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March 08, 2025
 

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March 2025
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JAPAN

Smoke is seen rising from the mountains of the city of Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on Friday. Authorities said the wildfire kept spreading, burning 1,800 hectares by Sunday morning.
JAPAN
Mar 2, 2025
Thousands flee after Japan's biggest wildfire in decades
There were about 1,300 wildfires across Japan in 2023, concentrated in the February to April period when the air dries out and winds pick up.
The government will raise the out-of-pocket expense cap for expensive medical treatments this August as planned, but will reconsider plans for further increases, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2025
Japan to reconsider medical expense cap hike plan: Ishiba
The expense ceiling hike is slated to be conducted in three stages from this year to 2027.

ASIA PACIFIC

The website of the Qiaoxing Volunteer Group, a Chinese community organization in the Philippines, shows four men detained in late January in the Philippines on charges of espionage seen with Chinese defense attache Li Jianzhong and the governor of Cagayan province, Manuel Mamba, in this illustration picture taken Feb. 27.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 2, 2025
Alleged Chinese spies gave Philippine city and police cash and motorbikes
By Poppy McPherson and Mikhail Flores
The men spied on the Philippine navy with drones, according to investigators, who also found also photos and maps of sensitive sites on their phones.

WORLD

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office in Washington on Tuesday. The U.S. president just signed another executive order on Saturday designating English as the official language of the United States.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 2, 2025
Trump designates English as official language of U.S.
The White House published an executive order by Trump which says it is "long past time" that English is declared as the nation's official language.
This still image taken from a Feb. 24 video released by Firefly Aerospace shows Firefly's Blue Ghost lander on its third lunar orbit, showing the far side of the moon.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 2, 2025
In first, private U.S. spaceship lands upright on moon
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 touched down shortly after 3:34 am U.S. Eastern Time on the moon's northeastern near side.
The Spasskaya tower of the Kremlin, center, and Saint Basil's Cathedral, right, in Moscow in 2022
WORLD / Politics
Mar 2, 2025
Trump’s clash with Zelenskyy leaves Moscow both thrilled and wary
Moscow is celebrating Trump’s shift away from unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine, but some in the Kremlin fear his unpredictability could create new risks.
The minaret of a mosque is pictured next to destroyed buildings in the Khalidiya district in Homs on Feb. 10, 2025.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 2, 2025
'Total panic' as USAID cuts jobs from Syria to Haiti
By Nita Bhalla, Bukola Adebayo, Rohullah Talaash and Joseph Guyler Delva
In 2023, USAID spent $42 billion to support programs across 157 countries — ranging from malaria and HIV prevention to fighting starvation and helping those displaced by war.
Palestinians break their fast by eating the Iftar meals during the holy month of Ramadan, near the rubble of buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 2, 2025
Israel agrees on U.S. plan for temporary ceasefire in Gaza, PM's office says
The U.S. proposal came after a realization that more time is needed for talks on a permanent ceasefire.
Ukrainian servicemen play with dogs at their position on a front line in the nation's Zaporizhzhia region on Feb. 21.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 2, 2025
Europe's nightmare is here: They have to fight Putin without the U.S.
By Alberto Nardelli
The European Union is aiming to follow up with an emergency package of €20 billion ($21 billion) in military aid for Ukraine at an emergency summit in Brussels.
Nuns pose for a photo in the rain in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Saturday, ahead of a prayer service as Pope Francis continues his hospitalization.
WORLD
Mar 2, 2025
Pope Francis remains stable, has not had new breathing crisis, Vatican says
By Crispian Balmer
The 88-year-old pontiff suffered a constriction of his respiratory airways on Friday, akin to an asthma attack, renewing concerns over his well-being.

BUSINESS

The government plans to make it easier for urban workers to get side jobs in regional areas.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2025
Government to help regional firms hire urban workers for side jobs
The subsidies are part of a program that matches corporate workers with struggling small and midsize companies in regional areas.
Bic Camera paid ¥557 million less than originally agreed to 51 contract makers of its private-label products including home appliances between July 2023 and August 2024, according to the Fair Trade Commission.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2025
Japan FTC urges Bic Camera to pay subcontractors in full
Bic Camera is believed to have begun underpaying subcontractors in 2020, when it began selling items under its own name.
The rapid collapse of the plan to take Seven & I private reflects how personal egos and domestic competitiveness ultimately outweighed the nationalistic desire to fend off Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard, whose pursuit of the Japanese retailer emerged last August.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2025
Seven & I and Nissan deal fallout leaves Japan companies vulnerable
The collapse of the deals means the companies are potentially even more vulnerable to foreign takeovers.
The logo of Deepseek is seen during the Global Developer Conference, organized by the Shanghai AI Industry Association on Feb. 21. A simple handshake between President Xi Jinping and once-shunned entrepreneur Jack Ma sent Chinese tech stocks booming in recent weeks as it was interpreted as the latest sign the sector is being brought in from the cold — though experts advise caution.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 2, 2025
China signals renewed tech sector support, but concerns linger
By Peter CATTERALL
Analysts increasingly see signs that Beijing is warming to its tech sector again, as domestic economic woes and a trade war with the U.S. loom larger.
Fujitsu says it plans to stop manufacturing ATMs, which it started selling in 1977.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2025
Fujitsu to withdraw from ATM production
The electronics company started selling ATMs in 1977.

ENVIRONMENT

Hidetaka Ishii, an official at the Chiba Municipal Government, says close coordination with private-sector operators is key for regional decarbonization efforts.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Mar 2, 2025
Japan’s climate heroes show potential and limits of local initiatives
By Tomoko Otake
Chiba and others show the potential for local areas to accelerate the energy transition, as well as the challenges of building locally driven, carbon-free energy models.

Opinion

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs following a contentious meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. Plans to sign a critical minerals deal between the two nations were scrapped after the talks quickly devolved into a fiery exchange over U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 2, 2025
Trump’s Oval Office clash with Zelenskyy was a win for Putin
By Andreas Kluth
Nobody in Ukraine, or any other country formerly under Moscow’s boot, believes that Putin will honor the terms of a ceasefire without credible guarantees.

Sports

Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly (left) and Plymouth's Matthew Sorinola vie for the ball during their FA Cup match in Manchester, England, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Mar 2, 2025
Manchester City survives scare from Plymouth in FA Cup
Manchester City survived an FA Cup scare for the second straight round as it beat Championship struggler Plymouth Argyle 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Former Reds great Pete Rose speaks during a ceremony for the unveiling of his bronze statue at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on June 17, 2017.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 2, 2025
MLB's Rob Manfred reviewing petition to reinstate Pete Rose
The report comes one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would pardon Rose.
Pete Rose acknowledges the crowd during a ceremony before the Phillies' game against the Nationals in Philadelphia on Aug. 7, 2022.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 2, 2025
Donald Trump to issue 'complete pardon' of former MLB great Pete Rose
Trump made the declaration late Friday on his Truth Social account. It wasn't exactly clear what the pardon would cover.
Suns forward Kevin Durant drives to the basket against the Pelicans' Trey Murphy III during a game in New Orleans on Thursday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Mar 2, 2025
Kevin Durant uses unique and meticulous pregame routine to get into zone
By Doug Haller
Golden State’s Stephen Curry is perhaps best known for his pregame shooting routine, but Durant’s is also legendary.
Lydia Ko poses with the trophy after winning the HSBC Women's Championship in Singapore on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Mar 2, 2025
Lydia Ko adds 'Asia's Major' to trophy haul with Singapore crown
Ko, a three-time major winner, started the final round with a one-shot lead over a tightly packed field.
Ethiopia's Tadese Takele wins the the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Mar 2, 2025
Tadese Takele wins Tokyo Marathon
Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta was second in 2:03:51, with Kenya's Vincent Kipkemoi Ngetich third in 2:04.
Wayne Gretzky arrives for the inauguration ceremony before Donald Trump is sworn in at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, on Jan. 20.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
Mar 2, 2025
Wayne Gretzky faces backlash in Canada over support for Donald Trump
Trump's provocative comments about making Canada the 51st U.S. state have raised tensions.

LIFE

Chef Kentaro Mura’s favorite way of serving snow crab is as shabu-shabu: The legs are lightly blanched in dashi, then the meat is removed and served with a generous scoop of crab tomalley.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Mar 2, 2025
Toyama’s finest seafood underpins Ebitei Bekkan’s return to greatness
By Robbie Swinnerton
This "kaiseki" restaurant has been making up for lost time with a culinary flair that presents Toyama’s seafood tradition in a contemporary guise.
Inspired by a scene from "La Grande Maison Tokyo," we whipped up a simple yet hearty 'parmentier,' or French shepherd's pie.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Mar 2, 2025
A French shepherd’s pie that's Japanese on the inside
By Simon Daly
Make the best of your mackerel leftovers by layering them as fillings for a casserole.

CULTURE

Staff members wearing costumes from the Japanese superhero series "Choudenshi Bioman" perform during a fan meeting at a concert hall in Seoul to mark the 35th anniversary of its release in South Korea, on Feb. 15.
CULTURE
Mar 2, 2025
South Korean fans soak up nostalgia with vintage Japanese superheroes
By Kang Jin-kyu
It has been decades since "Choudenshi Bioman" was last on TV, but its stories of good versus evil still resonate deeply with some.
Cherry blossom season set to kick off on March 21 in Tokyo
A Weathernews forecast shows the cherry blossom season will begin on March 21 in Tokyo.
Tokyo responds to Trump remarks on 'interesting' Japan-U.S. security pact
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 7.
Nagoya High Court rules not recognizing same-sex marriage unconstitutional
Following the Nagoya High Court ruling on the same-sex marriage lawsuit, lawyers and others raise banners and boards that read "unconstitutional" and similar statements on Friday in Naka Ward, Nagoya.
Foreign single mothers struggle with language barriers and visas
Forbidden from seeing friends and forced to devote herself to housework, Reina (whose name has been changed), a 37-year-old Filipino national living in the city of Nagoya, became socially isolated.
At 102, world's oldest pharmacist celebrates her calling
Kesa Hatamoto, a 102-year-old Japanese woman who is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest pharmacist, speaks during an interview on Jan. 28 in Tokyo's Meguro Ward.
Cherry blossom season set to kick off on March 21 in Tokyo
A Weathernews forecast shows the cherry blossom season will begin on March 21 in Tokyo.
‘Granny hobbies’ are the new self-care
Yarn shortages are a sign that hobbies like knitting and crochet are gaining in popularity.
Can Shiori Ito’s documentary open Japan’s black box?
Shiori Ito is the first Japanese director to have been nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature film. "Black Box Diaries," which tells the story of her quest for justice following her rape in 2015, hasn't been released in Japan.
Japanese stocks stalled at 1989 levels as investors weigh tariffs and rates
An electronic sign displays the benchmark Nikkei stock average on a street in Tokyo. The stock average has been range-bound between about 38,000 and 40,000 since hitting a new all-time high in July last year.
Redevelopment and resistance in historic Nishiogikubo
Tsuyoshi Mizukoshi, owner of a pub in Nishiogi’s commercial area, is a community organizer who is rallying local residents against the road development plan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Supporting women’s social participation is Cartier’s commitment
Supporting women’s social participation is Cartier’s commitment

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