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JAPAN
Apr 19, 2021

Osaka to seek another state of emergency declaration over virus

The decision to request a declaration is expected to be formalized at a prefectural task force meeting Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2021

New agency intended to put Japan’s child policies under one roof

Currently at least five different government bodies are in charge of policies related to children, often causing confusion among parents.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 19, 2021

With lower launch costs, Japan's next-gen H3 rocket aims for global success

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are hoping to attract a wide range of commercial demand, including satellite launches for organizations overseas.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 19, 2021

Why sanctions could worsen the tragedy in Myanmar

The modest democratic progress Myanmar made during the period of awkward coexistence between the NLD and the military over the last decade appears to have been completely wiped out.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2021

Trust me, you don’t want to be China's biggest billionaire

Conspicuous wealth attracts unwanted scrutiny. Beijing is wary of rich developers because they often load up on debt, thereby putting corporate China's financial health at risk.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Apr 19, 2021

Echoes of Fukushima discrimination felt amid coronavirus pandemic

The 2011 nuclear disaster may have created a rift in society, but a similar divide has been seen in the coronavirus pandemic, raising the question of whether a similar mindset is at play.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 19, 2021

A tale of two makers: GM and Toyota take different electric roads in China

While General Motors has successfully tapped into the market for small, no-frills runarounds, Toyota is still in mid-size and SUV territory.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2021

Beijing huddles with friends as it seeks to fracture U.S.-led 'clique'

China is shoring up ties with autocratic partners like Russia and Iran while using sanctions and threats to try to fracture the alliances the United States is building against it.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 19, 2021

As Pfizer talks fail to lift its markets, could Japan see vaccine envy?

The nation won praise during the pandemic for staying open while others locked down, but is now struggling with its inoculation program.
A woman looks at cranes and shipping containers from an observation platform at Pyeongtaek port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on April 2.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 9, 2025

Trump optimistic after call about tariffs with South Korea

South Korea's trade minister is traveling to Washington to meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for tariff negotiations.
Associated Press photographer Alex Brandon is denied access to the White House "press pool" as journalists move to U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade at the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 9, 2025

Judge lifts Trump White House restrictions on AP while lawsuit proceeds

The White House imposed restrictions on the Associated Press over the news agency’s decision to continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage.
One of two Chinese soldiers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said were captured by Ukrainian forces in the country's Donetsk region is seen in this image released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 9, 2025

In a first, Ukraine captures two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia

The Chinese men were taken captive during fighting on Ukrainian territory in the Donetsk region.
Cybersecurity agencies in six Western countries have warned of a "growing threat" posed by malicious surveillance software deployed by a contractor reported to have ties to Beijing.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 9, 2025

Western intelligence agencies warn spyware threat targeting Taiwan

The mobile phone applications developed by a Chengdu-based contractor also surveil Tibetan rights advocates and others opposed by the Chinese government.
A man walks past an electronic board showing the numbers of the Nikkei stock average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in the Japanese capital on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 9, 2025

Japan's Nikkei down nearly 4% at close

The Nikkei 255 index of shares ended the day down 3.93% at 31,714.03. The yen came off earlier highs to trade at ¥145.27 per dollar, up 0.7%.
The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 30, 2025. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s top air traffic control official plans to leave the agency ahead of a major overhaul of the unit’s antiquated technology systems.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 9, 2025

U.S. FAA’s top air traffic control official to step down from agency

Tim Arel, chief operating officer of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, plans to leave the agency ahead of a major overhaul of the unit’s antiquated technology systems.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) talks with Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez during a tour of the Miraflores locks, in Panama City, Panama, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 9, 2025

U.S. will not let China disrupt Panama Canal: Pentagon chief

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. and Panama together would "take back the Panama Canal from China's influence" and keep it open to all nations.
While AI-generated simulations of deceased loved ones may offer comfort, they raise ethical concerns about consent, reality distortion and the human experience of grief.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

AI resurrecting the dead threatens our grasp on reality

Experts warn that AI-driven digital immortality could distort reality and emotional well-being, requiring safeguards against unhealthy dependence.
Social engineering scams thrive on poorly monitored social media platforms, and while the UK is pushing tougher laws to hold tech companies accountable, the U.S. resists stricter rules, believing individuals should bear responsibility for avoiding fraud.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

The U.K. is trying to fight social scams. The U.S. not so much.

Social engineering is one of the hardest parts of the trillion-dollar online scam industry to block or disrupt.
Masatoshi Asari is one of Japan’s foremost living authorities on cherry trees and their blossoms.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2025

The man who sent Japan's cherry blossoms out to the world

Masatoshi Asari's trees — symbols of peace and reconciliation — blossom in the U.K., U.S., Poland and China.
With Trump's tariffs, countries with lower labor costs like China will continue to outcompete the United States and gain stronger footholds in global markets.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

Trump’s tariffs will accelerate America’s economic decline

Trump’s critics rightly point out that the tariff will raise U.S. car prices, but that is just one of its many drawbacks.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. TSMC could face a penalty of $1 billion or more to settle a U.S. export control investigation over a chip it made that ended up inside a Huawei artificial intelligence processor,
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 9, 2025

TSMC could face $1 billion or more fine from U.S. probe, sources say

The penalty is to settle a U.S. export control investigation over a chip it made that ended up inside a Huawei artificial intelligence processor.
Former Kanto Rengo member Tetsuya Yamaguchi arrives at Haneda Airport in Tokyo's Ota Ward on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 9, 2025

Ex-member of 'Kanto Rengo' quasi-gang group arrested

Tetsuya Yamaguchi, 46, was arrested for his alleged involvement in a phone scam operation in Cambodia.
A National Rally demonstration in Paris on Sunday following party head Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzlement. The far-right leader and her supporters have decried the ruling as political.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2025

Le Pen ruling unleashes wave of hypocrisy on populist right

Across the globe, far-right populists have gained popularity as protectors of law and order, but Le Pen's conviction in France reveals the shaky foundations of this commitment.
A man on a platform applies a fresh coat of paint to the landmark anti-U.S. mural drawn on the wall of a building in Tehran on Tuesday, the same day that Iran said will send its top diplomat to Oman for breakthrough talks with the United States.
WORLD
Apr 9, 2025

Iran says it will start nuclear talks with U.S. this weekend

The announcement comes even as debate continued over how the session will unfold.

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’