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JAPAN
Feb 7, 2022

Japan's booster rollout is relying on Pfizer and Moderna. How do the shots compare?

Despite an apparent preference among some in the general public for Pfizer, experts have emphasized that getting a booster jab as soon as one is eligible, no matter which type, is key.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2022

Watch out for the facial recognition overlords

As the technology advances, today's gatekeepers of facial recognition are promising stringent security to protect the data. But is that a promise they can keep?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2022

The other threat to democracy

In recent years, we have watched authoritarian leaders come to power democratically, only to erode constitutional norms and institutions once in office.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 7, 2022

South Korean skater questions refereeing decisions after China wins mixed team relay

South Korean short track speedskater Kwak Yoon-gy has questioned the fairness of the refereeing at the Beijing Olympics after China claimed the gold medal in the mixed team relay in chaotic circumstances.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Feb 7, 2022

Why not helmets? Japan's school disaster hoods stir debate.

Protective hoods have gradually spread to elementary schools in Miyagi Prefecture, but some experts say helmets are more effective in a disaster.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 7, 2022

Peloton deal may pose regulatory ‘headache’ for a tech giant

There's a chill against large transactions at the moment in Washington, where technology companies are being probed by regulators for their reach and influence.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 7, 2022

Kim Jong Un keeps aiming his missiles at this 'most hated rock'

At about 850 meters in length, the island is small enough to show the U.S. and its allies that Kim can hit what he aims at.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2022

Troubled Toshiba to split into two firms instead of three

The new plan scraps the earlier intention to separate out its infrastructure operations, which will instead continue to be under Toshiba Corp.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2022

U.S. calls for 'concrete action' from China to meet Phase 1 purchase commitments

The officials said Washington was losing patience with Beijing, which had 'not shown real signs' that it would close the gap in the two-year purchase commitments.
Afghan girls weave a carpet at their house in Kabul on July 20.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2024

Three years after Taliban's return, economic woes loom large

While security has improved, many Afghans are just trying to make ends meet.
U.S. President Donald Trump and SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 30, 2020
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 13, 2024

Musk scorns subsidies, but Tesla still lobbies for U.S. benefits

Despite Musk's gradual embrace of Trump, the company continues to lobby the U.S. and state governments for benefits championed by the Democratic Party.
A container-sized cabin produced by Zheng Weirong's company
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 13, 2024

Chinese swap handbags for trips as ‘experience economy’ booms

Consumer spending in China is still constrained by modest income growth and falling home prices, which make homeowners feel less wealthy overall.
The tradition of koromogae, which involves changing storage spaces for clothes according to the season, is becoming less common, largely due to the increasing adoption of Western-style closets that accommodate all clothing year-round.
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2024

Mothball makers innovate amid shrinking market

The market has been diminishing as synthetic fibers, which are resistant to insect damage, have become widely used in clothing.
Designed by Bob Foundation in collaboration with Sugita Ace, the Sonaete series of disaster preparedness kits are packaged in bags, boxes and pouches that look attractive in homes.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 13, 2024

Stylish emergency goods can save precious seconds when disaster strikes

Eye-catching go bags, canary-inspired whistles and more aesthetically pleasing emergency preparedness items you'll want to keep within arm's reach.
Elon Musk held a conversation with Donald Trump on the tech mogul’s X platform on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 13, 2024

Musk pitches White House role in glitchy Trump conversation on X

The conversation gave Elon Musk an opening to increase his influence with Donald Trump if the former president returns to power.
Visitors take selfies at Kinkaku-ji Golden Temple in Kyoto.
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2024

Overtourism isn’t the conundrum it’s made out to be

142 countries are projected to exceed their pre-pandemic tourism performance this year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Aug. 2
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2024

Kishida holds phone talks with Tajik and Turkmen leaders

On the call, Kishida conveyed Japan's continued commitment to strengthening relations with Central Asia and his desire to rearrange his trip to the region.
When water temperatures are high, particularly when they rise to 33 degrees Celsius or above, the difference between water and body temperatures is smaller, preventing heat from escaping into the water and increasing the risk of heatstroke.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 13, 2024

Heatstroke a risk even in swimming pools, Japanese experts warn

Experts say the body's ability to regulate temperature is compromised, especially when the water temperature is high.
A monitor shows an increase in the 225-issue Nikkei average, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 13, 2024

Nikkei surges 3.5% on return from holiday as weak yen supports

The Nikkei average ended the day at the session's peak of 36,232.51, trading higher in the last 40 minutes of trading.
A Bank of Japan report said input prices for firms gained 3.0% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 13, 2024

Japan’s producer inflation quickens for sixth straight month

The increase reflected rising prices of materials due to a weaker yen and the suspension of subsidies to ease the impact of higher electricity and gas prices.
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 13, 2024

Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks

The English versions of Yamakawa Shuppansha's iconic textbooks appear to be popular among Japanese businesspeople looking to discuss history with their overseas peers.
France President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee         President Thomas Bach before the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Aug 13, 2024

Paris Olympics average 30.6 million U.S. viewers, a 82% bump from Tokyo

The BBC said the Games were streamed 218 million times on its platforms, more than doubling Tokyo's figures.
The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund saw an outflow of more than $400 million last week, the most since 2018.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 13, 2024

Yen-hedged ETF suffers exodus of cash from carry-trade fiasco

The fund’s cash withdrawal last week now puts it on pace for its worst month of outflows since December 2018, though it still has a positive haul overall for the year.
Frederick Go, who advises the Philippine president on the economy, says Washington, Tokyo and Manila will prioritize five major projects in the Luzon Economic Corridor plan.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2024

U.S. and Japan reportedly keen on $15 billion Philippine projects

The Philippines is seeking to leverage stronger ties with the U.S. and its allies to help unlock economic benefits.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 13, 2024

Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says

The nascent concept goes beyond more regulations and restrictions, says Japan's first economic security minister, Takayuki Kobayashi.

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