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JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2023

Yoshiro Mori's image as LDP kingmaker rubs up against reality

While he remains a strong presence in the LDP, his actual ability to get his way on policy and personnel matters may not be as strong as it first appears.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington in December 2014.
WORLD
Sep 29, 2023

Long-serving U.S. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein dies at 90

Feinstein was a Washington trail-blazer who among other accomplishments became the first woman to head the influential Senate Intelligence Committee.
If you've ever dined on fresh fish, either within Japan or anywhere else in the world, there's a healthy chance it was processed via ikejime, a Japanese technique for preserving freshness in line-caught fish.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 30, 2023

How the world got hooked on ikejime-caught fish

Roughly rendered in English as “locking in life,” this technique delivers a quick death to ensure freshness.
U.S. golfer Patrick Cantlay celebrates after holing his birdie putt on the 18th green to win his fourball match with teammate Wyndham Clark against Team Europe's Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick at the Ryder Cup in Rome on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 1, 2023

Europe leads Ryder Cup by five but U.S. finally shows fight

Europe needs four points from Sunday's 12 singles to regain the trophy and continue its incredible 30-year unbeaten home run.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East on Sept. 13.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2023

Russia and North Korea's cartoon summit

Whether Russia is actually offering a deep and multifaceted relationship with North Korea implied by the summit remains far from clear.
Suns forward Kevin Durant says he's ready to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics as he seeks a fourth gold medal.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 3, 2023

Kevin Durant among NBA stars ready to play for Team USA at Olympics

LeBron James has been a major force behind the scenes in pulling together top players for Team USA, according to some who may join him in the squad.
Russian activist Natalia Arno in Paris on Sept. 29
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2023

'Organs failing': A Russian activist details her poisoning

Five months after being poisoned, Natalia Arno still goes numb across much of her body when she stands up for any length of time.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel retrieve the body of a crew member of a Filipino fishing boat on Wednesday. Three fishermen are dead after their boat was "rammed" by a foreign commercial vessel in the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard said on October 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 4, 2023

Three Filipino fishermen dead after boat 'rammed' in South China Sea

Manila said the vessel that collided with the boat in the flash point waterway was an oil tanker registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Buildings in Xiamen, China, seen from Kinmen, Taiwan
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 6, 2023

Even China's closest supporters in Taiwan are turning wary

The shifting attitudes reflect a generational change, with younger people wanting to protect freedom and democracy.
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi has worked to make sure all the Springboks have a voice on the pitch.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 13, 2023

South Africa benefiting from Siya Kolisi's leadership at World Cup

"I think what sets Siya aside from other leaders is how he includes everyone's opinions in the team," center Jesse Kriel explained.
A gender-equality supporter protests against discrimination at an event held in Tokyo for International Women's Day in March 2021
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 13, 2023

Japan’s gender gap has never been wider. Can Kishida close it?

The government emphasizes the need to improve gender equality, but correcting Japan's dismal record requires a nuanced approach.
Ireland captain Johnny Sexton leaves the pitch following his team's quarterfinal defeat to the All Blacks at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Paris on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 15, 2023

Ireland's Johnny Sexton ends storied career with 'gutting' RWC exit

A tearful but dignified Sexton appeared at the post-match news conference after his dreams of a fairytale ending were dashed by the All Blacks
The 2028 Los Angeles Games are set to feature cricket, flag football, lacrosse, squash and baseball-softball, following approval from the International Olympic Committee.
OLYMPICS
Oct 16, 2023

Cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash make 2028 Games cut

Each host city, under IOC rules, can request the inclusion of several sports for their edition of the Games.
Israeli soldiers inspect the burned cars of festival-goers who were attacked and massacred by Hamas militants near the border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 16, 2023

The real dividing line between Israel and Palestine

The choice is not between hard-line factions; it is between the fundamentalists on both sides and all those who still believe in the possibility of peace.
Palestinian refugees flee to Rafah, in southern Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023

Japan must uphold humanitarianism in the Middle East

War cries from Israel and Hamas must be met with appeals for the defense of human life, a position Japan has historically held.
Smoke billows over the northern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 19, 2023

Israel's endgame? No sign of postwar plan for Gaza

Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, but it has no clear plan for how to govern the ravaged Palestinian enclave even if it triumphs on the battlefield.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2023

Former finance minister elected as Lower House speaker

The 79-year-old Fukushiro Nukaga, a 13-term Diet member and former finance minister, was chosen, replacing Hiroyuki Hosoda.
As G7 leaders pledge to combat economic coercion with an eye on China, this could be counterproductive and end up hurting global trade.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2023

The G7's anti-coercion campaign against China could backfire

When G7 trade representatives convene in Osaka starting Saturday, Chinese “economic coercion” is expected to be high on the agenda.
SOCCER / J. League / From the Spot
Oct 24, 2023

Go Kuroda's one-year revolution brings Zelvia to J1 promised land

The western Tokyo club will play in the top flight for the first time in 2024 as it continues to flourish on and off the pitch.
Participants hold a giant rainbow flag during a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride Parade in Hong Kong
WORLD / Society
Oct 25, 2023

How nations allow or restrict legal gender change

A small number of countries have made it easier for transgender people to change their legal gender, while other nations have restricted such changes.
Asteroid mining only works in a science-fiction world where metals are thousands of times more expensive than they are today.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2023

Commercial asteroid mining has a astronomical cost issue

Asteroid mining only works in a science-fiction world where metals are thousands of times more expensive than they are today.
The armed suspect in a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday. At least 22 people have been reported killed and dozens injured in the city, U.S. media has reported, citing police.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 26, 2023

At least 22 killed and dozens wounded in Maine shootings

If the death toll of 22 is confirmed, the massacre would be the deadliest in the United States since at least August 2019.
Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe speaks during an interview at his office on Oct. 19.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023

Can Shibuya's mayor turn his ward into a global icon?

For Mayor Ken Hasebe, reining in Halloween revelers is just one step on the way to transforming Shibuya.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has resigned after their dismal showing at the World Cup, but says he has no other job offer as yet.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 30, 2023

Jones resigns as Wallabies coach, say Australian media reports

Jones has been linked with the head coach role of Japan, which he has denied.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023

Orix's Gonzalez eager for more jewelry with win in Japan Series

The Buffaloes infielder, who is in his first season in Japan, is fine tuning his approach as he goes along.
A rally in support of Israel is held in Tokyo on Oct. 11 during which participants, including Israelis living in Japan, demanded the immediate release of all hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 30, 2023

A primer on the Israel-Hamas war


Japan's image of Israel is shallow and distorted, as many people fail to understand the existential threat that Hamas' aggression poses.
Shibuya's local government has mounted a campaign to dissuade revelers from visiting the neighborhood for Halloween celebrations and has banned drinking in the streets.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 30, 2023

Shibuya wants to cancel Halloween. That's a mistake.

This year, Shibuya isn't dressing up for Halloween. The neighborhood is turning revelers away, ignoring its role as a youth culture hub.
Inter Miami's Lionel Messi receives his 8th Ballon d'Or award during the 2023 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony in Paris on Monday.
SOCCER
Oct 31, 2023

Messi wins record eighth Ballon d'Or for best player in the world

Inter Miami's Messi, who last won the award in 2021, played a pivotal role in guiding Argentina to its first World Cup title in 36 years last year.
An out-of-work porn director (Go Ayano, right) goes on a drunken trip down memory lane with one of his dead lover’s former partners (Tasuku Emoto, left) in “A Spoiling Rain.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2023

‘A Spoiling Rain’: A boozy, rueful requiem for love and porn

Based on a novella, Haruhiko Arai’s drama keeps the melancholy core of its source material but expands it into a personal ode to the erotic film industry.
People wearing sun protection gear amid a heat wave walk on a street in Beijing in July.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 3, 2023

Climate's 'Catch-22': Cutting pollution heats up the planet

The removal of air pollution may have had a greater effect on temperatures in some Chinese cities than the warming from greenhouse gases.

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