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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2023

Why the Fed needs to take the digital yuan seriously

The e-CNY will be more than just a paperless version of cash for China's local economy, its use in trade settlements would pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2023

Fixes to shoddy nuclear waste storage site to cost Japan ¥36 billion

The Tokai Reprocessing Plant was the nation's first plant that reprocessed spent fuel from nuclear reactors to recover uranium and plutonium.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Tomakomai aims to give tourism a boost through sharing creative works

Local communities are being encouraged to enjoy making use of creative works, and to share that joy with tourists.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Manga and anime helping Tomakomai to boost tourism sector

In an effort to attract visitors, people in charge of community development in Tomakomai have begun to pay attention to the city's manga and anime resources.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jan 16, 2023

After 40 years, work to return Okinawa's cultural assets continues

Many artifacts were taken to the U.S. after World War II, and the Ryukyu America Historical Research Society has been working to find and retrieve them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Tomakomai bets on pop culture for tourism boost by embracing cosplay events

The number of visitors to the Tomakomai Cosplay Festa has increased over the years, with about 16,000 people attending in 2019, making it one of the city's most popular events.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2023

Eisai and Biogen apply for approval of Alzheimer's drug in Japan

The two companies hope to gain approval by the end of the year following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision earlier in the month to grant it fast-track approval.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2023

Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka beats Mikael Ymer to advance in Australian Open

The 31st-seeded Nishioka converted six of his 12 break point opportunities as he put away the world No. 69 in two hours and 18 minutes.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2023

'Devastated' Nick Kyrgios out of Australian Open with injury

The talented but temperamental Australian, considered as having an outside chance of winning the title, had struggled with an ankle issue coming into the event.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2023

Nagoya uses auto industry ties to position itself as a startup hub

This transition period comes at a time when the national government has made the creation of startups a priority as it seeks to bolster the economy.
A cargo vessel on the Sulina Channel en route to the Danube River, in Romania
WORLD
Jul 21, 2023

Ukraine grain relies on a river that’s drying up

A heatwave fanning across the southern part of Europe is lowering river levels and crimping export capacity, which will make shipping grain even more difficult.
Despite bustling cities like Tokyo and Osaka, Japan faces a rising number of abandoned properties, particularly in rural areas, which pose risks to communities and economies.
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2024

Abandoned homes will be a big part of Japan’s future

Statistics reveal a significant increase in vacant and abandoned homes, with projections indicating a further rise unless addressed soon.
In a Kyoto long past, the "hyakki yagyō" (100 demon night parade) haunted a sleepy corner of Kyoto. Now, one enterprising monster enthusiast has won a small batttle to keep the march alive.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 17, 2024

Kyoto’s demon night parade lives to haunt another day

Held this year on April 20, an ancient Kyoto monster march has overcome obstacles to continue going bump in the night.
Unlike other social media platforms, including Threads, Twitter has a way of pushing you out of your comfort zone.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Can Threads dethrone Twitter in Japan?

Netizens in Japan jumped onto the Threads bandwagon soon after its launch, but the honeymoon phase is beginning to end, experts say, with many Japanese users remaining on Twitter.
Tyson Fury (left) and Oleksandr Usyk pose during a news conference in Riyadh on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS
May 17, 2024

Confident Tyson Fury ready to meet Oleksandr Usyk for undisputed crown

Tyson Fury declared himself ready to face Oleksandr Usyk and said he'd pray for his Ukrainian rival before their undisputed heavyweight clash on Saturday.
Yukiko Inui competes in the women's solo free artistic swimming final at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Jul 20, 2023

Yukiko Inui repeats two-gold performance at this year's world championships

Host Japan has won four artistic swimming golds so far in Fukuoka.
The Kioke Summit on Shodoshima has seen a steady rise in participants from dozens in its early days 12 years ago and about 100 in 2019 to more than 600 this past February.
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 8, 2024

On Japan’s island of olives, age-old shoyu secrets survive

Each Kioke Summit features many activities including a "kioke" auction — shoyu fermentation barrels that fetch anywhere from ¥60,000 to ¥450,000.
Icons of Google's Artificial Intelligence app BardAI (or ChatBot), OpenAI's app ChatGPT and other AI apps are displayed on a smartphone screen.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Google tests AI tool that is able to write news articles

Some executives who saw Google’s pitch described it as unsettling, and two people said it seemed to take for granted the effort that went into producing accurate and artful news stories.
Tourists and locals stroll along Tokyo's Ginza shopping district where some roads are closed off for pedestrians due to the national holiday on April 29.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Fortress’s Japan hotel unit doubles pay to fight labor shortage

MyStays Hotel Management is offering monthly salaries of ¥500,000 ($3,210) for new hires into its fast-track program.
Nikko Asset Management is ditching its bearish view on the yen, and now has a ¥135 target against the dollar by year-end.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 20, 2023

Nikko Asset shifts to bullish yen slant as Ueda bides his time

The shift in his view highlights potential upside for the yen, where inflation-adjusted interest rates have exacerbated its decline to multidecade lows.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a tactical missile weapons system facility at an unknown location on Tuesday. North Korea has turned to deploying IT workers overseas for government revenue, in addition to relying on cyberattacks and other online crimes.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 17, 2024

North Koreans worked remotely for U.S. firms to fund missiles

A U.S. national helped three North Korean IT workers obtain "illicit telework employment” with hundreds of firms using the identities of U.S. citizens.
Mizuho Financial Group has become the third Japanese megabank to sell Additional Tier 1 bonds after the collapse of Credit Suisse set off a global fire sale.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 20, 2023

Mizuho sells ¥261 billion of AT1 bonds after Credit Suisse turmoil

The lender joined Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group in issuing AT1 bonds this year, while the market in Europe is only just reopening.
The value of Japan's exports rose 1.5% in June, led by shipments of cars and construction machinery, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 20, 2023

Japan’s surprise trade surplus comes with caveats for growth

Government report highlights vulnerabilities in the state of demand around the world and points to risks for Japan’s growth prospects.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (right) meets with Taro Aso, a former Japanese prime minister, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2024

Taipei mayor meets Japanese ruling party officials in Tokyo

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an met with Japanese ruling party officials in Tokyo in his first visit to Japan since assuming office in 2022.
Officials in the municipality of Daito, in Osaka, speak at a news conference on Wednesday regarding a case in which a mother is suspected of starving her daughter, hospitalizing her and claiming insurance payments.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2023

Mother in Osaka arrested for starving daughter and claiming insurance money

Investigators believe Kasumi Nawata regularly starved her daughter, hospitalizing her 43 times for a total of 332 days since spring 2018.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024

Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.

U.S. president is seen to be trying to "outtrump Trump" to appeal to voters who worry about geopolitical competition or hold anti-China sentiments.
For someone who grew up in a country with a system of street names, finding an address in Japan — or worse: trying to guide someone else to one — is no easy task at first.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 7, 2024

Lost in translation? No, lost in Japan’s maze of streets.

Anyone who experienced wayfinding in Japan before the age of map apps will remember how much sleuthing was required to get to your destination.
The number of crimes recorded in Japan rose more than 20% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period the previous year, police data has shown.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2023

Crime in Japan rises in first half of 2023 as COVID-19 restrictions ease

A total of 333,003 cases were reported in the first half of the year, up by 21.1% from the previous year, rising for the first time in 21 years on a January-June basis.
Ichiro Ozawa speaks to Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers at a party in Yokohama on Friday. The veteran politician still hopes the country will achieve a genuine two-party parliamentary democracy.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2023

CDP's Ichiro Ozawa bracing for 'final battle' in next election

The veteran politician still hopes the country will achieve a genuine two-party parliamentary democracy.
Boys watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024

Celebrities face digital backlash over Gaza silence

For months, activists have flooded the comments sections of social media sites, urging stars to join calls for a cease-fire in the war.

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