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Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2023

Dead sardines pile up on Hokkaido shores, but no one's sure why

In one town, it's estimated that there were around 20 tons of the dead fish.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jan 17, 2023

Airlines face hurdles to cashing in on China reopening

U.S. and European airlines will benefit from demand for travel to China, but route approvals, fresh COVID-19 testing rules and not enough large aircraft remain barriers to rising sales.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2023

Dead whale in Osaka to be sunk offshore this week

The city's mayor told reporters that he hopes the disposal will be completed within the week.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 17, 2023

Girl, 13, suspected in mother's fatal stabbing in Shizuoka Prefecture

In Japan, children under 14 years of age cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2023

Japan weighs linking benefits recipients' bank info with My Number

Under a proposed law revision, authorities will ask people whose account info is already known to public bodies for benefit payments whether they want to link the two.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 17, 2023

U.S.-China trade is close to a record, defying talk of decoupling

Even as the U.S. aims to hold back China's advance and Beijing seeks to counter Washington's global influence, the two economies remain deeply entwined.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2023

Nissan and Renault on track to complete deal to revamp alliance

Final negotiations are under way for Renault to reduce its stake in the carmaker, and for Nissan to invest in Renault's planned electric-vehicle carve-out.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2023

Toyota sees vehicle output recovery in 2023, with some risks

The newly issued target would be a significant jump from the planned 9.2 million vehicles that the carmaker forecasts for the fiscal year ending in March.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2023

ANA to offer flight attendants two-day workweek as a result of pandemic

The airline hopes the move — previously limited to those who needed to take care of children or the elderly — will also be used by people to learn new skills.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 17, 2023

New BOJ nominees likely to be presented to parliament on Feb. 10

The nominees, if approved by both houses of parliament, will succeed BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda and his two deputies, Masayoshi Amamiya and Masazumi Wakatabe.
Badminton star Kento Momota leaves a news conference after announcing his retirement from Japan's national team, in Tokyo on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Badminton
Apr 18, 2024

Former No. 1 Kento Momota retires from international badminton at 29

Momota was once badminton's undisputed king, winning 11 titles in 2019 and losing just six of the 73 matches he played that year.
Rengo members cheer during their annual May Day rally to demand higher pay and better working conditions, in Tokyo on April 29.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2023

Japanese unions urge employers to continue wage hikes next year and beyond

Rengo made the demand as it reviewed the results of its annual spring wage talks that concluded earlier this month, which saw major companies agree to the largest raises in 30 years.
Visitors will be banned from entering private alleys in Kyoto's famous geisha district, Gion, after the district council urged the city to tackle the issue, saying their neighborhood "is not a theme park."
JAPAN / Society
Mar 7, 2024

Tourists banned from private alleys in Kyoto's geisha district

Gion's main Hanamikoji Street, which is public, will remain open to tourists.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, India's minister of electronics and information technology
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 21, 2023

Japan and India vow to boost chip supply chains with eye on economic security

Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister of economy, trade and industry, and Ashwini Vaishnaw, India's minister of electronics and information technology, signed a memorandum of understanding.
The yen's exchange rate against the dollar on Wednesday. The yen declined from ¥103 against the dollar in 2020 to as little as ¥151 in late 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2024

Is a weak yen good for Japan’s economy?

The yen's fast depreciation is boosting overseas investment and sectors like tourism, but could also trigger inflation. In response, the BOJ should raise interest rates.
Residential buildings in the Kachidoki area of Tokyo. The average unit price of newly supplied condominiums in the greater Tokyo area in the first six months of this year reached the highest level for the six-month period due to rising material and labor costs and higher land prices.
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2023

Tokyo's new condo prices surge 60% to a record in first half of year

The average price of a new apartment in central Tokyo jumped 60% to ¥129.6 million ($930,000) in the January to June period.
The No. 1 Poultry building, left, in the City of London
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

South Korean investors stung as bet on offices in financial centers turns sour

With a growing need for environmental credentials for corporate renters and downsizing due to the pandemic, office real-estate markets are seeing a "flight to quality" — leaving some exposed
Chinese President Xi Jinping. Ever-growing tensions in the South China Sea all point to an uncomfortable truth for Southeast Asian nations, as well as the U.S.: In this standoff, China is winning.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 24, 2024

Xi’s armada is winning the battle for energy in South China Sea

China’s increasingly assertive stance has sparked a flurry of diplomatic and military efforts aimed at countering Beijing’s footprint.
Historian Frederik Cryns’ “In the Service of the Shogun” is a biography of William Adams, the inspiration for the character John Blackthorne (played by Cosmo Jarvis) in “Shogun.” Cryns also served as a historical adviser on the FX TV series.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 4, 2024

'Shogun' adviser dives into main character's real-life counterpart for new book

After working on the FX TV series, historian Frederik Cryns explores the life of William Adams in detail for his biography, "In the Service of the Shogun."
An X90 Plus crossover — produced by Chinese automaker Jetour — sits ready for sale at a dealership in the Moscow Region on July 12.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

Made in Russia? Chinese cars drive a revival of Russia's auto factories

The rebirth of the Moskvich is a sign of China's growing sway over an important sector of Russia's economy.
The financial district of San Francisco in May 2022
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

Not all firms are ready for a four-day week — yet, says expert

The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week found that most U.K. businesses participating don’t want to return to the five-day standard.
With U.S. protectionism hindering Chinese electric vehicle makers' overseas expansions, Japanese giants like Honda are poised to capitalize.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 24, 2024

Japan is poised to fill an EV gap left by China

A new Honda facility in Canada shows that Asia’s auto industry is ready to meet North American needs.
The carp-shaped streamers you see flying in the wind around the start of May are connected to Children's Day. The carp is a symbol of strength and success, which is why it is used in connection to the holiday.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 25, 2024

Getting extremely emotional with grammar ahead of Children's Day

Certain Japanese grammatical structures can help enhance emotions in conversation and writing, conveying the idea of "unbearably."
A factory of Russian automaker Moskvich, in Moscow on July 13
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

What has become of global carmakers' assets in Russia?

The foreign automakers that dominated Russia's car market left following the invasion of Ukraine, leaving a slumping production and sales in their wake.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade disembark from a V-22 Osprey at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, in July 2022.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2023

GSDF amphibious unit now seen as 'partner' of U.S. Marines

The GSDF unit and the U.S. Marine Corps have conducted many joint exercises, and the two sides can now work together in higher-level operations, according to GSDF Col. Taisuke Fujimura.
Wang Xiuting chats with her virtual boyfriend on Wantalk — an AI chatbot created by Chinese tech company Baidu, on her phone in Beijing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 13, 2024

'Better than real men': Young Chinese women turn to AI boyfriends

Users say they are driven by a desire for companionship because China's fast pace of life and urban isolation make loneliness an issue for many.
A bouquet of flowers and incense is seen Friday at the site where the bodies of Ryutaro Takarajima, and his wife, Sachiko, were dumped in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 28, 2024

Suspect claims he received over ¥10 million for dumping bodies in Tochigi

Investigators remain cautious, however, since a large sum of money has not been found in the suspect's home or bank account.
Akie Abe holds a news conference in Taipei on Monday.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2023

Akie Abe wraps up Taiwan trip, continuing late husband's legacy

Akie Abe traveled to the self-ruled island to continue her husbands legacy of reorienting Japan’s policy toward Taiwan.
A platform is crowded with travelers at Tokyo Station on Aug. 11 last year. People plan to spend more this summer as COVID restrictions have been fully lifted.
JAPAN
Jul 21, 2023

Japanese consumers to spend more in summer break for second straight year

The survey results come as Japan enters its first summer holiday period since COVID-19's legal status was downgraded.
A Japan Coast Guard vessel sails near one of the disputed East China Sea islands that Japan calls the Senkakus and China calls Diaoyu, in August 2013.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2024

China confronts Japanese politicians visiting near disputed East China Sea islets

The Japanese group, including former Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, was on an inspection mission organized by the city of Ishigaki, in Okinawa Prefecture.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree