Japan

[ad_1] With pledges to strengthen maritime security and promote decarbonization, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made his international debut Thursday at summits related to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) — a diplomatic start that saw the new leader keep a low profile after raising eyebrows over ideas such as the creation of an “Asian NATO.”In his first overseas trip since he assumed office earlier this month, Ishiba took […]

[ad_1] When I stepped into the Taro Nasu gallery, I commented that it felt quite spacious — at least, more so than I had expected."Maybe for Tokyo,” said Masako Hosoi, the gallery’s director. "But Taro is always trying to make his gallery as small as possible, that’s his theory,” she said, referring to the owner, Taro Nasu, who is also a director. "We can’t be a big gallery just like […]

[ad_1] Han Kang has been named the 2024 Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature, the first Asian woman and the first writer from South Korea to receive the award.Han was selected “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life,” the Swedish Academy said in its announcement on Thursday.Writer and committee member Ann-Karin Palm noted Han’s “really intense lyrical prose that is both tender […]

[ad_1] Aomori – The Federation of Electric Power Companies (FEPC) of Japan asked Aomori Prefecture on Thursday to accept a new proposal for nuclear waste returned from overseas to be delivered to the prefecture, only to be refused.During the day's meeting with Aomori Gov. Soichiro Miyashita at the prefectural government office, FEPC Vice Chairman Toshiharu Sasaki presented the idea of delivering to Aomori a small amount of high-level radioactive waste […]

[ad_1] Kitami, Hokkaido – Crisp northern winds blow twisting grass on dunes while choppy waves on the Sea of Okhotsk break on the shore. Jonathan “Jono” Dunnett, 50, tanned from years on the water looks out as the sun sets on Shiretoko Peninsula. A writer by trade, and a sailor at heart, he achieved the world record for the longest windsurfing journey back in 2019 with a coastline sojourn of […]

[ad_1] Masakazu Tokura, head of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, said in an interview Thursday that sales of tickets for the international exhibition to be held in the city of Osaka are expected to speed up soon."I think (ticket sales) will accelerate as admission reservations will begin Sunday," said Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, the country's biggest business lobby. So far, only around half of […]

[ad_1] Tottori – The Tottori Prefectural Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed an ordinance banning the use of official boards for election candidates' posters for purposes unrelated to election campaigns. The move came after many unrelated posters were displayed during the campaign period for the July 7 Tokyo gubernatorial election. The Tottori Prefectural Government aims to implement the ordinance promptly. It is the first time a prefecture has enacted such an […]

[ad_1] Rafael Nadal who won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, said on Thursday he was putting an end to his career — a decision effective after the Davis Cup final — after a professional journey that made him one of the greatest players in tennis."It has been some difficult years, these last two especially," the 38-year-old, who won a record 14 French Open titles, said in a video."I am very […]

[ad_1] The Fukuoka High Court on Thursday upheld a lower court's ruling that Japan's prohibition of dual nationality is constitutional, dismissing a claim made by a woman born in Japan who lost her Japanese citizenship after becoming a naturalized American citizen.Plaintiff Yuri Kondo contended that the nationality law — which states that Japanese nationals forfeit their citizenship upon acquiring foreign citizenship — violates fundamental human rights related to the pursuit […]