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Workers install components on a RAV4 hybrid sport utility vehicle at the Toyota manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2024

Toyota boosts spending on EV production in U.S. by $1.3 billion

The automaker said the added spending is earmarked for its first U.S.-made EV and other unspecified battery-powered models.
Japan is the only country with a law requiring married couples to adopt the same surname. In 95% of cases, it is women who take their husband's name.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2024

The land where single surnames are the only option

The business lobby recently joined calls for Japan to accept separate surnames after marriage. What, then, is standing in the way of change? Politics.
U.S. Senators raced on Thursday to revive a sweeping emergency national security aid bill for Ukraine and Israel that has stalled yet again on Capitol Hill amid Republican resistance.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

U.S. Senate votes to start work on Ukraine aid in shock turnaround

The procedural vote to at least consider the bill marked a stunning about-face by Senate Republicans.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (left), South Korea's then-Foreign Minister Park Jin (center) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrive for a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Busan, South Korea, in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Japan, China and South Korea still out of step over summit

Despite their foreign ministers agreeing to convene a meeting of top leaders promptly, no concrete scheduling has emerged.
Michelin guides are published yearly, but there are only a handful of Black chefs whose restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2024

Black chefs are scoring with new Michelin stars; but they deserve more

Michelin stars were recently announced for restaurants in the U.K. and Ireland: The number of Black chefs increased, but the pace is still too slow.
For the first time in 16 years, Taiwan will have a minority government when Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party is sworn in on May 20.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2024

To Taiwan’s president-elect, here is a proposal for your consideration

For the first time in 16 years, Taiwan will have a minority government when Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party is sworn in on May 20.
Police respond after shots were fired at the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory celebration in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 15, 2024

Shooting at Chiefs' Super Bowl parade leaves one dead and 21 injured

Police said an investigation into the motive of the shooting was underway and that three people have been detained.
Shanghai's financial district under heavy rain. China's economy has slowed down, with some pointing to a possible balance sheet recession.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2024

Mr. Xi, only change will help China weather the storm

How does Xi Jinping plan to address China's growing economic woes? Only openness to change will allow the global power to survive these turbulent times.
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a news conference at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris on Friday after signing a bilateral security agreement.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 17, 2024

Bilateral accords offer Ukraine a way to shore up security

New agreements with Germany and France deal with both current military support for Ukraine and its future defense against Russia.
People walk past the Trump Building after a ruling against former U.S. President Donald Trump ordering him to pay $354.9 million and barring him from doing business in New York state for three years, in New York City on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2024

Trump keeps New York empire intact as judge rescinds asset-sale order

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was banned from doing business in New York for three years and ordered to pay $354 million for lying about his wealth.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 19, 2024

North Korea eyes well-worn playbook with Japan summit hints

Pyongyang's offer of repairing ties with Japan may be concealing what may be a more likely motivation — to drive a wedge between Tokyo and its partners.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is flanked by security personnel as he arrives at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan for a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2024

Ukrainian PM cautions of war’s spillover as he looks to tamp down fatigue fears

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal warned in Tokyo that a Russian victory would prompt more conflicts across the globe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2024

Russia may launch nuclear weapon into space this year, U.S. tells allies

Moscow is said to be developing a space-based capability to knock out satellites using a nuclear warhead, in violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Corey Morrison (back center) and Siggy Sauer (front, center) at Asakayama stable. While pathways into ōzumo have become more streamlined in recent years, stables are still remarkably willing to let amateurs show up and train with the superstars of the sport.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 21, 2024

Texan newcomer helps dispel the myth that sumo is a closed world

While pathways into sumo have become more streamlined in recent years, stables are still remarkably willing to let amateurs show up and train superstars.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus spacecraft passes over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on Wednesday.
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Feb 23, 2024

Why it took the U.S. 51 years to get back on the moon

Intuitive Machines has landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon, becoming the first private firm to place a vehicle intact on the lunar surface.
Members of the 31st Separate Mechanized Brigade fire at a Russian target in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on Tuesday. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States and China and their allies are pulling apart, World Trade Organization economists say.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Feb 23, 2024

Global trade rift widening as Ukraine war passes two-year mark

There are clear signs that the global economy is fragmenting into two separate blocs, World Trade Organization economists say.
Demonstrators protest the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin on Feb. 16.
EDITORIALS
Feb 23, 2024

Vladimir Putin must be shown the limits of his power

Navalny’s death deprives Russia of its most thoughtful and powerful opposition to President Vladimir Putin and his criminal clique.
For all of U.S. President Joe Biden’s talk about the sanctions, his team is still unwilling to go after revenue streams that experts argue would really cripple Russia’s economy, for fear of setting off broad shocks that could rebound on the U.S. economy.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2024

U.S. sidesteps riskiest sanctions in latest move against Russia

The U.S. is concerned that the toughest measures left in Washington's arsenal risk roiling the global economy.
Anti-landing barricades on a beach in Kinmen, Taiwan
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 25, 2024

China Coast Guard conducts patrols in waters near Taiwan's Kinmen Islands

The move comes amid rising tensions in the area just 5 kilometers from mainland China following a deadly incident earlier this month.
Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and Republican presidential candidate, speaks at her election night watch party in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 26, 2024

Trump campaign dismisses Haley after South Carolina win

The former president has easily swept all five Republican nominating contests thus far, winning states in the Midwest, Northeast, South and West.
Flags of the Solomon Islands and China near the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing in last July
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 26, 2024

China’s expansive diplomatic network still outstrips that of U.S.

Beijing had a larger footprint last year than Washington in key areas of geopolitical interest including the Pacific, East Asia and Central Asia.
U.S. President Joe Biden announces new provisions in March 2022 requiring the government to buy more made-in-America goods.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2024

Biden doesn’t get why we need the WTO

What do Biden and Trump have in common? Protectionism. As a result, the 13th WTO ministerial conference underway in Abu Dhabi is doomed to fail.
U.S. President Joe Biden walks to board Air Force One for travel to New York from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 27, 2024

Biden hopes for cease-fire in days as talks with Israelis and Hamas progress

The presence of both sides meeting mediators separately but in the same city suggested talks were further along than at any time since February.
The United States has cautioned Pacific Islands nations against assistance from China after reports surfaced that Chinese police are working in Kiribati.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

U.S. cautions after Hawaii neighbor Kiribati gets Chinese police

The news comes as Beijing renews a push to expand security ties in the Pacific Islands in an intensifying rivalry with the United States.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former U.S. President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

U.S. Supreme Court immunity case jeopardizes Trump trial pre-election

Polls indicate a conviction of Trump could undercut the Republican front-runner’s bid to reclaim the White House.
I was skeptical of Lillian Cumic's avocado tempura, but I wound up loving it.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 3, 2024

Vegan or no, ‘Hawaii Washoku’ is a cookbook for all eaters

Chef Lilian Cumic offers creative versions of many of Japan’s most iconic dishes crafted from scratch with pantry staples found in most kitchens.
A tank near the Israel-Gaza border on Saturday
WORLD
Mar 3, 2024

Gaza truce for Ramadan hangs in balance as Hamas seeks plan to end war

A source briefed on the talks said Israel would not send a delegation until it got a full list of hostages who are still alive.
Sean Williams' sled dog team participates in the ceremonial start of the 52nd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 3, 2024

Alaska's 52nd annual Iditarod sled dog race mushes to starting line

The number of competitors this year, 38, represents one of the smallest fields going back to the first year of the race in 1973.
John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate issues, gestures as he attends a news conference in Beijing in July 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 4, 2024

John Kerry bolstered U.S. climate reputation, but trust still elusive

Kerry is credited with restoring U.S. climate ties with China and courting private capital for climate action.
Under the watch of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has expanded state control of strategically critical areas from semiconductor manufacturing to quantum computing.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 5, 2024

China vows to mobilize nation as it fights U.S. for tech supremacy

The central government will increase spending on scientific and technology research by 10% in 2024.

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