrators rally to support the Uyghur community in Istanbul in 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 14, 2025

China rights monitors suspend work and lay off staff amid U.S. aid freeze

The groups are key to documenting a yearslong crackdown by President Xi Jinping on minorities, rights defenders and lawyers.
The Seattle Mariners Ichiro Suzuki watches the ball in the top of the third inning against Oakland Athletics during their baseball game at the Major League Baseball Japan Opening Series in Tokyo in March 2019.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 15, 2025

Ichiro to donate personal collection to Hall of Fame

Suzuki wants "to follow in the footsteps of Hank Aaron and Tom Seaver," two players who pledged their entire collections to Cooperstown, said a former Hall of Fame official.
Taliban representatives Abdul Latif Nazari (center) and Mutiul Haq Nabi Kheel (right) attend a meeting of international special representatives in Oslo in January 2022.
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2025

Taliban officials visit Japan

The Afghan delegation left Kabul in a visit that local media said would last one week.

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