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Japan news from Japan Times

• Takaichi to skip Yasukuni visit during spring festival

  Takaichi has rarely missed visiting the Shinto shrine during its spring and autumn festivals, including while serving as internal affairs minister and in other Cabinet posts.

• China says Japan stirs ‘trouble’ with vessel in Taiwan Strait

  China is firmly opposed to the vessel's presence and has protested to Tokyo, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

• Father of Kyoto boy admits to choking him to death, investigators say

  While an autopsy carried out on the body has failed to determine the cause of the boy's death, the victim is estimated to have died in late March.

• Lawson and FamilyMart post record operating profits

  According to its consolidated financial results, Lawson saw its core operating profit rise 7.0% from the previous year to ¥112.3 billion.

• Nippon Express to buy Metro Supply for as much as ¥255 billion

  The transaction is expected to close between July and December this year.

• Pentagon chief says climate change is ‘crap.’ The military is still bracing for it.

  U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has canceled nearly 100 research studies related to global warming and security.

• Chickens go from coop to table at Inaka no Taiho

  The talented Koki Watanabe offers a farmhouse-style dining experience in the woods of northern Kyoto.

• 'Rhapsody, Rhapsody’ falters between rom-com whimsy and psychodrama

  Director Go Riju sets up a mismatched pair, but the film's tonal swings make their uneasy connection hard to fully invest in.

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• Myanmar reduces ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi's sentence and frees former president

  Suu Kyi, 80, was serving ​a 27-year sentence for a litany of offences her allies said ‌were ‌politically motivated to keep her at bay.

• Xi welcomes slew of world leaders as Trump fights with allies

  Xi has held at least five high-profile tête-à-têtes, despite the lack of any formal gathering in China's capital this week.

• China's information war turns Taiwan’s own voices against it

  Taiwan's defense ministry said it is countering a massive increase in Chinese "cognitive warfare."

• Mumbai’s skyline is soaring. So is the pressure on housing.

  These days prices for some apartments are on par with parts of New York, and developers are putting in amenities to make analysts and traders feel at home.

• Chinese slimmers trade lost fat for beef

  Rising obesity rates have led to unusual weight-loss programs springing up across China.

• Australia targets 3% defense spending amid drone warfare shift

  Canberra aims to realize its biggest ever spending increase in peacetime by 2033.

• Rohingya survivor recounts ordeal as 250 missing in Andaman Sea tragedy

  Before the boat capsized, one ⁠of the survivors said passengers on the boat endured four days and nights at sea as conditions rapidly deteriorated.

• Xi meets Russian official as leaders flock to China over Middle East war

  Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow could "compensate" for China's energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains choked by the Iran war.

Culture news from Japan Times

• 'Rhapsody, Rhapsody’ falters between rom-com whimsy and psychodrama

  Director Go Riju sets up a mismatched pair, but the film's tonal swings make their uneasy connection hard to fully invest in.

• At Kohei Nawa’s studio, the world is seen through glass bubbles

  Kohei Nawa's "PixCell" series, a play on the words pixel and cell, explores the way we view objects by covering them in glass beads that magnify and distort.

• In Tokyo, Margiela’s art exhibition creates a haunting house

  The brief but significant Tokyo exhibition offers a look at how Martin Margiela's mind works in his new chosen field of fine art.

• ‘Sakamoto Days’ is a faithful adaptation, rather than a good one

  Yuichi Fukuda's adaptation of a popular manga sticks closely to the source material, but after a strong start it runs out of steam long before the final showdown.

• Three Japanese directors vie for top prize at Cannes, a first since 2001

  Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada bring a strong Japanese presence to the Cannes Film Festival's competition section this year.

• At Ueno Station, ‘Freedom’ restored

  Genichiro Inokuma's 1951 pro-democracy mural speaks to a new generation as Ueno reclaims its identity as a cultural hub.

• ‘What am I, a Deer?’ searches to understand the self and others

  Japanese-to-English translator Polly Barton has published nonfiction before. "What am I, a Deer?" is her debut novel.

• ‘One Last Love Letter’: A wistful throwback to romance in the age of texts

  Yuya Ishii's drama leans into familiar tropes but delivers a tender reminder of the power of words left unsaid for too long.

Sports news from Japan Times

• Capitals star Alex Ovechkin 'pretty sure' about playing next season

  The NHL's all-time leading goal scorer addressed his playing future as his Washington Capitals teammates cleaned out their lockers.

• Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama eager for NBA playoff debut

  Victor Wembanyama, 22, has been the driving force of the Spurs' resurgence.

• LIV Golf CEO promises 'surprise' changes amid shutdown rumors

  The league has said its current season will continue "full throttle."

• Pairs figure skating Olympic gold medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announce retirement

  Known as "RikuRyu" to their fans, the pair won gold in dramatic fashion in Italy in what can now be considered a fairy-tale ending to their careers.

• Switzerland fires ice hockey coach for fake COVID vaccination certificate

  Patrick Fischer issued a statement on Monday ‌saying he ‌entered China using a non-valid certificate ​that the Swiss federation did not know about.

• Al Horford carries Warriors to play-in win over Clippers

  Golden State advances to a sudden-death matchup against the Suns in Phoenix on Friday.

• Shohei Ohtani strikes out 10 as Dodgers complete sweep of Mets

  Ohtani gave up one run, two hits and two ​walks on a rare pitching outing when he was not also used as a hitter.

• Tyrese Maxey sends 76ers past Magic into playoffs

  The 76ers, who finished in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 45-37 record, will face the second-seeded Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven series starting Sunday.

Life news from Japan Times

• Chickens go from coop to table at Inaka no Taiho

  The talented Koki Watanabe offers a farmhouse-style dining experience in the woods of northern Kyoto.

• After Japan's cherry blossoms fade, spring keeps blooming

  The fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms gives way to a rolling season of color, vocabulary and new ways to describe change.

• No buffet, no karaoke: Filipino food gets elevated at Bananas

  Breaking out of the confines of simple eateries and community events, the cuisine is making a stylish statement at a new bistro in Shinjuku.

• ‘Nuisance streamer’ Johnny Somali sentenced to six months in prison

  The 25-year-old American influencer received a prison sentence from a South Korean court for repeated acts of disturbing the public.

• Can AI replace a priest? Japan’s temples and shrines are testing the limits.

  Japan's temples experiment with artificial intelligence as questions of faith, presence and care grow more urgent.

• Where Tokyo goes to sweat and soak

  To stay relevant and attract new customers, public bathhouses and saunas are trading weary grandeur for contemporary cool.

• Inside Iizukatei, a 200-year-old home turned boutique hotel in Tochigi

  The dwelling stands as the first tangible cultural property in eastern Japan to be transformed into a hotel.

• Tokyo’s sake calendar is filled to the brim

  Large-scale sake festivals are taking over the city next weekend. We find out why and help you decide which one to attend.

 

 Singapore news from Today:

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