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Traditional boat parties on the Sumida River in Tokyo are popular for informal gatherings among professionals that deal in Japanese government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2024

Tokyo’s exclusive circle of government bond traders in demand amid policy shift

The world’s top hedge funds are shaking up the closed community that was, for a time, a sleepy backwater of global finance.
Pichamon Yeophantong from the U.N. Human Rights Council's Working Group on Business and Human Rights is interviewed in Tokyo last week.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 9, 2024

U.N. expert urges Japan to tackle structural discrimination

Structural discrimination that stems from harmful norms are "something that needs to be dismantled as soon as possible," Pichamon Yeophantong said.
People walk past rubble and damaged buildings in the Tuffah district east of Gaza City on Monday.
WORLD
Jul 9, 2024

Gaza City residents plead: 'Where do we go now?'

The civil defense agency in the Hamas-run territory reported "dozens" of dead and wounded across the city even before the latest evacuation warning.
Attendees wave the flags of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region during an event aboard a Star Ferry to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule in Hong Kong on July 1.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 9, 2024

As Singapore steps up scrutiny, affluent Chinese return to Hong Kong

Fallout from a blockbuster $2.2 billion money laundering case has put Singapore's family offices and wealthy immigrants under a microscope.
The Consumer Affairs Agency is advising people to ignore unfamiliar payment requests over the phone, even if a major company is named.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 9, 2024

Beware of overseas number phone scams, Japan’s consumer watchdog warns

Scammers claiming to be telecommunications company NTT demanding “unpaid fees” have duped victims into making substantial payments amounting to millions of yen.
Visitors at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 12
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2024

Xi’s efforts to reach to young Americans stumble with scripted moments

Beijing is making its largest outreach yet to U.S. students, but for some, a "curated" atmosphere leaves questions over what's not on show.
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 14, 2024

Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'

These carefully choreographed images are often kept hidden in conservative Japan.
A man takes a break under a cooling mist as the government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 9, 2024

Number of heatstroke patients in Japan jumps fourfold amid sweltering temperatures

By prefecture, Tokyo had the most heatstroke-related transports at 907. Aichi came in second with 763 cases.
U.S. President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at a 75th anniversary celebratory event for the alliance on Tuesday, the opening day of its summit in Washington.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

NATO offers Ukraine more air defense systems as summit kicks off

The move came as fresh assessments indicate the conflict with Russia is headed toward an indefinite stalemate.
A woman carries a young patient outside after a Russian missile strike on the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv on Monday.
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024

Kyiv hospital took a direct hit from a Russian missile: U.N. analysis

Ukraine flew its flags at half mast in a national day of mourning to mark the deaths of 44 people across the country from Monday's air attacks.
World Anti-Doping Age President Witold Banka speaks during an event in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March 2023.
OLYMPICS
Jul 10, 2024

Independent probe clears WADA of favoritism in Chinese swimmers case

WADA President Witold Banka was in fighting form after the executive board had met and endorsed the report that cleared his agency.
Rescuers and paramedics carry a child found at a site an apartment building heavily damaged during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv on Monday.
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024

The race to save Ukrainian infant's life after hospital strike

After the ventilator broke, the five bleeding adults did everything they could to keep the baby breathing.
University of Texas at Austin Anthropology Professor Craig Campbell leads chants with other university faculty members during a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus in Austin, Texas, on May 5.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

Doxxed, disciplined: U.S. students tally price of Gaza protests

Many protesting students fear they will be penalized academically or professionally as they prepare to enter the workforce or return to classes.
A woman holds a baby wrapped in a blanket as displaced Palestinians leave an area in east Khan Younis after the Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for parts of the city on July 1.
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024

Gaza's pregnant women defy odds to give birth and protect their babies

For new mothers in Gaza, giving birth in a warzone is just the first step on a traumatic journey marked by constant fear and anxiety.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 10, 2024

Japan’s megabanks are said to seek deep cuts to BOJ bond buying

The bank’s ¥585 trillion bond stockpile exceeds the world’s fourth-largest economy, making bond players watchful for the BOJ’s next move.
An 81-year-old man using the pseudonym Saburo Kita speaks during a hearing of plaintiffs in lawsuits over forced sterilizations, held by a cross-party group of lawmakers in the parliament building on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 10, 2024

Japanese lawmaker group hears from forced sterilization victims

Three people, including two plaintiffs who underwent forced sterilizations, attended the hearing by the cross-party group.
As NATO marks its 75th anniversary, the alliance is looking to engage with Generation Z through social media to explain its importance.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

TikTok, Instagram influencers help aging NATO connect with Gen Z

The move is an acknowledgment that traditional media outlets may not be reaching this key demographic.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games' opening ceremony, which will be held outside of a stadium for the first time in history, has attracted a lot of interest from Japanese fans.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 10, 2024

Japan fans shun pricey Olympics tickets even as top-tier packages sell out

Travel agencies report a noticeable drop in demand for Paris Olympics tours amid a weakening of the yen and the introduction of a new booking system.
A conceptual design of a potential Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO). HOSPO is aiming to become one of Japan’s major domestic spaceports for launching satellite-equipped rockets and spacecraft as well as for the aerospace industry to conduct research and development.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jul 22, 2024

Small Hokkaido town looks to the stars for future growth

Taiki, population 5,300, is home to what is billed as Asia’s first privately operated spaceport — Hokkaido Spaceport.
A general view of the Belmarsh prison in London on May 20
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

U.K.'s overflowing prisons present PM Starmer with early crisis

The U.K. prison population has doubled over 30 years despite falling crime rates, and is projected to exceed 100,000 by 2026.
Plaintiffs in a series of lawsuits over forced sterilization and their lawyers hold banners that read "victory ruling," after the Supreme Court ruled in their favor in Tokyo on July 3.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 10, 2024

Amid discrimination, Japan's eugenics missteps could be repeated, expert warns

After a landmark ruling that finally declared Japan's defunct eugenics law unconstitutional, some may ask how Japanese society openly endorsed eugenics.
Many second-generation Indian migrants decide to leave Japan for higher education — with Indians making up less than 1% of the country’s student population — but there is evidence that this cohort’s interest in attending Japanese universities is growing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 10, 2024

Do university-bound Indian migrants actually stay in Japan?

Can Japan retain second-generation Indian migrants who are seeking a college education? The evidence is mixed, showing an uptick that still has a long way to grow.
A Palestinian casts his shadow on a damaged wall as he inspects the site of an Israeli strike outside a school sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2024

Gaza airstrike hits gathering at school soccer match, witnesses say

The Israeli military said the strike, which Palestinian officials said killed at least 29 people, targeted a Hamas fighter who took part in the Oct. 7 raid on Israel.
A number of stone blocks originally intended for the building of Osaka Castle are set to find a new home in the toilet facility of the 2025 Expo in Osaka.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2024

Unused stones for Osaka Castle diverted to expo toilet pillars

Designers emphasize the importance of utilizing the stone blocks that have never seen the light of day.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 11, 2024

NATO allies gloomy on Biden’s prospects seek out Trump circle

Leaders at the alliances summit watched Biden's every move for another gaffe that would further undermine his electoral hopes.
Shoppers pass food stalls at a night market in Taipei.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 11, 2024

Taiwan turns to Southeast Asian tourists as Chinese stay away

The trend, if it continues, could reshape a tourism sector long reliant on arrivals from China.
From a Michelin-star kitchen in Italy to a central-Tokyo gelateria, Masako Minaguchi of Gelato MinNa believes doing what you love should always be a priority.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 11, 2024

Masako Minaguchi: ‘Gelato is full of possibilities’

From a Michelin-star kitchen in Italy to a central-Tokyo gelateria, this foodie believes doing what you love should always be a priority.
An empty street in Fukiya, Okayama Prefecture. Japan may be both experiencing overtourism in some places and witnessing the opposite in others.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2024

Japan doesn't have too many tourists, statistics suggest. It just feels that way.

The country received 0.2 tourists per capita in 2023, compared with France's 1.5, Greece's 3.4, Portugal's 2.5 and Spain's 1.8.
People attend a seminar, hosted by Daiwa Securities, on the new NISA tax-free investment program last November. Retail investors in Japan have been favoring international investments as they deploy funds held in their fast-growing NISA accounts.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 11, 2024

Yen takes hit as ¥1 trillion flows abroad monthly after NISA tweak

Many taking advantage of changes to the rules for Japan's tax-free savings accounts have been shifting their savings to international investments.
Public support for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet marked a new low of 15.5% in July, Jiji poll shows.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 11, 2024

Kishida Cabinet's approval rating sinks to 15.5%, poll shows

The results marked a new low for the Liberal Democratic Party since it returned to power in December 2012.

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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