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Japan will ease restrictions on ride-hailing services during the 2025 World Exposition to be held in Osaka, the transport ministry said Thursday. The ministry told the Osaka municipal and prefectural governments at a meeting that 24-hour operations will be allowed throughout the western prefecture to meet visitors’ demand for transport between April and October. Trial services will begin as early as this month to see how many vehicles will be necessary, the ministry said. The Japanese version of ride-hailing allows licensed taxi firms to have individuals use their personal vehicles to transport passengers for a fee in designated areas and time frames. In Osaka Prefecture, up to 210 private vehicles have been operating in eight municipalities, such as the cities of Osaka and Sakai, during specified hours to make up for taxi shortages on Fridays and Saturdays since May. Estimating that there will be a shortage of up to 1,880 taxis per day during the Expo, the prefectural and city governments have negotiated with the ministry to relax the restrictions since August. The relaxation is “a big step forward,” Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said. “We are keen to secure flexible transportation for both Osaka people and visitors to the Expo.” Source link

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting the United States as early as mid-January to hold talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, informed sources said Thursday. Ishiba had been arranging a visit to the U.S. in February or later, but he aims to bring it forward after Trump expressed, earlier this week, his willingness to meet with the prime minister even before taking office. By holding talks with Trump at an early date, Ishiba hopes to build a personal relationship of trust with the president-elect and confirm the significance of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Source link

New York – The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson was charged with federal murder and stalking crimes in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, alongside state murder and terrorism charges previously announced by New York prosecutors. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have charged Luigi Mangione, 26, with the federal crime of murder using a firearm, two charges of stalking and a charge of using an illegal gun silencer, according to a criminal complaint. The complaint accused Mangione of spending months planning an attack driven by his contempt for the health insurance industry and wealthy corporate executives. Mangione was transferred into the custody of New York City police earlier on Thursday after he waived his right to extradition proceedings at a court hearing in Pennsylvania, the state where he was arrested following a five-day search. Handcuffed and in a bright orange jumpsuit, he was escorted off a helicopter that landed in Lower Manhattan by a large group of police officers, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has called Thompson’s killing an outrage, walking a few steps behind. Source link

This year, Japanese films once again dominated the domestic box office, accounting for eight of the top 10 hits according to figures compiled by the PickScene film review site. (The two non-Japanese films were “Inside Out 2” and “Despicable Me 4,” in sixth and eighth place, respectively. The official numbers for 2024 will be released in late January by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.) As in previous years, most of the highest-earning films for 2024 were anime, including the year’s top earner, “Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram.” Based on a popular manga series, the 27th film installment in the venerable franchise centered on a teenage detective trapped in his childhood form grossed ¥15.7 billion ($101 million) following its April 12 release. The film has also won fans overseas, especially in China where it earned nearly $40 million after opening there on Aug. 16 — a series record for the world’s second-largest film market. Source link

The winter holidays can easily be either the most wonderful or the most lonely time in a person’s year. For those of us from overseas who by choice or necessity are sticking it out in Tokyo this New Year’s, the thought of spending the holidays far from home can be daunting. For queer folk, the first place we turn to for friends, merriment and comfort is always our local LGBTQ+ community — be it the physical neighborhoods of Shinjuku Ni-chome or Ueno, or the broader network of events centering on queer patrons. Ni-chome itself is open throughout the New Year period, and many folks report that the bars feel just about as lively as any other weekend night out on the town, with most spots breaking into New Year’s countdowns on the evening of Dec. 31. However, for those looking for something more special and celebratory, there are plenty of parties, raves and drag shows planned in the final weeks of 2024 to keep your cup of joy running over this season. Pre-Christmas cheer Held on Dec. 20 at Studio Freedom in Shibuya, Waifu Deluxe Edition is run by a queer feminist collective that organizes safe and inclusive parties that are especially welcoming toward artists and leftist thinkers. This event will feature local performers Labianna Joroe and Lethal Pixie, as well as special overseas guest, Palestinian pop singer Bashar Murad. The performance marks Murad’s first visit to East Asia. No need for a silent night with all these holiday events. | GETTY IMAGES Also taking place on Dec. 20 at R Lounge in Shibuya is a year-end party put on by Fetch, a queer underground party founded by DJs Intoxxy, Meleetime and Muneo. They have a massive bash planned, featuring multiple live performances and Brazilian-born baile funk and techno DJs. Drag queens for the night include Gyoza Tonin-Anang, Kosmic Sans and Magatama (a rap duo consisting of queens Okini Marciano and Kaguya). For friendly daytime entertainment on Dec. 22 at Tencups Lounge in Shibuya, the budding drag brunch scene of Tokyo is happy to oblige. Tencups carries a decidedly California vibe, with elaborate coffee options and brunch choices such as avocado toast and yogurt and granola. Mimosas are readily available, but by no means mandatory, and the queens for the day are local staples Labianna Joroe and Jessica Jewelry Savannah, as well as Osaka’s Aika Markova. Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve On the evening of Christmas Day, when your energy begins to drop, what better way to light things up again than with a special drag show at Shinjuku Ni-chome’s Aisotope Lounge. The event will feature live singing by organizer Dita Starmine and accompanying acts including by Lil’Grand-Bitch, Shakureiko, Yamada Hoanita (of Tokyo Sankyu fame) and Tatiana Octavia. Also at Aisotope Lounge, the New Year’s Eve party known as the “Joso Kohaku Uta Gassen” (or “Crossdresser Red and White Song Battle”), a spoof on NHK’s New Year’s Eve program of the same name, the Aiso Count Down Party is one of the largest and best-known holiday celebrations in Tokyo’s queer scene. Here, Aisotope’s formidable cast of drag queens and talents, often numbering over a dozen, perform different acts, pantomimes and lip-syncs. This is a particularly good chance to see Japanese-language drag at its finest — it’s the sort of party anyone lucky enough to be staying in Japan over the New Year shouldn’t miss. Source link

Seoul – At least 100 North Korean troops deployed to Russia have been killed, with another 1,000 injured in combat against Ukrainian forces in intense fighting in the Kursk region, a South Korean lawmaker said on Thursday citing the country’s spy agency. The heavy losses are attributed to the lack of experience by North Korean troops in drone warfare and unfamiliarity with the open terrain where they are taking part in the battle, a member of parliament Lee Seong-kweun told reporters. Lee was speaking after a closed-door briefing by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to parliament. Source link

The NBA, where a Big Three combination of players often proves successful on the floor, has a Big Three in terms of franchise value. The Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are the league’s most valuable franchises by a wide margin, Sportico announced in its annual assessment on Wednesday. The Warriors are worth $9.14 billion, the Knicks $8.3 billion and the Lakers $8.07 billion, per the report. Golden State is considered the second most valuable franchise in U.S. sports, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys ($10.3 billion). Source link

Warsaw – Stubborn inflation, exorbitant borrowing costs, bankruptcy risks and a growth slowdown: the Russian economy is facing a slew of negative headlines, as the costs of the Ukraine war and Western sanctions mount. Since ordering an invasion in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly touted the “failure” of sanctions and hailed strong growth in the face of unprecedented uncertainty. But going into 2025, that three-year run of mostly good economic news looks in serious doubt. Source link

Banda Aceh, Indonesia – Djafaruddin says he has recovered from the trauma of collecting bodies when the world’s deadliest tsunami devastated Indonesia’s western coast two decades ago, but he still breaks down when thinking about the orphaned children. The resident of worst-hit city Banda Aceh jumped in his black pickup truck to shift dozens of the dead, some missing limbs and others crushed, to a nearby hospital, leaving him covered in blood and mud. “When I saw the condition in the river with bodies strewn about… I screamed and cried,” he said. Source link

Paris – Sean McGovern, a top lieutenant of the Kinahan cartel, and Faissal Taghi — son of the infamous head of the Dutch-Moroccan Mocro Maffia — used to hang out and party in Dubai’s glitzy hotels and restaurants without a care in the world. Until their arrests — and the smashing of a massive Russian-run money laundering operation based there this month — the Gulf emirate was a haven for some of Europe’s biggest drug traffickers. For years major drug barons have brazenly run their operations out of the city’s skyscrapers and luxury villas without fear of extradition. Limited judicial cooperation from the local authorities meant they had little to fear, said European investigators and magistrates. Source link