News

Japan news from Japan Times

• Tokyo prosecutors arrest former Olympic committee executive and ex-Aoki chairman

  Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, a former senior managing director of ad giant Dentsu and a powerful figure in sports circles, allegedly received ¥51 million from the ...

• Japan and Britain in talks on joint fighter jet development

  The Defense Ministry aims to integrate plans for a successor to the Air Self-Defense Force's F-2 fighter jet with those of an aircraft currently under ...

• Japan and China arranging high-level talks amid Taiwan tension

  During the envisioned meeting, Tokyo is likely to convey its concern over the drills Beijing conducted near Taiwan earlier this month.

• COVID-19 tracker: Japan cases rise back above 200,000 as 15 prefectures set records

  A total of 286 deaths were reported nationwide, including 35 in Osaka and 25 in Tokyo.

• Japan to study ways to support young children from socially isolated families

  Children 5 and under who aren’t enrolled in pre-schools can sometimes be targets of neglect and abuse by parents, particularly if they are isolated in ...

• Japan set to permit online sales of COVID-19 test kits

  The move is aimed at reducing the number of people visiting so-called fever clinics in order to be tested and comes amid the nation's largest ...

• Number of suicides in Japan increased 8,000 due to pandemic, study finds

  Women in their 20s saw the largest rise, but women age 19 or younger also saw a significant increase.

• LDP policy chief visited Unification Church-linked facility

  Seven members of the new Cabinet have been found to have had links with the church, including by participating in events or paying fees.

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• North Korea fires two cruise missiles as U.S. and South Korea prepare for military drills

  The move comes after leader Kim Jong Un declared victory in his country’s battle against COVID-19, a pronouncement that could clear a path to more ...

• Sri Lanka faces looming food crisis with stunted rice crop

  Across rice farms on this Indian Ocean island, a bleak picture is emerging that the summer harvest could be as low as half that of ...

• Troops, noodles and familial love: China lays out its ideal Taiwan

  Alongside its flashy display of power, China has been laying out its most forceful vision — political, economic, cultural — of a unified future.

• Congress forces Biden toward risky face-off with China over Taiwan

  More hawkish moves by Congress could leave the U.S. president with a choice of whether he would rather look weak in Washington or in Beijing.

• Xi crackdown foils Shanghai-like COVID unrest in Xinjiang and Tibet

  Broad surveillance measures used over the years against Tibetan Buddhists and mainly Muslim Uyghurs, both minority groups in China, are helping enforce lockdown rules.

• Japanese photographer blows whistle on treatment of ‘comfort women’

  The 51-year-old photographer from Japan finds himself at the center of a current scandal about the treatment of the women, more than three-quarters of a ...

• China’s Taiwan drills accompanied by wave of misinformation

  As millions watched a Weibo livestream of a flight-tracking site showing Pelosi's flight landing in Taiwan, unsubstantiated claims emerged that her plane was forced to ...

• China stages more drills near Taiwan as U.S. lawmakers visit

  The de facto U.S. Embassy in Taipei said the delegation is being led by Senator Ed Markey, who is being accompanied by four House lawmakers.

Culture news from Japan Times

• Latest chapter of Agent Orange film series unmasks Vietnam’s hidden pain

  Masako Sakata's "Long Time Passing," to be released later this month in Tokyo, highlights how the interests of government are put ahead of humanity in ...

• ‘Just Enough’ offers ideas for a modern crisis

  Azby Brown's comprehensive survey of Japan during the Edo Period serves up lessons that could aid in efforts to promote sustainability as the climate crisis ...

• ‘Bullet Train’ star Hiroyuki Sanada lays down his sword for Shohei Ohtani and 10,000 steps

  The Japanese actor tells why sunsets, fishing and the perfect meal of oysters and wine keep him contented.

• Expect a spectacle at this year’s Summer Sonic

  The summer music festival held concurrently in Tokyo and Osaka will roll out a roster loaded with overseas acts and a strong showing of rock ...

• A new life is born from a lie in Emi Yagi’s ‘Diary of a Void’

  Emi Yagi's debut novel, which won the prestigious Osamu Dazai Prize in 2020, offers a penetrating look at the pressures of Japan's work culture and ...

• Perfume looks to the future with kindness

  The pop group taps into the nostalgic sounds of city pop and melancholic views of the present in its seventh full-length album, “Plasma.”

• ‘Tang’: The future is bright, bland and low on surprises

  Kazunari Ninomiya and his CGI co-star are full of pep, but Takahiro Miki’s “Tang” is not.

• Olivia Newton-John, sweet-voiced pop singer and ‘Grease’ star, dies at 73

  She began her career as an innocent purveyor of middle-of-the-road pop but later adopted a bad-girl persona.

Sports news from Japan Times

• Kohei Arihara takes loss in MLB return for Rangers

  The 30-year-old starting pitcher struck out six while allowing three runs on eight hits and three walks at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

• Germany may consider Olympic bid after multi-sport Munich event

  The Bavarian capital is hosting the European Championships, with large crowds flocking to venues that are still in regular use after having been built for ...

• Threatened by rivals, Nichidai continues to produce elite sumo talent

  Though Nihon University has ceded space in the elite tier of college sumo to its rivals, the school is still capable of developing wrestlers who ...

• Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler huddle with PGA players over LIV schism

  Woods was expected to "rally support around the PGA Tour" among the top players in the world who haven't already defected to the Saudi-backed LIV ...

• Relegation-threatened Gamba dismisses manager Tomohiro Katanosaka

  The team has managed just a 5-7-12 record in 24 league games this season and is already eliminated from both domestic cup tournaments.

• New Zealand backs Ian Foster as All Blacks coach through to World Cup

  Foster, appointed following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, has struggled to reproduce the same results as his predecessor Steve Hansen following the retirements of several ...

• Leon Edwards sets sights on UFC belt as British MMA booms

  The Jamaican-born, Birmingham-raised fighter is aiming to become only the second British champion in the circuit's 29-year-history.

• PSV rescues Rangers draw in Champions League playoff

  The draw at Ibrox marked another tense European night for Rangers in their bid to return to the Champions League group stage.

Tech news from Japan Times

• Myaku-Myaku’s unnerving cuteness wins over netizens

  After organizers for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka revealed the name and final globulous form of its mascot, social media users quickly embraced Myaku-Myaku's ...

• YouTube escapism offers a glimpse of Japan’s luxurious life

  From luxury apartments to swanky ski lodges, real estate agent Alex Shapiro showcases the country's most lavish real estate on his YouTube channel, Tokyo Portfolio.

• YouTuber PewDiePie’s ‘honeymoon phase’ brings positive vibes to Japan content

  The YouTuber's relocation heralds a shift toward content focused on newcomers enthusiastically exploring the country and living out their dreams after years of pandemic restrictions.

• ‘Like family’: Japan’s virtual YouTubers make millions from fans

  Since emerging five years ago, the 'VTuber' world has grown to around 16,000 active streamers globally, with growing fanbases on other platforms.

• Japan’s video game makers get a wage hike, but is it enough?

  Video game developers in Japan receive a bump in pay — just not a very large one.

• Kamiwaza trio takes aim at YouTube fame

  The channel's pivot from trick shots to elaborate Nerf toy battles hits the mark with online audiences.

• Gaming companies slow to press pause on Russian business

  Western console and game makers beat their Japanese counterparts to the punch when it came to taking a stand against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

• Beating Japan at its own (video) game: A smash hit from China

  Genshin Impact, one of the world’s hottest mobile games, has all the characteristics of a Japanese invention: giant robots and characters with huge eyes and ...

American and world news from CNN

• Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane ordered to report to federal prison

  Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, who was sentenced last month to two and a half years in prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights, has been ordered to report to the Federal Correctional Institution Englewood in Colorado on August 30, according to a judgment order filed Tuesday.

• 'Irate parent' is arrested in Georgia for discharging pepper spray on school bus

  An "irate parent" was arrested after she boarded a Georgia school bus and discharged a can of pepper spray -- exposing two dozen students onboard, according to the Glynn County Schools.

• Wisconsin man charged in 1992 double homicide

  A Wisconsin man was arrested and charged in the 1992 killings of two people after his DNA was obtained during a traffic stop last month and matched evidence from the crime scene, according to a criminal complaint.

• 8-year-old left paralyzed after July 4 parade shooting feels 'hopeless' and angry

  • Watch: Shooting survivors and victims' family members release emotional video

• Family of US Navy officer jailed in Japan over fatal car crash calls on Biden to intervene

  The family of a US Navy officer imprisoned in Japan rallied outside the White House on Wednesday to protest his detention and try to attract President Joe Biden's attention to the case.

• CNN projects Alaska special election will head to ranked choice. Here's how that works

  The results of the Alaska special general election to fill the remainder of the late Rep. Don Young's term remain uncertain, as CNN projected none of the candidates on the ballot topped 50% on Tuesday -- a necessary feat given the state's new ranked choice voting rules.

• Former US Rep. TJ Cox indicted on federal charges

  Former US Rep. TJ Cox, a Democrat from California, has been indicted on federal money laundering and wire fraud charges related in part to campaign donations, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

• Florida state attorney challenges suspension by Gov. DeSantis

  Florida state attorney Andrew Warren, who was suspended earlier this month by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his position on abortion, is appealing his suspension by claiming the Republican governor abused his authority.

Singapore news from Today:

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