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Foreign tourists visit Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo on June 14.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

Why it feels like everyone in the world is heading to Japan right now

The yen’s historic collapse coupled with the post-pandemic surge in global tourism has sparked interest in the nation like never before.
The central government will provide subsidies to slash electricity and city gas bills of ¥4 per kilowatt-hour of electricity and ¥17.5 per cubic meter of city gas.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2024

Japan to offer average of ¥2,125 per month in subsidies for utility bills

The move is designed to cushion the impact of rising prices on households in the summer, which is expected to be among the hottest on record.
Then-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte holds a sniper rifle next to outgoing Philippine National Police Chief Ronald Bato Dela Rosa during the National Police chief handover ceremony in Camp Crame, Quezon City, in metro Manila, in April 2018.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Years later, Philippines reckons with Duterte’s brutal drug war

The violence unleashed by the former Philippine leader is finally getting a look, including from the International Criminal Court.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with steelworkers at United Steel Workers headquarters in Pittsburgh in April.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

Biden and Trump battle for blue-collar voters as steel merger looms over vote

Just how many rank-and-file workers ignore union chiefs and vote for Donald Trump could have a decisive impact in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Estonian Prime Minister and newly nomiated EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addresses a news conference at the end of the European Council summit at EU headquarters in Brussels on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

A lifetime fighting Putin’s aggression drives EU’s next diplomatic chief

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, the bloc's next foreign policy chief, will be charged with shaping its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a recently released report, a U.N. group has urged Japanese companies to draw up policies vowing to fulfill their responsibility in protecting human rights.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2024

U.N. voices concern over rights violations in Japan workplaces

While noting "important advancements" on the issue, a report expressed concerns about difficulties in addressing deeply embedded harmful gender and social norms.
The U.S. Supreme Court justices pose for a group photo in Washington in October 2022. Two recent rulings by the Republican-appointed majority add to its steady pursuit of enfeebling the ability of the administrative state to impose rules on powerful business interests.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 29, 2024

Weakening regulatory agencies to be key legacy of conservative U.S. Supreme Court

Two recent rulings add to its steady pursuit of enfeebling the ability of the administrative state to impose rules on powerful business interests.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves tour a Morrisons supermarket during a Labour general election campaign event in Wiltshire, England, on June 19.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2024

Revolt against Starmer’s Labour by long-time backers puts star candidates at risk

There’s little prospect the trend will cost Labour the election, but some of the party's leading lights could lose their seats.
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.
U.S. President Joe Biden looks back before boarding Air Force One at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, New York, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2024

Biden asks donors to stick with him after disastrous debate

The U.S. president repeated that he wouldn’t be running "if I didn’t believe I could win” as he seeks to rebuild momentum in his campaign against Donald Trump.
Tour guide and history buff Rory Dent left his job at a U.K.-based tour operator to move to Japan and start his own business.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Jun 30, 2024

Guiding Japan through the challenges of overtourism

With the number of overseas tourists breaking records, guides and tour operators are seeing their businesses flourish.
A man carries salvaged items following an Israeli raid in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday.
WORLD
Jun 30, 2024

No progress in Gaza cease-fire talks with Israel, Hamas official says

The Palestinian group is still ready to "deal positively" with any cease-fire proposal that ends the war, a senior official said.
Iranian presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist, waves at supporters during a campaign event at a stadium in Tehran on June 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2024

Reformist to face ultraconservative in Iran presidency runoff

The poll had been scheduled to take place in 2025 but was brought forward by the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.
Toyota Customizing & Development, founded in April 2018 and 90.5% owned by Toyota, develops vehicles on behalf of the parent firm.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2024

Toyota unit violates subcontract law

The Fair Trade Commission will shortly recommend that TCD take steps to prevent a recurrence of similar misconduct, sources said.
People offer flowers during a memorial ceremony in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Sunday to pray for those killed due to heavy rains in the area four years ago.
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2024

Victims of heavy rains in Kumamoto remembered four years on

Bereaved families and others on Sunday prayed for those killed due to heavy rains in Kumamoto Prefecture four years ago.
Temporary housing in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, following the New Year's Day earthquake
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2024

Noto area still struggling with aftermath of New Year's quake

Immediate concerns have been remedied, but the removal of destroyed homes has barely progressed, while a population outflow has surged.
Delhi recorded its first death from heatstroke recently, with scorching temperatures wreaking havoc in the capital and other Indian cities.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2024

India’s scorching heat is making it unlivable

Climate change is a serious problem in India. Working conditions are becoming unbearable during heat waves and everything from agriculture to construction is affected.
Rodrigo Duterte is being investigated by the International Criminal Court over his signature "war on drugs" campaign, where thousands were gunned down in what authorities called vigilante killings during his 2016-22 presidency.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Duterte's senate election bid poses threat to former ally Marcos

The political challenges by the Duterte family could upset the Philippine president's hopes of consolidating power so he can groom a potential successor for 2028.
England's Jude Bellingham scores against Slovakia during their Euro 2024 match in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jul 1, 2024

Jude Bellingham keeps England alive and silences critics with miracle goal at Euro 2024

Bellingham's effort took the match to extra time, with Harry Kane heading home for a 2-1 win.
President Joe Biden during the first presidential debate at a CNN studio in Atlanta on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Joe Biden's disastrous debate blamed on bad preparation and exhaustion

Biden's fumbling, halting performance has sparked calls from Democrats for him to end his quest for a second term.
U.S. President Joe Biden takes a call as he walks from Marine One to Air Force One with first lady Jill Biden and granddaughters Natalie Biden and Finnegan Biden in Burlington County, New Jersey, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Top Democrats rule out replacing Biden amid calls for him to quit 2024 race

A post-debate CBS poll showed a 10-point jump in the number of Democrats who believe Biden should not be running for president, up to 46%.
Masayoshi Tani on June 12 visits his house in the Fukami district of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was destroyed and isolated by the Jan. 1 earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 1, 2024

Temporary housing brings relief to Noto quake survivors, but fears remain

The uncertainty of whether they can return to their original homes and rebuild takes a toll on survivors, many of whom who are elderly and living on pensions.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2024

Japanese business executive detained in Myanmar

The military regime said an Aeon Orange executive and local supermarket officials allegedly sold rice at prices higher than levels set by authorities.
Samples of newly designed yen banknotes at the National Printing Bureau's Tokyo plant on June 19
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Jul 1, 2024

What you need to know about Japan's new banknotes

The last time the country redesigned its banknotes was 20 years ago.
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.
The Asaichi-dori morning market area in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on July 1
JAPAN / Society
Jul 1, 2024

Six months later, Noto earthquake victims mourned

The death toll of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake, including those who died due to causes indirectly related to the disaster, has reached 281.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te attends a graduation ceremony of military academies in Taipei on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

China to step up detentions to squeeze Lai, Taiwan officials say

Beijing has also pressured Taipei by peeling off one of its last diplomatic allies, Nauru, and holding expansive military drills just days after Lai took office in May.
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.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping with French President Emmanuel Macron in France in May. As part of a charm offensive, Xi visited France and other European countries in the spring.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 1, 2024

Expectations vs. reality of Xi Jinping's charm offensive

Beijing is trying to win back favor in several countries to tackle its economic woes, with Xi courting bilateral relations with leaders in Europe and beyond.
Actors Judge Reinhold and Eddie Murphy attend the premiere of "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, last month.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2024

Eddie Murphy's 'every man' hero returns in 'Beverly Hills Cop' sequel

Forty years after the original, the iconic 1980s franchise revists Axel Foley and his pals while serving old-school action.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake