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Nobel Committee Secretary-General Thomas Perlmann speaks to the media in front of a picture of this year's laureates Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkum during the announcement of the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm on Monday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 7, 2024

U.S. pair wins Nobel in medicine for discovery of microRNA

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discovered the new class of tiny RNA molecules that play a crucial role in gene regulation.
Employees make pastries in the Princi bakery inside the Starbucks Reserve Roastery store in Shanghai in 2018.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 8, 2024

Starbucks cafes in Tokyo almost alone in keeping Princi baked goods

Starbucks is removing Howard Schultz's brand of Italian baked goods from many of its higher-end cafes, stepping back from an initiative championed by longtime leader.
IBA Secretary General and CEO Chris Roberts (left) during a news conference with IBA coaching official Gabriele Martelli (center) and IBA President Umar Kremlev on the big screen. in Paris on Aug. 5
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Oct 8, 2024

IBA urges federations to join legal action in Switzerland against IOC

The IBA said the IOC had since pressured National Olympic Committees to exclude IBA-affiliated federations.
A new U.N. report claims that use of the Telegram messaging app by criminal networks in Southeast Asia has enabled a fundamental change in the way organized crime operates.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Oct 8, 2024

Southeast Asian crime networks thriving on Telegram, U.N. reports

Scrutiny of the app has brought attention to the criminal liability of app providers and the debate on where freedom of speech ends and enforcement of the law begins.
Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has a strong influence over the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 8, 2024

LDP linchpin Moriyama has big influence over Ishiba

The newly elected president took his secretary-general's advice on several key matters, including party and Cabinet appointments as well as calling a snap election.
Speculative investors flipped to a net long position on the yen just before Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the nation wasn’t ready for further interest rate hikes, data shows.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 8, 2024

Hedge funds warming to yen caught out by biggest drop in 15 years

Many bought the yen just before cautious comments by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on rate hikes and strong U.S. nonfarm payrolls data.
A researcher works in the Ruvkun Lab in the Richard B. Simches Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday. U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday for their discovery of microRNA and its role in how genes are regulated.
WORLD
Oct 8, 2024

What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained

Several treatments and tests are under development using microRNAs against cancer, heart disease, viruses and other illnesses.
Gen Nakatani (center), who was named defense minister last week, attends an extraordinary session of the Lower House at parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 1.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

U.S. and Japan defense chiefs agree to beef up Nansei Islands presence

Two controversial proposals put by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba — an Asian version of NATO or revising the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement — were not discussed.
Omar Abdullah (center), leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference party, arrives to address the media outside his residence in Srinagar on Tuesday, after his election win in Indian-administered Kashmir.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade

Voters backed opposition parties to lead the Muslim-majority territory's regional assembly in the first local elections since 2014.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during an economic forum in Budapest on March 4.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Sparks fly as Orban berates EU 'elites' in parliament trip

As Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally within the European Union, Orban's nationalist government is at loggerheads with its partners on a host of issues.
A sign in support of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump is displayed in Bad Axe, Michigan, on Sept. 30.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Election officials backing Trump’s 'Big Lie' stir unease in U.S.

Donald Trump's false ideas about voter fraud have become an article of faith among many Republican members of local election boards that certify results.
Couche-Tard isn’t giving up on its takeover effort of Seven & I Holdings, the owner of 7-Eleven stores.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2024

Couche-Tard reportedly sent higher price of $47 billion for Seven & I

The fresh attempt to enter talks shows that Couche-Tard isn’t giving up on its takeover effort.
Eiji Maeda, former executive of the Bank of Japan
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 9, 2024

BOJ’s next hike likely to come in January, former official says

The central bank will be watching the U.S. presidential election, the trend in service prices this autumn and momentum ahead of next year’s annual wage talks.
"The Quad" security grouping is taking additional steps to address climate change as a security challenge, including supporting adaptation measures such as early warning systems in Pacific island countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 9, 2024

'The Quad’ shows concern over climate change as security threat

At the recent "Quad" summit, measures were taken to respond to the threat of climate change, increasingly viewed as a security concern for the Indo-Pacific region.
A researcher holds a plate of nematodes in a lab at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Monday. American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Medicine the same day for their discovery of microRNA and its role in how genes are regulated.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

Nobel Prize for medicine recognizes microRNA — and curiosity

Although microRNA's key role in regulating gene expression hasn't yet resulted in groundbreaking treatments, it may still significantly impact our health in the future.
Mindbody ClassPass CFO Tom Aveston speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2024

ClassPass lands in Japan with eye on domestic fitness market and visitors

The company, which provides access to gyms on a membership basis, started operating on Sept. 19 with 200 partner gyms and fitness studios, mainly in Tokyo.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso speaks during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei in August 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Former PM Taro Aso calls Taiwan a ‘country' — much to China's chagrin

Tuesday’s remarks were not the first time Aso has sounded off about Taiwan and how a conflict over the island would represent an emergency for Japan.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya asked his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to provide a proper accounting of the facts in the stabbing death of a schoolboy in China last month during their telephone talks on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2024

Japan still pushing China for explanation over killing of schoolboy

Japan wants an explanation as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
The city of Kyoto boasts historic artifacts and cityscapes that millions are willing to travel thousands of kilometers to see, but such treasures are not cheap to maintain, prompting the city to ask foreign tourists for a helping hand.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 13, 2024

Kyoto partners with e-gift service company to let tourists Donate & Go

The new donation service allows foreign tourists to contribute toward the preservation of cities they visit while receiving a gift in return.
The Taro Nasu gallery in Tokyo, with work by the French artist Benoit Pieron on view.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 10, 2024

In Tokyo, the Taro Nasu gallery focuses on conceptual art

Striving to be unique, the small gallery is bringing attention to artists from around the world whose works have rarely been seen in Japan.
Seven & I had been under pressure from activists and other investors for years to narrow its focus on its crown jewel: 7-Eleven and other convenience stores.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024

Seven & I to embrace 7-Eleven name as it sheds noncore businesses

The plans accelerate restructuring efforts in the face of an unsolicited ¥7 trillion takeover proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard.
The Tomakomai carbon, capture and storage test site in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, in March 2018. The true benefits of carbon removal won’t be realized until we get close to net zero emissions.
COMMENTARY
Oct 10, 2024

Geoengineering can save the planet — if we demystify it

The percentage of Americans who say they trust scientists on the environment has declined to 67% this year from 75% in 2020.
Ishiba addresses the ASEAN-Japan Summit meeting in Laos on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2024

Ishiba keeps low profile as he makes diplomatic debut

The prime minister made pledges to strengthen maritime security and promote decarbonization during his first international trip since taking office.
FEPC Vice Chairman Toshiharu Sasaki (center) holds a news conference after meeting with Aomori Gov. Soichiro Miyashita on Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2024

Aomori Prefecture rejects proposed high-level nuclear waste delivery

The prefecture was asked to accept a small amount of high-level nuclear waste returned from overseas instead of more low-level waste, which had been agreed earlier.
The Specialty Coffee Association of Japan's World Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition runs through Oct. 12 at Tokyo's Big Sight convention center, where Ogawa Coffee Laboratory is one of many companies showing off advances in coffee roasting and brewing.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 11, 2024

On the ground at Japan's biggest coffee conference

The biggest impact the java-centric event will have on most people might be how their local brewers make their lattes and pour-overs in the near future.
Seven & I Holdings essentially unveiled a plan to split in two.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024

Seven & I to split in two to fend off Couche-Tard takeover bid

The big question is if the move will be enough to win over any investors warming to Couche-Tard’s approach.
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.
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.
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.

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly