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JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Sep 14, 2021

The LDP's leadership race kicks into high gear this week: This is how it will go down

Support from rank-and-file members will be key for candidates, but if the election goes to a runoff, LDP lawmakers will have a bigger say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2021

Japan to donate 1.3 million more AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Taiwan and Asian neighbors

Taiwan will get 500,000 more doses, bringing Japan's total donation to the island to 3.9 million, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 14, 2021

Japan needs a strategy for economic growth in the post-virus era

The country's financial stability faces challenges from a global perspective, especially regarding overseas investments.
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2021

Japan overtakes U.S. in first vaccinations despite starting months later

Japan has given first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to 63.6% of its population, surpassing the U.S. in the proportion of those who have had at least one shot.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 14, 2021

Algerian gets 10-year ban for withdrawing from Olympics to avoid Israeli

The IJF said the pair used the Games 'as a platform for protest and promotion of political and religious propaganda,' which breached its code of ethics and the Olympic Charter.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2021

The U.K.’s bizarre $1.7 billion vaccine rug-pull

The British government abruptly canceled its supply contract, having found Valneva in breach of its obligations without specifying how — something Valneva contests.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2021

The dangers of when there is 'nothing to lose'

A 'nothing-to-lose' attitude is what is driving the never-ending conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 14, 2021

Blue Jackets replace assistant coach who refuses vaccine

The team announced that it has promoted Steve McCarthy from the Cleveland Monsters to replace Sylvain Lefebvre, whose decision runs afoul of new NHL protocols.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 14, 2021

Most people don’t need COVID-19 vaccine booster, scientists say

Governments would be better served to focus on immunizing the unvaccinated and to wait for more data on which boosters would be most effective and at what doses, the experts said.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 14, 2021

WTA moves 2021 finals from Shenzhen to Guadalajara

Canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is the latest to be relocated outside of Asia by the WTA.
Yuta Takahashi (back center) with Sunao Tsuboi, former co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo (front, center), in December 2017
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2024

Japanese youth carries on message of prominent atomic bomb survivor

In giving Nihon Hidankyo the Nobel Peace Prize, the committee noted that "new generations in Japan are carrying forward the experience and the message of the witnesses."
Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko pose for a commemorative photo with Turkish government officials and performers after watching performances at the Ataturk Cultural Center in Istanbul on Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2024

Crown prince and crown princess mark Japan-Turkey diplomatic ties

The pair attended a ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday to mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties.
Miho Nakayama rose to stardom in 1985 after the release of her first single “C,” which established her popularity as an idol.
CULTURE
Dec 9, 2024

Miho Nakayama, known for 'Love Letter' and her music, dies at 54

Nakayama had a solo Christmas show scheduled in Osaka on Friday, but had canceled the show in the morning, citing health reasons.
An NBA logo on the facade of its flagship store in Beijing in 2019.
BASKETBALL
Dec 6, 2024

NBA to return to China for first time since 2019 fallout

No NBA games have been held in China since 2019 after a tweet from then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in support of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.
Protesters condemn South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law declaration and call for his resignation during a rally in Seoul on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 6, 2024

Yoon’s incoherent, incompetent coup defies logic and reason

Yoon’s lack of political acumen must not be allowed to tar all his policies.
South Korea's Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung (center) takes part in a joint news conference with other opposition parties and activists on Friday in Seoul to urge the passage of an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol after his aborted attempt to impose martial law.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2024

South Korea's impeachment battle is democracy in action

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces an impeachment motion filed by the opposition Democratic Party, which accuses him of insurrectionary behavior.
Yoshiki Taniguchi (right), mayor of Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, apologizes to Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito ahead of a meeting between prefectural government officials and leaders of municipalities in the prefecture held in Kobe on Nov. 26. Taniguchi publicly questioned whether Saito had the credentials to become governor before his election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 5, 2024

'Old' media blames 'new' media for success of 'populist' candidates

Many young voters, especially those in their 20s, are believed to have supported Hyogo Gov. Saito due to his social media outreach.
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier reacts after the result of the no-confidence vote on his administration at the National Assembly in Paris on Wednesday. French lawmakers ousted his government after just three months in office.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2024

This is not France's 'Truss moment'

While the political instability and economic challenges are worrying, France is not facing a full-blown financial crisis.
Newly arrived asylum-seekers take advantage of phone chargers and free Wi-Fi to connect with family back home at an immigrant service center in Oceanside, California, in October 2023.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2024

Sanctuary cities may be having an identity crisis

So far, the mayors and governors of these sanctuary cities and states have remained largely undeterred, even defiant in the face of such threats.
People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 6, 2024

Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?

Japan’s suspect remedies make up 20% of the world’s market for hangover cures, but their success lies more in marketing than science.
The publisher in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, announced in 2016 that it would publish a reprinted version of a pre-World War II survey listing areas where the descendants of feudal outcasts lived. It published lists of the areas on its website.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2024

Japan's top court finalizes order to erase feudal outcast area lists

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said the publication of the lists violated their personal rights.
Starbucks Coffee Japan will replace paper straws with plant-based biomass plastic straws from next month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2024

Starbucks in Japan to ditch paper straws for plant-based biomass plastic in 2025

The coffee company says the new straws are fully biodegradable in seawater and soil, and will not soften like paper ones.
“Shogun,” created by American channel FX and made by a joint American-Japanese team, utilized the strengths of both Japan and Hollywood to create a bona fide smash that critics adored. 
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 2024 in Review
Dec 7, 2024

2024 was the year Japanese TV found its prestige

The triumph of “Shogun” at the Emmys served as an exclamation point for an industry taking big swings and opening up to trans-Pacific partnerships.
Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2024

CDP leader calls for gradual BOJ rate hikes

Yoshihiko Noda urged the central bank to keep a close eye on economic and overseas developments when raising rates.
A Lower House plenary session in Tokyo on Monday. The Liberal Democratic Party will hold a meeting on Dec. 20 to discuss the use of social media in election campaigns.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2024

LDP to hold meeting on social media use in election campaigns

The meeting on Dec. 20 comes ahead of major polls next year in which the party aims to win new supporters online and take measures to counter disinformation.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’