News

Japan news from Japan Times

• NATO presses to keep Trump on board, but is he hobbling alliance?

  As the Trump administration savages Europe, undercuts Kyiv and warms to Russia, there is fear that even if the alliance is salvaged, it runs the risk of being hollowed out.

• Chinese military practices striking key Taiwan ports and energy facilities

  Beijing carried out "long-range live-fire drills" in the East China Sea on Wednesday as it held a second consecutive day of exercises around Taiwan.

• Japan has some cards to play in trade war with the United States 

  It could offer voluntary restraints on exports, or it could offer to buy more from the U.S. in order to reduce the trade surplus with that country.

• Sumo’s 'Big 12' are an eclectic group

  Only a dozen rikishi now active have lifted the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of a tournament.

• A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers

  Syndicates are increasingly targeting middle- to upper-class individuals from across the world through something as harmless as online video games.

• More than 1,000 ex-rugby players join concussion lawsuit: legal firm

  "The claimants are suffering with a range of life-altering neurological conditions," said Rylands Garth.

• U.S. tariffs could have big impact on global trade, BOJ chief says

  Gov. Kazuo Ueda also underlined the potential of such tariffs affecting households and business sentiment, which would go on to influence overall spending.

• A May BOJ hike would be too early given tariffs and wages, DPP says

  Most economists see the next increase in borrowing costs coming in June or July, but many have said a May hike is possible.

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• Chinese military practices striking key Taiwan ports and energy facilities

  Beijing carried out "long-range live-fire drills" in the East China Sea on Wednesday as it held a second consecutive day of exercises around Taiwan.

• Scores hospitalized after huge fire at gas pipeline in Malaysia

  Authorities said the blaze in the town of Puchong, on the outskirts of the capital Kuala Lumpur, had been extinguished by midafternoon.

• U.N. urges aid to Myanmar quake survivors before monsoons hit as death toll nears 3,000

  A civil war in Myanmar had already displaced more than 3 million people long before the quake struck.

• China conducts joint military exercises aimed at blockading Taiwan

  The Chinese drills were practicing closing in on the island, with Beijing also warning that efforts toward Taiwan independence meant “war.”

• Deadly quake gives junta a chance to tighten hold over Myanmar

  Even as the damage of Friday’s quake was still being assessed, pro-democracy rebel groups reported fresh airstrikes in areas close to the epicenter.

• U.S. sanctions six Chinese and Hong Kong officials for rights abuses

  The move is the Trump administration's first major move to punish Beijing over its crackdown on the city.

• South Korea to rule on President Yoon’s impeachment on Friday

  If the impeachment is upheld, then Yoon will immediately lose power and an election to replace him will be held within 60 days.

• Trump says his administration is in 'communication' with North Korea's Kim

  “There is communication,” the U.S. president told reporters at the White House when asked if he would once again engage with the North Korean strongman.

Culture news from Japan Times

• Nintendo announces Legend of Zelda film for 2027

  Nintendo made the announcement on "Nintendo Today!", a new app for fans that was launched on Thursday.

• Yuki Tejima's metamorphosis from bookworm to literary translator

  An Instagram “bookfluencer” and professional translator for over 10 years, Tejima’s love of books was, strangely enough, a hurdle to working in literary translation.

• Cherry blossom-themed art to see this weekend in Tokyo

  With the cherry blossoms’ ephemeral beauty immortalized in art and literature for centuries, there's plenty of artworks to gaze upon on rainy days.

• Rise and shine with ‘The Wakey Show’

  Broadcaster NHK's first new daily children’s show in years puts puppets and positivity up front.

• ‘Ravens’: Tadanobu Asano plays troubled photographer with scapegrace charm

  Mark Gill’s visually lush film subverts the realism of Masahisa Fukase’s life story by introducing a human-sized raven as an imagined antagonist.

• ‘Boy’: An ambitious portrait of alienated youth

  Director Yuji Dan brings a decades-old project to a close with his portrayal of a young man coming of age amid turmoil in the late 1990s.

• 'One Hundred Flowers': A moving exploration of loss, love and living with dementia

  Author Genki Kawamura drew inspiration from his grandmother's experiences to thoughtfully portray a woman suffering from dementia in his novel.

• Osaka’s kabuki fan culture fueled an elusive figure of the ukiyo-e scene

  In his new book, John Fiorillo partly lifts the veil on Shunbaisai Hokuei, who dominated the ukiyo-e art world in the Kamigata region during the early 19th century. 

Sports news from Japan Times

• Sumo’s 'Big 12' are an eclectic group

  Only a dozen rikishi now active have lifted the Emperor’s Cup on the final day of a tournament.

• More than 1,000 ex-rugby players join concussion lawsuit: legal firm

  "The claimants are suffering with a range of life-altering neurological conditions," said Rylands Garth.

• Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth

  Forest are within touching distance of reaching the Champions League for the first time since 1980-81.

• Haaland sidelined by injury in major Man City blow

  The Premier League champions did not provide a timescale for Haaland's return.

• Kasatkina looks ahead to new chapter under Australian flag

  Kasatkina, who was born in the western Russian city of Tolyatti, has not returned to the country in more than two years after coming out as gay.

• No longer a 'bridesmaid': Yuki Tsunoda prepares for the Red Bull pressure cooker

  New Red Bull driver Tsunoda tells The Japan Times he started to believe that a promotion to the senior team might never come — until it did.

• NFL comeback star Damar Hamlin shares life-saving message in Tokyo

  Hamlin’s comeback is bigger than football. It is also a vehicle for him to do something he has done his entire life — help others.

• Wrexham reaps financial rewards of Hollywood tie-up

  The club, which plays in the third tier of the English game, said it generated more than half of its record turnover from outside Europe, primarily North America.

Life news from Japan Times

• The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan

  A growing industry quietly erases the final traces of those who die alone, exposing deep societal fractures.

• The cold complexity of 'pure' Japanese cocktail ice

  To some Japanese bartenders, the secret to a great cocktail lies not just in the mixologist's skills but also the quality of the ice.

• Feast your eyes on 'The Complete Illustrated Guide to Japanese Cooking'

  In “The Complete Illustrated Guide to Japanese Cooking,” Sachiyo Harada has put together an uncomplicated book that appeals to both home cooks and seasoned chefs.

• Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air

  Linking mountainous Matsumoto and coastal Kanazawa, this clunkily named route includes nonetheless fantastic sites.

• 'Better than real life': In China, virtual boyfriends are emotional aids

  For many, virtual companions offer more than entertainment — they provide emotional fulfilment.

• Michelin awards stars to 172 restaurants in Kyoto and Osaka

  Ten restaurants join the two-starred rank, while Milpa earns Japan’s first-ever star for Mexican cuisine.

• New York's Brooklyn Kura becomes first U.S. sake exporter to Japan

  The brewer’s initial exports are “relatively small,” but it hopes drinkers in Japan are "open to trying" American-made sake.

• Attempting the classics: The world of <em>waka</em> poetry

  The origins of this poetry style stretch back to at least the seventh century, when one of the emperor's wives composed it at court ceremonies.

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