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Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers participate in a seminar to prevent harassment at the GSDF's Camp Asaka in Tokyo on April 16.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 13, 2024

Japan's military needs more women. But it's still failing on harassment.

Nine months after the Defense Ministry pledged to take drastic measures, it has no plans to implement a national system for reviewing training standards.
Tokiko Shimizu, the Bank of Japan's first and only female director, has been replaced by Kazushige Kamiyama after finishing a four-year term.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2024

BOJ slips backward on diversity with all-male executive lineup

The BOJ slipped to 156th on an index of gender balance among central banks released this year.
Penny Sackett, a former director of the Australian National University’s Mount Stromlo Observatory, in the remains of the observatory, which was destroyed by a wildfire in 2003, just outside Canberra on May 6.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 14, 2024

Alarmed by climate change, astronomers train their sights on Earth

Seeing how climate change has impacted the earth, many astronomers have left science to become full-time activists.
Russia's Daniil Medvedev eyes the ball as he plays against Tommy Paul of the U.S. during the Rome Open tournament on Tuesday.
TENNIS
May 15, 2024

Defending champion Medvedev out, while Swiatek cruises in Rome Open

Rome is now missing the world's top four ranked men.
JERA's Hekinan thermal power station in Aichi prefecture. JERA plans to invest in renewable energy and new fuels.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

JERA to invest $32 billion in LNG, renewables and new fuels

JERA plans to phase out inefficient coal-fired thermal power by fiscal year 2030.
Vendors protect themselves from the scorching heat and sun by using big shades and umbrellas in the Kalighat Temple area of Kolkata, India. The city is facing multiple extreme heat days this summer and citizens are trying to find ways to cope with the weather.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 16, 2024

Heat waves are testing India's ability to protect 1.4 billion people

Attempts to improve resilience to extreme heat have often been ill-conceived.
Philippine Coast Guard personnel work as the 97-meter coast guard multirole response vessel, the BRP Melchora Aquino, arrives from Japan at the international port in Manila in June 2020.
JAPAN / Politics
May 18, 2024

Philippines to buy five patrol boats from Japan amid South China Sea tensions

Deliveries of the just announced five ships are expected to take place between 2027 and 2028.
Iga Swiatek celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to win the Italian Open in Rome on Saturday.
TENNIS
May 19, 2024

Iga Swiatek hopes to remain humble ahead of French Open after winning in Rome

Iga Swiatek refused to take victory at the French Open for granted despite romping to her third title in Rome by sweeping aside Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-3 in Saturday's final.
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
May 19, 2024

The politicians moving Japan forward on climate

In the halls of power, climate-friendly voices may be few and far between, but some in politics are pushing for more aggressive action on decarbonization.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
May 20, 2024

Japan’s 10-year bond yield hits decade high amid BOJ policy bets

The yield on 10-year government debt rose to a level last seen when the then newly appointed Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda was starting his radical monetary easing.
Spain's Rafael Nadal takes part in a practice session ahead of the French Open, in Paris on Tuesday.
TENNIS
May 22, 2024

Djokovic backs Nadal for French Open title

Nadal is contending with injury problems and growing competition from a younger generation.
Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning the French Open title on June 10, 2023.
TENNIS
May 23, 2024

Iga Swiatek bidding to join exclusive club with fourth French Open title

Since tennis turned professional in 1968, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Justine Henin are the only women with at least four titles at Roland Garros.
Joe Biden’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other imports are more than symbolic — they are a signal that the U.S. won’t accept a surge of imports that could undermine crucial parts of his administration’s agenda.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2024

The U.S. is preparing for a second 'China shock'

The immediate impact of these tariffs will be small, because the United States currently imports very few of the affected goods from China.
Justin Milano (left) edges out Cosmo Kuranda to win the 84th Satsuki Sho Grade 1 horse race at Nakayama Racecourse in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on April 14.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
May 24, 2024

Strong field ready to go in Tokyo Yushun’s 91st edition

It’s that time of year once again for one of the great horse races in Japan, the Group 1 Japanese Derby — or Tokyo Yushun to give its Japanese name — which will be held on May 26 at Fuchu Racecourse, just a short distance from the center of Tokyo.
The Japanese government updated its English education guidelines in 2017 to emphasize communication over grammar and memorization. Public school teachers are incredibly busy, however, which means schools haven’t been able to implement changes uniformly. Private and alternative schools are attempting to remedy this.
LIFE / Language / Longform
May 27, 2024

The language of opportunity: Bilingual education is on the rise in Japan

Stuck with a reputation for poor English, Japan is pushing its next generation to be bilingual. Privately run schools are seeing the benefits.
Makoto Hasebe during a news conference following his retirement, in Tokyo on Friday. Hasebe played in 114 games for Japan's national team and played over 500 professional games between Japan and Germany.
SOCCER
May 24, 2024

Makoto Hasebe at peace with retirement, says body still 'wants to kick the ball'

Hasebe will eventually return to Germany and begin to lay the foundation for his coaching career.
Grayson Murray tees off on the second hole during the second round of the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, on July 7, 2023.
MORE SPORTS
May 26, 2024

PGA golfer Grayson Murray dies at 30

Murray died one day after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
The African National Congress’ manifesto launch at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Feb. 24
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2024

Where South Africa’s crunch election will be won and lost

As the country heads into its tightest election since apartheid ended in 1994, the ANC is facing competition like never before.
A ground crew worker refuels a plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2024

Waste-to-fuel company that raised $1 billion verges on collapse

Fulcrum BioEnergy has recently laid off nearly all of its staff of about 100 and halted most of its operations, according to more than a half-dozen former employees.
The Iyogin Holdings headquarters in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2024

Bond traders make one-of-a-kind gain at tiny bank in Ehime

Iyogin Holdings, a regional bank based in the prefectural capital of Matsuyama, has delivered record net income for two years in a row.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Friday night.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2024

Marcos lays out red line in South China Sea at security conference

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his clearest remarks yet on his red lines in the ongoing row with China over the disputed waterway.
Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's president, during the election result announcement at the Independent Electoral Commission national results center in Midrand, South Africa, on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2024

South Africa’s ANC courts rivals after election humiliation

The African National Congress' slump comes after years of economic mismanagement and corruption saddled the country with high unemployment and weak growth.
Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel would give it greater access to the profitable U.S. market and further its long-term financial goals.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024

Nippon Steel's Mori hints at selling some assets to aid U.S. Steel deal

The firm's vice chairman plans to return to the United States this week for more talks over the proposed acquisition.
New coach of Turkish club Fenerbahce Jose Mourinho (center) waves to supporters at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jun 3, 2024

Mourinho unveiled as new Fenerbahce manager

Mourinho, 61, has been out of a job since he was sacked by Serie A side AS Roma in January.
Employees assemble an electric transformer on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on March 28.
WORLD
Jun 3, 2024

Modi plans post-election reforms to rival Chinese manufacturing

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans a raft of business-friendly measures if he wins a third term this week, including pushing through regulations making it easier to hire and fire workers, according to two government officials familiar with the matter.
"Paris" is projected onto the Arc de Triomphe to celebrate the entry into the Olympic year, during the New Year's celebrations on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Jan. 1, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

Russian bots use fake Tom Cruise for Olympic disinformation

The video also included falsified endorsements from media outlets including The New York Times and the BBC.
Al Shifa Hospital after Israeli forces withdrew from the hospital and the area around it following a two-week operation, in Gaza City on April 2
WORLD
Jun 5, 2024

Gaza's doctors were building a health care system. Then came war.

Before the war, specialist doctors were part of a strategic effort by Hamas to build a self-sufficient health care system for Gaza.
Demonstrators hold Fatah flags during a protest in support of the people of the Gaza Strip in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Oct. 27, 2023.
WORLD
Jun 5, 2024

Hamas signals post-war ambition in talks with Palestinian rival Fatah

The meetings highlight that the Islamist militant group is likely to retain influence in the Gaza Strip after its war with Israel.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, meet in Tokyo in May 2022 on the sidelines of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. The coalition is now adrift and the reason for the drop-off is simple: The U.S. is preoccupied with Europe and the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2024

Is 'the Quad' becoming a Potemkin alliance?

Despite its initial promise, "the Quad" coalition now appears to be losing momentum, posing significant security risks.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. More than half of the 50 economists surveyed predict the central bank will decide next week to slow the pace of bond buying.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 7, 2024

Majority of BOJ watchers expect cut in bond buying next week

Some 54% of 50 economists said the bank will slow the pace of bond buying from around ¥6 trillion per month at the policy board gathering.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.