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Japan news from Japan Times

• 103-year-old remembers Soviet attack right after WWII

  "Since we had been fighting Americans, it was beyond my imagination that Soviets launched an attack on us three days after the end of WWII," Takahashi said.

• Donki operator plans 250 new stores in tourism bet

  The Don Don Donki store operator is aiming to drive tax-free visitor sales and expand in locations of key tourist travel routes.

• Japan watches nervously as Trump ramps up pressure on Zelenskyy

  The U.S. president is pushing the Ukrainian leader to reach a quick peace deal with Russia — an agreement that could have broad ramifications for Japan.

• Trump’s transactional policies threaten global stability

  In Trump’s second term, economic protectionism now overrides strategic consistency, and trade wars are being used as tools of geopolitical leverage.

• Foxconn to operate SoftBank’s Stargate AI server site in Ohio

  SoftBank will supply manufacturing gear to the factory, and a joint venture between the two companies will make AI data center-related equipment.

• Ten ways to force Putin back to the bargaining table

  Clearly, it’s going to take "severe measures," to use Trump’s own words, to get Moscow not just to sit at the bargaining table but stay for dinner.

• The AI building boom is bound to bust

  For now, the boom has room to run. The introduction of artificial intelligence into the workplace and society will match the rollout of electricity and the internet.

• JETRO struggles to expand scallop supply chain in U.S.

  Steep tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump left prospects for the project uncertain, apparently making businesses reluctant to invest in it.

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• Military court finds New Zealand soldier guilty of attempted espionage

  The soldier was caught offering to pass military base maps and photographs to an undercover officer posing as an agent for a third country.

• Women-only communities flourish in China

  A growing number of co-living spaces in the country are providing their exclusive clientele with a haven from social pressures and male judgment.

• Hong Kong democrat Jimmy Lai given heart monitor for final stretch of marathon trial

  Lai's lawyer told the court last Friday that Lai had some episodes where he felt that he was collapsing and had heart "palpitations."

• Flash floods kill hundreds in northwest Pakistan district after rare cloudburst

  Officials say global warming has changed the pattern of the annual monsoon, pushing it around 100 kilometers west of its normal path.

• Hong Kong democracy activist Hui granted asylum in Australia

  The granting of protection visas to him, his wife, children and parents came more than four years after he left the city to evade national security charges.

• Trump says Xi told him he wouldn’t invade Taiwan while U.S. leader is in office

  But the U.S. president said Xi had also delivered an implicit warning about Taiwan’s future, telling him that he is “very patient, and China is very patient.”

• Pakistan rescuers recover bodies after monsoon rains kill 340

  Flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains across northern Pakistan killed at least 340 people in the past 48 hours, authorities said.

• Online cockfighting thrives in Philippines despite ban and murders

  Authorities estimate cockfight bettors are fueling an industry that generates millions of dollars in revenue each week.

Culture news from Japan Times

• Sho Miyake's 'Tabi to Hibi' wins top prize at Locarno Film Festival

  This is the first Japanese movie to receive the award since 2007, when "Ai no Yokan" ("The Rebirth"), directed by Masahito Kobayashi, was given the prize.

• Atsushi Kitagawara’s exhibition finds poetry in architecture

  Award-winning architect Kitagawara's work is displayed at the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection museum he designed, making it both a venue and a centerpiece of the exhibition.

• Osaka Asian Film Festival gets an expo boost

  In a rare double bill, the Osaka Asian Film Festival will stage a special summer edition to make the most out of interest in the ongoing world's fair.

• Samansa bets on commuter cinema

  As attention spans get shorter, a Japanese startup is banking on short films as easily digestible entertainment.

• ‘Yukikaze’ turns fabled warship into floating snoozefest

  The story of a “lucky” Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer that survived World War II is given a lightly fictionalized treatment in Toshihisa Yamada's first feature.

• The early bird gets the bangers at this year’s Summer Sonic

  This year’s festival makes its biggest moves before noon, with Japan’s top acts and K-pop stars commanding early slots.

• ‘Natasha’ distills global zeitgeist on the opera stage

  An original work commissioned by the New National Theatre, Tokyo, “Natasha” is a multilingual opera with a multinational cast from Japan, Germany and Belgium.

• Futuristic mermaid tale ‘ChaO’ makes a splash

  Yasuhiro Aoki’s feature film debut reimagines “The Little Mermaid” in vibrant detail.

Sports news from Japan Times

• Candidates preparing to make final pitches for Sawamura Award

  The prize’s committee did not deem anyone worthy last year and simply did not name a winner.

• Bengals entertaining trade offers for Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson

  Hendrickson, who is slated to make $15.8 million in base salary in 2025, has been seeking a new deal.

• Akie Iwai wins Portland Classic to join twin sister Chisato as LPGA winner

  Akie Iwai became the 10th first-time LPGA winner this season and the fifth Japanese player to triumph.

• Scottie Scheffler hits amazing shot to hold off Robert MacIntyre at BMW Championship

  Scheffler, this year's British Open and PGA Championship winner, became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2006-07 to win five or more times in back-to-back seasons.

• Ritsu Doan strikes twice in debut with Eintracht Frankfurt in German Cup win

  Doan, who joined Frankfurt from Bundesliga rival Freiburg in the summer, scored in each half.

• Arsenal edges Manchester United at Old Trafford in season opener

  The Gunners were far from impressive at Old Trafford but earned a huge three points thanks to a glaring error from United's stand-in goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

• Top MLB prospect Rintaro Sasaki is committed to doing it 'the hard way'

  The Stanford slugger could have taken an easier path with a quicker payday. Instead he's determined to blaze his own unique trail to the top of the sport.

• Alcaraz to face defending champ Sinner in Cincinnati ATP final

  Defending champion Sinner ruthlessly subdued 136th-ranked qualifier Terence Atmane, while Spanish second seed Alcaraz defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev.

Life news from Japan Times

• From a piquant paste to a crisp crust, sesame shines in many forms

  Packed with historical nuggets and inspirational recipes, Rachel Simons' debut cookbook offers a rich, entertaining dive into the Japanese kitchen staple.

• In preserving Japanese hospitality, ‘details are everything’

  As part of a new UNESCO initiative, the elite Relais & Chateau hospitality group will empower its Japan-based members to preserve the country’s “omotenashi” culture.

• A seaside hotel built on competitive Japanese cycling

  Naoshima is known for art, but this coastal hotel in Tamano, Okayama Prefecture, focuses on Japan’s competitive cycling scene.

• In Paris, chefs Chizuko Kimura and Kei Kobayashi make their mark

  One is the world’s first Michelin-starred female sushi chef, while the other is France’s only three-Michelin-starred Japanese chef.

• Reading the Japanese clock: Are times a-changin'?

  Learn how the Japanese tell time — from zero o’clock to 27 o’clock, and why 10 minutes "before" isn’t always clear.

• In a coffee-mad neighborhood, a gin distillery is a clear alternative

  Located in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Fukagawa Distillery wants residents to “think of gin as their local drink."

• A walk through Kokura, the city spared nuclear destruction

  Now part of the industrial sprawl of Kitakyushu, the city was originally meant to suffer the destruction that would eventually befall Nagasaki to the south.

• At Himawari Shokudo 2, Italian food with a Japanese soul

  Punching above its own weight, the intimate restaurant is one of the growing number of quality establishments that are helping to cement Toyama's status as a dining destination.

 

 Singapore news from Today:

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