Popular Stories
Charges dropped against Kishida, other LDP members in slush fund case
Prosecutors decided Monday not to indict Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and seven other senior Liberal Democratic Party members over a political funds scandal that has dogged Japan's ruling party since last year, citing a lack of evidence, sources close to the matter said. The lawmakers from three LDP factions, which… Read
Japan sees 1st 40 C day this summer as heatwave persists
Japan recorded a temperature of 40 C for the first time this year on Sunday, with the mercury hitting the scorching level in central Japan as a heatwave continues to engulf the nation, according to the weather agency. With a high-pressure system hovering over wide areas, Shizuoka reported 40.0 C… Read
Bubble bursts for France's far-right as voters bar it from power
The champagne was on ice at the far-right National Rally's (RN) headquarters, but the celebratory mood swiftly turned to disbelief when the first projected results from Sunday's parliamentary election appeared on TV screens. For days, Marine Le Pen had confidently predicted that her party would triumph with an outright majority… Read
NATO leaders are descending on Washington. Here's what to know
NATO leaders meet this week for a summit commemorating the 75th anniversary of the military alliance, which has never been larger and more focused but is also facing potentially existential threats from outside and within. If Russia’s war in Ukraine, challenges posed by an increasingly aggressive China, and the Israel-Hamas… Read
119 people in Tokyo taken to hospital to be treated for heatstroke on Saturday
The Tokyo Fire Department said that j119 people in the Tokyo metropolitan region were taken to hospital to be treated for heatstroke on Saturday. The department said the age of people taken to hospital ranged from 2 to 99, with more than half over 70 years old, broadcaster NTV reported.… Read
Planned NATO statement full of 'belligerent rhetoric' and 'lies', says Chinese official
The NATO summit in Washington's planned statement is full of "belligerent rhetoric" and the China-related content has provocations and lies, a spokesperson for the Chinese mission to the European Union said. The draft communique said China has become a decisive enabler of Russia's war effort in Ukraine and Beijing continues… Read
Ex-SDF member Gonoi settles with 3 sexual assault perpetrators
Rina Gonoi, who was sexually assaulted while serving in Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, said Tuesday she has reached a civil settlement with three of her convicted former colleagues. In the lawsuit filed at the Yokohama District Court in January 2023, Gonoi, 24, had sought damages from the state and five… Read
'Pace is too slow.' Women gradually rise in Japanese politics but face deep challenges
Eight years ago, Yuriko Koike became the first woman to lead Tokyo, beating her male predecessor. She won her third term as governor Sunday, and one of her closest rivals was a woman. Multiple women competing for a top political office is still rare in Japan, which has a terrible… Read
Germany's Scholz 'relieved' far right did not win French election
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday he was "relieved" that the eurosceptic far right failed to win a snap election in top ally France, noting Berlin should be able to keep working with Paris to motor the European Union. Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) had been favourite to… Read
Japan defense forces at record-low 51% of recruitment goal in FY 2023
Japan's Self-Defense Forces secured a record-low 51 percent of its recruitment goal in fiscal 2023, the Defense Ministry said Monday, as competition with the private sector to secure personnel has intensified amid the nation's chronic labor shortage. In the fiscal year through March, the SDF took in 9,959 new members,… Read
