Japan

[ad_1] Ishikari, Hokkaido – About a 40-minute drive to the north from central Sapporo lies the Sea of Japan port of Ishikari, a city rich in biodiversity that now finds itself at the heart of a fierce debate over wind power as Japan scrambles to decarbonize its energy sector. In a sense, Ishikari represents the idealized version of Hokkaido for many Japanese as well as for foreign tourists: Its coastal […]

[ad_1] Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed a willingness to visit Pyongyang “at an early date,” North Korean state media said Sunday, as the two pariah nations forge ever-closer ties amid growing pressure from the U.S. and its allies.A visit by Putin would be his first since he traveled to Pyongyang nearly 23 years ago for talks with the current North Korean leader’s father, Kim Jong Il.“President Putin expressed deep […]

[ad_1] Project Syndicate – In the two decades since China’s State Council officially classified the real estate sector as a “pillar industry,” the sector has undergone rapid development, propelling gross domestic product growth and inspiring in millions of Chinese the dream of owning their own home.But the sector is now plagued by problems, from high prices to massive debts, and threatens to undermine growth at a time when China can […]

[ad_1] There was an explosion of elation and relief when the clock hit zero on Sunday at National Stadium in Tokyo.After 10 failed attempts — in games stretching back to 1989 — a Japanese All-Star team finally managed to overcome the Ivy League’s best on the gridiron in the Dream Japan Bowl.Decades of disappointment at the hands of American opposition finally came to an end in a defensive struggle that […]

[ad_1] DOHA/GAZA – The toll of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct. 7 has passed 25,000, health officials in the enclave said on Sunday, amid heavy Israeli strikes and street battles raging across the Hamas-run Strip.Israeli forces and Hamas fighters clashed in several locations, from Jabalia in the north to Khan Younis farther south.Gaza's health ministry said 178 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, one […]

[ad_1] Iran accused Israel of launching an airstrike on the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday that killed senior Iranian military figures, the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on officials from Iran and two of its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran vowed to retaliate, raising fears of even deeper regional turmoil rippling out from the war in the Gaza Strip.Separately, several U.S. troops in Iraq were being evaluated for […]

[ad_1] Park City, Utah – When Japanese journalist Shiori Ito accused a prominent TV reporter of rape, becoming a rare high-profile #MeToo voice in her homeland, she was initially ignored by police, prosecutors and even much of the media.Defying taboos, she investigated her own case, secretly recording phone calls and meetings, and compiling enough evidence to eventually win $30,000 in damages in a civil case that made headlines around the […]

[ad_1] Mongolian ironman Tamawashi handed front-runner Asanoyama his first loss of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, creating a four-man logjam atop the leaderboard at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.Promotion-seeking sekiwake Kotonowaka won by forfeit to join No. 7 maegashira Asanoyama at 7-1, but ozeki Kirishima (6-2) was unable to take his own place at the top after an upset loss to No. 4 Tobizaru on Day 8 of […]

[ad_1] LAAX, Switzerland – Japan's Mitsuki Ono claimed her first gold medal of the season in the third round of the snowboarding halfpipe World Cup on Saturday. Last season's overall champion in the discipline logged 81.75 points with the first of her two finals runs in Laax, Switzerland, to beat second-placed Bea Kim (77.50) of the United States and compatriot Ruki Tomita (60.50) in third. "I feel I've really gotten […]