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July 12, 2026
 

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HUMAN RIGHTS

The Indian Supreme Court building in New Delhi in 2010
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 23, 2026
Activists and journalists set for court fight over Modi’s privacy law
Concerns have been raised over a possible chilling effect on newsgathering and the hindering of accountability journalism.
The Olympic rings in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, last month.
OLYMPICS
Mar 18, 2026
IOC urged to drop reported gender test plans for female athletes
The IOC has long declined to apply any universal rule on transgender participation ​and in 2021 instructed international federations to ⁠come up with their own rules.
Plaintiffs at a news conference on Tuesday after a ruling on voluntary sterilization was handed down by the Tokyo District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 17, 2026
Tokyo court rules against women’s right to voluntary sterilization
Under Japanese law, sterilization surgery for women can be performed only when specific health risks are present.
According to a survey covering some 2,000 LGBTQ+ people over three years to 2024, 54.9% of respondents said in the final year that their workplaces did not have any specific measures for sexual and gender minorities.
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2026
No LGBTQ+ measures at over half of workplaces in Japan: survey
The figure slightly improved from 57.2% in 2022 and 60.4% in 2023, according to the survey.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a Lower House budget committee session last week
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 15, 2026
Tough debate ahead for Japan national intelligence council bill
The government believes that the current security environment is the most severe and complex since the end of World War II.
Nonprofit Masimanyane Women’s Rights International holds a workshop in East London, South Africa.
WORLD / Society
Mar 14, 2026
African countries consider ‘vice taxes’ to help fill USAID cuts
As the momentum for funding health initiatives slows down, African governments are exploring ways to minimize reliance on foreign donors.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Feb. 18.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 13, 2026
Japanese government OKs gender equality plan featuring use of maiden names
It aims to submit legislation related to the sixth gender equality basic plan, which contains measures to be taken over the next five years, to the ongoing session of parliament.
The aftermath of an Israeli military strike on Tehran's Evin Prison is seen here on June 29, nearly a week after the hostilities ceased.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 13, 2026
Japan should urge Iran to release people in detention
A Japanese government spokesperson has confirmed that Iranian authorities detained a Japanese national on Jan. 20 and Tokyo has been urging Tehran to release them.
U.N. Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism Ben Saul speaks during a news conference at the European headquarters of the U.N. in Geneva on Dec. 11, 2024.
WORLD
Mar 13, 2026
World in ‘new dark age’ of abuse, U.N. rights expert says
Ben Saul said the war in the Middle East would not improve global security.
A delegate in an ethnic minority costume arrives before the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 13, 2026
China’s new ethnic unity law could target Taiwanese, Taipei officials warn
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, already has laws and regulations against Taiwanese independence supporters.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang arrive for the closing session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 12, 2026
China passes ethnic unity law to advance Xi’s assimilation push
For critics, the law adds to pressure on minorities across the Han Chinese-majority country.
Anabel Oliva, 20, speaks outside the University of Havana during a protest against disruptions in classes due to energy and internet shortages in Havana on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 11, 2026
‘My friends are still in jail’: Cubans take to the streets but fear crossing line
While Cubans have expressed frustration over lengthy power blackouts, a repeat of the mass 2021 protests seems unlikely due to the government’s violent repression then.
A mother and her daughter walk holding a heart balloon on Valentine's Day at the Lychakiv Military Cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Feb. 14. The issue of Russia's deportation and forcible transfer of children is highly sensitive in Ukraine and remains central to negotiations for a potential peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2026
Russia committed ‘crimes against humanity’ in deporting Ukrainian children, U.N. says
The U.N.’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has so far confirmed 1,205 cases of Russia deporting or transferring children from occupied areas of Ukraine.
Afghan women walk toward a safer place on Sept. 3 after their house was damaged following a deadly magnitude 6 earthquake in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Women in the country have to cover up when outside the home, with only their hands and eyes visible.
WORLD / Society
Mar 10, 2026
Rituals of resilience: How Afghan women stay sane in their ‘cage’
From singing to going up into the mountains to scream, five Afghan women talked about how they cope with their lives tightly controlled by Taliban government rules.
Iranian players pose prior to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, on Sunday.
WORLD
Mar 10, 2026
Five Iranian women’s soccer players granted humanitarian visas in Australia
The remaining teammates are in a hotel on the Gold Coast, as Australia’s prime minister says help is available to the other players but it is up to them to accept it.
Iranian players salute during their national anthem at the AFC Women's Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 9, 2026
Australia under pressure to protect Iran women’s soccer team
An Iranian state TV presenter called the players traitors after they remained silent during the national anthem before an opening loss to South Korea on March 2.
Hiroko Akizuki, a member of the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, says the political sector is what obstructs gender equality in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2026
U.N. panel member implores Japan to address gender equality
Japan ranks 118th among the 148 economies included in the United Nations’ Global Gender Gap Index.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a round table on collegiate sports in the White House on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 7, 2026
Trump’s Iran war violates international law, experts say
The U.S. says it attacked Iran to curb “direct threats“, but experts say the dangers cited by Washington do not justify war under international law.
The Liberal Democratic Party holds a meeting to discuss the government's sixth basic plan for gender equality at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2026
Japan considers legalizing use of original surnames on their own after marriage
The plan is expected to be approved by the Cabinet later this month.
Chow Hang-tung speaks to the media outside Tin Shui Wai Police Station in Hong Kong in March 2021 over activists then being held by the authorities. She now faces an incitement to subversion charge over her role in commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2026
Hong Kong’s democracy fight is also a battle for women’s freedom
Despite gendered repression, smear campaigns and imprisonment by Beijing authorities, women in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement continue to lead and resist.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

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

Longform

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