News

Japan news from Japan Times

• Japan’s parliament enacts bill to tackle social isolation

  The legislation obliges local governments to make efforts to set up regional councils made up of groups offering aid to people suffering from isolation.

• Bill to extend operating period of nuclear plants passes Japan’s Upper House

  The passage of the bill, which extends the operating period to over 60 years, paves the way for an overhaul of the country's nuclear policy.

• Know before you drive: Construction to impact traffic around Haneda Airport

  The operator of the expressway has warned of traffic jams during the two-week period, which started May 27, similar to those typically seen at year-end.

• North Korea says rocket launch failed, but vows to try again soon

  The rocket carrying the country's first military spy satellite failed due to engine problems, state-run media said, after the launch prompted Japan to briefly issue ...

• How are firearms regulated in Japan?

  The country is known for its strict gun-control laws, but recent shootings have prompted some to wonder how stringent they actually are.

• Retired people have lower risk of heart disease, study finds

  The study found that the risk of developing heart disease was 2.2 percentage points lower for retired people than for working people.

• Japan’s 2022 fish catch hit record low amid global warming

  An annual white paper on fisheries said the poor catch is likely to continue in the long term due to rising sea temperatures.

• Japan and China to resume defense officers’ mutual visits after four-year hiatus

  The restart of the mutual visits between the Self-Defense Forces and the People's Liberation Army follows the end of China's strict COVID lockdowns.

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• U.S. military accuses China of ‘aggressive’ encounter over South China Sea

  The U.S. said a Chinese fighter jet had flown directly in front of a U.S. reconnaissance plane — the latest in a series of close ...

• Filipinos press for right to divorce in slow social shift

  Divorce is currently illegal in the Catholic-majority country, while court annulments take years and are increasingly exploited by online scammers.

• China’s young people can’t find jobs. Xi Jinping says to ‘eat bitterness.’

  A record 11.6 million college graduates in China are entering the workforce this year, and 1 in 5 young people are unemployed.

• Taiwan rushes to prevent China from cutting off internet and phones

  Taiwan’s leaders want to accelerate plans to make the island more resilient to communications breakdowns and direct attacks on its digital infrastructure.

• China spurns meeting with U.S. defense chief amid sanctions snag

  China declined a U.S. request for the countries’ defense chiefs to meet this week, following concerns Beijing raised over sanctions Washington imposed on its top ...

• Chinese comedy group’s punishment sends chills through arts sphere

  The swift retribution meted out represents "a sad, new low" in Chinese official tolerance for unorthodox speech under leader Xi Jinping, observers have said.

• Chinese police urge deletion of encrypted messaging apps from children’s devices

  Police in cities across China have issued warnings against kids using encrypted messaging apps such as Telegram and BatChat amid a growing crackdown.

• No glory for bullies: South Korea’s school violence epidemic

  A phenomenon is sweeping the country, with people who were bullied publicly naming and shaming the perpetrators of school violence decades after the alleged crimes.

Culture news from Japan Times

• With ‘Monster,’ Hirokazu Kore-eda makes a welcome return to form

  The Palme d’Or-winning director’s homecoming to Japanese-language cinema is powerful and poignant as it unspools an intimate story about bullying, misunderstandings and family dynamics.

• Does the pure joy seen at this year’s Sanja Matsuri hint at a summer of celebration?

  After scaled-down celebrations became the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of Tokyo's biggest festivals returns in full form.

• Rakugo master and Cambridge professor revive tales from the Edo Period

  The pair have helped to revive the colorful quack doctor Chikusai, who enjoyed great popularity between the 17th and 19th centuries.

• Japan’s versatile veteran Koji Yakusho wins best actor at Cannes

  Meanwhile, this year's best screenplay award at the Cannes festival went to Japanese writer Yuji Sakamoto for "Kaibutsu (Monster)," directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

• ‘Love at Six Thousand Degrees’: Slow burn affair unfurls identity and trauma

  Maki Kashimada's novel, which centers on two strangers whose sexual connection is complemented by their intimate conversations, is a fitting introduction to her work.

• The curious case of Fuminori Nakamura’s genre misalignment

  Little do English-language readers know, the author of "The Rope Artist" and other critically acclaimed books writes on much more than crime.

• Netflix’s answer to finding love in the time of an aging population

  Dating show “Love Village” and its cast of singles 35 years old and above offer the perfect bait to millennial audiences and show that entertainment ...

• Opulence: The international drag show that owns everything

  "Drag Race" stars and Tokyo-based queens set the stage for a spectacle that aims to put Japan’s drag scene on the global map.

Sports news from Japan Times

• Kiribayama is promoted to ozeki and changes ring name to Kirishima

  "I'll train harder than ever to live up to the rank of ozeki," Kirishima said during his promotion ceremony at the Michinoku stable in Tokyo.

• Rugby World Cup ‘timely’ as sport deals with off-field problems

  Issues in the sport over recent months have included clubs in England continuing to experience financial woes and Welsh players threatening to strike over contract ...

• Summer Basho offered excitement and a streamlined experience for sumo fans

  The sport has emerged from three years of pandemic-era restrictions into a rapidly changing landscape that requires better delivery of content and a more attractive ...

• Quiet man Nikola Jokic ready for crowning glory in NBA Finals

  While the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant embrace the 28-year-old Serb as a member of the league's elite, some critics aren't convinced by ...

• Shoki Murakami pitches Tigers past Lions as interleague opens

  Murakami allowed a run on four hits and no walks while striking out nine at Belluna Dome.

• Kaoru Mitoma aims to toughen up for Europe-bound Brighton

  The 26-year-old attacking dynamo played a big role in Brighton achieving its best-ever finish of sixth place.

• Paris Olympics torch relay will involve 10,000 runners

  There will be 10,000 torchbearers to carry the Olympic flame as it passes through some 60 French departments ahead of the 2024 Games, Paris Olympic ...

• Samurai Blue to play Germany in September friendly

  Japan, ranked 20th in the world, and Germany, currently 14th, have played each other three times, resulting in one win apiece and a draw.

Tech news from Japan Times

• Tears of the Kingdom soars thanks to its journey, not its destination

  The latest Zelda release emulates 2017’s Breath of the Wild in many ways, but that doesn’t mean it lives entirely in its shadow.

• ‘Zelda holiday’: Tears of the Kingdom is a blitz of merch and exploration

  The latest entry to the venerable Zelda franchise has bigger shoes to fill than any game in the series before it.

• Why IRL streaming in Japan is ‘not for the faint of heart’

  Privacy concerns and overzealous viewers can wear off the shine of filming in Japan, but many streamers say it's still very much worth it.

• TikTok, Twitter and more now at risk of huge EU fines

  Social media conglomerates could be on the hook for up to 6% of annual sales if they don't adequately police certain types of content.

• New audio platform gives virtual YouTubers the Japanese fan experience

  The VTuber market is booming, and Oshi founder Leni Andronicos wants to help creators build closer relationships with devoted supporters in the spirit of “oshikatsu.”

• Zelda and legal battles show Nintendo’s dueling gaming ‘freedoms’

  Tears of the Kingdom releases in three weeks, but one of Nintendo's biggest targets in the fight against piracy was released from prison first.

• Tokyo gets on board the virtual YouTuber hype train

  The local government's move to recruit Gawr Gura, Mori Calliope and Miko Sakura to help promote tourism speaks to just how big the VTuber industry ...

• Japan’s first AI manga has people asking: Is it machine magic or art menace?

  The creator of "Cyberpunk: Peach John" says he isn't good at drawing, but he didn't let that stop him from illustrating a manga.

American and world news from CNN

• Fulton County, Georgia, jail leadership resigns after inmate's death and accusations of unsanitary conditions

  Three officials at the Fulton County, Georgia, jail have stepped down amid an investigation into the death of an inmate whose family said was housed in a filthy, bug-infested cell that "was not fit for a diseased animal."

• He was free for 2 years. Now Crosley Green is back in prison for a crime he says he didn't commit

  A Florida man who served three decades behind bars for a murder he says he didn't commit returned to prison Monday after spending the past two years building a life outside prison walls.

• Tennessee Air National Guardsman applied to be a hitman online, the FBI says. It was a spoof website and now he's facing charges

  A Tennessee Air National Guardsman is facing charges after applying to be a hitman on a spoof "rent-a-hitman" website, according to the Department of Justice.

• Family of victim and survivors of Indianapolis FedEx mass shooting file lawsuit against gun magazine manufacturer and distributors

  The family of a victim and several survivors of a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis filed a lawsuit against companies involved in the manufacturing, marketing and sale of the high capacity magazine used by the gunman who killed 8 people and injured several others in 2021.

• GOP prepared to block vote to replace Feinstein on Senate Judiciary

  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that he hopes to replace Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee with Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and aims to set up a floor vote on the issue this afternoon, which Republicans are expected to block.

• Anti-abortion doctors urge Supreme Court to keep mifepristone restrictions in place

  A group of doctors opposed to abortion asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to restrict access to a key medication abortion drug while other legal challenges play out, as Wednesday night's deadline for the court to act approaches.

• McCarthy makes plea for Republicans to back debt ceiling plan

  Speaker Kevin McCarthy made a plea to House Republicans during a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning to back his debt ceiling plan, telling them that although it doesn't have to include everything they want, it will help get him to the negotiating table with President Joe Biden.

• Supreme Court seems sympathetic to postal worker who didn't work Sundays in dispute over religious accommodations

  The Supreme Court seemed to side with a former mail carrier, an evangelical Christian, who says the US Postal Service failed to accommodate his request to not work on Sundays.

Singapore news from Today:

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