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Ana Swanson
For Ana Swanson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the final session of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Friday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2023
A rare opportunity to see China’s leader up close and (sort of) personal
President Xi Jinping of China is one of the most self-contained Chinese leaders in decades, who reveals next to nothing about his personal life.
An assembly engineer works on a TWINSCAN DUV lithography system at ASML in Veldhoven, Netherlands, in June.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 21, 2023
The multimillion-dollar machines at the center of the U.S.-China rivalry
Complex lithography machines that print intricate circuitry on computer chips are at the heart of Washington's tough new measures on Beijing.
The Biden administration has issued final rules that would prohibit chip companies vying for a new infusion of federal cash from carrying out certain business expansions, partnerships and research in China, in what it described as an effort to protect United States national security.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 23, 2023
U.S. finalizes rules to keep chip funds out of China
The rules, which aim to prevent chip makers from using new U.S. subsidies to benefit China, take into account the industry’s perspective.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2023
One reason the U.S. can’t quit China? Chips.
Global semiconductor companies are finding themselves in an extremely tricky position as they try to straddle a growing rift between the United States and China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 13, 2023
In China, the police came for the consultants. Now the CEOs are alarmed.
Foreign businesses, a top Chinese official said in March, “are not foreigners, but family.” Then came a crackdown on firms with foreign ties.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 3, 2023
How Russia’s war on Ukraine is worsening global starvation
Moscow blocks most shipments from Ukraine, one of the world's largest wheat producers, and its attacks on the country's energy grid also disrupt the flow of food.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2022
U.S. plans new limits on tech sent to Chinese firms
The Biden administration is expected to announce new measures to restrict Chinese companies from getting access to technologies that enable high-performance computing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 21, 2022
Red flags for forced labor found in China’s car battery supply chain
The previously unreported connection between critical minerals and forced labor in Xinjiang could prove trouble for industries like the global auto sector, which relies heavily on China.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 3, 2022
U.S. technology, a longtime tool for Russia, becomes a vulnerability
While the technology made by American and European companies has been turned against Ukraine, the situation has also given the U.S. and its allies a source of leverage against Russia.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 9, 2022
Supply chains widely tainted by forced labor in China, witnesses say
Human rights activists, labor leaders and others have urged the U.S. to put its weight behind a coming ban on products made with forced labor in the Xinjiang region.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 23, 2022
Ukraine war and pandemic force nations to retreat from globalization
When the Cold War ended, there was a belief that stronger global economic ties would lead to greater stability. But now the world is moving in the opposite direction.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2022
Ukraine invasion adds to chaos for global supply chains
Russia's military incursion is severing key supply chains and setting off a scramble among global companies to comply with new sanctions.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 27, 2022
Before Ukraine invasion, Russia and China cemented economic ties
As Russia wreaks havoc in Ukraine, Moscow has a powerful economic ally to help it resist Western sanctions: China.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 6, 2020
Report points to microwave ‘attack’ as likely source of illnesses that hit diplomats and spies
The report provides the most definitive explanation yet of the strange illness that struck scores of U.S. government employees.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 20, 2020
U.S. diplomats and spies battle Trump administration over suspected attacks
What began as strange symptoms has turned into a diplomatic mystery spanning multiple countries and involving speculation about secret high-tech weapons and attacks.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 7, 2020
Joe Biden’s China journey
As Biden faces fierce campaign attacks from President Donald Trump, his language on China points to a drastic shift in thinking.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores