News

Japan news from Japan Times

• Suga departs for ‘Quad’ summit in Washington

  The summit marks Suga's final overseas trip before stepping down in early October.

• Japan prepares booster shots amid worries over waning vaccine efficacy

  Preparations have begun to administer additional shots to health care workers and older people, but debate still swirls around how extra doses should be given ...

• Library named after alum Haruki Murakami at Tokyo’s Waseda University

  The university will open the Waseda International House of Literature, also known as the Murakami Haruki Library, on Oct. 1 at its campus in Tokyo.

• COVID-19 tracker: Tokyo posts 531 new cases, continuing downward trend

  The daily figure in the capital marked the 32nd straight day of week-on-week decline.

• China’s military rise could threaten Japan’s economy, Suga warns ahead of Quad summit

  The Japanese leader’s trip to the U.S. will be the swansong of his one-year premiership

• JR East drops plans to track ex-convicts using facial recognition

  Those subject to JR East's tracking included released prisoners and parolees who had committed serious crimes at the company's stations and inside its trains.

• ‘Quad’ leaders to use stronger language in opposing change to status quo in East China Sea

  According to the sources, a draft of a joint leaders' statement uses tougher language than before regarding the situation in the waters where China is ...

• LDP leadership race highly likely to go to runoff

  Party lawmakers are worried that the public may be disappointed if a candidate who garners many votes from rank-and-file members in the first round is ...

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• India’s palm oil campaign faces hurdles with water and seedlings scarce

  Record prices for palm, and new government promises of payouts even if prices slump, are driving an effort to boost output in India.

• Taiwan applies to join Pacific trade deal just days after China

  Taiwan already has free trade deals with two of the members — New Zealand and Singapore — and has been working toward joining the trade ...

• Overseas Uyghurs struggle to locate relatives in Xinjiang prisons

  Rights groups and U.N. experts estimate more than 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities were interned in a network of camps since 2016.

• Hong Kong quietly widens national security law with subtle shift

  City authorities have begun using the phrase "contrary to the interests of national security” in recent weeks to define new red lines in the entertainment ...

• Chinese hackers target Indian agency and media company, report says

  The agency, the Unique Identification Authority of India, holds the private biometric information of more than 1 billion Indian citizens.

• Shallow 6.0-magnitude earthquake rattles southeast Australia

  The tremor was one of the country's biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in Melbourne, its second-largest city. and sending tremors throughout neighboring ...

• South Korea’s Moon Jae-in calls for swift resumption of North Korean denuclearization talks

  During his speech before the U.N., the South Korean president named China as a potential partner to declare a formal end to the Korean War, ...

• In climate pledge, Xi says China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad

  Xi provided no details, but depending on how the policy is implemented, the move could significantly limit the financing of coal plants in the developing ...

Culture news from Japan Times

• ‘First Gentleman’: Political romcom is an also-ran

  Hayato Kawai’s lightweight comedy imagines Japan getting its first female prime minister, but reality may have already caught up.

• ‘Intolerance’: How grief turns man into monster

  Arata Furuta delivers a deftly layered performance as a father reeling from the death of his daughter in Keisuke Yoshida’s nuanced and compassionate drama.

• Johnny Depp film sees Minamata pollution issue as cautionary tale

  The film 'Minamata,' which Johnny Depp produced and stars in, spreads awareness on the act of industrial pollution that devastated the southwestern Japanese coastal community ...

• How do you deflect a controversy? Keigo Oyamada blames the media.

  Musician Keigo Oyamada cries foul over how he was portrayed in a pair of magazine articles that ended up causing him a job at the ...

• BTS took center stage at the U.N. Over 1 million fans watched live.

  The K-pop group promoted the coronavirus vaccine and lauded young people for their resiliency during a nearly seven-minute speech at the U.N. headquarters.

• ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘The Crown,’ and ‘Queen’s Gambit’ win top Emmy Awards

  The best drama series win for "The Crown" gave Netflix its biggest prize so far, while Apple TV+ entered streaming's big leagues with the best ...

• ‘The Book of Form and Emptiness’: Ruth Ozeki’s inquisitive side is still on point

  An award-winning author with four titles and two film credits under her belt, Ruth Ozeki’s greatest talent may be her ability to ask the right ...

• BitSummit returns to Kyoto with hybrid event

  The annual indie games festival goes back to holding a physical event after an online-only edition last year, but the shadow of the pandemic still ...

Sports news from Japan Times

• Meisei stuns Terunofuji as yokozuna suffers second loss

  The loss prevented Terunofuji from taking a two-win lead with three days remaining in the 15-day event at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

• Nick Martinez pitches Hawks to second straight win over PL-leading Marines

  Nick Martinez threw seven scoreless innings in the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' 5-0 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines on Thursday afternoon for their second straight ...

• Komusubi Takayasu pulls out of Autumn Basho with hip injury

  Komusubi Takayasu pulled out of the ongoing Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament due to a right hip injury on Thursday, meaning he will forfeit his bout ...

• Say cheese: Europeans court Packers fans at Ryder Cup

  If you want to get on the right side of Wisconsin locals you can do two things -- dress like you are a Green Bay ...

• Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer concerned by slow starts after Cup exit

  Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said his club must eliminate the "pedestrian" starts from its game after an early goal from West Ham United's ...

• Shohei Ohtani to get start on Sunday with rare feat still in sight

  Shohei Ohtani will pitch against the Seattle Mariners this weekend, the Los Angeles Angels said Wednesday, giving him another opportunity to earn his 10th win ...

• U.S. will require athletes to be fully vaccinated in order to compete at Beijing Games

  A letter written by USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland says the requirement "will also apply to our full Team USA delegation at future Olympic and Paralympic ...

• Uneventful Autumn Basho hints at sumo’s slowing momentum

  A growing lack of excitement toward the ongoing grand tournament is something sumo officials will want to take note of as they continue to guide ...

Tech news from Japan Times

• Hikakin, the ‘older brother’ of YouTube, hits a milestone

  The internet isn’t short of stories of influencers behaving badly. Japan’s most successful YouTuber proves that you can make a name for yourself by keeping ...

• Need a vacation from reality? Slash your way through 13th-century Japan

  Let the newly released Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut whisk you away to a nobler time of scenic isles, marauding samurai and petting foxes.

• Nintendo’s Switch has hit its midlife crisis, and the revamp isn’t quite what gamers were hoping for

  It’s nothing new for gaming companies to give their consoles midlife hardware updates. But the next-gen Nintendo Switch’s modest revamp (and bigger price tag) is ...

• Struggling with sleepless nights? ‘Sleep masters’ and AI are here to help.

  One-third of a person's life is said to be given over to sleep — but getting enough of it, and of sufficient quality, can be ...

• How Japan has tapped into the history of innovation at the Olympics

  From electric vehicles to 5G wireless technology, Japanese technology is being showcased to the world at the Games.

• A digital calico is melting hearts (and napping a lot)

  The cat has drawn crowds and sparked joy on social media.

• Video game expo E3 expands its digital presence, though Sony sits out

  With E3’s announcements and press conferences going virtual, the latest news from companies like Nintendo and Square Enix is more accessible than ever.

• Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

  Already on a downward trend, COVID-19-mandated closures are slashing profits and forcing closures of many of the country’s iconic locations.

American and world news from CNN

• More than 50 University of Georgia educators announce plans to mandate masks in classrooms

  Educators at the University of Georgia have announced plans to require masks in their classrooms despite their state university system not mandating mask-wearing, and say they face potential punishment for following through.

• Rev. Jesse Jackson is discharged from rehab facility

  The Rev. Jesse Jackson was discharged from a rehabilitation facility Wednesday following an earlier diagnosis of Covid-19.

• Doctor fired for using leftover vaccine doses sues county

• USOPC will require Covid-19 vaccine for all US athletes at Beijing Games

  The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) on Wednesday said all US athletes hoping to compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

• How the Supreme Court crafted its Roe v. Wade decision and what it means today

  The Supreme Court's landmark decisions guaranteeing a constitutional right to abortion emerged only after surprise votes and last-minute compromises. They were also the product of individual soul-searching and broad regard for the court. And, perhaps reflecting a different era, they were steered by Republican appointees who believed privacy rights covered a woman's decision to end a pregnancy.

• Lawmakers storm out of Afghanistan briefing after questions not answered

• Analysis: Mike Lindell alleged voter fraud in Alabama. A GOP official says he's wrong

  Long after even many of the stalwart election deniers have given up, Mike Lindell is still at it.

• Bipartisan lawmakers dedicated to getting new global war on terrorism monument built on National Mall

  A group of bipartisan lawmakers is dedicated to getting a new memorial to honor military veterans of the global war on terrorism built in a place of prominence: the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Singapore news from Today:

• Switch room explosion at Tuas incineration plant kills 65-year-old worker, injures 2 others

• 3 years 3 months’ jail for man who repeatedly molested 12-year-old stepdaughter

• Food delivery platforms to pilot model that does not charge hawkers commission, onboarding fees

• Most S’poreans, PRs agree immigration is good for economy, but half worry about foreigners taking jobs: IPS report

• Panasonic to let go of 700 workers, stop manufacturing refrigeration compressors in Singapore

• Ex-security officer fined S$4,500 for putting hand sanitiser in colleague’s water as a prank

• Covid-19 home recovery system ‘much strained’: MOH issues FAQ guide, urges people to avoid jamming hotlines

• Marathoner Ashley Liew wins defamation suit against teammate Soh Rui Yong, who has to pay S$180,000 in damages