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June 30, 2026
 

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HUMAN RIGHTS

An elderly woman in Mariupol, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine, walks past a flag that says "From Saint Petersburg to Mariupol," in August 2025.
WORLD
Mar 28, 2026
Russia gets resolution through U.N. rights council, in first since 2022
Council observers said Russia had used a seemingly innocuous text to make it difficult for countries to vote against it.
The Olympic rings are pictured during an International Olympic Committee executive board meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Mar 27, 2026
Transgender athletes barred from female category events at Olympics
All athletes wanting to qualify or take part in female category events from the LA2028 Olympics onwards will have ‌to undergo ‌an SRY gene test to determine their eligibility.
Tetsuro Kamata, then-deputy superintendent-general of Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, speaks to reporters in August in Yokohama after apologizing to the bereaved family of Shizuo Aishima, who died with wrongful charges standing against him.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 27, 2026
Family of late Ohkawara executive to file suit over judges’ decisions
The family of Shizuo Aishima, who died before charges against him were dropped, is seeking ¥170 million in damages from the state.
Demonstrators hold portraits of disappeared people during a march to Mayo Square on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the last military dictatorship (1976-1983) in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2026
Torture, hunger, screams: Recalling Argentine dictatorship’s detentions
Thousands of people were killed in more than 600 detention centers over nearly eight years.
The government in Hong Kong has announced a further crackdown on dissent, empowering police ​to demand people provide passwords ‌or decryption methods for electronic devices without a court order.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 24, 2026
Hong Kong police given new powers to obtain phone and computer passwords
The city government has announced the new police powers as amendments to the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
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.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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