Tag - california

 
 

CALIFORNIA

A Studio Ghibli store in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Studio Ghibli will open a pop-up store in Los Angeles later this month, bringing a wide selection of merchandise to the U.S. for the first time.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 17, 2026
Studio Ghibli to open its first U.S. pop-up store in Los Angeles
Called “Donguri Republic in Los Angeles,” the store will be opened for six months from June. 23 to Dec. 31.
Smoke rises from Edwards Air Force Base after the crash of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber in Edwards, California, on Monday.
WORLD
Jun 16, 2026
Eight die in B-52 bomber crash during test mission in California
The aircraft had been on a “routine test mission” when the crash occurred, according to a statement from Edwards Air Force Base, which added that an investigation was underway.
Seven-member group Hana kicked off California music festival Zipangu with a high-energy performance showcasing the act’s wide-ranging sound.
CULTURE / Music
May 28, 2026
Girl group Hana channels positivity into every performance
Before joining Hana, the group’s members were told “no” by the entertainment industry. Now they’re part of one of Japan’s most talked-about new acts.
At music festival Zipangu’s inaugural edition, headliner Ado performed original songs as well as classic J-pop hits such as Miki Matsubara’s 1979 track “Mayonaka no Door: Stay With Me.”
CULTURE / Music
May 28, 2026
Music festival Zipangu offers a glimpse of J-pop’s future beyond anime
Ado, Chanmina, Atarashii Gakko!, Yuki Chiba and more turned a Pasadena golf course into a showcase for the breadth of Japanese music and its growing appeal abroad.
Tokyo Central staff offer handroll sushi at its Emeryville outlet in California.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 25, 2026
Even at home, American shoppers are flocking to Japanese supermarkets
Aisles lined with signs written in kanji and hiragana transport shoppers doing their regular grocery shopping to Japan.
Water is sprayed during a chemical incident involving a leaking tank of methyl methacrylate, a flammable liquid used in the aerospace industry, in Garden Grove, California, on Saturday.
WORLD
May 24, 2026
California seeks novel solution as chemical tank heats up, risking catastrophe
Evacuation orders remained in place for an area covering tens of thousands of people in the Garden Grove suburb ​of Los Angeles.
A child holds his parents' hands as they leave the mosque at the scene of a shooting at the Islamic Center in San Diego, California, on Monday.
WORLD
May 19, 2026
‘I saw bad stuff,’ says 9-year-old who hid in closet during California mosque attack
The child said his classmates and he were ushered into a closet at the mosque where they attend school, trembling in fear as shots rang out.
A man brings an empty liquefied petroleum gas canister to a depot in New Delhi on Monday. India is the second-largest importer of LPG in the world and is suffering acute shortages of the fuel, used in cooking gas and industrial processes.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 19, 2026
How India’s cooking fuel shortage is driving up California’s gas prices
Both symptoms of the worst-ever energy supply disruption, they are directly connected and evidence of the effects across the global economy of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
A California mayor admitted to posting pro-China propaganda at the direction of Chinese government officials, according to court documents unsealed Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 12, 2026
Los Angeles-area mayor to plead guilty to acting as Chinese propaganda agent
The mayor of Arcadia, California, a heavily Chinese-American suburb of Los Angeles, has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of acting as a foreign agent of China.
The California State Capitol building in Sacramento. A pressure campaign waged by tech companies, spearheaded by the California Chamber of Commerce and the big tech trade group Chamber of Progress,  has quashed a California legislative measure that pitted giants such as Apple and Google against smaller rivals.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 28, 2026
Apple and Google crushed California bill helping smaller rivals
The bill had sought to stop major technology platforms from favoring their own products over those of competitors in places such as Apple’s App Store.
Andon Market in San Francisco represents a vision, however flawed, of a future when more sophisticated AI agents take over work traditionally done by humans.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 24, 2026
An AI agent takes over a store and orders too many candles
The San Francisco shop represents a vision, however flawed, of a future when more sophisticated AI agents take over work traditionally done by humans.
Sculptor Kohei Nawa's first solo show in Los Angeles debuts 20 new artworks this month.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 17, 2026
At Kohei Nawa’s studio, the world is seen through glass bubbles
Kohei Nawa’s “PixCell” series, a play on the words pixel and cell, explores the way we view objects by covering them in glass beads that magnify and distort.
California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell speaks during the California Democratic Convention in San Francisco in February.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 13, 2026
Swalwell suspends campaign for California governor amid sexual assault allegations
The San Francisco Chronicle and CNN reported that a woman who previously worked in Eric Swalwell’s district office accused him of two nonconsensual sexual encounters.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the 2026 Infrastructure Summit of government officials, corporate executives and labor leaders, in Washington on March 11.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 11, 2026
Man arrested for throwing Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO’s home
San Francisco police arrested a man on Friday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. No one was injured.
Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani pitches during the sixth inning against the Blue Jays during game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Oct. 28.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 17, 2026
Uniqlo looks to cash in on Dodgermania with partnership deal
The deal with superstar Shohei Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers will see the firm become Dodger Stadium’s official field presenting partner.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on March 6
WORLD
Mar 12, 2026
FBI bulletin warned of possible Iran retaliation on California targets
Iran has fought back with missile and drone aircraft attacks against Israel and several Gulf states that host U.S. military installations.
Takuya Chigira, the CEO of Japanese talent agency Cloud Nine, is launching Zipangu, a Stateside festival devoted to Japanese culture. Chigira and Cloud Nine are working closely with American promoter Goldenvoice, best known for Coachella.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 26, 2026
What is Zipangu? Inside J-pop’s first-of-its-kind Los Angeles festival
A new Stateside event tests whether viral success can become a lasting international presence.
Alejandro M. Lopez brings his Altadena wildfire experience to Tokyo, where his exhibition explores trauma, renewal and climate change.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 19, 2026
A California wildfire survivor turns devastation into art with a message on the climate crisis
Alejandro M. Lopez channels the Altadena blaze into paintings that trace trauma, melancholy and renewal in Tokyo.
A visitor snaps pictures of art pieces exhibited at the Academy Museum's 'Ponyo' media preview in Los Angeles on Thursday.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 13, 2026
Oscars museum dives into world of Miyazaki’s ‘Ponyo’
Dozens of drawings, storyboards and other elements created for the film and gifted to the Los Angeles institution by Miyazaki’s world-famous Studio Ghibli are going on display.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Jan. 22.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 27, 2026
California’s Newsom accuses TikTok of suppressing content critical of Trump
The Democratic governor launched a review of the platform’s ‍content moderation ⁠practices to determine if they violated state law.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival