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August 13, 2026
 

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JAPAN

A visit to Yasukuni Shrine by the Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would almost certainly draw a strong reaction from China and pose a significant obstacle to holding a summit between the leaders of Japan and China.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2026
Takaichi unlikely to visit Yasukuni Shrine on war anniversary
The Shinto shrine is regarded by neighboring Asian countries such as South Korea and China as a symbol of Â鶹´«Ã½ wartime militarism.
The Kusasenri grasslands in the city of Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Tuesday
JAPAN / Society
Aug 12, 2026
Kumamoto¡¯s tourism industry hit hard by quake
The prefectural government estimates that the industry has suffered losses amounting to roughly ?6 billion.
Yasukuni Shrine in April
JAPAN / Society
Aug 12, 2026
Ban on military-style clothing does not apply to active-duty members, Yasukuni clarifies
By Kenji Yoshida
The shrine said that it has seen an increase in visitors wearing military attire without any affiliation or qualification.
Mexican alligator lizards seized by Tokyo Customs from a Mexican man who attempted to smuggle them into Japan on Saturday through Haneda Airport
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 12, 2026
Mexican man arrested over attempt to smuggle some 200 lizards into Japan
The 23-year-old Mexican national has admitted to the allegations, which involved some 200 lizards hidden in dozens of socks inside a suitcase.
People fly balloons in front of a memorial cenotaph in the village of Ueno, Gunma Prefecture, on Wednesday to mourn the 520 victims of the 1985 crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123.
JAPAN
Aug 12, 2026
JAL plane crash victims mourned 41 years after accident
Flight 123 ¡ª a Boeing 747 bound for Osaka from Tokyo ¡ª crashed into a mountain on Aug. 12, 1985, killing 520 people.
The Chiba Prefectural Police headquarters. Police have arrested Hideko Ishigami, 54, on suspicion of strangling her 89-year-old mother to death at her home in Isumi, Chiba Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 12, 2026
Chiba woman arrested over 89-year-old mother¡¯s 2024 killing
The suspect has denied the allegation to police, who are investigating the possibility of a money dispute.
More people age 19 and younger in Japan are undergoing cosmetic surgery in recent years.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 12, 2026
More young people in Japan undergoing cosmetic surgery
The most popular procedure is double eyelid surgery, clinics say.
Kingo Wakasa photographs the kamikaze plane wing section he discovered at the USS Emmons wreck site.
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
Aug 12, 2026
Forty-five meters down, a diver races to record a fleeting moment of WWII history
By Mai Yoshikawa
Technical wreck diver Kingo Wakasa, 56, is going against all odds to document the rusted hull of the USS Emmons destroyer on the seabed off northern Okinawa.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has had a relatively successful run in the post, but with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi considering a Cabinet shake-up, his future remains uncertain.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 12, 2026
Koizumi exceeded expectations as defense minister. Will he stay on?
By Michael MacArthur Bosack
The defense minister has enjoyed a relatively successful outing, maintaining public visibility, avoiding gaffes and representing Japan in security engagements globally.

ASIA PACIFIC

China's former premier Zhu Rongji (center) shakes hands with a delegate at the opening of the 18th Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in November 2012.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2026
Zhu Rongji, Chinese premier who cajoled economy into modern era, dies at 97
Zhu Rongji helped push reforms that transformed China from a beleaguered hold-out against the collapse of Soviet-style Communism in the early 1990s to an emerging superpower.
A participant jumps over a railing during a seniors parkour class in Singapore on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 12, 2026
Parkour helps Singapore¡¯s elderly boost agility and strength
A coach has gotten millions of views on social media by using parkour techniques to teach the elderly things such as better balance.
Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing inspects a guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony in Bangkok on Aug. 6.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2026
Myanmar ramps up civilian attacks with airborne weapons, U.N. says
By Philip J. Heijmans
The military increasingly relies on motorized paragliders, gyrocopters and drones for low-altitude strikes using unguided explosives, according to U.N. investigators.
A Taiwanese soldier participates in a drill during the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Yilan, Taiwan, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2026
Taiwan condemns ¡®dangerous¡¯ planned Chinese navy drill with Indonesia
By Ben Blanchard
Taipei says Beijing was trying to create a false impression that it controls waters east of Taiwan, where the drills were conducted.
An Indian soldier at the regional headquarters of the Indian Army's training mission in Bhutan, in the town of Haa, near a border area claimed by both India and China in 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 12, 2026
India warns incidents on disputed border will affect China relations
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen
During the foreign ministry¡¯s biweekly briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal did not deny that a fresh border incident had occurred.
News coverage showing file footage of a North Korean missile launch is seen on a screen at the main rail station in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 12, 2026
North Korea fires off second missile in less than a week
By Jesse Johnson
The missile was believed to have fallen outside Â鶹´«Ã½ exclusive economic zone, the Defense Ministry in Tokyo said.

WORLD

An Iranian woman holds a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as Shia Muslim devotees take part in a mourning procession marking Arbaeen in Tehran on Aug. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 12, 2026
Iranian factions squabble over war aims as supreme leader maintains low profile
By Golnar Motevalli and Patrick Sykes
The absence from public life of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has left a vacuum in which disputes between political factions have seeped into the open.
Residents carry buckets filled with water collected from a nearby filling station in the township of Olievenhoutbosch, north of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 7.
WORLD / Society
Aug 12, 2026
Johannesburg¡¯s water crisis angers voters while driving rich off-grid
By Tim Cocks
Wealthier inhabitants of the commercial capital are drilling boreholes to bypass the municipality, starving it of funds needed to fix the mess.
A soldier keeps watch as rescue efforts continue at the site of a damaged building following an earthquake, in Cali, Colombia, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Aug 12, 2026
¡®Waiting for any sign of life¡¯: Colombia reels after earthquake
By Matthew Bristow
Rescuers are scouring mountains of rubble in search of survivors following Monday¡¯s magnitude 7.4 quake.
A portrait of former Syrian President Bashar Assad is pictured with its frame broken, at a Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of Hama following the capture of the area by anti-government forces on Dec. 7, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 12, 2026
Assad ruled Syria with iron fist before defeat in civil war
An international war crimes prosecutor accused the Assad-led state of having conducted organized killing ?comparable to Nazi Germany.
Air Force One parked on the tarmac prior to U.S. President Donald Trump's departure from Ankara Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8
WORLD / Politics
Aug 12, 2026
Trump¡¯s secret plane swap triggers questions and confusion
To evade an assassination threat, the U.S. president¡¯s security team smuggled him off Air Force One to a different aircraft on July 8 in Turkey.
A member of the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria's Bashar Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus on Jan. 23, 2025.
WORLD
Aug 12, 2026
Syria sentences Bashar Assad to death in absentia over atrocities
The ruling is the first of its kind under Syria¡¯s transitional leaders, who ousted Assad in 2024, vowing to provide justice and accountability for crimes committed under his rule.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meets with Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 12, 2026
Pakistan says deal is close even as Iran and U.S. harden stances
By Josh Wingrove and Patrick Sykes
While Tehran and Oman may be nearing an agreement, it remains unclear how that would affect the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at a press conference during his visit to Belgrade, Serbia, on Aug. 8.
WORLD
Aug 12, 2026
Zelenskyy: Ukraine has given U.S. negotiators proposals for ending the war with Russia
The Ukrainian president also said there is evidence that Russia would exploit next month¡¯s elections to proclaim a new mobilization to boost the numbers of fighting personnel.

BUSINESS

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks after attending the AI Ecosystem Reception in Tokyo on July 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 12, 2026
Nvidia¡¯s show of financial force soothes credit markets
By Caleb Mutua
Six of the biggest names in finance are helping Nvidia?ease some of the investor anxiety that¡¯s been building for weeks over its swelling commitments to backstop the AI boom.
The yen traded in the ?155-to-the-dollar range on Aug. 3 after coordinated intervention by Japan and the United States.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 12, 2026
Intervention and higher rates might not be enough to stop yen from weakening
By Kazuaki Nagata
Fiscal questions are hanging over the market, especially after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi committed to cutting the consumption tax on groceries.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in May
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 12, 2026
Bessent-Takaichi split on BOJ risks undermining joint yen rescue
The U.S. treasury secretary believes tightening is crucial to address the weakness in Â鶹´«Ã½ currency but the prime minister has long been wary of taking interest rates too high.
Even before Wednesday¡¯s drop, Rakuten shares have underperformed the broader market this year with a 14% decline.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 12, 2026
Rakuten¡¯s shares plunge after mobile losses fuel investor fears
The Tokyo-based company¡¯s stock fell as much as 12% on Wednesday, their biggest intraday drop since April last year.
A CoCo Ichibanya curry house in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 12, 2026
New ¡®Katsu Curry Index¡¯ aims to show how weak the yen really is
One bank strategist argues that an international price comparison for the pork-and-rice dish ¡ª rather than burgers ¡ª gives a better sense of how the yen¡¯s retreat feels.
Remotely-controlled Unitree humanoid robots take part in a fight during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 18.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 12, 2026
What is Unitree and why are China¡¯s humanoid robot makers racing to list?
By Eduardo Baptista
Unitree said its retail tranche was ?more than 8,000 times oversubscribed, underscoring intense investor enthusiasm in China for humanoid robotics.
Aviation fuel surcharges are calculated based on the averages of aviation fuel market prices and of foreign exchange rates over the previous two months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 12, 2026
ANA cuts North America and Europe route surcharges to ?55,000
The move comes as aviation fuel prices have fallen after rising sharply amid turmoil in the Middle East.
Hiroshi Okuda joined Toyota just as it began establishing itself as a manufacturing powerhouse in the post-World War II era and rose through the ranks to become president in 1995.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 12, 2026
Hiroshi Okuda, Toyota chair who pushed for the Prius, dies at 93
Okuda was the first person to helm Toyota from outside the company¡¯s founding family in a generation.
A South Korean job seeker checks his appearance using a smartphone as another reviews his notes before an interview at a job fair in Seoul on July 12.
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2026
World youth unemployment rate rose last year, U.N. agency says
Some of the steepest increases were seen in high-income countries as artificial intelligence begins to change the jobs market.

ENVIRONMENT

A combine harvests wheat in a field in the Rostov Region, Russia, on July 18.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 12, 2026
Inventories and farming method gains bolster food system against ¡®super¡¯ El Nino
Still, wars in the Middle East and the Black Sea region that impact fertilizer availability temper optimism, experts have warned.

Opinion

Rescuers, police officers and volunteers evacuate a wounded resident from the site of a house destroyed by a Russian air strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Aug. 2.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2026
Western allies are about to fail Ukraine, again
By Marc Champion
The lack of Western support is giving Putin reason to fight on, and Russia is acquiring a significant new advantage in being able to strike any Ukrainian target.
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet prepares to launch from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury¡¯s attack on Iran from an undisclosed location on March 14.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2026
Are we on the verge of World War III?
By Brad Glosserman
Still, historians are quick to see parallels to the situation before 1914.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions during an Upper House budget committee session in parliament in Tokyo on April 7.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 12, 2026
Why Takaichi can¡¯t be the next Shinzo Abe
By Yuichi Hosoya
Takaichi¡¯s success will ultimately depend not on becoming the next Shinzo Abe, but on proving that his strategic legacy can evolve to meet a new era.

Sports

The future Fujinokawa (third from left) and Ikarigata (right) compete against each other at ages 5 and 3, respectively.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 12, 2026
Ikarigata closer to emulating older brother Fujinokawa than many think
By John Gunning
While many expect Ikarigata to reach juryo in the near future, there¡¯s less confidence in his ability to match his older brother¡¯s achievements, which could be a mistake.
Staff members carry the FIFA logo onto the field before the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.
SOCCER
Aug 12, 2026
¡®Flawed¡¯ funding system keeping smaller nations on sidelines of FIFA civil war
Smaller nations are wary to taking a side and putting their funding at risk, according to former Papua New Guinea international Alex Davani.
A fan wears a promotional pope hat that was given away before the White Sox's game against the Reds in Chicago on Tuesday.
BASEBALL
Aug 12, 2026
White Sox celebrate ¡®Pope Night¡¯ with holy hat giveaway
The team has not shied away from the connection since it was revealed the pope was a White Sox fan following his elevation to ?the highest seat in the Catholic Church in 2025.
Stephen Curry has spent his entire 17-year NBA career with the Warriors.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Aug 12, 2026
Warriors planning for star guard Stephen Curry to finish career with team
Both sides have previously expressed interest in Curry finishing his career in San Francisco, and little has happened to indicate either party has had a change of ?heart.
LeBron James (23), seen playing for the Lakers in a game against the Thunder in May, will make his Sixers debut against the Knicks on the opening night of the NBA season on Oct. 20.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Aug 12, 2026
LeBron to make Sixers debut against defending champion Knicks on opening night
The NBA announced several key games on Tuesday ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, which begins with a three-game slate featuring James with his new club.
Naomi Osaka hits a shot against Elena Rybakina during their quarterfinal match at the Canadian Open in Toronto on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Aug 12, 2026
Naomi Osaka falls against Elena Rybakina in Toronto
Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion from Kazakhstan, fired 13 aces in a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory.
Justin Rose hits a shot during the first round of the British Open in Southport, England, on July 16.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 12, 2026
Veteran Justin Rose pushing to remain among golf¡¯s elite well into 40s
The ?Englishman arrives at the FedEx Cup playoff opener, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, as the defending champion after defeating J.J. Spaun in a playoff last year.

CULTURE

Tadao Tsuge, one of the leading figures of the "gekiga" manga movement, often depicts postwar harsh realities in his works.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 12, 2026
How war shaped the manga of Tadao Tsuge
By Marta Fanasca
The ¡°gekiga¡± pioneer drew on memories of war, hunger and poverty to chronicle Â鶹´«Ã½ overlooked lives.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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