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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2023

Why the Fed needs to take the digital yuan seriously

The e-CNY will be more than just a paperless version of cash for China's local economy, its use in trade settlements would pose a challenge to the U.S. dollar.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2023

Fixes to shoddy nuclear waste storage site to cost Japan ¥36 billion

The Tokai Reprocessing Plant was the nation's first plant that reprocessed spent fuel from nuclear reactors to recover uranium and plutonium.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Tomakomai aims to give tourism a boost through sharing creative works

Local communities are being encouraged to enjoy making use of creative works, and to share that joy with tourists.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Manga and anime helping Tomakomai to boost tourism sector

In an effort to attract visitors, people in charge of community development in Tomakomai have begun to pay attention to the city's manga and anime resources.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jan 16, 2023

After 40 years, work to return Okinawa's cultural assets continues

Many artifacts were taken to the U.S. after World War II, and the Ryukyu America Historical Research Society has been working to find and retrieve them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jan 16, 2023

Tomakomai bets on pop culture for tourism boost by embracing cosplay events

The number of visitors to the Tomakomai Cosplay Festa has increased over the years, with about 16,000 people attending in 2019, making it one of the city's most popular events.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2023

Eisai and Biogen apply for approval of Alzheimer's drug in Japan

The two companies hope to gain approval by the end of the year following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision earlier in the month to grant it fast-track approval.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2023

Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka beats Mikael Ymer to advance in Australian Open

The 31st-seeded Nishioka converted six of his 12 break point opportunities as he put away the world No. 69 in two hours and 18 minutes.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2023

'Devastated' Nick Kyrgios out of Australian Open with injury

The talented but temperamental Australian, considered as having an outside chance of winning the title, had struggled with an ankle issue coming into the event.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2023

Nagoya uses auto industry ties to position itself as a startup hub

This transition period comes at a time when the national government has made the creation of startups a priority as it seeks to bolster the economy.
Toyota President Koji Sato announces the company's earnings results in Tokyo on May 8.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

Japan firms brace for earnings slumps after marking record profits

Companies are concerned over the weak yen, global conflict and inflation hitting personal spending.
A cargo vessel on the Sulina Channel en route to the Danube River, in Romania
WORLD
Jul 21, 2023

Ukraine grain relies on a river that’s drying up

A heatwave fanning across the southern part of Europe is lowering river levels and crimping export capacity, which will make shipping grain even more difficult.
Unlike other social media platforms, including Threads, Twitter has a way of pushing you out of your comfort zone.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Can Threads dethrone Twitter in Japan?

Netizens in Japan jumped onto the Threads bandwagon soon after its launch, but the honeymoon phase is beginning to end, experts say, with many Japanese users remaining on Twitter.
Gloomy economic conditions, especially weak consumption, raise questions over whether the Bank of Japan will be able to take further steps toward policy normalization.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2024

Japan GDP data expected to show contraction for first quarter

The preliminary data is expected to show that spending by consumers and companies fell, while net exports dragged on growth for the first time in a year.
Sharp's plant in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, is the only remaining production site for LCD TV panels in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Sharp to halt LCD plant in Osaka Prefecture by September

The major electronics maker, which continues to bleed red ink, is hoping to prevent a further deterioration of its earnings.
Yukiko Inui competes in the women's solo free artistic swimming final at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Jul 20, 2023

Yukiko Inui repeats two-gold performance at this year's world championships

Host Japan has won four artistic swimming golds so far in Fukuoka.
Icons of Google's Artificial Intelligence app BardAI (or ChatBot), OpenAI's app ChatGPT and other AI apps are displayed on a smartphone screen.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Google tests AI tool that is able to write news articles

Some executives who saw Google’s pitch described it as unsettling, and two people said it seemed to take for granted the effort that went into producing accurate and artful news stories.
Employees work at a shoe factory in Hanoi in 2020.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 16, 2024

As U.S. hikes China tariffs, imports soar from China-reliant Vietnam

The surge in China-Vietnam-U.S. trade has vastly widened trade imbalances.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
May 17, 2024

BOJ could raise rates as soon as June, ex-chief economist says

An increasing number of analysts have flagged the risk of a summer hike as the sinking yen raises the risks of the price trend moving higher.
Nikko Asset Management is ditching its bearish view on the yen, and now has a ¥135 target against the dollar by year-end.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 20, 2023

Nikko Asset shifts to bullish yen slant as Ueda bides his time

The shift in his view highlights potential upside for the yen, where inflation-adjusted interest rates have exacerbated its decline to multidecade lows.
Mizuho Financial Group has become the third Japanese megabank to sell Additional Tier 1 bonds after the collapse of Credit Suisse set off a global fire sale.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 20, 2023

Mizuho sells ¥261 billion of AT1 bonds after Credit Suisse turmoil

The lender joined Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group in issuing AT1 bonds this year, while the market in Europe is only just reopening.
Johnny & Associates president Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), flanked by Johnnys' Island President Yoshihiko Inohara (second from left), unveils the company name Smile-Up during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2023

Johnny's to form new company in wake of sexual abuse by founder

The move comes after the agency acknowledged abuse and apologized to victims in a news conference last month.
The Japanese view of China is deteriorating, characterized by a fear of arbitrary detention and the belief the country, economically, is past its peak. The Chinese see Japan as declining and too reliant on the United States. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2024

Can Japan and China bridge their ever-widening ‘perception gap’?

Despite the fear, many of the worries Japanese have about visiting China are unfounded. Bridging the gap requires both nations to resume exchanges.
The value of Japan's exports rose 1.5% in June, led by shipments of cars and construction machinery, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 20, 2023

Japan’s surprise trade surplus comes with caveats for growth

Government report highlights vulnerabilities in the state of demand around the world and points to risks for Japan’s growth prospects.
If you have a specific birth plan in mind, like giving birth at home, it's important to make sure the clinic you use offers that option.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2023

Giving birth in Japan? Here’s what you need to know.

Giving birth can be overwhelming — even more so if you don’t understand the local language or know the steps you need to take.
Officials in the municipality of Daito, in Osaka, speak at a news conference on Wednesday regarding a case in which a mother is suspected of starving her daughter, hospitalizing her and claiming insurance payments.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2023

Mother in Osaka arrested for starving daughter and claiming insurance money

Investigators believe Kasumi Nawata regularly starved her daughter, hospitalizing her 43 times for a total of 332 days since spring 2018.
By the finale, I had completely bought into Samurai Restaurant Time's spectacle — a neon-lit festival with chants and cheers.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 12, 2023

Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho

To replace the defunct Robot Restaurant, the neon-soaked streets of Kabukicho are serving up a kitschy second course.
The number of crimes recorded in Japan rose more than 20% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period the previous year, police data has shown.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 20, 2023

Crime in Japan rises in first half of 2023 as COVID-19 restrictions ease

A total of 333,003 cases were reported in the first half of the year, up by 21.1% from the previous year, rising for the first time in 21 years on a January-June basis.
Ichiro Ozawa speaks to Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers at a party in Yokohama on Friday. The veteran politician still hopes the country will achieve a genuine two-party parliamentary democracy.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2023

CDP's Ichiro Ozawa bracing for 'final battle' in next election

The veteran politician still hopes the country will achieve a genuine two-party parliamentary democracy.
A trio of childhood friends (from left: Ryota Bando, Naoya Shimizu and Rion Takahashi) wonder about their future in Ryutaro Ninomiya’s “Wakamusha.”
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2024

‘Wakamusha’: An austere portrait of toxic masculinity

Ryutaro Ninomiya shows a deft touch in his uncomfortable drama about childhood friends struggling to find their place in the adult world.

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan