Japan
ICC slams US decision to sanction the court’s president and a senior prosecution lawyer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands | The International Criminal Court on Wednesday slammed the latest U.S. sanctions targeting senior ICC staff, including its president, as a “flagrant attack” on the global tribunal’s independence and vowed to continue seeking justice for atrocities around the world. The State Department announced Tuesday that it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, […]
The livin’ is no longer so easy: How carefree dreams of ‘summertime’ are fading in 2026’s swelter
LONDON | Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to consider the death of the summertime state of mind. The season itself is in no danger; climate change, mainly caused by the burning of oil, gas and coal, is warming the weather year-round. Viewed this way, summer-like weather is ascendant. It’s setting records across the […]
A centuries-old festival in Japan brings Shinto traditions and towering floats to the streets
KYOTO, Japan | There’s a special moment when Katsushi Horikawa feels closer to the gods. It comes as he rides atop one of the towering floats pulled through the streets in a centuries-old procession in Japan. This is the Gion Matsuri festival, born more than 1,000 years ago as a ritual to ward off epidemics […]
Japanese beetle advances through northern Italy’s vineyards and orchards, frustrating farmers
DONNAS, Italy | The iridescent green beetles native to Japan have become a growing menace in Italy, swarming through orchards and vineyards and leaving behind devastating lattice patterns in leaves that weaken the plants and reduce production. The Popillia japonica, or Japanese beetle, is a familiar pest in the United States, where it arrived more […]
Japan fans use blue bags to uphold a cleansing World Cup tradition after draw
ARLINGTON, Texas | Those blue bags Japan fans waved in a frenzy after their team got a late tying goal were then used after the final whistle to maintain what has become a cleansing World Cup tradition. The Samurai Blue fans cleaned up before they left the stadium Sunday, picking up trash from the stands […]
US says it plans extra tariffs of 10% or more for most trading partners after forced labor probe
WASHINGTON | The Trump administration is proposing that tariffs of 10% or more be imposed on products from dozens of major trading partners following a probe into imports of goods allegedly made with forced labor. The report released early Wednesday by the U.S. Trade Representative said Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and the United Kingdom and some […]
Humanoids dance and thread needles as Japanese robotics developers look to outdo Chinese
TOKYO | Mechanical hands dexterous enough to thread a needle, childlike dancing robots and adult-sized ones to help with deliveries were on display Thursday as the Humanoids Summit Tokyo opened. Among the dozens of companies taking part, including well-known players like Boston Dynamics and Toyota Motor Corp., the big stars now were clearly the Chinese. […]