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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 25, 2020

Japan retail sales drop as Tokyo prices fall most since 2010

Slumping energy costs and record virus cases that kept shoppers home darkened the recovery outlook, delivering sales declines that doubled analysts' forecasts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 25, 2020

Junichi Hanzawa, MUFG’s next banking unit chief, targets Asia for growth

Japan's biggest bank has been aggressively expanding in Asia, where it has spent about $15 billion buying stakes in lenders in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 25, 2020

'Parting is such sweet sorrow': EU and U.K. clinch narrow Brexit accord

The deal offers a way out of a chaotic finale to a divorce that has shaken the 70-year project to forge European unity after World War II.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Dec 25, 2020

Brexit is finally done, but it already seems out of date

The world has changed radically since June 2016, when a narrow majority of people in Britain voted to leave the European Union.
CULTURE
Dec 24, 2020

Collapse, isolate, adjust and rebuild: How Japanese pop culture fared in the pandemic of 2020

Japan began 2020 with Olympic glory in its sights, with artists and musicians ready to take the spotlight. Then, the pandemic hit and pushed things in a much-needed direction.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 24, 2020

Making way for a new kind of Christmas

Writer William Lang's previous Christmases were all about excess — the more presents and food, the better. But this year, he's celebrating the holidays with a minimalist approach.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 24, 2020

How has COVID-19 changed Japan's pop culture? Episode 4: Rebuild

Two anime films — ”Demon Slayer” and “Violet Evergarden” — offer a dash of optimism to end 2020, as Japanese pop culture moves towards the beginning of a new era.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 24, 2020

BayStars sign former Twins pitcher Fernando Romero

The DeNA BayStars have acquired former Minnesota Twins right-hander Fernando Romero on a one-year deal worth a reported ¥75 million ($724,000), with a team option for a second year, the Central League club said Thursday.
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight

The move comes in response to a series of incidents involving battery packs emitting smoke or catching fire during flights.
Yoko Koiso, who lost her daughter in the 2021 mudslide in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, prays during a memorial ceremony held in the city on Thursday.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

People mourn victims of Atami mudslide four years on

Participants offered silent prayers for the 28 victims as sirens blared around the city.
Indian security personnel stand guard as Hindu pilgrims headed to Amarnath await registration at a transit camp in Pantha Chowk on the outskirts of Srinagar on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Hindu pilgrims set off to India's Amarnath, near site of deadly April attack

The attack, which killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists, escalated into the worst standoff between the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with over 70 people killed on both sides.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during a news conference to mark his first 30 days in office at the Blue House in Seoul on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

South Korea's Lee pledges 'bold' economic policy after martial law crisis

The South Korean president says his top priority is to improve the lives of the people, whose faith in government had been greatly shaken by "a national crisis."
The rise of China’s DeepSeek-R1, a low-cost, high-performance open-source AI model, has challenged the belief that only nations with vast computational resources can lead in artificial intelligence, signaling a shift in global AI power dynamics.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 3, 2025

A ‘Sputnik’ moment in the global AI race

Much remains uncertain about DeepSeek’s LLM and its capabilities should not be overestimated — but its release nevertheless has sparked intense discussion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 24. Rio de Janeiro will host the two-day BRICS  Summit starting July 6, where leaders from 10 member states and others will explore ways emerging economies can 
shape global development. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2025

A BRICS+ development agenda for the Global South

An effective BRICS+ development agenda will require a coordinated mobilization of resources and institutional efforts.
Solar panels and wind turbines at the Huaneng Binzhou new energy power generation project in China's eastern Shandong province on June 11
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 3, 2025

China leading BRICS clean-energy boom with shift into solar, report shows

Most countries in BRICS remain major fossil fuel producers, but the group together produced 51% of the world’s solar energy in 2024 — up from 15% a decade earlier.
Albin Enbacke is among the train drivers responsible for ferrying iron ore from the Kiruna mine.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Sweden’s arctic railway prepares for a more militarized future

Should Finland’s border with Russia ever become an active front, the track would be one of the best ways for NATO to transport vehicles and supplies.
Suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra gestures as she arrives at Government House in Bangkok on Thursday before being sworn in as the new culture minister as part of a Cabinet reshuffle following her suspension.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Thai prime minister's suspension sets latest political crisis in motion

The ruling government is already faced with infighting, U.S. trade talks, a border dispute with Cambodia and a sluggish economy.
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2025

Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity

Authorities said there was no risk of tsunami and there have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
People listen to an election campaign speech in Miyazaki Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2025

Ishiba government’s survival may be at stake in July Upper House election

Election campaigning for the pivotal vote officially kicked off Thursday, with all eyes on how the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition will perform.
Australian Arisa Trew won gold in the women's skateboarding park competition at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Jul 3, 2025

Teenage skateboarding star Arisa Trew has no plans to slow down

Trew is set to defend her Olympic title at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 at age 18.
The Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk, seen holding the Stanley Cup after Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, was included on the United States' preliminary roster for the 2026 Olympics.
OLYMPICS
Jul 3, 2025

NHL players officially cleared to compete at 2026 Olympics

The agreement also covers NHL players taking part in the 2030 Winter Games in France.
Workers at 5,162 companies affiliated with Rengo secured an average wage increase of 5.25% in this year’s negotiations, according to the final update of pay deals announced Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2025

Japan’s 2025 wage talks conclude with highest gain in 34 years

Workers at 5,162 companies affiliated with Rengo secured an average wage increase of 5.25% in this year’s negotiations.
A container is loaded onto a cargo ship at Hai Phong port in Vietnam. A trade deal secured by Vietnam with the U.S. sets a high bar for Japan's tariff talks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025

Vietnam steals a march and leaves Japan in a tough spot on U.S. tariffs

The deal sets a high bar for Japan and other countries still negotiating with the United States.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan