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OLYMPICS / Faces of Tokyo 2020
Jul 24, 2021

Who to watch in three sports making their Olympic debut

A primer on the faces to keep an eye out for in skateboarding, surfing and sport climbing.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 24, 2021

What to watch on Day 1 of the Tokyo Olympics

The Summer Olympics kick off in full on Saturday with 11 sets of medals to be awarded. Here's a rundown of some of the top events to look out for.
MULTIMEDIA
Jul 24, 2021

In pictures: Opening Ceremony of 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The opening ceremony of the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics has a year late, plagued by last-minute embarrassments and went over schedule on the actual night, but for many, it was worth the wait.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2021

Live commentary for the Tokyo Summer Olympics' Opening Ceremony

Coming to you live from Tokyo, this is where we’ll be updating you on the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Please join staff and contributors of The Japan Times now as we all view an Opening Ceremony like no other.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2021

Naomi Osaka returns to the spotlight on Sunday

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and world No. 2, has not played a competitive match since pulling out of the French Open.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2021

As Olympics tout greater gender equality, some remain more equal than others

Of the nearly 11,000 athletes arriving in Tokyo, almost 49% will be women, according to the International Olympic Committee.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2021

Tokyo eyes tropical storm forecast, but surfers say bring it on

The Tokyo Olympics are being held during typhoon season and the weather is a major talking point, with heat and humidity expected to be a major factor in many sports.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2021

Opposition to Tokyo Games podium protest ban grows

A letter signed by figures in the sporting world has called for no sanctions to be imposed on athletes who protest on the podium in Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 23, 2021

Heat, floods and fires: Jet stream is key link in climate disasters

Jet stream changes can cause winds to weaken, allowing dangerous weather to remain stuck in the same place for days or weeks at a time.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 23, 2021

China’s Xi makes first official visit to Tibet as tensions rise on Indian border

Xi told officials at a meeting last year to 'actively guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society, and promote the Sinofication of Tibetan Buddhism.”
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2021

As the Games begin, how is Japan dealing with COVID-19?

Although Japan is catching up to Western nations in the vaccine rollout, the more contagious delta variant and increased foot traffic is being blamed for driving up the number of new cases.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2021

At long last, the Tokyo Olympics have begun

After a tumultuous year, an unprecedented Olympics got underway in Tokyo in the age of the new normal.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2021

Is air rage caused by class warfare?

In a typical year, the Federal Aviation Administration logs between 100 and 200 incidents. In the first three months of 2021, it reported a whopping 1300 despite few fliers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2021

The fight for open societies begins again

Freedom House reports that less than 20% of the world's population now live in what it categorizes as fully free societies, the lowest share in more than a quarter century.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 23, 2021

Crossing the Rubicon? The deepening of Japan and Taiwan's relationship

A Taiwan that is not free and open or wedded to a rules-based order is a serious security concern for Japan.
Ryohei Iwatani, secretary-general of Nippon Ishin no Kai, holds a news conference on Wednesday in the National Diet Building.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2025

Nippon Ishin proposes primaries to unify opposition candidates

The proposal calls for conducting online public opinion polls in constituencies where multiple opposition parties plan to field candidates.
Fukushima Prefectural Police have arrested an alleged drunken driver who fatally struck a 19-year-old in Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2025

Drunken driver hits and kills 19-year-old student in Fukushima

The victim had traveled from her home in Osaka Prefecture to take a university entrance exam.
Explosions rock the shore of Iwo Jima during a pre-landing bombardment on Feb. 19, 1945, as seen from a USS Sanborn (APA-193) landing craft.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2025

Imperial couple considering visit to Iwo Jima

The Imperial Household Agency is considering a visit by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to the island of Iwo Jima in April to pay respects to soldiers killed in World War II.
A portrait of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is placed amid flowers at his grave at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow on March 2, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2025

Navalny's lawyer regrets she couldn't stop his return to Moscow

Olga Mikhailova says she feels she "did not push hard enough" to change the mind of the Russian opposition leader, who eventually died in an Arctic penal colony.
Mizuho's CEO Masahiro Kihara said on Wednesday that domestic corporate banking, asset and wealth management, as well as global and corporate and investment banking, would all contribute to growth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2025

Mizuho head sees profit reaching ¥1 trillion in three to four years

Mizuho previously projected record annual net income of ¥820 billion for the current fiscal year, meaning the increase would require an uplift of more than 20%.
Lewis Hamilton drives a Ferrari F1 car around the Fiorano circuit during testing in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jan 23, 2025

Lewis Hamilton calls first laps in Ferrari car 'one of the best feelings'

The 40-year-old Briton shocked the paddock last February when he announced he was departing for the iconic Italian team after 12 highly successful years with Mercedes.
Japan's exports gained 2.8% in December from a year ago, led by chipmaking machinery and semiconductor parts, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025

Japan’s exports rose in December ahead of anticipated Trump tariffs

Exports measured in value gained 2.8% from a year ago led by chipmaking machinery and semiconductor parts, although shipments fell in terms of volume.
Celtic's Kyogo Furuhashi has been linked with a move to Rennes  in France.
SOCCER
Jan 23, 2025

Celtic captain Calum McGregor hopes Kyogo Furuhashi remains with club

Furuhashi, who turned 30 on Monday, helped Celtic reach the Champions League playoffs in a 1-0 win over Young Boys.
An oil pump jack. Big U.S. oil companies believe withdrawing from the Paris Agreement only limits Washington's ability to influence an ongoing global energy transition and exposes them to an uneven regulatory environment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2025

Trump's climate withdrawal creates rare discord with Big Oil

A shift in the U.S. power industry away from coal has contributed to a roughly 17% decline in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions since 2007.
Celtic's Arne Engels (left) and Young Boys' Silvere Ganvoula M'boussy vie for the ball during their Champions League match in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jan 23, 2025

Celtic makes 'little bit of history' with Champions League progress

Celtic ensured it will have at least three more games at Europe's top table this season.
Jannik Sinner signs autographs after his win over Alex De Minaur in the Australian Open quarterfinals in Melbourne on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jan 23, 2025

Jannik Sinner taking nothing for granted ahead of Australian Open semifinal

Sinner is just two matches away from a first successful Grand Slam title defense after winning his maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne last year.
Thai actors Apiwat "Porsch" Apiwatsayree (right) and Sappanyoo "Arm" Panatkool pose for pictures in front of a Thai national flag after registering their same-sex marriage at the Phra Nakhon district office in Bangkok on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 23, 2025

Hundreds to wed as Thai same-sex marriage law comes into force

Thursday's milestone makes Thailand the first Southeast Asian country to allow equal marriage, and the biggest place in Asia to recognize such unions.
South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives to attend the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law, at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 23, 2025

South Korea investigators seek Yoon indictment for insurrection and abuse of power

Yoon Suk Yeol, impeached and suspended from power on Dec. 14, has been incarcerated since last week.
Tourists visit shops near Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine on Jan. 13. The nation's growing tourism sector, set to hit 40 million visitors in 2025, boosts the economy but is straining the nation's infrastructure.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 23, 2025

Japan has '$100 billion' reasons to welcome more visitors

Japan's growing tourism, set to hit 40 million visitors in 2025, boosts the economy but strains infrastructure, highlighting a need for smarter policies to manage overtourism.
The site of a Rheinmetall arms factory in the municipality of Unterluess, Germany, in February last year. The war in Ukraine has highlighted Europe's need for increased armaments production.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2025

Europe needs a defense production act

The war in Ukraine has already prompted structural reforms and an increase defense spending at the national and EU levels.

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’