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The wellness amenities at Six Senses Kyoto are just the latest example of hotels in Japan bolstering their relaxation offerings to attract guests.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 12, 2024

Can't choose a Kansai hotel? Perhaps a wellness screening will help you decide.

The holistic offerings at Six Senses Kyoto and Four Seasons Osaka are part of a growing wellness travel trend sweeping Japan.
Cider in Japan doesn't have as long a history as other alcoholic beverages, but with consumer preferences shifting, it might be just the easy sip for drinkers sick of stiff tipples.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 13, 2024

As Japan shuns stiff drinks, cider aims for a bigger share of the market

Sake brewer Isamu Yoshii was the first person in Japan to produce cider as an alcoholic drink in 1954, paving the way for a possible cider boom in the future.
Performers at Stand Up Indonesia Tokyo shows crack plenty of jokes, but the main purpose behind the group, organizers say, is to provide a space where Indonesian expats can express themselves about any struggles they may have about living abroad.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 14, 2024

Tokyo’s Indonesians get through life abroad with a couple of laughs

Stand Up Indonesia Tokyo is a community of comedians, comedy fans and others with connections to Indonesia seeking a reminder of home.
Lauretta is much calmer and more demure than her operatic name might suggest.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 14, 2024

Named for an opera, Lauretta is more adorable than dramatic

Named after the daughter of Gianni Schicchi in the Puccini opera of the same name, it was Lauretta’s big, round face and lovely eyes that won her the name.
People engage in discussions during a program of School for Life Compath in Biei, Hokkaido, in August 2021.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2024

Danish-style 'schools for life' gaining popularity in Japan

The schools promote personal growth and lifelong learning, covering topics such as self-discovery, societal exploration, modern art and forest adventures.
Natalie Nakase will lead the Valkyries, the WNBA's newest team, after spending three years as first assistant coach with the Aces.
BASKETBALL
Oct 11, 2024

Natalie Nakase named as inaugural head coach of expansion Valkyries in WNBA

Nakase, 44, has more than 16 years of coaching experience, including 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA.
Japan's Daichi Kamada (right) vies for the ball against Saudi Arabia midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki during their World Cup qualifying match in Jeddah on Thursday.
SOCCER
Oct 11, 2024

Japan looks to Australia and beyond after beating Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifier

Samurai Blue are five points clear at the top of Group C, with the top two teams securing direct passage to the 2026 World Cup.
Hiroyuki Okuzawa, chief operating officer of Daiichi Sankyo, during an interview in Tokyo on Friday
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024

Daiichi Sankyo eyes newer cancer drugs to stave off rivals

The Japanese drugmaker has emerged as a leader in ADC, a type of cancer therapy that targets cancerous cells while sparing the healthy ones.
The history of cooking shows that no country can claim exclusive ownership of a dish, as many iconic foods like kabobs, pizzas, or pad thai have international roots shaped by cultural exchanges.
COMMENTARY
Oct 11, 2024

A battle over the kebab’s nationality

National dishes are often recent constructs, with many foods evolving across regions and influenced by various cultures.
People gather at the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Monday to commemorate the anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 others abducted.
EDITORIALS
Oct 11, 2024

The never-ending tragedy in the Middle East grinds on

The red lines — both real and imagined — that once separated foes have been erased as the combatants inflict new and increasingly painful wounds upon each other.
Shohei Ohtani's success symbolizes a broader resurgence in Japanese sports, with contributing factors including increased investment in sports, modern coaching techniques and a generational shift in mindset.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 11, 2024

What baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s success says about Japan

The phenom has had what many are calling the greatest season ever. But his success is also a story of change in his home country.
South Korean author Han Kang, the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, attends a press conference, in Seoul in November.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 11, 2024

Han Kang’s Nobel win underscores essential role of translators as literary tastemakers

The trailblazing South Korean author was virtually unknown in the West just 10 years ago — then came Deborah Smith’s translation of "The Vegetarian."
An Israeli soldier stands next to the remains of an Iranian Emad ballistic missile at a military base in southern Israel on Monday, days after Iran launched a massive missile attack on the Jewish state.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2024

A dangerous dance for Israel and Iran

Israel and Iran are in a precarious position, with Israel coping with reduced inviolability after the Hamas attack and Iran trying to maintain its regional influence.
Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks during a party leaders' debate at the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 11, 2024

Opposition party shakes up Japan’s rate debate with new inflation target

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan calls for redefining the Bank of Japan’s inflation target to “above 0%” from the current 2%.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends the East Asia Summit during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 11, 2024

Ishiba clears low bar in diplomatic debut

Experts said Ishiba's visit signaled that he would maintain continuity with the policies set by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, speaks at an event held in November at United Nations headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the second meeting of state parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2024

Nihon Hidankyo awarded Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to achieve nuclear-free world

The organization was given the honor for its work to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.
Boeing factory workers and supporters gather on a picket line near the entrance to a Boeing production facility in Renton, Washington, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2024

Boeing to cut 17,000 jobs and delay first 777X delivery as strike hits finances

CEO Kelly Ortberg said in a message to employees that the significant downsizing is necessary "to align with our financial reality."
A Starlink satellite communication system installed on the training ship Kashima of the Maritime Self-Defense Force for test operations at the Harumi Pier in Tokyo on May 15.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2024

Japan's MSDF eyeing Starlink for better internet connectivity at sea

Hoping to create an environment where MSDF members can freely use the internet while at sea, the MSDF plans to introduce the Starlink service on its vessels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of an international forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Friday.
WORLD
Oct 12, 2024

Russia's Putin cements ties with Iranian president in Central Asia meeting

The two leaders hailed their countries growing economic ties and similar views on world affairs, an entente viewed with concern by the United States.
A Haas F1 car branded with Toyota Gazoo Racing on Friday at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Oct 12, 2024

Toyota returns to F1 with Haas technical partnership

Toyota Gazoo Racing will become Haas' official technical partner with both parties sharing expertise, knowledge and resources.
The remains of the Prefectural Industry Promotion Building after the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in September 1945.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 12, 2024

Nobel Prize is a warning to a world on the nuclear brink

The awarding of the prize to Nihon Hidankyo — a group of atomic bomb survivors — reflects a widely held fear that nuclear war is now closer than ever.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pumps his fist during the fourth inning of Friday's series-clinching win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 12, 2024

Dodgers drop Padres in historic Japanese pitchers' duel to advance in MLB playoffs

Yoshinobu Yamamoto came out on top in a historic duel with Yu Darvish — the contest was the first MLB playoff game between two Japanese-born starters.
Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura at a news conference in Sapporo on Oct 8.
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2024

Japan's top business lobby proposes maximum use of nuclear energy

The proposal noted that Japan has been facing the toughest energy challenges since the oil crises in the 1970s and 1980s.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang addresses the ASEAN-China summit during Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Vientiane, Laos, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 13, 2024

U.S. official accuses Russia and China of blocking Asia leaders' statement

Russia and China blocked a proposed consensus statement for the East Asia Summit, mainly over objections to language on the contested South China Sea.
Smoke rises over Beirut's southern suburbs from a generator that caught fire, according to residents, as seen from Baabda, Beirut, Lebanon, on Saturday.
WORLD
Oct 13, 2024

Israel orders evacuation of more southern Lebanese towns

At least 15 people were killed and 37 wounded in Israeli strikes across three different areas in Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry said.
Scotland's former first minister, Alex Salmond, attends an event in Ellon, Scotland, in April 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 13, 2024

Alex Salmond, champion of Scottish independence, dies at 69

Salmond, who died after falling ill after making a speech in North Macedonia, stepped down as Scotland's first minister after losing the 2014 independence referendum.
An aerial view shows people paddling through a flooded street in South Daytona, Florida, following the passage of Hurricane Milton on Friday.
WORLD
Oct 13, 2024

Hurricane Milton’s floodwaters are hiding a dirty secret

Even though the risks from rising, fast-moving water is past, standing water remains treacherous to navigate and likely harbors dangerous diseases.
The Guardians celebrate after defeating the Tigers in Game 5 of their AL division series in Cleveland on Saturday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 13, 2024

Guardians get best of Tigers' ace in Game 5 to reach ALCS

Cleveland will face the New York Yankees on the road in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday.
Tomoko Tamura, leader of the Japanese Communist Party, says it is "crucial" for the JCP to increase its parliamentary share in the upcoming Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2024

JCP unlikely to withdraw candidates for opposition cooperation

The foundations for electoral cooperation among opposition parties "have collapsed," Tamura said in a recent interview.
Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 13, 2024

Amid skepticism, CDP faces once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Oct. 27 polls

The party can capitalize on dissatisfaction against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over a recent scandal, but it must battle voters' deep-seated doubts against it.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan