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JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Mar 31, 2021

Fourth wave takes shape as COVID-19 cases increase across Japan

Regional outbreaks, compounded by fatigue over anti-virus measures and more contagious variants, are contributing to an altogether different kind of surge.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 31, 2021

Terunofuji redefines legacy with historic return to ozeki rank

The Mongolian, who just two years ago was fighting in sumo's second-lowest division, is now being hyped as the next potential yokozuna after his Spring Basho triumph.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 31, 2021

Japan edges one step closer to marriage equality

A judge dismissed a claim for compensation for psychological damage but ruled that denying same-sex couples the legal benefits that come with marriage was “unreasonable discrimination.”
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2021

'Tankie man': Pro-democracy Hong Kongers stand up to Western communists

The people who've been dubbed “tankies” often identify as Marxist-Leninists and are fiercely against U.S. interference in foreign politics, especially in countries that are socialist.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2021

Who needs a digital dollar?

The idea of a digital dollar has been in the air for some time now. Recently, it descended from the ether to the lips of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell. At an event in February, Yellen flagged the idea as “absolutely worth looking at,” adding that the Federal...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2021

Climate change won't be stopped by 593 pages of green tape

In the race to net zero, the European Union should have a head start in setting those standards given many years of investor interest.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2021

I wrote a book on Chinese history. It was stolen by pirates on Alibaba

The scale of counterfeiting in China is so vast that tackling it is an epic undertaking even for the supposedly uber-capable Chinese state
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 31, 2021

World’s top pension fund faces moment of truth on China debt

The GPIF's decision will also be crucial for other Japanese public and private pension funds which have been mulling opportunities to invest in Chinese government debt.
BASKETBALL
Mar 31, 2021

Kenichi Sako elected to FIBA Hall of Fame

The former national team player and current Akatsuki Five assistant coach will join 11 other basketball luminaries when their 2020 class is inducted on June 18.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2021

Nomura CEO Kentaro Okuda’s honeymoon ends with $2 billion Archegos losses

The $2 billion claim on a single client risks largely erasing Nomura's pretax profits for the second half of the year, according to a Jefferies Financial Group report.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2021

One Lehman Shock, please: Tip-trading bar in Tokyo highlights growth in retail investors

Retail traders now make up around 21% of Japan's stock market, up from just 16% before the outbreak.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a meeting of the Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias Task Force at the Justice Department in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2025

Rubio plans to close offices in major State Department overhaul

Among those to be shut are offices responsible for women’s issues, global health security, and diversity and inclusion.
Arunima Mazumdar, a New Delhi-based communications professional, began sharing her love of Japanese literature online in 2022. The platform has grown into a robust community known as Dokusha Book Club.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 26, 2025

Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’

The founder of Dokusha Book Club talks about why Indian readers love Japanese books and the community that she’s forged, online and offline.
A demonstrators protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's moves to force changes at colleges such as Columbia University and others by cutting grants and imposing various sanctions, at Foley Square in New York on April 17.
WORLD / Society
Apr 23, 2025

U.S. college presidents unite against Trump's higher education policies

They have described the moves as "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education."
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long jostled with the press and questioned the editorial rules that prohibit interference in government-funded media, issued an executive order on March 14 to eliminate Voice of America and other U.S.-funded media.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 23, 2025

U.S. judge orders preliminary VOA funding restoration in blow to Trump

It remains to be seen if the order is enough to put the outlets back on air.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a news conference in Kyiv on April 4.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2025

Zelenskyy says Chinese citizens working at drone production site in Russia

The Ukrainian president appears to be softening his tone toward China by suggesting Russia might have obtained Chinese technology without Beijing's knowledge.
A farmhand prunes trees on a 4-year-old cocoa plantation, replanted after swollen shoot disease, in Enchi, Ghana, on March 4.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 23, 2025

Cocoa crunch isn’t over yet as top growers struggle with supply

Africa’s cocoa heartland has long grappled with blight and aging trees, leaving farms vulnerable as severe weather hammered crops in recent years.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a meeting of the Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias Task Force, at the Justice Department in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 23, 2025

Hegseth delivers what Trump wants but with unwanted controversy

Hegseth has done most everything so far that Trump hoped he would — and for now, that’s been enough to keep Trump on Hegseth’s side.
A photo taken from a Norwegian surveillance aircraft shows Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in international waters off the coast of Norway in October 2016.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 23, 2025

Global warming is a security threat and armies must adapt, experts say

Defense departments have already underscored that a warming planet poses major national security challenges, and militaries need to adapt to respond to these evolving threats.
Naomi Osaka reacts after point at the Miami Open last month. The Japanese star lost her first match at the Madrid Open on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Apr 23, 2025

Osaka out of Madrid Open after Bronzetti defeat

The Japanese former world No. 1, ranked 55th, battled back with a strong second set after losing the first, but eventually came up short.
Milled rice at a rice mill in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand
BUSINESS
Apr 23, 2025

Trump tariffs threaten to pile more pain on Thailand's rice sector

Thailand is among the Southeast Asian nations hardest hit by Trump's proposed measures, facing a 36% tariff on goods unless ongoing negotiations are successful.
Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo leads his team out onto the field prior to a match against Al-Riyadh on April 12.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2025

Ronaldo hunts Asian Champions League glory in Saudi-hosted finals

First, Ronaldo's side must overcome last year's finalists, Yokohama F. Marinos, a club that is in a crisis after firing manager Steve Holland last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the current front lines.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2025

Ukraine presses for ceasefire as Russia reported to offer concession

Both sides are trying to demonstrate progress toward ending the war after U.S. President Donald Trump said he could walk away from peace talks if there is no breakthrough.
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola during his club's match against Aston Villa at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Apr 23, 2025

Guardiola calls season 'bad' even with Champions League within reach

City took a big step toward securing European qualification with its 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Rohingya children eat from jars with the USAID logo on them at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in February.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 23, 2025

China unlikely to fill void left by U.S. aid pullback, data shows

Observers say Beijing often ties access to assistance to backing China’s preferred policy positions.
MUFG Bank, a unit of the nation’s biggest banking group, is among firms that recently scrapped a clerical job category that consisted almost exclusively of women, a sign that the financial sector is finally getting more serious about reducing gender inequalities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2025

Top Japanese firms scrap employment system that held women back

Abandoning the clerical job category may increase opportunities for women to advance to more senior positions.

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