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Managing India's regional tensions will be critical for the nation's future, as demographic shifts and economic disparities threaten to exacerbate existing divides.
COMMENTARY / World
May 23, 2024

Hindu-Muslim split isn’t India’s most dangerous divide

If the long-established consensus around states’ rights continues to erode, India will be in real trouble.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at a campaign rally for his Bharatiya Janata party in Chandrapur, India, on April 8.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 24, 2024

Modi’s 400-seat dream in doubt as India opposition gains steam

Party insiders, opposition members and analysts who have traveled across India to speak to voters say there’s little evidence of a "Modi wave.”
Yasuke, a historical Black samurai, will star in the newly announced Assassin's Creed Shadows — a choice that has riled some critics online.
LIFE / Digital
May 25, 2024

Gaming's latest culture war targets Yasuke, Japan's Black samurai

For a vocal minority of gamers, a Black protagonist of a game set in feudal Japan was a call to war.
In the digital age, it will get harder for institutions such a the British Museum to keep looted cultural possessions as communities in Africa and elsewhere learn about what was taken from them.
COMMENTARY / World
May 24, 2024

How are museums still justifying keeping stolen artifacts?

As much as 90% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural artifacts are outside of the continent, according to a 2018 report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron.
To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2024

The authoritarians have the momentum

To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet in Beijing on May 16.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2024

The fragile fraternity of China and Russia

Putin’s Mao-like bid for a full-fledged military alliance with China, including commitments to mutual defense, also seems to have failed.
A peace rally on Constitution Memorial Day in Tokyo on May 3. Japan’s identity as a pacifist nation is shifting as the government strengthens its military, but many don’t agree with the policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2024

Government and society are at odds on national security

Tokyo posits itself as a mutual defense ally of the U.S., but polls show that while the public wants a stronger military, changes should align with the peace Constitution.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. While some view artificial intelligence’s increasing integration into journalism as necessary, there are concerns about the ethics of such arrangements.
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2024

OpenAI is making journalism an offer it can’t refuse

While some view AI’s increasing integration into journalism as necessary, there are concerns about the ethics and transparency of such arrangements.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak inspects troops at a military base in North Yorkshire, Britain, on May 3. Sunak is making the question of protecting Britain and navigating dangerous geopolitical conditions central themes of his election campaign.
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2024

War is at the heart of the U.K.’s summer election

British Prime Minister Sunak is nevertheless right to inject defense into the heart of the election campaign.
Some experts are concerned about the potential for worldwide conflict within the next few years as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are likely preparing for major confrontation.
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2024

Echoes of 1962, the Berlin crisis and a world teetering on war

There is the potential for worldwide conflict within the next three years as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are likely preparing for major confrontation.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a rally on London’s Waterloo Bridge on May 11. The current protests have many similarities to the student uprisings of the late 1960s, only the latter envisioned a new political movement to ameliorate the ills of their time.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2024

Echoes of despair amid global outrage over Gaza conflict

Everyone knows that the situation in Gaza is unacceptable. But a great deal of energy has been devoted to postponing the kind of intervention that the crisis requires.
Anti-Donald Trump protesters celebrate outside the Manhattan Criminal Court where the former U.S. president was convicted Thursday in a criminal trial.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2024

Trump fought the law and the law finally won

Trump, a presidential candidate who is now a convicted felon, still faces a sentencing hearing on July 11.
In “A Gentleman from Japan,” Thomas Lockley lays out the history of English exploration around the globe during the 16th century, delving into the life of the first recorded Japanese person to set foot in the United Kingdom, the United States and South America.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 2, 2024

'A Gentleman from Japan': A journey of firsts in the age of exploration

Written in fast, novelistic prose, Thomas Lockley uses the thread of one Japanese man’s experience to guide his readers into a complex world of suspicion and danger.
Pedestrians holding umbrellas during a downpour in Tokyo in June 2023
JAPAN / Science & Health / OUR PLANET
Jun 2, 2024

The growing link between extreme rain and respiratory health in Japan

Researchers have found a strong association between respiratory mortality and severe downpours of the kind being made worse by climate change.
A supporter of former President Donald Trump protests in Palm Beach, Florida, after the guilty verdict over falsifying business records was announced on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2024

Why Republicans go crawling back to Donald Trump

Donald Trump has been convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. But this is unlikely to make much difference to the Republican Party. Not only is he still the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee; Republicans have repeatedly proved perfectly willing to forgive his indiscretions,...
An earthquake-damaged area in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in May 2023. The Noto Peninsula has been experiencing an ongoing “seismic swarm” since late 2020.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Jun 3, 2024

How rain and snow play a role in Noto’s ‘seismic swarm’

The seismic activity in the region is synchronized with changes in underground pressure, which is influenced by seasonal patterns of precipitation.
Today's leaders need to balance national security measures with global cooperation to prevent the unraveling of the world's economy.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2024

The global economy is more fragile than it seems

Today's leaders need to balance national security measures with global cooperation to prevent the unraveling of the world's economy.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which polices deceptive advertising practices, saw a jump in complaints over the past year about ads that either used AI or claimed to use it to lure people into scams.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2024

AI scam complaints are just the tip of the iceberg

The U.S. FTC, which polices deceptive advertising practices, saw a jump in complaints over the past year about ads using AI to lure people into scams.
Nippon Television Network in Tokyo.The publisher of manga series "Sexy Tanaka-san" has criticized Nippon Television Network for its alleged "insincere" attitude over the television drama adaptation of the manga.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 4, 2024

Publisher raps Nippon TV over 'Sexy Tanaka-san' adaptation

Distrustful of the scriptwriter on the Nippon TV side via Shogakukan, Ashihara wrote the last two episodes of the series herself.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (left) meet aboard the USS Ronald Reagan super carrier on the sideline of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force’s International Fleet Review near Tokyo in November 2022. Under a new agreement, U.S. warships will be able to undergo repairs in Japanese commercial shipyard.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 4, 2024

Ambassador Emanuel can deepen Japan-U.S. defense cooperation

Infrastructure, logistics and sustainment should certainly be atop the list of DICAS initiatives.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin leaves a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 4, 2024

China is winning the communications competition

It's a mistake for the U.S. to take for granted that the world sees it as “the good guy” in its competition with China.
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.
Kenji Iikura (right), head chef at Akasaka Tantei, and manager Hibiki Kitazawa pose with Okinawan cuisine served at the restaurant in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jun 17, 2024

How a Michelin-star Okinawan restaurant made a V-shaped recovery

A return to its roots — and Okinawan flavors — struck a chord with new and returning customers.
The policies of just-reelected Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reflect India's desire for independence in international affairs, emphasizing friendship without dependence.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2024

A resurgent India to play a bigger role on the world stage

With a busy foreign-policy agenda awaiting him, Modi is expected to hit the ground running right after he is sworn in.
Farm labourers, with their faces covered for protection from heat, work in a field on a hot day in Karnal, India, on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT
Jun 7, 2024

Everyone you know will eventually be highly vulnerable to extreme heat

Intense heat waves in recent years offer a stark warning of what’s at stake for humanity and particularly the vulnerable elderly population.
Myo Kyaw Kyaw, 38, a member of Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority who is seeking refugee status in Japan, speaks during an interview on May 29.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 9, 2024

Japan's revised immigration law sparks deportation worries

The revised immigration law allows the deportation of individuals who have applied for refugee status three times even while their applications are being processed.
This screenshot taken from Niconico's website says that the video-sharing service is under a large-scale cyber attack, and as a result, it has temporarily suspended its services.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2024

Japan video-sharing site Niconico hit by cyberattack

In addition to Niconico, its parent company Kadokawa's official website and its e-commerce site, ebten, were also affected by possible unauthorized access.
The Asia Peace March is held in observance of Human Rights Day in Tokyo in December 2021. This year, as Japan sits on key U.N. bodies, the government can show leadership in tackling human rights issues in Asia.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 7, 2024

Japan can aid in preventing human rights slide in Asia

As a stable democracy and big development donor, Japan should lead in tackling human rights abuses in countries like China, North Korea and Myanmar, and across Asia.
African National Congress President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives ahead of the National Executive Committee meeting in Johannesburg last Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 11, 2024

South African parties straddle opposing visions to build unity government

Efforts to form a broad-based unity government are set to test Nelson Mandela's 1994 aspiration for a "rainbow nation at peace with itself."
From behind his desk in a Tokyo office, Hideki (Arata Iura) yearns for something more in life, but he is not prepared for the culture shock of life on a Montana ranch in “Tokyo Cowboy.”
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 13, 2024

‘Tokyo Cowboy’ strikes balance between cross-cultural comedy and fish-out-of-water tale

From behind his desk in a Tokyo office, Hideki yearns for something more in life, but he is not prepared for the culture shock of life on a Montana ranch.

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