Tag - focus

 
 

FOCUS

Masaaki Okawara (center) and other plaintiffs celebrate in December after the Tokyo District Court ruled that police and prosecutors had falsely accused them of illegally exporting spray dryers. But the civil suit continues as both sides have appealed the ruling.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Mar 19, 2024
Japan's 'hostage justice system' faces renewed scrutiny
The long-criticized system has come under the spotlight as executives wrongly accused of a crime continue their legal battle.
Mercian's vineyard in Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 18, 2024
Major Japanese beverage groups focusing more on sustainability
Initiatives have diversified to include water source preservation as well as winery tours under the theme of the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals.
Shun Otokita is the rarest of Nippon Ishin lawmakers: He was born and bred in Tokyo, where he got his start as a local politician.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 18, 2024
Can Nippon Ishin no Kai make inroads in Tokyo?
The Kansai-based party is aiming to broaden its support across Japan — starting with Tokyo's No. 15 district election next month.
Hezbollah members take part in the funeral of four members of one family killed by in an Israeli air raid in southern Lebanon, on March 11 in Blida, near the border with Israel.
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 16, 2024
Hezbollah tells Iran it would fight alone in any war with Israel
Hezbollah, a sworn enemy of Israel, has shown support for Hamas in the form of limited volleys of rockets fired across Israel's northern border.
Members of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council stage a "menthol funeral" to draw attention to the annual toll of smoking-related deaths outside the White House in Washington on Jan. 18.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 16, 2024
Smokes and votes: Could menthol cigarette ban sway U.S. election?
A proposed ban from President Joe Biden's administration on the mint-flavored smokes has miffed some Black Americans, a key Democratic Party base.
Relations between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso (right) have been strained since January, when the prime minister announced that he was dissolving his own faction, which took both of them by surprise.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 15, 2024
How can Kishida punish lawmakers involved in the slush funds scandal?
Next month's by-elections and party polls later this year put the prime minister in a tough spot.
Hokuriku Electric Power's Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture. After the Noto Peninsula earthquake, data from at least 18 monitoring posts to measure radiation levels around the Shika plant became unavailable.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2024
Nuclear power policy to be major focus in parliament after Ishikawa quake
The New Year's Day earthquake occurred near Hokuriku Electric Power's Shika nuclear power station, raising concerns over another nuclear disaster.
Rescuers clear debris from a multistory building heavily damaged following a drone strike, in Odessa, Ukraine, on March 3.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2024
The $1 trillion race to rebuild Ukraine is slowly getting going
Firms are boosting their presence in Ukraine, in anticipation of the conflict's end — and the biggest investment opportunity since at least World War II.
A man looks at electronic boards displaying stock prices of companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on Monday. The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average has surged at an unexpected pace of about 20% this year
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 8, 2024
A stock rally but sluggish growth: What’s the deal with Japan’s economy?
The Nikkei is benefiting from companies' strong earnings, but wider economic indicators are much less positive.
The Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte waves as he walks past NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during a summit at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels in June 2021.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 6, 2024
‘A safe pair of hands’: Dutch PM emerges as NATO chief front-runner
Although the top contender, Mark Rutte may still have to win over about a third of the alliance’s 31-member states.
Six months have passed since Japan started releasing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2024
Fukushima water release still vexing China-Japan ties
China-bound exports of Japanese fishery products in 2023 plunged by some 30% from the previous year in value terms.
SMBC Nikko Securities has set up an alumni organization for former employees to interact and share their experiences.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2024
As more move midcareer, Japan firms tap former hires with alumni networks
As well as seeking business opportunities, companies also recognize the value of rehiring individuals with expertise and skills gained elsewhere.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a Lower House plenary session on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 3, 2024
In bid to save face, Kishida sticks to his guns on budget passage schedule
The PM wants to prevent his administration's popularity from falling further but his handling of a funds scandal is widely perceived as inadequate.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 3, 2024
How big primary wins are cloaking flaws in Trump re-election bid
The 77-year-old has been hemorrhaging moderate Republicans, who have signaled they'd prefer someone else — anyone else — in the Oval Office.
Artillery shells and primers in a self-propelled howitzer operated by Ukraine’s 80th Brigade, near Kreminna, Ukraine, in January 2023.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2024
Europe battles gunpowder shortage to supply shells for Ukraine
Hard-to-find gunpowder is hindering Europe's scramble to provide hundreds of thousands of shells to Kyiv.
Currency dealers work in front of an electronic board showing the Korean Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of a bank in Seoul. Officials in South Korea are taking a cue from Japan, where a push for corporate reforms has been one of the key drivers for a world-beating equity rally.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2024
South Korea faces long road in unlocking corporate value like Japan
As global investors scrutinize South Korea’s plans, they note a key hurdle — the prevalence of family-controlled businesses, or chaebols.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone stands on the runway at Naval Base Ventura County Sea Range, Point Mugu, near Oxnard, California. The Defense Ministry is considering purchasing the Reaper for intercepting foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 1, 2024
New drone tech in spotlight as Japan eyes boosted capabilities
As Tokyo seeks to beef up its unmanned systems, inspiration could come from the latest tech displayed at this year's Singapore Airshow.
In early February, the Finance Ministry announced that government debt at the end of last year had reached a record high of ¥1.2 quadrillion.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 27, 2024
With downfall of Abe faction, some see a shift in Japan’s debt debate
The faction has long promoted fiscal stimulus, but its demise combined with wider economic conditions could open up space for a different approach.
Takuya Yokota (second from right), head of a group of families of abductees to North Korea, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024
Families of North Korea abductees give Japan breathing room for summit
The group won't oppose Tokyo's lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang if all abductees are returned while their parents' generation is still alive.
Japan, Britain and Italy have made headway in their joint next-generation fighter aircraft project, with industry officials saying that the partners are close to completing the aircraft’s conceptual design phase.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024
Japan joint fighter program gains steam as firms zero in on conceptual design
The completion of the conceptual design phase will allow Japan, Britain and Italy to move to the next stage of the program next year.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world