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April 26, 2024
 

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Michael Nienaber
For Michael Nienaber's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hold a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 12, 2024
Scholz meets with ASEAN leaders, looking to reduce China dependency
China still dominates the supply of raw materials needed to make electric-vehicle batteries, solar panels and other high-tech products.
A chip taken from a smartphone. The U.S. is urging the Netherlands to stop ASML from servicing and repairing sensitive chipmaking equipment that Chinese clients purchased before limits on sales of those devices were put into place this year.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
U.S. urges allies to squeeze China further on chip technology
Washington's latest push is partly aimed at plugging holes in export controls it has levied over the past two years.
A vigil is held for Russian activist Alexei Navalny in Munich on Feb. 16.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 27, 2024
Prisoner swap deal for Alexei Navalny was in works when he died
The U.S. State Department said in early December it made a "new and significant” proposal to Russia, but Moscow had rejected the offer.
Kites are flown over Rafah as smoke billows following Israeli bombardment on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2024
Israel-Hamas war splits G20, risking paralysis at meeting
The group is so split on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine that they may be forced to reduce the forum’s scope and avoid geopolitical issues.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. As the European Union’s biggest economy wrestles with a persistent slump and a surge in immigration, the specter of German nationalism has returned, leaving citizens more conflicted over their country’s direction than at any point since World War II.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2023
The far right is on the rise in Germany and Scholz is at a loss
Amidst economic challenges and surging immigration, German nationalism has reemerged.
The far-right Confederation Liberty and Independence party rally against measures imposed by the Polish government to stem the spread of COVID-19, in Warsaw in October 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023
The far right is advancing in a vulnerable Europe again
Disruptors in far-right political parties are taking advantage of resentment born out of COVID-19, a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 5, 2023
Far-right resurgence limits Olaf Scholz’s room for action in Germany
Once viewed as a radical fringe group, the Alternative for Germany is now attracting frustrated supporters of established parties.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 15, 2023
Germany is experiencing a mass worker shortage. Can migration fix it?
About 320,000 more people will reach retirement age this year than become adults, meaning the German economy will lose workers while also having to pay more for pensions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 18, 2023
Germany and Japan vow to deepen ties on defense and raw materials
Amid global supply chain tensions, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off a 'government consultation' involving Cabinet members from both countries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2023
Germany wants to team up with Japan in securing raw materials
Raw material security and linking the two nations’ strategies will top the agenda at upcoming talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 13, 2023
Scholz’s Social Democrats crash to worst result ever in Berlin election
The SPD failed to win an election in the German capital for the first time since 1999 as the conservative Christian Democrats surged to victory.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 25, 2023
U.S. and Germany set to send tanks to Ukraine, breaking deadlock
The move will give President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces access to a significant new capability as the fighting in Ukraine shifts from urban centers to the east.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 27, 2022
Ukraine is on the offensive but struggling to get more powerful weapons
Ukraine's backers have shied away from sending the longest-range missile systems, combat aircraft and NATO standard tanks.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 30, 2022
France and Germany eye plan to counter Russian propaganda with vlogging and visas
In an unofficial draft, officials note a need to prevent feeding the Russian narrative and trigger unintended rallying-around the flag effects that would estrange future generations.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2022
NATO allies divided over whether they should be talking to Putin
With Russia's war in Ukraine now in its second month, a series of dilemmas are coming into sharp focus over conditions for any accord and potential security guarantees for Kyiv.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Apr 29, 2021
Germany to tap Rhine's 'white gold' as its automakers pivot to electric cars
Power and mining companies alike are striving to bring to the surface lithium trapped in underground springs in the Upper-Rhine Valley.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2021
From stage to cemetery: Europe's workers retrain for post-pandemic jobs
The coronavirus reshaping Europe's labor markets has spurred some workers to seek new career paths as old jobs disappear or remain beset with uncertainty about any return to normal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Nov 22, 2020
'Better off thanks to China': German firms double down on resurgent giant
Moves by some firms are complicating efforts by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to diversify trade relations and become less dependent on Asia's rising superpower.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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