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Akira Oishi (left) and Shinichi Okanobori have taken on the responsibility of surveying the flora and fauna of Mount Tenran and Mount Tonosu in Saitama Prefecture.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Longform
Nov 2, 2024

Inside Japan's 100-year project to monitor its deteriorating biodiversity

With researchers and an army of volunteers on its side, the Monitoring Sites 1,000 project aims to bring attention to our fragile ecosystems.
The Meteorological Agency said that, as of 2:10 p.m Saturday, a total of 188 observation points in western and central Japan had recorded their largest-ever 24-hour rainfall for November
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024

Western and central Japan drenched by record rainfall for November

The heavy rains saw the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, issue the highest-level alert and urge nearly 190,000 residents to evacuate to shelters.
Leaders of Japan’s political parties pose for a group photo at the start of a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Oct. 12. Sunday’s Lower House election saw the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party take a drubbing.
EDITORIALS
Nov 1, 2024

The balance of power shifts in Japan’s politics

Despite the LDP's losses at polls, the recent election didn't exactly indicate popular support for an opposition-led government either.
The closing session of the United Nations' COP16 summit in Cali, Colombia, on Friday
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Nov 2, 2024

Talks on halting nature loss run into extra time in Colombia

A closing plenary session started more than four hours late as groups of negotiators huddled behind closed doors seeking to iron out their differences.
Kemi Badenoch, the newly named leader of Britain's Conservative Party, speaks in London on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 2, 2024

Badenoch beats Jenrick to succeed Sunak at helm of U.K. Tories

The former business secretary now faces the daunting task of picking Britain’s main opposition party up from the ruins of July's catastrophic election loss.
David Cooper (left), executive secretary of COP16, Colombian Environment Minister and COP16 President Susana Muhamad (center), and Astrid Schomaker, secretary of COP16, attend the closing session of the conference in Cali, Colombia, on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Nov 3, 2024

U.N. talks on saving nature stumble on finance hurdle

COP16 was suspended after negotiations ran nearly 12 hours longer than planned and delegates started leaving.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Salem, Virginia, on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 3, 2024

Climate skeptics are hatching big plans for a second Trump term

Pushed to the fringes during the Biden administration, they are now preparing to revive coal, gut the EPA and limit the tools used by climate scientists.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, face off in an election Tuesday that will have wide-ranging implications for Japan.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 3, 2024

Status quo or disruption? Breaking down the U.S. election's impact on Japan

Regardless of who wins, Washington is likely to have limited bandwidth to change tack in a significant way with its most important Asian ally.
The Tokyo Hydrogen Museum in the capital's Koto Ward on Thursday. The capital is targeting the “full use” of hydrogen produced using renewable energy “in all fields” by 2050 as part of its decarbonization drive.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Nov 3, 2024

Tokyo's climate goals rely on a fuel that is falling out of favor

The metropolitan government is targeting the widespread use of hydrogen, but strong competition and its physical properties are limiting its applications.
As the European Commission prepares to make decisions on Google’s practices by the end of 2024, there is hope for a collaborative approach with U.S. regulators to create meaningful structural reforms.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2024

Google’s breakup needs an international tag team

There’s a growing consensus among regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to redefine antitrust harm beyond just pricing issues.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Netanyahu’s office accused of leaks to foil Gaza cease-fire

Opposition leaders and liberal commentators say it’s the latest example of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's manipulation of the public discourse around the war.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris spar during the presidential debate on Sept. 10. Both are seeking to win over voters in swing states such as those of the Rust Belt, where America's economic security policies are acutely felt.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 5, 2024

The prospects for economic security under Trump or Harris

Both the Democratic and Republican campaigns need Rust Belt voters on their side, but their strategies to protect American economic interests differ significantly.
Abortion rights supporters and anti-abortion demonstrators protest outside the Supreme Court in Washington in April.
COMMENTARY
Nov 4, 2024

Civil rights are on the ballot this election

Never in recent history have so many Americans had their rights on the line in one race.
Chinese solar panel manufacturer Trina Solar's facility in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, on Aug. 30
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 4, 2024

Chinese solar firms, ever-nimble, go where U.S. tariffs don't reach

Chinese solar firms have repeatedly sidestepped tariffs to dominate the global markets despite U.S. efforts over more than a decade to rein them in.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu speaks after winning the presidential election runoff in Chisinau on Monday. The pro-EU incumbent won a tense presidential runoff, beating her rival backed by a pro-Russian party in what she described as a "lesson in democracy."
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Moldova's pro-Western Sandu claims election win after meddling allegations

With 98% of the ballots counted, Sandu led Stoianoglo with 54.35%, the Central Election Commission said.
In a group interview at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo on Thursday, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya declined to make predictions about the Liberal Democratic Party’s approach to any revisions to the Status of Forces Agreement, but said he believes “some wisdom will probably come about” from planned talks within the party.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Top diplomat says Foreign Ministry will ‘quietly examine’ revising SOFA pact

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya says finding a "mutually acceptable" solution to issues in the pact governing the U.S. military presence in Japan is key.
Yuya Nagura is taken to the Tokorozawa Police Station in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Saturday after being arrested on suspicion of recruiting people to rob a house in the city.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 4, 2024

Alleged recruiter of Saitama burglary ring arrested

Investigative sources said that Yuya Nagura used social media to post adverts with phrases like "easy job" and "goods transport" to recruit individuals.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2024

Horse-trading continues ahead of next week's prime minister vote

In the absence of a majority by any single party or coalition, every lawmaker's vote will count in a widely expected runoff election when parliament reconvenes.
Members of the Lower House panel on the Constitution discuss issues related to constitutional amendments in June.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Push for constitutional amendments in Japan wanes after election

The number of Lower House seats held by the parties positive toward constitutional amendments fell short of the 310 needed to put them up for a national referendum.
Nelly Korda during the Solheim Cup 2024 in Gainesville, Virginia, on Sept. 15
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Nov 5, 2024

Korda clinches LPGA Player of Year award with three events left

The 26-year-old Korda has claimed six victories in 2024 and had three additional top-10 finishes.
Takeo Akiba, secretary-general of Japan's National Security Secretariat, meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Japanese and Chinese diplomats discuss bilateral summit

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed a willingness to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this month in Brazil.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a news conference at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 30.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

First candidates grilled in parliament test for EU top team

The showdown is a rare opportunity for the European Union parliament to flex its muscles against the bloc's powerful executive.
President of Palau Surangel Whipps Jr. at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Sept. 23
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Palau's pro-U.S. president faces election test

Palau is one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic friends and is seen as a steadfast U.S. supporter in a region where China has made inroads.
The Tubassadors are (from left) Tomohiro Sosogi, Kazuto Shikada, Soen Tamura and Keisuke Nishibu.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 5, 2024

The Tubassadors hope to change the tuba’s tune

Orchestras aren't known for tuba solos in their performances. However, this Tokyo-based quartet puts the instrument front and center.
While economic sanctions have not caused Russia’s economy to collapse as some had hoped, they have imposed significant costs on Vladimir Putin's government and his war aims.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2024

Punishing Putin is more important than ever

In reality, the-Russian-sanctions-aren’t-working-why-bother argument is straight out Putin’s propaganda playbook.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki (left) and his counterpart in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Opposition parties band together to shape Lower House agenda

Four main opposition parties have agreed to jointly request the opening of a session of the budget committee and a special committee on political reform.
An exhibition of captured military hardware from NATO countries in Moscow in May.  Whatever the results of the U.S. presidential election, the prospect of improved U.S.-Russia relations seems even more distant.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2024

Whether Trump or Harris, pessimism reigns in Russia over U.S. election winner

The sentiment is prevalent in a Russia that feels scorned and underestimated by Democrat administrations and betrayed by Trump.
People wait in line to vote before the poll opens at Lenora Park Gym in Snellville, Georgia, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2024

Hoax bomb threats targeting polling places in battleground states: FBI

At least two polling sites targeted by the hoax bomb threats in Georgia were briefly evacuated.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump points to supporters as he holds hands with his wife, Melania, before claiming victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election during a rally at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 7, 2024

Trump defeats Harris, returning U.S. to era of uncertainty

Kamala Harris congratulated her rival on a win expected to have a dramatic impact on the United States' relationships with allies like Japan and rivals like China.
The National Cancer Center Hospital in Tokyo's Chuo Ward. A study by researchers at the hospital aims to determine whether restoring a healthy intestinal environment can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 6, 2024

Japan explores intestinal flora transplants for cancer treatment

A study aims to determine whether restoring a healthy intestinal environment can make drugs used in the treatment of esophageal and stomach cancers more effective.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition