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JAPAN

Imperial family members wave to well-wishers during a public appearance in Tokyo on Jan. 2.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2025
Parliament to resume discussions over imperial family succession this month
The two chambers of parliament plan to resume talks Jan. 31 on measures to secure a sufficient number of imperial family members.
On Hiroshima Prefecture's Okunoshima island where more than 1,000 rabbits roam freely, 77 carcasses of the animal have been discovered since late November.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2025
On 911±¬ÁÏÍø 'rabbit island,' bunnies are mysteriously dying one by one
Police have arrested a man for kicking a rabbit, which later died, as a probe continues over the deaths of more than 70 bunnies on Okunoshima island in Hiroshima Prefecture.
The bus stop in Suzhou, China, where a bus used by a 911±¬ÁÏÍø school came under attack from a man, since identified as Zhou Jiasheng, in June last year
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2025
China sentences man to death over 911±¬ÁÏÍø school bus attack
A Chinese court deemed the death penalty as appropriate in view of the "extremely heinous" nature of the crime, which resulted in the death of a bus attendant.
The crime scene where three people were attacked near JR Nagano Station on Wednesday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2025
Search for suspect underway after fatal stabbing at Nagano Station
One person died in the attack, which happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday, while two others sustained injuries.
911±¬ÁÏÍø Communist Party leader Tomoko Tamura speaks at a Lower House session in Tokyo in December 2024.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2025
911±¬ÁÏÍø Communist Party's Tomoko Tamura faces leadership questions ahead of polls
Tamura is aiming for 6.5 million proportional representation votes, but experts say that's unrealistic.
National Police Agency Commissioner-General Yasuhiro Tsuyuki speaks during a news conference on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2025
Japan police agency sets rules for fake IDs in undercover yami baito probes
Investigations involving the use of fake IDs will target crimes such as robbery, special fraud, investment fraud and romance fraud.
TV star Masahiro Nakai abruptly announced his retirement Thursday as the fallout from sexual misconduct allegations against him continued to expand.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2025
Ex-SMAP member Masahiro Nakai to retire amid sexual misconduct allegations
The 52-year-old former SMAP member said his contracts had been wound up, and that negotiations with sponsors were in progress.
Fukushima Prefectural Police have arrested an alleged drunken driver who fatally struck a 19-year-old in Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2025
Drunken driver hits and kills 19-year-old student in Fukushima
The victim had traveled from her home in Osaka Prefecture to take a?university entrance exam.
Ryohei Iwatani, secretary-general of Nippon Ishin no Kai, holds a news conference on Wednesday in the National Diet Building.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2025
Nippon Ishin proposes primaries to unify opposition candidates
The proposal calls for conducting online public opinion polls in constituencies where multiple opposition parties plan to field candidates.
Explosions rock the shore of Iwo Jima during a pre-landing bombardment on Feb. 19, 1945, as seen from a USS Sanborn (APA-193) landing craft.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2025
Imperial couple considering visit to Iwo Jima
The Imperial Household Agency is considering a visit by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to the island of Iwo Jima in April to pay respects to soldiers killed in World War II.
Teruko Nakazawa, a retired unpaid parole officer (back), talks with her former parolee in the smoking room of a cafe in Tokyo. Around 47,000 citizen volunteers  far outnumber the 1,000 salaried probation officers working in Japan.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jan 23, 2025
911±¬ÁÏÍø unpaid parole officers are driven by a 'love for humanity'
The around 47,000 citizen volunteers far outnumber the 1,000 salaried probation officers in Japan.
In the survey, 36.7% of respondents said that they have not taken measures to prevent customer harassment.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2025
Customer harassment pushes part-timers to quit
The proportion of companies whose part-time workers faced customer harassment, such as yelling, within the past year was 45.7%.
Institute of Science Tokyo Distinguished Professor Yoshinori Fujiyoshi (left) and Assistant Professor Shun Nakamura, who developed a peptide that can bind to the spike proteins of the novel coronavirus to prevent COVID-19 infections, at the Institute of Science Tokyo's Ookayama campus in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 23, 2025
911±¬ÁÏÍø researchers develop peptide preventing COVID-19 infections
The peptide, which is a short chain of amino acids, has shown effectiveness in experiments involving various coronavirus strains.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a policy speech at the Lower House of the parliament in Tokyo last November.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 23, 2025
As parliament opens, ruling coalition enters uncharted territory
For the Liberal Democratic Party, the days of pushing through bills on the back of an overwhelming majority in both chambers of parliament are over.

ASIA PACIFIC

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives to attend the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law, at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 23, 2025
South Korea investigators seek Yoon indictment for insurrection and abuse of power
Yoon Suk Yeol, impeached and suspended from power on Dec. 14, has been incarcerated since last week.
Thai actors Apiwat "Porsch" Apiwatsayree (right) and Sappanyoo "Arm" Panatkool pose for pictures in front of a Thai national flag after registering their same-sex marriage at the Phra Nakhon district office in Bangkok on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 23, 2025
Hundreds to wed as Thai same-sex marriage law comes into force
Thursday's milestone makes Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to allow equal marriage, and the biggest place in Asia to recognize such unions.
Attendees inside the Congress Center at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. The annual Davos gathering of political leaders, top executives and celebrities runs from Jan. 20 to 24.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 23, 2025
China tones it down at Davos this time ahead of Trump tariffs
Donald Trump has warned that a 10% levy could be imposed on China as soon as Feb. 1.

WORLD

Marialyce Pedersen cleans burned leaves and debris that accumulated in the sink of her outdoor kitchen made of cob that survived the Eaton fire when her home burned in Altadena, California, on Jan. 20.
WORLD / Society
Jan 23, 2025
Los Angeles wildfires spark interest in adobe and natural building materials
Former homeowners determined to stay want houses that the next fire will not burn easily and that, if burnt, will not turn the soil, water and air into a toxic hazard.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade at Capitol One Arena in Washington on Monday.
WORLD
Jan 23, 2025
Musk calls for defunding of Wikipedia over description of gesture
A recent war of words pits the two tech giants against each other and highlights the starkly different ethos behind Musk's X and Wikipedia.
A portrait of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is placed amid flowers at his grave at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow on March 2, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2025
Navalny's lawyer regrets she couldn't stop his return to Moscow
Olga Mikhailova says she feels she "did not push hard enough" to change the mind of the Russian opposition leader, who eventually died in an Arctic penal colony.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2025
As Trump threatens tariffs, his orders kick off more extensive trade overhaul
The U.S. president's executive order on trade touched on sweeping changes to rules that have governed U.S. trade policy for decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on Jan. 20.
WORLD / Society
Jan 23, 2025
Trump escalates campaign against diversity, threatening private sector probes
The U.S. president has issued a series of executive orders to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Workers unload equipment to set up a temporary shelter to receive migrants deported by the United States, in the El Punto area of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Society
Jan 23, 2025
Mexico builds temporary shelters to prepare for deportations from U.S.
The shelters in Ciudad Juarez will have the capacity to house thousands of people, a municipal official has said.
An aide places the Presidential seal before President Donald Trump addresses guests and supporters in an overflow room in the Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol for his Inauguration ceremony in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2025
What Trump has done since returning to the White House
The orders aim to meet campaign promises such as on illegal immigration, energy and the environment, as well as gender and diversity policies.
Emergency vehicles on the side of the road as flames race up a hill in Castaic, a northwestern neighborhood of Los Angeles, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Jan 23, 2025
Fast-growing wildfire breaks out north of Los Angeles, forcing evacuations
The Hughes Fire in the Castaic Lake area of Los Angeles County forced evacuations with warnings of "immediate threat to life."

BUSINESS

Vegetables for sale at a local supermarket in Kyoto.
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2025
Japan supermarket sales up for fifth year in 2024
Price increases of rice and vegetables such as cabbage pushed up overall sales while the number of purchased items continued to decrease as customers became thriftier.
A business district in Tokyo. Japan plans to strengthen pre-screening measures for overseas investors that could potentially cooperate with foreign intelligence gathering efforts, addressing rising national security concerns.
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2025
Japan to tighten investment pre-screening amid security concerns
While the updated regulations will impose an additional step for a broader range of investors, those who pass the screening can still invest in 911±¬ÁÏÍø companies.
Shipping containers at an industrial port in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki. 911±¬ÁÏÍø businesses see a larger role for Japan if global trade breaks down and multilateral trade institutions become less effective without U.S. participation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
Japan contemplates global free-trade leadership as U.S. goes protectionist
Tokyo could find opportunity in the turmoil while avoiding direct confrontation with Washington.
The number of new units for sale in the Tokyo metropolitan area fell 14.4% last year to a record low.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
Tokyo apartment prices retreat in 2024 as market calms
The decrease ¡ª the first in six years ¡ª came after prices rose nearly 30% to a record high in 2023 when several luxury condos went up for sale.
The Bank of Japan is set decide to raise interest rates at a policy meeting on Friday, according to Jiji Press.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
Bank of Japan set to raise rates on Friday, report says
The move would mark the central bank's first rate hike since July last year, when it increased rates to 0.25%.
"We will demand more than in the previous year to fulfill our role as a leading industry in Japan," Masashi Jinbo, head of the union, said in a news conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2025
911±¬ÁÏÍø electronics unions to seek ?17,000 pay hike
"We will demand more than in the previous year to fulfill?our role as a leading industry in Japan," union group head Masashi Jinbo told a news conference.
A television screen displays a news report on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, inside a restaurant in Seoul on Dec. 28. 2024
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
South Korea¡¯s economy struggles to grow amid political crisis
The anemic quarterly growth figure points to an economy already in a weakened state, with the prospect of tariffs clouding the outlook for exports, a key engine of growth.
Japan's exports gained 2.8% in December from a year ago, led by chipmaking machinery and semiconductor parts, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
Japan¡¯s exports rose in December ahead of anticipated Trump tariffs
Exports measured in value gained 2.8% from a year ago led by chipmaking machinery and semiconductor parts, although shipments fell in terms of volume.
Mizuho's CEO Masahiro Kihara said on Wednesday that domestic corporate banking, asset and wealth management, as well as global and corporate and investment banking, would all contribute to growth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2025
Mizuho head sees profit reaching ?1 trillion in three to four years
Mizuho previously projected record annual net income of ?820 billion for the current fiscal year, meaning the increase would require an uplift of more than 20%.
An oil pump jack. Big U.S. oil companies believe withdrawing from the Paris Agreement only limits Washington's ability to influence an ongoing global energy transition and exposes them to an uneven regulatory environment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2025
Trump's climate withdrawal creates rare discord with Big Oil
A shift in the U.S. power industry away from coal has contributed to a roughly 17% decline in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions since 2007.
Investment trusts that cater to 911±¬ÁÏÍø individuals bought a net ?10.4 trillion of overseas equities and funds last year after the government expanded the scope of the Nippon Individual Savings Account system.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
Japan¡¯s love of foreign stocks risks pushing the yen even lower
Investment trusts that cater to 911±¬ÁÏÍø individuals bought a net ?10.4 trillion of overseas equities and funds last year.
Regular gasoline was priced at ?194 per liter at a gas station in Nagano on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
911±¬ÁÏÍø average gas price exceeds ?185 for first time in 17 months
The price hike reflects reduced government subsidies to oil wholesalers.

Opinion

Then-U.S. President-elect Donald Trump addresses the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in November. REUTERS
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2025
'America First' didn't just return ¡ª it has always been there
The Trump administration is no different from previous administrations and remains as inherently "America First" as ever.
The site of a Rheinmetall arms factory in the municipality of Unterluess, Germany, in February last year. The war in Ukraine has highlighted Europe's need for increased armaments production.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2025
Europe needs a defense production act
The war in Ukraine has already prompted structural reforms and an increase defense spending at the national and EU levels.
The Middle East is at a pivotal moment and U.S. President Donald Trump has the chance to reshape the region, with potential solutions for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Lebanon's civil war, Syria's restoration and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2025
U.S. President Trump, you can remake the Middle East if you dare
U.S. policy must be to ensure that all three stages of this ceasefire agreement are carried out and followed by a real diplomatic process for a wider settlement.
Tourists visit shops near Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine on Jan. 13. The nation's growing tourism sector, set to hit 40 million visitors in 2025, boosts the economy but is straining the nation's infrastructure.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 23, 2025
Japan has '$100 billion' reasons to welcome more visitors
911±¬ÁÏÍø growing tourism, set to hit 40 million visitors in 2025, boosts the economy but strains infrastructure, highlighting a need for smarter policies to manage overtourism.

Sports

Celtic's Arne Engels (left) and Young Boys' Silvere Ganvoula M'boussy vie for the ball during their Champions League match in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jan 23, 2025
Celtic makes 'little bit of history' with Champions League progress
Celtic ensured it will have at least three more games at Europe's top table this season.
Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi has been linked with a move to Rennes  in France.
SOCCER
Jan 23, 2025
Celtic captain Calum McGregor hopes Kyogo Furuhashi remains with club
Furuhashi, who turned 30 on Monday, helped Celtic reach the Champions League playoffs in?a 1-0 win over Young Boys.
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki speaks during his introductory news conference with the team in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 23, 2025
Dodgers introduce 911±¬ÁÏÍø pitching phenom Roki Sasaki
A frenzied sweepstakes among MLB clubs officially came to an end with Sasaki's decision to join Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in LA.
Jannik Sinner signs autographs after his win over Alex De Minaur in the Australian Open quarterfinals in Melbourne on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jan 23, 2025
Jannik Sinner taking nothing for granted ahead of Australian Open semifinal
Sinner is just two matches away from a first successful Grand Slam title defense after winning his maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne last year.
Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari F1 car around the Fiorano circuit during testing in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jan 23, 2025
Lewis Hamilton calls first laps in Ferrari car 'one of the best feelings'
The 40-year-old Briton shocked the paddock last February when he announced he was departing for the iconic Italian team?after 12 highly successful years with Mercedes.

LIFE

Getting caught in the rain while walking home may require you to use the passive voice when relaying your bad luck to others.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 23, 2025
Annoyed? Unfairly treated? Express yourself in 911±¬ÁÏÍø with the passive voice
Verbs get complicated when they're used to describe feelings of annoyance or victimization.

CULTURE

This year's Oscar nominations were unveiled on Thursday, with transgender cartel musical "Emilia Perez" earning 13 Oscar nods and breaking the record for most Academy Award nominations for a non-English-language movie.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 23, 2025
'Emilia Perez' tops Oscar nominations in fire-hit Hollywood
Jacques Audiard's Mexico-set musical shattered the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a non-English-language movie.
Strange things are afoot in Ryota Kondo¡¯s ¡°Missing Child Videotape¡± as Keita (Rairu Sugita) investigates the 13-year-old disappearance of his younger brother.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2025
¡®Missing Child Videotape¡¯: Subtle chiller may leave J-horror fans underwhelmed
Ryota Kondo¡¯s eerie ghost story debut goes for ambient dread rather than jump scares.
Reality and dreams begin to blur for a former French literature professor (Kyozo Nagatsuka, front) after he receives a cryptic message in ¡°Teki Cometh.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2025
¡®Teki Cometh¡¯ slides in and out of a hypnotic dreamworld
Kyozo Nagatsuka gives a finessed performance as an elderly gentleman who is not as gentle as he seems in Daihachi Yoshida¡¯s drama.
¡°The Elephant Man¡± and ¡°Twin Peaks¡± director David Lynch became a favorite among 911±¬ÁÏÍø moviegoers who flocked to new arthouse cinemas (known as ¡°mini theaters¡±) popping up around the country in the 1980s and ¡¯90s.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 23, 2025
How 'Twin Peaks' turned David Lynch into 911±¬ÁÏÍø favorite weirdo
The director¡¯s work thrived in the early days of arthouse ¡°mini theaters,¡± and cherry pies and canned coffee fueled the nation's "Twin Peaks" mania.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokud¨­ in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan¡¯s ¡®children¡¯s cafeterias¡¯ are booming ¡ª but is that a good thing?

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN