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July 24, 2024
 

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JAPAN

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks aboard the USS Howard destroyer at the Yokosuka Naval Base, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in September 2022.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 23, 2024
Continuity in Asia: Harris' policies likely to assuage concerns in Japan
By Kathleen Benoza and Jesse Johnson
Tokyo is already quite familiar with the approach of the U.S. vice president, who will likely continue her predecessor's foreign policy if she is elected president.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara meet in Singapore in June.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 23, 2024
U.S.-Japan security talks to cover 'extended deterrence' for first time
By Jesse Johnson
The allies' top diplomats and defense chiefs will for the first time cover the U.S. commitment to using its military capabilities, including nukes, to protect its ally.
A full-scale model of the new design of a next-generation fighter that Japan, Italy and Britain plan to develop together is showcased Monday by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Leonardo and BAE Systems — the projects’ lead system integrators — at the Farnborough International Airshow near London on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024
Japan and partners unveil design for cutting-edge new joint fighter
By Gabriel Dominguez
While unlikely to be the final design, the refined concept features major changes in the wing and aft fuselage areas ostensibly meant to improve its aerodynamics.
Boxes of canned quail eggs are piled up at a warehouse in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, earlier this month.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 23, 2024
Quail egg farmers struggle after schools remove item from lunches
A fatal choking incident in February involving a canned quail egg at a Fukuoka elementary school led schools nationwide to remove the item from their lunches.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi says a Japanese man in his 20s died last month fighting for Russia against Ukraine.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024
Tokyo announces death of Japanese man in Russian military
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has urged Japanese people again to refrain from traveling to Ukraine and Russian regions bordering Ukraine.
As of Sunday, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical reported 279 deaths and 2,274 hospital visits due to health issues related to its beni kōji supplements, among which 461 required hospitalization.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 23, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma's president and chairperson resign over health scandal
By Francis Tang
For the first time in its history, someone outside of the Osaka-based drugmaker's founding family will become its president.
Passengers go through ticket gates at Tokyo Station Tuesday morning as all Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train services resumed following a partial halt the previous day.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024
Tokaido Shinkansen train line resumes full services
A derailment accident involving maintenance trains caused a partial suspension Monday, but all services have now been resumed.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters in Tokyo Monday following news of U.S. President Joe Biden's exit from the presidential race.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Kishida aides wary of impact from Biden's withdrawal
Many expect Kishida to make a decision on his approach to the LDP's leadership race after the summer holiday period in mid-August.
Parliamentary Vice Minister of Defense Shingo Miyake speaks at a news conference in Kitadaito, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024
Okinawa island accepts ASDF radar deployment
An ASDF mobile radar will monitor the Chinese military's growing activities in the Pacific.
Japanese badminton players participate in one of Ajinomoto's Kachimeshi Kai gatherings.
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2024
Ajinomoto offering food-related support to Japan athletes in Paris
Ajinomoto has been offering athletes light traditional Japanese meals at an on-site nutrition support base set up for every Summer and Winter Olympics.

ASIA PACIFIC

A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, on March 29, 2014.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Manila will still assert South China Sea rights after China resupply deal
The provisional arrangement with Beijing “will not prejudice our respective national positions,” the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs says.

WORLD

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Taking on Trump, Kamala Harris vows to draw on prosecutorial experience
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Nandita Bose
The U.S. vice president has also promised to drive forward laws to protect abortion rights and ban assault rifles, and focus on rebuilding the middle class.
A lone tree stands near a water trough on the outskirts of Walgett, in New South Wales, Australia, in 2018. Energy analysts said high construction costs, plus Australia's lack of nuclear expertise and abundant land and sunshine, make nuclear a less logical choice in the country.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Nuclear wildcard reignites Australia's climate wars
By Peter Hobson
Ahead of expected polls, the country's federal opposition has unveiled plans to slow the roll-out of renewable energy and build a network for nuclear reactors.
U.S. President Joe Biden will get the first test of how much sway he still retains when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Washington for a previously planned visit this week.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Biden looks to project strength abroad despite lame-duck status
By Anna Edgerton, Eric Martin and Iain Marlow
Having no electoral pressure may give U.S. President Joe Biden the ability to act more boldly in foreign affairs.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Kamala Harris moves quickly, rallying enough delegates to clinch nomination
By Gregory Korte and Jordan Fabian
The U.S. vice president is set to hold her first campaign rally as a 2024 presidential candidate on Tuesday in Milwaukee.
Scientists drive their snowmobiles cross the arctic during dawn near Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Norway, on April 10, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Pentagon to bolster response to China and Russia in Arctic
By Danielle Bochove
Measures are needed "to ensure the Arctic does not become a strategic blind spot,” the Defense Department said in its 2024 Arctic Strategy released Monday.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich at Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on June 26
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Russia convicted second U.S. journalist on same day as WSJ's Evan Gershkovich
Alsu Kurmasheva was found guilty of publicly disseminating false information about Russia’s military, the state-run Tass news service reported.
A man squats next to a fire as Palestinians, who fled the eastern part of Khan Younis, were ordered by Israeli army to evacuate their neighborhoods in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday.
WORLD
Jul 23, 2024
Israel sends tanks back into Khan Younis area and kills 70
By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Ari Rabinovitch and Hatem Khaled
"It is like doomsday," said one resident of the area affected in Gaza.
U.S. soldiers during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from U.S.-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad on August 23, 2020
WORLD
Jul 23, 2024
Iraq eyes drawdown of U.S.-led forces starting September, sources say
By Timour Azhari and Ahmed Rasheed
The U.S. currently has around 2,500 troops in Iraq at the head of a more than 80-member coalition that was formed in 2014.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff arrive at Kamala's Presidential Campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 23, 2024
Buttigieg to Beshear: Kamala Harris' possible vice president
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Nandita Bose
Potential vice presidential candidates for Kamala Harris include Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Mark Kelly.

BUSINESS

Nidec separately announced it signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday with Tata Elxsi, an Indian technology service provider, to develop software programs for India and other markets.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 23, 2024
Japan's Nidec lifts annual profit outlook after first quarter
The company raised its expectations for operating profit in the financial year to the end of March 2025 to ¥240 billion ($1.53 billion).
Nippon Steel is dissolving its joint venture with China's Baoshan Iron & Steel, ending two decades of cooperation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2024
Nippon Steel to dissolve joint venture with China's Baoshan
Nippon Steel did not provide a reason for dissolving the partnership originally established in 2004.
Toyota's plan to buy back shares from major banks and insurers is part of a broader push to unwind strategic shareholdings with financial partners.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2024
Toyota to buy back stock worth $5.2 billion from banks and insurers
By Takako Taniguchi and Natsuko Katsuki
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Tokio Marine Holdings and MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings are tendering shares at an 11% discount.
Australian grape exports to Japan are expected to rise as Tokyo has fully opened the market for the fruit.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024
Japan opens up its market for Australian grapes
The Australian government aims to increase the country's annual grape exports to Japan to about AU$50 million, or 2.5 times the current figure, within several years.
Entrepreneurs who participated in the Beyond Japan Zero to X program last year share their experiences in the United States during a meeting in May in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2024
Japanese startups advised to internationalize to get some global mojo
By Kazuaki Nagata
Occupying the No. 1 spot in the Japanese market affords many comforts, but global dominance is unlikely to be one of them.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi says the Bank of Japan should more clearly show its intention to normalize monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024
LDP heavyweight Toshimitsu Motegi calls for clearer sign from BOJ on policy
By Toru Fujioka
The remarks suggest growing political frustration over the central bank’s cautious stance as low rates keep pressure on the yen while inflation outpaces wage growth.
The exchange rate for the Japanese yen against the euro (left) and the U.S. dollar is displayed at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on June 27.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 23, 2024
Citi flags possible euro-yen intervention if rate nears ¥180 level
By George Lei
The euro-yen pair traded as high as ¥175.43 on July 11 — a record since the common currency was launched in 1999 — before retreating.
Bank of Japan officials are divided over whether to raise interest rates at a policy meeting next week, people familiar with the matter say.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024
BOJ is said to see weak consumer spending complicating rate call
By Toru Fujioka and Sumio Ito
Weak consumer spending has prompted the government to cut its fiscal year growth forecast to 0.9%, with central bank likely lowering its projection to 0.5%.
Blackstone's private equity fund says Japanese individual investors are highly interested in alternatives and their understanding of the asset class is deepening.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 23, 2024
Blackstone Japan fund exceeds $1B as investors warm up to private equity
By Takako Taniguchi
As inflation takes hold in the country, investors are exploring more alternative assets on government encouragement to invest more of their cash.
Brian Kim (center), founder of Kakao, arrives at the Seoul Southern District Court in Seoul on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2024
Arrest warrant out for Kakao founder in stock-rigging case
By Yoolim Lee, Sohee Kim and Eunkyung Seo
Brian Kim is facing accusations that he was involved in a stock-rigging scheme during the high-profile takeover of SM Entertainment in 2023.

Opinion

Artificial intelligence is transforming various business sectors and the economy. But concerns about humanoid robots replacing all jobs are unfounded, as human dexterity will remain essential for the foreseeable future.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2024
AI is making robots smarter. They’ll need boundaries.
By Thomas Black
Where AI meets the physical world — and creates the potential for conflicts — is in manufacturing and logistics.
Starbucks mobile app shows an error message on Friday. A botched software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike crashed countless Microsoft Windows computer systems globally.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2024
CrowdStrike meltdown and the price of real security
By Brad Glosserman
Catastrophic system failure isn’t part of the equation — until it happens. Which will be occurring with increasing frequency in our deeply interconnected world.

Sports

Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2024
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
By Sean Carroll
With the squad being the only one in Paris not to feature any overage players, it is clear that this competition is partly about building for the future.
Sha'Carri Richardson is a heavy favorite to become the first American since Gail Devers at the 1996 Olympics to be regarded as the world's fastest woman.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2024
Fast, not furious: Richardson eyes Olympic redemption
By Rob Woollard
An Olympic gold would be the reward for untold hours of grueling training as well her personal growth over the past two seasons since the nadirs of 2021-2022.
Canada's Evan Dunfee poses as he celebrates winning bronze in the men's 50-kilometer race walk at the World Athletics Championships in Doha on Sept. 29, 2019.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2024
Chilled athletes embrace strategies to beat Paris heat
By Lori Ewing
In a warming world, heat acclimatization has moved rapidly from the fringes of sports science into the mainstream.
Brazilian street skateboarder Felipe Gustavo performs a trick during a timed run with the Red Bull team at a skate park in Huntington Beach, California, on April 24.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
Jul 23, 2024
Skateboarding's reputation does a 180 as it rolls into Paris
By Rory Carroll
Skateboarding brought in a much-needed younger audience on its Olympic debut in 2021, leading organizers to lock it in for the Paris Games.
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Japan pharma startup developing world-first drug to grow new teeth
A new tooth is seen in a ferret's mouth after it was administered a drug to stimulate the growth of tooth buds.
Don’t worry about global population collapse
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
Biden drops out of presidential race, endorsing Kamala Harris
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House in Washington on July 4.
Why Japanese researchers are looking to submarine cables for faster tsunami warnings
Lamposts and other signs throughout Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture, display warnings, evacuation routes and measurements of height above sea level. The town has been hit by eight tsunami in its recorded history.
Akatsuki Japan believes it can 'surprise the world' in Paris
Mai Yamamoto drives to the basket during an Olympic tune-up game against New Zealand in Tokyo on July 4.
How to prevent and respond to heatstroke in Japan this summer
A passerby holding a parasol wipes her face as she walks on the street amid a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures, in Tokyo on July 9.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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