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US

Protesters rally in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government building in Naha on Thursday following recent revelations of sexual abuse cases involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 5, 2024
Info-sharing on U.S. soldiers' crimes to improve, Kamikawa says
The central government will also strengthen measures to prevent U.S. servicemen from committing sex crimes in Japan, the foreign minister said.
Despite her consistently low approval ratings, a recent poll showed Vice President Kamala Harris to be as formidable an opponent to Donald Trump as U.S. President Joe Biden. In a hypothetical matchup, Trump led Harris by a single percentage point, 43% to 42%.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 5, 2024
Trump allies intensify attacks on Kamala Harris as Biden replacement talk builds
They have little to lose by attacking the vice president now, so that if Harris does emerge as the nominee, she might do so in a weakened state.
The sun sets over Gaza on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 5, 2024
Truce talks between Israel and Hamas advance, U.S. official says
The movement was significant enough that Israel is sending a delegation to negotiate in Qatar, the U.S. official said.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a barbecue with active-duty military service members and their families on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 5, 2024
Biden tries to ease fitness concerns as Democrats debate his future
A shaky showing at the debate on June 27 has sparked questions about U.S. President Joe Biden's mental and physical fitness for the job.
Russia isn’t a theocracy but Orthodox Christianity, the state religion, has become all-encompassing, with President Vladimir Putin claiming to have a divine mission.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2024
The demigods of populism
By claiming to represent the will of the divine, populist leaders like Putin, Modi, Erdogan — and even Trump — stake an otherworldly claim to political power.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump has some immunity from election interference charges, though most of the charges are likely to stand.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2024
Hold up, Trump is still in serious legal trouble
Most of the election interference case against Trump stems from 'unofficial' acts not shielded from prosecution by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
The weakness of the yen is posing a big problem for small and midsize businesses. As for desired exchange rates, 69.5% said they want the yen trading between ¥110 and ¥135 to the dollar.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2024
Weak yen inflicts major damage to small and midsize businesses, survey says
While some larger, export driven companies have benefited from the weak currency, smaller firms are struggling to adjust.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, during an interview in Kyiv on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2024
Zelenskyy challenges Trump to reveal plans for ending war
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has boasted that if he wins the election, he’ll end the Ukraine-Russia war by the time he’s inaugurated in January.
U.S. Air Force F-35A fighter jets will be deployed at Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2024
U.S. to upgrade Japan-based military aircraft
The U.S. Defense Department will spend over $10 billion to upgrade tactical military aircraft deployed in Japan over the next several years.
U.S. President Joe Biden has seen Republican Donald Trump take a lead of six points, according to two prominent national polls, intensifying pressure on the beleaguered Democratic incumbent to drop out of the presidential race.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 4, 2024
Biden struggles to contain mounting pressure to drop out of race
Numerous Democratic lawmakers are contemplating signing a letter urging Biden to withdraw from the race, according to a senior party official.
If Joe Biden doesn’t let another, better suited candidate run against Donald Trump, he will undo decades of public service.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 3, 2024
Will Joe Biden go and spoil it all?
Like former presidential candidate Ralph Nader before him, Biden shouldn't stand in the way of the Democrats winning the election and should let another candidate run.
The right-wing slogan “Make Europe Great Again” — a play on Donald Trump’s campaign slogan — is gaining prominence in European politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2024
‘Make Europe Great Again’ is becoming 'MEGA.' Should Japan worry?
The right-wing "Make Europe Great Again" movement is gaining traction, but Japan shouldn't put it in the same box as its more problematic cousin, MAGA, in the U.S.
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo last Friday ended what was known as Chevron deference, a legal doctrine holding that courts should defer to the technical expertise of agency staff in interpreting unclear laws.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 3, 2024
Supreme Court gives Trump ‘sword’ to slash Biden’s climate rules
Its ruling last Friday ended a legal doctrine holding that courts should defer to the technical expertise of federal agency staff in interpreting unclear laws.
Nearly 90% of Japanese high schoolers who responded to a survey said their hobbies and interests had grown thanks to social media, with 55.9% also saying they now have a greater interest in society as well.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 3, 2024
Japanese high schoolers use social media mostly for hobbies, survey finds
Nearly 1 in 2 also make friends online, and many of them go on to meet up in person.
Several examples of rare and expensive fruits at Melissa’s Produce in Los Angeles on May 22.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2024
The world of luxury fruit: Does a $156 melon taste sweeter?
The United States is developing an appetite for luxury fruits long known in countries like Japan and South Korea.
People protest in Tokyo on Tuesday against sexual abuse cases by U.S. servicemen stationed in Okinawa Prefecture and the fact that the central government failed to quickly inform local officials of the cases.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2024
More sexual offense cases disclosed involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa
The three other cases occurred in February and August last year and in January this year, with all of them being dismissed.
U.S. President Joe Biden departs after delivering remarks at the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2024
Who could replace Biden if he withdraws from race?
While the possibility of his withdrawal remains unlikely, here is a look at the names being circulated.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets agency employees after a press conference on extreme weather at the D.C. Emergency Operations Center in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2024
Biden to meet with governors and sit for an interview to calm backlash
The hope is to counter brewing discontent among leading Democratic donors, aides and elected officials over U.S. President Joe Biden's debate performance.
U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office in Washington. The idea that the U.S.-China hotline can bridge communication gaps during crises rings hollow.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2024
If a phone rings in a forest and no one answers, is it a hotline?
Hotlines allow states to talk in crisis situations. But China often doesn't pick up when the U.S. calls, raising doubts about the utility of the communications link.
A city street in Kyoto crowded with tourists in April. American tourists headed for Japan have surged this year, according to data from the International Trade Administration.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2024
More American tourists head to Japan as battered yen beckons
Airlines are also moving in tandem with this trend, adding 9% more seats between the United States and Japan in the three months through August.

Longform

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