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Matthew Bell

Editor

Matthew Bell is an editor at The World.

I’m an editor and correspondent based in the Boston newsroom. When I’m not working closely with producers and hosts on our daily program, I’m looking for new story angles to report – especially related to China, the Middle East and religion. By way of background, I studied comparative religion and Chinese history at the University of Vermont. That led me to Mandarin language classes and U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. My first job in public radio was at KQED in San Francisco. I joined The World as a staff reporter in 2001 and over the years I’ve covered a wide range of global stories: from immigration to U.S. foreign policy; international business to North Korea’s nuclear activities; the wars in Iraq, Ukraine and the Gaza Strip to human rights in China. I spent three years as The World’s Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem. Beyond journalism, I’m helping to raise a couple of kids in Massachusetts and trying to become a better guitar player.

How a former gang member in Japan found a new path through Christianity

Japan in Focus

Tatsuya Shindo was once a member of the yakuza, a Japanese organized crime gang. His arm-length tattoos are a sure sign of his past life. Shindo also served time in prison. But now, he’s a 53-year-old Christian pastor who spends time with other former prisoners in a society where redemption and getting a second chance are not easy.

Japan’s ‘listening lounges’ offer pure music with a side of drinks

Japan in Focus

South Korean women are calling their leaders to account 

Women & Gender

Japan’s tourism boom presents a special challenge for Kyoto

Japan in Focus

In South Korea, shamans are shunned — and revered 

Sacred Nation

Supporters of impeached South Korean president rally for him to be reinstated

Leaders

Over the weekend, hundreds of President Yoon’s supporters smashed their way into a court building in Seoul. Police restored order early Sunday morning, but not before making dozens of arrests.

‘Angst in the air’: South Koreans demonstrate for and against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol

Conflict & Justice

Judges at South Korea’s Constitutional Court get underway with a trial this week that could remove the country’s president from office. Yoon Suk Yeol sent the nation into a democratic crisis six weeks ago when he declared martial law. That got him impeached. Now, Yoon is facing an arrest warrant and he’s refusing to appear at the Constitutional Court out of concern for his personal safety.  

Armenian Christians of Jerusalem say their centuries-old community faces an existential threat    

Sacred Nation

Armenian Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem say their centuries-old community is facing an existential threat. It stems from an ongoing legal dispute over a real estate deal signed three years ago. Members of the small minority community of Armenians in Jerusalem say they are fearful about their future in the holy city.

The number of Americans studying in China is a fraction of what it once was

The World's Global Classroom

The US and China want more foreign exchange students between their two countries. But politics and bureaucracy often complicate the process, and far fewer Americans are going to China to study than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Israeli PM Netanyahu defends the war in Gaza on Capitol Hill 

Israel-Hamas war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the goal for his visit to Washington is to shore up bipartisan support for Israel and its war in Gaza. But his trip has been met with protests, with many Democratic Party lawmakers deciding not to attend his speech on Wednesday.

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