Japan

[ad_1] With his first foray abroad this week, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba looked to swipe away any fears of a radical departure from the diplomatic and security trail that was blazed by his predecessor.Signaling continuity with the policies set by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of a crucial general election in Japan later this month, Ishiba on Friday wrapped up the second day of his visit to Laos for […]

[ad_1] Newly appointed Justice Minister Hideki Makihara, who has admitted to attending dozens of Unification Church events in the past, reaffirmed Friday that he has cut all ties with the religious group.The 53-year-old minister admitted Tuesday that he and his secretary had attended events related to the Unification Church a total of 37 times, but failed to report them to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s internal survey in September 2022.Makihara […]

[ad_1] Hidankyo, an atomic bomb survivors group based in Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefectures, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. "This grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha, is receiving the peace prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that […]

[ad_1] Han Kang’s eminence in the literary world was reaffirmed by the Swedish Academy’s announcement on Thursday that she will be conferred this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature.Though she has been publishing in her native South Korea since the early 1990s, the 53-year-old Han was virtually unknown to Western readers until the English translation of “The Vegetarian” in 2016. Her meteoric rise since attests to the outsize influence that individual […]

[ad_1] The Bank of Japan is working to communicate better with the public and investors just months after markets were gripped by turmoil blamed in part on poor monetary-policy signaling.“There is no silver bullet in better communication. Each approach comes with pros and cons, and I would say that there is no clear consensus yet among board members about which approaches to pursue,” BOJ Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino said during […]

[ad_1] Prosecutors on Friday called for an 18-year prison sentence for Keisuke Yoshida, a 42-year-old former employee of pharmaceutical giant Daiichi Sankyo, who is on trial for the methanol poisoning death of his wife.The trial, presided over by Judge Iichiro Sakata at the Tokyo District Court, is nearing its conclusion, with final defense arguments and the defendant's statement expected to be heard on the same day. A verdict is scheduled […]

[ad_1] NEW YORK – A tight U.S. presidential race is leading some investors to brace for an unclear or contested election result that could trip up this year’s booming stock market rally.With less than a month before the election, polls and prediction markets show Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump in a virtual dead heat.Harris led Trump by a marginal 46% to 43% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on […]

[ad_1] Purring grinders and espresso machines, steaming water swirled over drippers, the occasional clink of a spoon, the air rich with fruity and chocolaty aromas — the SCAJ World Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition is was good for more than just a buzz.The Specialty Coffee Association of Japan (SCAJ) organized Asia's largest specialty coffee event for the 21st year from Oct. 9 to 11, and it was the biggest yet […]

[ad_1] State and federal officials, already grappling with back-to-back hurricanes that have killed hundreds across the U.S. Southeast, are now contending with another disaster-related threat: disinformation over their relief efforts and the cause of the storm.Conspiracy theories and hate speech targeting the government’s storm response erupted across social media — especially on X — after Hurricane Helene devastated the region, with former U.S. President Donald Trump and X owner Elon […]