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JAPAN
May 13, 2022

Japan granted refugee status to a record 74 people in 2021

The government also granted residential status out of humanitarian consideration to a record 580 people, most of whom were from Myanmar.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2022

‘Invest in Kishida’? Japan needs to persuade Elon Musk first.

How can Japan's prime minister attract investors to a country that the world's richest man says will one day u2018cease to exist'?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2022

Shaping a Marshall Plan for the rebuilding of Ukraine

The Marshall Plan provided Europe with the funds not only to rebuild itself, but also to leapfrog a generation technologically. Ukraine's reconstruction offers a similar opportunity.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2022

South Korea’s new president is likely a bland centrist, and that is OK

The real divide between South Korea's right and left is over foreign policy. Change will be most evident here, and Japan particularly is likely to find a Yoon presidency easier.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 13, 2022

On Okinawa's Miyako Island, residents cast a wary eye toward China

Missiles deployed there, meant to target Chinese ships sailing in and out the Western Pacific, are the closest such weapons Japan has to China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2022

Toshiba receives interest from 10 potential investors

It also announced a special dividend of u00a5160 per share, worth some u00a570 billion, in an apparent effort to placate activist shareholders it has long been at odds with.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 13, 2022

Cryptocurrencies melt down in a ‘perfect storm’ of fear and panic

The moment of panic amounted to the worst reset in cryptocurrencies since bitcoin plummeted 80% in 2018.
Japan Times
EDITORIALS
May 13, 2022

A new president, a new opportunity for Japan-South Korea relations

Signs are encouraging for Tokyo. Throughout the presidential campaign, Yoon Suk-yeol criticized sitting President Moon Jae-in for letting Japan-South Korea relations deteriorate.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2022

Nomura starts offering bitcoin derivatives to clients in Asia

Japan's biggest brokerage is offering nondeliverable forwards and nondeliverable options settled in cash, and can now trade bitcoin futures and options.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2022

Crypto’s chainsaw massacre bloodies digital exchanges

The platforms that have promoted Bitcoin and other new currencies have a lot to answer for.
New Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks on stage during his inauguration ceremony outside the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 22, 2024

Japan protests Chinese envoy's 'inappropriate remarks' over Taiwan

Ambassador Wu Jianghao appeared to insinuate that the Japanese people would be “brought into the fire” of conflict over support for self-ruled Taiwan.
Rishi Sunak speaks at a meeting of finance ministers ahead of the 2021 G7 leaders' summit in London on June 4, 2021.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2024

G7 finance chiefs seek common line on Russian assets and China

Negotiators have been discussing for weeks how to best exploit some $300 billion worth of seized Russian funds.
Rohingya refugees cross a bamboo bridge in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on May 2.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 22, 2024

Rohingya activists say Myanmar armed group has displaced thousands

Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the Arakan Army attacked junta forces in November, ending a cease-fire that had largely held since a military coup in 2021.
Lee Dong-hyun and her son, 19-month-old Choi Hee-woo, pose at a playground on May 17, ahead of the final public hearing at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday of a climate lawsuit against the South Korean government, for which Hee-woo is the youngest plaintiff.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2024

Embryo activist: Baby's lawsuit takes on South Korea climate inaction

South Korea is the G20's second-highest carbon emitter per capita.
People attend a demonstration in support of Gaza and Palestinians outside the building of the Norwegian parliament in Oslo, Norway, on Nov. 4, 2023.
WORLD
May 22, 2024

Norway, along with Ireland and Spain, to recognize Palestinian state

Before the announcement, some 143 out of 193 member-states of the United Nations recognized a Palestinian state.
View of the apparent remains of a ballistic missile, as it lies in the desert near the Dead Sea, following a massive missile and drone attack by Iran on Israel, in southern Israel on April 21.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2024

After Israel defense, U.S. seeks to entice Gulf allies on missile shield

It's unclear whether Gulf allies have the same confidence the U.S. would rush to their defense, say experts.
Shigeru Omi, then-Japan's top COVID-19 advisor, speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in April 2022. A study published this month has shown that many experts who spoke to the media about COVID-19 in Japan were harassed by the public.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 22, 2024

Many COVID experts in Japan harassed after speaking to media, survey shows

The research conducted by a professor at Waseda University is Japan’s first comprehensive survey on threats targeting COVID-19 experts.
The main targets of a new bill on smartphone software are the app stores provided by Google and Apple, as consumers effectively have only two choices for smartphone operating systems: Apple's iOS or Google’s Android.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 22, 2024

Japan aims to curb Apple and Google's smartphone app duopoly

A new bill would compel dominant platforms to allow third parties to launch their own app markets and to offer more payment options.
A tourist shops at a drug store in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on April 30.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 22, 2024

Japan panel sets out plans to accelerate drug discovery efforts

Ideas include calling in help from well-established firms overseas and having them work with "accelerators" to nurture local talent into "star scientists."
Water tanks used to cultivate seaweed on land by Three Lines in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 3, 2024

Poor seaweed harvest prompts Kyushu University team to look toward land

The team has found some success with on-land farming, although increasing production yields for commercialization remains a challenge.
Kazuto Oku, CEO of Norinchukin Bank, during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2024

Failed bond bets at Norinchukin force it to change strategy

Given its ownership structure, there are limits on the bank’s investment options.
Though the West has supplied desperately needed weapons and ammunition, it has done little else to address Ukraine’s needs or establish shared goals.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2024

The war in Ukraine needs a stronger unified Western strategy

Though the West has supplied desperately needed weapons and ammunition, it has done little else to address Ukraine’s needs.
Iwao Hakamata's older sister Hideko (left) marches to the Shizuoka District Court in the city of Shizuoka on Wednesday for a retrial of her younger brother Iwao, who had been on death row over a 1966 murder case.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2024

Trial ruling date for man accused of 1966 murder set for September

Iwao Hakamata, who in a rare example is being retried over a 1966 murder case, will be given a verdict on Sept. 26.
In trying to govern AI, the U.N. and other institutions need an approach as dynamic, innovative and creative as the pursuit of the technology itself.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2024

We need effective governance to shape AI for good

How can we govern AI so that it serves the interests of humanity? Three key principles can guide the way for the U.N. and other actors undertaking this daunting challenge.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping attend a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on May 16.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2024

Deepening China-Russian ties: a sign of strength or insecurity?

Russia’s ongoing struggles in Ukraine and economic reliance on China illustrate its weakened position in their partnership.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past