Record heat in the Philippines this month has forced schools to send children home for online classes, reviving memories of COVID lockdowns and raising fears that more extreme weather in the years to come could deepen educational inequalities.
As much as 桜 (sakura, cherry blossoms) are associated with the start of April, look around at the start of May and you’re likely to see 鯉のぼり (koinobori, carp streamers), which are hung in preparation for こどもの日 (kodomo no hi, Children’s Day) on May 5.
Germany is waging a charm offensive inside the Republican Party. Japan is lining up its own Trump whisperer. Mexican government officials are talking to Camp Trump. And Australia is busy making laws to help Trump-proof its U.S. defense ties.
South Korea’s economic growth accelerated more than expected last quarter as exports recovered and construction investment rebounded, brightening prospects for President Yoon Suk-yeol after an election setback that threatens his economic initiatives.
Now that U.S. President Joe Biden has signed off on a law that could expel TikTok from the U.S. market, Beijing must decide how best to retaliate over an attack on the world’s most-valuable start-up.
The yen weakened beyond 155 per dollar for the first time in more than three decades, fueling the risk that the key level may prompt Japan to step into the market.
Ryo Saeba isn’t exactly a hero for our times. A denizen of Tokyo’s seamy Kabukicho entertainment district, the private investigator is an expert marksman and pugilist, but also an incorrigible pervert. Anyone seeking his services can leave a message on a blackboard in nearby Shinjuku Station, though they should be warned that he only goes for the pretty customers — and he won’t be looking at their faces when he’s talking to them.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Venice International Film Festival, had an unusual gestation, beginning as a short film to accompany the performances of musician Eiko Ishibashi, who scored Hamaguchi’s Oscar-winning “Drive My Car.” Along the way, Hamaguchi decided to turn it into a feature film with dialogue.
Sometime in late 2023, users of short-form video platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts sought out a mood booster. They found just the serotonin shot they needed courtesy turn-of-the-millennium music genre Shibuya-kei, in all its smiley wonder.
