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Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 22, 2024

A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year

In addition to wordplay, color and shape often determine the reason why certain foods are part of Japan’s New Year holiday menu.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks to members of the news media along with U.S. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2024

Trump-backed spending deal fails in U.S. House as shutdown approaches

Government funding is due to expire at midnight on Friday.
A limited edition of PlayStation 5 (PS5) Pro video game console
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2024

Sony’s record climb makes investors more bullish on gaming boom

Sony Group’s long-awaited rise to record highs has emboldened bullish investors and analysts, who see gains extending into 2025 on a robust outlook for video games.
A venue for the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2024

Ride-hailing restrictions to be eased during 2025 Osaka Expo

To meet visitors' demand for transport between April and October, 24-hour operations are to be allowed throughout Osaka Prefecture.
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 20, 2024

Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year

Crime numbers had been steadily declining since 2003, continuing to hit postwar lows from 2015 to 2021, before bouncing back in 2022.
Fire trucks gather around a building in Sapporo’s Susukino entertainment district on Nov. 26.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 20, 2024

Sapporo arson suspect dies in hospital

Police still intend to submit the arson case to prosecutors and are committed to piecing together the events that led to the blaze.
Carmelo Anthony (right) is among the first-time nominees for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
BASKETBALL
Dec 20, 2024

Carmelo Anthony and Sue Bird among first-time Hall of Fame nominees

Finalists will be selected during NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 14, and the Class of 2025 will be revealed at the men's Final Four on April 5 in San Antonio.
Three political parties' secretaries-general sign a confirmation letter in Tokyo on Friday regarding the tax-free income threshold.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2024

Ruling camp approves tax reform proposal

The ruling bloc agreed to “continue talks in good faith” with the DPP, which wants to further raise the tax-free income threshold.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a United Nations Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 21, 2024

Top U.S. and South Korean diplomats agree to meet 'at an early date'

The impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has triggered concerns about the bilateral alliance, though both sides say it remains 'ironclad."
People play pickleball in New York on Dec. 8.
TENNIS
Dec 21, 2024

Australian Open to provide platform for pickleball from 2025

Melbourne Park's Court 3 will transform into pickleball central from Jan. 24-26 next year, as an international field of players compete for top honors.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Dec 21, 2024

Economists see BOJ's policy review as insufficient

The massive easing policy has caused adverse effects, such as a loosening of fiscal discipline, economists said.
Syrians step on posters of Bashar Assad and his father, Hafez Assad, in Homs, Syria, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 22, 2024

How Bashar Assad's inner circle fled Syria after his fall

The ousted president was accompanied by only a handful of confidants, leaving both family members and loyal aides to find their own means of escape.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, casts his vote during an impeachment vote against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul  Dec.14.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 22, 2024

A race to the Blue House or the jail house

Since the end of martial law in 1987, there have been eight democratically elected presidents — and all but two of those have either been impeached or imprisoned.
People walk through Vilnius, Lithuania, on Dec. 17. Lithuania’s national opera house had stopped showing Tchaikovsky’s 1892 masterpiece in solidarity with Ukraine over the war with Russia.
WORLD / Society
Dec 22, 2024

A cultural casualty of the war in Ukraine: ‘The Nutcracker’

Many in the art world oppose banning works on the basis of their nationality, believing that culture has the power to unite and should not be contaminated by politics.
Ginzan Onsen hot springs in Obanazawa, Yamagata Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Dec 23, 2024

Picturesque Japan hot spring town limits day trippers

Authorities in Ginzan Onsen have become fed up with a rise in road problems, quarrels and other nuisances.
Film festivals around the world are giving space to AI-generated cinematic experiences, with Venice and Cannes among the heavy hitters with sections dedicated to "immersive" works, including those made using virtual and augmented reality.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 23, 2024

Asia’s film industry should balance AI with human creativity

AI is revolutionizing cinema. Japan and Asia as a whole are well-positioned to harness technology to empower storytelling while retaining film's essentially human nature.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?