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Japan's Koki Kano (right) battles Yannick Borel of France in the gold-medal bout of the men's individual epee at the Paris Olympics on July 28.
OLYMPICS / Fencing
Aug 5, 2024

How a grassroots push helped Japan's fencers become world-beaters

Japan bagged five fencing medals in Paris to put it atop the medal table in the sport, the first time a non-European nation has done so.
Athletes who are part of the Refugee Olympic Team participate in the Parade of Nations on the River Seine during the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on July 26.
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2024

Refugee Olympic Team representing displaced people and making its mark in Paris

The refugee team, which first competed at the 2016 Games, will walk away from the Paris Olympics with one medal and potentially more.
South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik on during an interview in Seoul on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 8, 2024

South Korean nuclear weapons would break U.S. ties, defense chief says

The idea of another term for former U.S. President Donald Trump, who complained about the cost of the U.S. military presence in South Korea, has fueled the debate.
A bulletin board shows the day's highest temperature in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on July 29.
JAPAN / Boiling Point
Aug 8, 2024

From Naha to Nemuro, how Japan’s cities are responding to more heat

Municipalities are reaching for everything from automated misting systems to anime to help cool residents and educate them about the risks of heat.
Researchers have flagged that Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter (now X) in 2022 and is a vocal backer of Donald Trump, appears to be swaying voters by spreading falsehoods on his personal account.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 9, 2024

Musk's misleading election posts viewed 1.2 billion times, study says

Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter (now X) in 2022 for $44 billion, is facing growing scrutiny over his potential influence on voters.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company facility in Phoenix. The tech giant modeled its facility in Phoenix on one at home. But bringing the company's highly complex manufacturing process to America has been a bigger challenge than it expected.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2024

What works in Taiwan doesn’t always work in Arizona, a chipmaking giant learns

Bringing TSMC's highly complex manufacturing process to America has been a bigger challenge than it expected.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (second right) takes part in the inauguration ceremony for the Deep Tech Lab - Quantum in Copenhagen on Sept. 29.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2024

The growing strategic race in emerging technologies

Japan’s security and trading partners are increasingly serious about developing quantum capabilities. Japan has to do more to both keep pace.
The volunteer lifesavers of Nishihama Surf Lifesaving Club never know what's in store at the start of their day.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 19, 2024

It's no simple day at the beach for Japan's volunteer lifesavers

Protecting beachgoers from drowning, heatstroke and possible tsunami, lifesavers are seeking formal recognition for what they do.
A Palestinian man rides a bicycle past a damaged vehicle in which employees from the World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on April 2. The Israeli military said it is conducting a thorough review to understand the circumstances of the "tragic" incident, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2024

U.N. warns of 'unacceptable' level of violence against aid workers

The world body warns that the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip is potentially fueling even higher numbers of such deaths this year.
An image of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is displayed on a screen during a video presentation on the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday.  Trump's campaign earlier this month reported that Iran hacked one of its websites.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 20, 2024

U.S. says Iran cyber operations targeted Trump and Harris campaigns

Iran's mission to the United Nations issued a statement calling the allegations "unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing."
The real barrier to any reasonable peace settlement in the ongoing war is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who remains committed to ensuring that a free and democratic Ukraine does not survive — and he has a long track record of violating treaties.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 22, 2024

How NATO can help end the Ukraine war

Even if Russia and Ukraine reached a peace deal, Vladimir Putin would readily abandon it and re-invade Ukraine at the first opportunity.
A member of the Self-Defense Forces wipes away sweat as he conducts a search and rescue operation at a landslide site caused by heavy rain in Kumano, Hiroshima Prefecture, on July 11, 2018.
ENVIRONMENT / Boiling Point
Aug 29, 2024

Can Japan handle a heat wave and natural disaster at the same time?

Recent typhoons and the Nankai Trough megaquake alert have put the spotlight on how the country would deal with a dual disaster.
Blue Jackets left-winger Johnny Gaudreau skates with the puck during a game against the Canadiens in Montreal in March.
MORE SPORTS / Hockey
Aug 31, 2024

NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother killed in New Jersey crash

Johnny Gaudreau played 11 NHL seasons with the Flames and Blue Jackets and took part in seven All-Star games.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland sits between FBI Director Christopher Wray and Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general, during a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, in Washington on Sept. 4. Federal prosecutors say Russia secretly paid the American company Tenet Media to push pro-Kremlin messages from social media influencers including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 10, 2024

Russia focusing on American social media stars to covertly influence voters

The approach is widely viewed by American security agencies as one of Russia’s preferred tactics this cycle.
New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard competes at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021. A group of more than 50 New Zealand Olympians, doctors and sport administrators has called on the government to review guidelines on transgender athletes in community sports, saying they ignore female athletes' rights and undermine fairness and safety.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 11, 2024

New Zealand Olympians call for review of transgender guidelines

The group says the guidelines ignore female athletes' rights and undermine fairness and safety.
Family members mourn and react next to the coffin of the slain Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei at the Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital (MTRH) funeral home, in Eldoret, Kenya, on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 14, 2024

Uganda buries slain Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei with full military honors

Rebecca Cheptegei suffered burns to 80% of her body after her former boyfriend allegedly doused her in petrol and set her alight.
Sanae Tamura (right), whose guesthouse in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, was damaged by the Jan. 1 earthquake, reopened its doors in April.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 17, 2024

Music continues to play for Noto guesthouse after Jan. 1 earthquake

Tsuchi to Disco, which is run by a 35-year-old dance aficionado, began welcoming visitors again in April after three months of repairs.
A game between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx in Indianapolis earlier this month.
BASKETBALL
Sep 19, 2024

WNBA awards Portland expansion team that will start play in 2026

Portland will be the third expansion franchise the WNBA adds over the next two years with Golden State and Toronto having previously been awarded teams.
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Thursday. The embassy and other organizations have urged swift and resolute actions to protect Japanese citizens in China.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2024

China works to avoid rift with Japan over killing of schoolchild

Beijing is characterizing the murder as a lone act and downplaying the political implications.
Yurin Fujii was among the Japanese athletes to compete at X Games Chiba over the weekend at Makuhari Messe.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 23, 2024

Japan to remain in X Games mix for ‘foreseeable future’

Japanese athletes likely hope the X Games continue to come to Japan, as the event has become special for many.
The Three Mile Island plant made global headlines in 1979 with a partial meltdown at its Unit 2 reactor, the worst nuclear incident in U.S. history.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Sep 25, 2024

U.S. nuclear plants won't power up Big Tech's AI ambitions right away

Plans may be delayed by high regulatory hurdles, potential fuel supply obstacles, and sometimes stiff local and environmental opposition.
Funafuti, Tuvalu’s most populous island, on Sept. 6
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 26, 2024

Tuvalu fights to retain its maritime rights amid climate change inundation

Tuvalu's economic zone is rich in tuna, but few foreign jurisdictions that fish in the Pacific have supported efforts to safeguard its maritime boundaries.
Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike amid the ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2024

In Lebanon, Israel set a trap for Iran and itself

Unable to rescue hostages or eliminate Hamas after nearly a year of war, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu expanded the fight to target Hezbollah and Iran.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves after he was elected as the new head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party during a leadership vote on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024

Fifth time's a charm: Shigeru Ishiba set to be Japan PM after LDP poll win

Ishiba, who has also served as party secretary-general, won the LDP presidential election on Friday, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi in a runoff vote.
Debris from damaged houses and docks are pictured after Tropical Depression Helene hit Keaton Beach, Florida, on Friday.
WORLD
Sep 28, 2024

Dozens dead as Helene cuts destructive path through southeastern U.S.

The storm swamped neighborhoods, triggered mudslides, threatened dams and left more than 3.5 million homes and businesses without power.
Search and Rescue personnel patrol a canal in Keaton Beach, Florida, on Saturday.
WORLD
Sep 30, 2024

Hurricane Helene kills at least 90 in U.S. as homes are washed away

The storm has also damaged water systems, communications and critical transportation routes across the region.
Alex Lucitante, of the indigenous Cofan ethnic group, in Lago Agrio, Sucumbos Province, Amazon region, Ecuador, on Jan. 15, 2023. This small community is famous for having driven mining companies out of their Amazonian territory in northern Ecuador.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Oct 7, 2024

Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of U.N. forum

COP16 organizers have said Indigenous representatives will have input in national action plans
U.S. officials are warning that foreign adversaries are aiming to sow doubt in the Nov. 5 election results to stoke division and undermine trust.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 8, 2024

U.S. expecting foreign actors to question validity of election

Countries would seek to "launder their narratives" through witting and unwitting American voices and stoke divisions in society.
SV League players and Chairman Masaaki Okawa (front, holding a volleyball) during a news conference in Tokyo last month.
MORE SPORTS / Volleyball
Oct 9, 2024

Japan's new volleyball league has big dreams as it gets set to launch

The SV. League replaces the V. League as Japan's top volleyball league and aims to eventually become the best volleyball league in the world.
Capsule hotels were created as a way to deal with the amount of overwork employees tend to do in Japan. Can't commute home? Then spend the night in an tiny, affordable sleeping space.
BUSINESS / Tech / Longform
Oct 12, 2024

Japan wakes up to the market for a proper sleep

After years of sleep deficits and drowsy mornings, a growing number of products and services are being developed to help us rest easier.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?