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Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 1, 2021

Global rainforest loss 'relentless,' but Southeast Asia offers hope

The loss in 2020 of 4.2 million hectares of primary forest — intact areas of old-growth trees — equaled the size of the Netherlands.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 1, 2021

Quiet Singapore turns up volume on Myanmar as regional fears grow

Worries over regional instability and the credibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc in the face of China's increasing power are driving the country's stance, some say.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 1, 2021

‘Junk Head’: One man’s imaginatively twisted labor of love

Takahide Hori's stop-motion animation feature, which took seven years to complete, has finally arrived in Japanese theaters after receiving a warm reception overseas.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2021

Experts fear the Olympics could trigger a global superspreader event

While those involved in the games will be somewhat isolated from the Japanese public, Tokyo has ruled out using two core tenets of containment: quarantines and vaccinations.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 31, 2021

Episode 88: Japan's plan to clamp down on asylum seekers

A bill is working its way through the Diet that will make it even harder for asylum seekers to attain refugee status in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2021

Will data handling setback damage Line’s dominance in Japan?

A scandal over a Chinese firm's access to user data could derail Z Holdings' plan to facilitate the digital transformation of the public sector.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 31, 2021

Fourth wave takes shape as COVID-19 cases increase across Japan

Regional outbreaks, compounded by fatigue over anti-virus measures and more contagious variants, are contributing to an altogether different kind of surge.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 31, 2021

Terunofuji redefines legacy with historic return to ozeki rank

The Mongolian, who just two years ago was fighting in sumo's second-lowest division, is now being hyped as the next potential yokozuna after his Spring Basho triumph.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 31, 2021

Japan edges one step closer to marriage equality

A judge dismissed a claim for compensation for psychological damage but ruled that denying same-sex couples the legal benefits that come with marriage was “unreasonable discrimination.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2021

'Tankie man': Pro-democracy Hong Kongers stand up to Western communists

The people who've been dubbed “tankies” often identify as Marxist-Leninists and are fiercely against U.S. interference in foreign politics, especially in countries that are socialist.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2021

Who needs a digital dollar?

The idea of a digital dollar has been in the air for some time now. Recently, it descended from the ether to the lips of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell. At an event in February, Yellen flagged the idea as “absolutely worth looking at,” adding that the Federal...
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a government meeting on crime prevention measures at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2025

In fight against fraud, Japan seeks new weapon: undercover bank accounts

The government is looking to allow the police to set up bank accounts under false names to track the movement of funds obtained by fraudsters.
The yen strengthened dramatically this month — hitting ¥139.9 to the dollar on Tuesday — and could become a topic of conversation in trade talks between the United States and Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2025

Yen on the march as Plaza Accord 2.0 debate grows

The U.S. has claimed that Japan's currency is undervalued, with some in the administration of President Donald Trump calling for a Plaza Accord 2.0.
The logo of Jetstar Airways on an aircraft parked outside a maintenance hangar in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 27.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 22, 2025

Jetstar Japan fined for failing to provide adequate cabin crew breaks

This is the first time a ruling has been handed down in Japan regarding flight attendants' rest time, according to the plaintiffs.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako host a garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2025

Imperial couple hosts spring garden party

The imperial couple and other members of the imperial family spoke with some 1,400 guests.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks in parliament on Monday
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2025

Ishiba to launch program to cut gasoline prices by ¥10 a liter

The move comes in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff measures and the rising cost of living.
 Toyota Motor and Daimler Truck are expected to finalize the merger agreement as early as May.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2025

Toyota and Daimler near merger of truck units, report says

The two auto groups aim to establish a holding company for the truck units and list it on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Prime market in April 2026.
Indian paramilitary personnel stand guard near Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, on Tuesday following a deadly attack.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 23, 2025

Gunmen kill dozens of civilians in Kashmir tourist hot spot

At least 26 people were killed in the Indian-administered region in the deadliest attack on civilians there since 2000.
A man sprays paint graffiti against Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on a Tesla showroom in New York on Tuesday in this screen shot taken from video.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2025

Musk to reduce White House role as Tesla profits plunge

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he would cut back "significantly" the time he devotes to the Trump administration from next month.
U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell holds a news conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy in Washington last September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2025

Trump says he has no intention of firing Fed chief Jerome Powell

Trump’s National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Friday said the president was studying the question of whether he’s able to sack Powell.
U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent says a de-escalation between the U.S. and China will come in the very near future.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2025

Bessent expects tariff standoff with China to deescalate

The U.S. Treasury secretary is optimistic that tensions could cool in the coming months but cautioned that a larger deal could take longer.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a meeting of the Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias Task Force at the Justice Department in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2025

Rubio plans to close offices in major State Department overhaul

Among those to be shut are offices responsible for women’s issues, global health security, and diversity and inclusion.
Arunima Mazumdar, a New Delhi-based communications professional, began sharing her love of Japanese literature online in 2022. The platform has grown into a robust community known as Dokusha Book Club.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 26, 2025

Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’

The founder of Dokusha Book Club talks about why Indian readers love Japanese books and the community that she’s forged, online and offline.
A demonstrators protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's moves to force changes at colleges such as Columbia University and others by cutting grants and imposing various sanctions, at Foley Square in New York on April 17.
WORLD / Society
Apr 23, 2025

U.S. college presidents unite against Trump's higher education policies

They have described the moves as "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education."
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long jostled with the press and questioned the editorial rules that prohibit interference in government-funded media, issued an executive order on March 14 to eliminate Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2025

U.S. judge orders preliminary VOA funding restoration in blow to Trump

It remains to be seen if the order is enough to put the outlets back on air.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a news conference in Kyiv on April 4.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2025

Zelenskyy says Chinese citizens working at drone production site in Russia

The Ukrainian president appears to be softening his tone toward China by suggesting Russia might have obtained Chinese technology without Beijing's knowledge.

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’