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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa attend a working dinner during G7 ministerial meetings, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2023

G7 support for Ukraine will not waver due to Gaza crisis, Japan says

The G7 nations, as well as the European Union, meet in Tokyo on Nov. 7 to 8 to discuss issues including the Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza crisis.
A Palestinian man walks in a tunnel linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt in 2012. The sprawling network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip has become a primary target for the Israeli military.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2023

Israel targets Hamas tunnels in new phase of Gaza war

Targeting the Islamist group's labyrinth of tunnels and command structures in northern Gaza is an operation that may take Israel months to complete.
The McKinsey & Company logo at the 54th International Paris Airshow on June 21
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2023

Top consultancy undermining climate change fight: whistleblowers

Privately, the U.S.-based firm offers energy scenarios at odds with its public climate goals to the summit's decision-makers.
In a new program called Lantern, big tech companies will share signals of activity that violate their policies on child exploitation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2023

Tech giants pool efforts to fight online child sex abuse

Child victims of abuse online are a hot-button issue for regulators and tech firms are eager to show they are taking adequate measures to protect them.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speak as they wait for a group photo session during the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2023

G7 top diplomats call for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Israel-Hamas war

The statement didn’t mention a cease-fire, only noting the necessity of humanitarian action.
From convenience stores and pizza franchises to makers of mattresses and whisky, businesses are looking to cash in on the popularity of "Godzilla Minus One."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 8, 2023

Latest Godzilla movie is a beast at the Japan box office

Boosted by mammoth marketing campaign, "Godzilla Minus One" racks up over ¥1 billion in opening weekend.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 8, 2023

Explaining Japan's nuanced approach to the Israel-Hamas war

Japan has the potential to influence the conflict due to its distinctive position within the international community.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

China unlikely to launch ‘D-Day’ on Taiwan, Singapore PM says

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong downplayed concerns, saying China isn’t "trigger happy” about taking over the island.
Buildings in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai. China's yuan weakened past the closely watched 7.2-per-dollar level as investor sentiment soured on a lack of aggressive stimulus and Beijing signaled a level of comfort about the declines.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 9, 2023

China is struggling woo back foreign investors

The lack of investment among global firms in China may have far reaching effects on the world’s second-largest economy.
Paris Saint-Germain fans ahead of a match against AC Milan last month
SOCCER
Nov 9, 2023

Amazon under fire over homophobic slurs in broadcast of PSG game

During the Sept. 24 match between bitter Ligue 1 rivals, thousands of PSG supporters chanted homophobic slogans referring to their opponents.
Staff at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 collect used paper cups after the event on Oct. 15.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2023

Japanese paper-makers pioneer domestic recycling of paper cups

Until now paper cups have typically been discarded as flammable waste, but are made from high quality pulp that can be reused.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Kishida rules out snap election amid record low popularity

The prime minister has once again ruled out a snap election as he faces record low popularity ratings and growing criticism from within his own party.
Tokyo retained third behind London and New York in this year's Global Power City Index (GPCI) report.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2023

Tokyo remains third in global power index despite downturn

Among other Japan cities, Osaka ranked 37th while Fukuoka placed 42nd in the index.
Humane has officially launched its long-awaited Ai Pin. The device will be available to order starting Nov. 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 10, 2023

Humane's Ai Pin launches its campaign to replace phones

The device can magnetically clip onto clothing and will cost $699 with a $24-a-month subscription — which will come with unlimited data and phone calls.
Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa attends a news conference after returning to Japan following a 12-day journey into space, in Tokyo, in January 2022.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2023

Yusaku Maezawa's lunar orbital trip postponed indefinitely

His craft's development is still incomplete, after the rocket blew up immediately after blasting off in an unmanned test-launch in April.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 10, 2023

Biden, Xi and other things to watch at next week's APEC summit

The event will mark a key moment for Chinese President Xi Jinping who is making his first visit to U.S. soil since 2017.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin during a committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 10, 2023

Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin will not seek re-election in 2024

The move by the 76-year-old lawmaker will make it very difficult for Democrats to defend the West Virginia seat.
Kyoto’s Tofukuji temple is a notable place for viewing multicolored fall foliage.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 10, 2023

The culture, customs and vocabulary of Japan’s fall season

The changing colors of Japan’s foliage have been a prominent part of the culture since the Nara Period when they inspired artists.
A JD.com advertisement in Beijing promoting the Singles Day shopping festival
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023

China’s Singles Day downbeat amid slumping consumer confidence

Shoppers are increasingly seeking value, looking for cheaper brands amid an overall mood of restraint.
Yoon Suk-yeol, then the 2022 presidential election candidate of South Korea's main opposition People Power Party, attends a news conference in Seoul in November 2021.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 10, 2023

President’s war against ‘fake news’ raises alarms in South Korea

Critics say South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is silencing journalists in the name of fighting disinformation.
As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2023

Tokyo to install quake-resistant pipe joints to avoid water outages

As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
Destroyed buildings in Gaza on Thursday amid ongoing battles between Israeli forces and the Hamas militant group.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 10, 2023

Why are oil prices falling while war rages in the Middle East?

Intense fighting is underway in a region that holds much of the world’s petroleum resources. Yet, energy markets have been slumping.
Director Wim Wenders served as president of the competition jury at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival. Wenders' "Perfect Days," which opened the festival and features Koji Yakusho as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, is Japan’s nominee for the Academy Awards’ best international feature film category.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 11, 2023

'Perfect Days' and '(Ab)normal Desire' turn heads at Tokyo International Film Festival

Wim Wenders' film opened the event, while Yoshiyuki Kishi’s multilayered drama made a splash, taking both the Audience Award and the best director prize.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2023

Japan opposition CDP vows to provide tax cuts and benefits

The proposal did not include a goal of lowering the consumption tax rate from 10% to 5% temporarily, which was a campaign pledge of the CDP.
The world’s carbon footprint is split into three roughly equal portions: China, all developed nations and the rest of the world.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2023

How China’s downturn could save the world

The world’s carbon footprint is split into three roughly equal portions: China, all developed nations and the rest of the world.
A newly built floating solar plant that can generate 192 megawatts of peak electricity, on Thursday at Cirata Reservoir, Indonesia.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Nov 10, 2023

U.S. and EU lead push for COP28 to endorse tripling of renewables

Nearly 60 countries, including Japan, are backing the targets to be included in the outcome of the U.N.’s upcoming COP28 talks in Dubai.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (from left), U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh ahead of their bilateral meetings in New Delhi on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 11, 2023

U.S. pulling India closer to West as strategic interests converge

At “two-plus-two” talks Friday, the nations' top diplomats and defense chiefs agreed to accelerate defense-industrial collaboration.
A man walks past a giant piece of driftwood on the shoreline of Tepuka, in the Funafuti atoll, in Tuvalu.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 11, 2023

Australia signs security and migration pact with Pacific's Tuvalu

Canberra's security guarantee will allow it to respond to military aggression, protect the nation from climate change and boost migration.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher speaks as she is flanked by Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's executive director and chief negotiator, during a news conference following the end of the Screen Actors Guild strike in Los Angeles on Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2023

Actors union explains AI guardrails in strike deal

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) reached a deal with studios like Disney and Netflix this week to end its nearly four-month strike.
Charles Q. Brown Jr.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2023

Top U.S. general doubts China's Xi planning to take Taiwan by force

Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Chinese leader would "try to use other ways to do this.”

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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