News

Japan news from Japan Times

• Takaichi to forgo foreign trips this summer following Kumamoto quake

  Takaichi will stay at home to prioritize the response to a powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture last month.

• Kioxia says investment vehicle for SK Hynix is top shareholder

  South Korea's SK Hynix holds bonds that can be converted into "substantially all" of the voting rights of BCPE Pangea Cayman2.

• What Japan’s language rules for permanent residency should look like

  The main question is how Japanese language ability will be assessed. Japan must avoid turning the Japanese Language Proficiency Test into a de facto national filter.

• U.S. Treasury chief’s ‘whatever-it-takes’ vow to help the yen masks limited firepower

  Japan's currency slid as much as 1% Monday to past ¥159 per dollar, wiping out half the rally triggered by the July 31 U.S.-Japan intervention.

• Indonesia races to contain fires as haze spreads

  Indonesia is facing a longer and more severe dry season this year as El Nino intensifies, raising the risk of drought, forest fires ​and air pollution.

• Concerns persist over salaries of lawmaker secretaries in Japan

  Recent cases have highlighted allegations that some lawmakers improperly received government funds for secretaries despite little evidence that they actually did their jobs.

• Japan successfully launches H3 rocket with Michibiki satellite

  The No. 9 rocket was the first H3 unit carrying a practical-use satellite since a launch failure last December.

• Fireworks event in Shiga abruptly canceled

  According to local fire authorities, the event organizers did not file the appropriate paperwork to use explosives in time.

Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times

• Indonesia races to contain fires as haze spreads

  Indonesia is facing a longer and more severe dry season this year as El Nino intensifies, raising the risk of drought, forest fires ​and air pollution.

• Taiwan ‘throttles’ mobile internet for first time during annual war games

  The island simulated communication disruption in the event of a Chinese attack or ‌natural disaster.

• North Korean hacking group builds AI tools for cyberattacks, report says

  The group reportedly collected software that could help automate cyberattacks, analyze stolen material and produce better phishing campaigns.

• Indonesia closes national park as wildfire spreads

  The blaze has razed 176 hectares since it broke out last Monday near the popular East Java tourist destination of Mount Bromo.

• ‘Mom, don’t call me’: Inside Thailand’s deadly school shooting

  Nine people were killed and an additional 23 ⁠wounded in the country's worst mass shooting since 2022, reigniting debate over firearms control.

• Indonesia seizes 1.3 tons of ketamine worth millions in major bust

  Authorities received intelligence in February that the MV King Sun was sailing east from Thailand towards Indonesia with "suspicious" cargo, prompting months of surveillance.

• Taiwan’s 2027 defense spending to rise 16%, official media reports

  Taiwan's Cabinet will propose a budget for 2027 that will for the first time exceed 1 trillion new Taiwan dollars ($31 billion).

• Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall in China after evacuations, flight cancellations

  Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and strong winds to Japan's Okinawa before reaching China.

Culture news from Japan Times

• Too much music, not enough weekend: A guide to Summer Sonic 2026

  From metal to 1990s dance nostalgia, this year's event packs an absurd amount of music into one long weekend.

• A Yukio Mishima stage adaptation pulls genre-bending strings

  A cross-cultural collaboration mixing bunraku puppetry, kabuki and literature is creating a new take on Yukio Mishima's novel.

• ‘Till We Meet Again on the Starry Hill’: Time-travel kamikaze romance gets a pointless sequel

  Takehiko Shinjo's follow-up to a 2023 hit film is even more muddled than its predecessor.

• ‘Ghost of Ueno’: A human drama about the invisible among us

  Chinese director Qi Wang's film examines the plight of the homeless and disenfranchised in Japan with a humanist lens.

• ‘The Man Who Carries the Voice of August’ explores the fragile legacy of the hibakusha

  A journalist's effort to record hibakusha testimonies raises questions about memory, truth and survival.

• Fans rush to buy copy of Keigo Higashino’s final work

  The release of "Eternal Memory" comes after the acclaimed mystery author died of colorectal cancer last month.

• Before the art islands, a reason to stop in Okayama

  The Rabbit Hole and Fukuoka Shoyu Gallery make Okayama a contemporary-art destination before visitors reach the Seto Inland Sea.

• Etc.books: A lone bookstore in Tokyo pushes against sexism

  Etc.books helped redefine feminist publishing in Japan. Now its greatest challenge is staying open.

Sports news from Japan Times

• No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdraws from Cincinnati Open with knee injury

  The 24-year-old Italian, ‌who claimed ‌his fifth Grand Slam title ​at Wimbledon last month, had also pulled out of the Canadian Open, a key warm-up ⁠event for the U.S. Open.

• Slumping Dodgers refuse to press panic button

  Los Angeles ended its skid Saturday in a ​tight 2-1 victory before falling 4-2 to the Diamondbacks to close out a 1-5 trip Sunday. The ‌Dodgers are ‌11-17 since July 5.

• Liverpool coach says team currently unable to maintain high level throughout matches

  Liverpool squandered a two-goal advantage for the second straight game after losing 4-2 to Leeds ​United earlier this month.

• Diamondbacks beat Dodgers to win season series

  The Diamondbacks, 18-9 since July 9, ​won the ‌season series 7-6 for their first series win over the Dodgers since 2018.

• Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina win to set up clash in Canadian Open quarterfinals

  Osaka eliminated local favorite Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4.

• Hall of Fame NBA coach Don Nelson dies at 86

  Nelson's family announced the passing of the five-time champion ⁠as a player but didn't divulge a manner of death.

• FedEx Cup playoff field takes shape as Michael Brennan punches ticket with win

  There were ramifications up ​and down the ‌leaderboard as golfers jockeyed for position, in need of a top-70 spot in the season standings to advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs.

• Pacific League Marketing sets sights abroad to build Japanese baseball fan base

  While Japanese baseball has long been plagued by an inability, or intransigence, to market itself outside of Japan, Pacific League Marketing wants to make games more accessible.

Life news from Japan Times

• Japan’s brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music

  It might sound like pseudoscience, but there could be more to the idea of brewing with music than meets the ear.

• ¥6,000 for shaved ice: Is luxury ‘kakigōri’ worth it?

  The summer staple is being elevated into an extravagant treat by dessert purveyors — with varying results.

• Locked up in luxury at the new Hoshinoya Nara Prison hotel

  Open from July, the lodging occupying an Important Cultural Property prompts guests to reflect on societal progress and the role of prisons.

• How Japan’s racehorses find second careers away from the track

  After their racing careers are over, only a lucky few of Japan's nearly 9,000 racehorses end up at TCC Therapy Park for rehabilitation.

• Speaking Japanese at the movies with ‘Chiikawa’

  Explore the vocabulary behind horror, spoilers, happy endings and the surprising reactions to this summer's biggest anime.

• How one Japanese couple made the 1920s and ’30s into a way of life

  No refrigerator. No microwave. Just blocks of ice, records and a home built for another age.

• At Nonna Nietta, Italian magic in suburban Tsukuba

  Chef Kenji Kawamura spent six formative years training as a chef in Italy. That dedication shows in the deep, authentic flavors up and down the menu at his Ibaraki restaurant.

• A sushi rice pocket by any other name

  Japan's "inari-zushi" sushi pockets are normally plain compared to their Korean counterparts, but a blend of the two makes for a delectable treat.

 

 Singapore news from Today:

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