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Humans prefer to walk anticlockwise, scientists find – but reason is unclear

From Spain to Japan, experiments have repeatedly shown a left-turn bias, but exact mechanic ‘is still an open question’

“I’m not an ambi-turner,” laments Derek Zoolander in the eponymous noughties satire about the world’s hottest male model and his rare catwalk hangup. “It’s a problem I’ve had since I was a baby … I can’t turn left.”

Now, research suggests that the fashionista’s career-threatening quirk was even more unusual than previously thought. Tests reveal that when people are ambling about, they have a natural tendency to turn to the left and walk in an anticlockwise direction.

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© Photograph: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

Japanese manga fans urge Trump to stop using characters in his online posts

Renewed outrage at White House’s use manga and anime imagery after US president is depicted as ninja Naruto

Japanese anime and manga fans are urging Donald Trump to stop using their favourite characters in his social media posts.

About 20,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org entitled Protect Japanese Manga, protesting against the official White House X account posting videos featuring unauthorised use of imagery from the popular Dragon Ball, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto series. Angry fans have also been posting on social media.

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© Photograph: StudioB/Alamy

© Photograph: StudioB/Alamy

© Photograph: StudioB/Alamy

Japanese city shuts down nearly 100 schools after unprecedented bear sighting

Police and hunters in Utsunomiya, 100km north of the capital, resume their search for animal that is not usually seen so close to Tokyo

A city in Japan has closed all its 94 primary and secondary schools after a bear was spotted in the municipality for the first time.

Officials in Utsunomiya, a city of half a million people about 100km (62 miles) north of Tokyo, took action after a medium-sized black bear – estimated to be about one-metre-long – was seen near a park in the city on Saturday. The bear was spotted again on CCTV running just in front of two startled young men in the city centre, in the early hours of Sunday.

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© Photograph: Yoshihiro Sato

© Photograph: Yoshihiro Sato

© Photograph: Yoshihiro Sato

On Patrol With Tokyo’s New Litter Police

5 June 2026 at 10:06
Visitor numbers to Shibuya are surging and trash cans are scarce. Enter the city patrol.

© Kiuko Notoya/The New York Times

On the streets of Shibuya, patrol teams caught 10 people littering on the first day of the new ordinance, 15 on the second day and 9 on the third, according to city officials.

Typhoon Jangmi sweeps northwards leaving 23 injured in Japan

More than 1 million people advised to evacuate homes amid 80mph winds and heavy rain

Typhoon Jangmi (also known as Typhoon No 6) moved northwards over the course of this week. From Okinawa to mainland Japan, prolonged and heavy rainfall led to landslide warnings and the flooding of rivers, with Japan issuing level 4 warnings for some rivers, signalling a risk of overflowing. This level is high enough for municipalities to issue evacuation orders. Three-hourly rainfall totals on Wednesday reached 105mm in Chiyoda, Tokyo, which was a record high for the month. Sustained wind speeds of 80mph (130kph) were recorded on Monday – making it a category 1 typhoon – bringing damage and disruption to businesses, transport, infrastructure and the environment.

By Wednesday, 23 people had been injured, 17 of whom were in Okinawa. The typhoon damaged 57 homes and led to 60,000 homes losing electricity. In addition to this, 1.52 million people were advised to evacuate by authorities. The typhoon damaged the exterior wall of Himeji Castle, a Unesco world heritage site in western Japan. The maximum recorded wind speed at Himeji was 56mph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The typhoon has now weakened into a tropical depression and has moved eastwards, away from the islands.

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© Photograph: Franck Robichon/EPA

© Photograph: Franck Robichon/EPA

© Photograph: Franck Robichon/EPA

The Japanese Defense Minister visited Indonesia and the Philippines

25 May 2026 at 09:30
A significant event in the formation of both Japan’s postwar foreign policy and the situation in the critically important Southeast Asian subregion was Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s tour to Indonesia and the Philippines in early May. Japan is once again “moving southwest.” It should be emphasized once again that one of the central components of […]

The Migration Problem in Japan: A General Overview

20 May 2026 at 05:59
The global migration problem has not spared Japan, one of the world’s economic leaders. The country’s leadership has to take into account many objective factors when tackling it. The Demographic Situation Looks Increasingly Grim The idea of demographic exacerbation began to appear in connection with Japan’s domestic political situation at the end of the previous […]

Sanae Takaichi, Three Months after Her Triumph: Challenges amid Political Dominance

18 May 2026 at 12:30
Following its landslide victory in the February 8 election, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in close cooperation with the Ishin no Kai party, is promoting initiatives to increase Japan’s military capabilities. At first glance, nothing has changed after the Diet elections, and the LDP continues to dominate politics. While this is largely true, several details […]

Australia: balancing on the international stage is becoming difficult

8 May 2026 at 12:30
In late April to early May, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, went on a tour of East Asian countries, having visited Japan, China and South Korea. The aim of this trip was Canberra’s desire to maintain a foreign policy balance among the region’s key players. However, achieving this goal is becoming increasingly difficult. […]
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