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BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2021

Honda appoints Japan R&D chief Toshihiro Mibe as new CEO

The move marks the latest in a number of bold moves the automaker is taking to step beyond its more than half-a-century-long reliance on selling gasoline-powered cars.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Feb 20, 2021

Mori's downfall poetic justice for an Osaka ready to showcase its modernity

From describing the city as 'phlegm' to lackluster support for its Olympic bid, the former prime minister and Tokyo Games chief finally reaped the harvest of his disdain for Osaka.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2021

G7 skirts the China question, yet need for answers grows

In speeches after the G7 phone call, the leaders put flesh on the bones of their discussions, and here there was a sign that they may be able to forge a common response in the months ahead.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 20, 2021

IAEA found uranium traces at two sites Iran barred it from, sources say

The watchdog is preparing to rebuke Tehran for failing to explain the findings, possibly complicating U.S. efforts to revive nuclear diplomacy, diplomats say.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 20, 2021

People who have had COVID-19 should get single vaccine dose, studies suggest

New studies show that one shot of a vaccine can greatly amplify antibody levels in those who have recovered from the coronavirus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 20, 2021

Bitcoin hits $1 trillion market cap, surges to fresh all-time peak

Bitcoin hit a market capitalization of $1 trillion as it rose to yet another record high on Friday, countering analyst warnings that it is an "economic side show" and a poor hedge against a fall in stock prices.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 20, 2021

Capitol riot plot case widens with more Oath Keepers charged

Prosecutors are pursuing a wider conspiracy case against the Oath Keepers, charging six more people with links to the far-right militia for their alleged roles in last month’s violent breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 20, 2021

China is preparing for another Olympics in Beijing, like it or not

When Beijing staged the Summer Olympic Games in 2008, many argued — or at least hoped — that the international attention would improve human rights in China. It didn’t.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 20, 2021

Biden draws sharp contrast with Trump in presidential debut on world stage

In his first big appearance as president on the global stage, Biden sought to re-establish the U.S. as a multilateral team player after four years of divisive 'America First' policies.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 20, 2021

Pfizer’s vaccine works well after one dose and doesn’t always need ultracold storage

A study in Israel showed that the vaccine is robustly effective after the first shot, raising the possibility that regulators in some countries could authorize delaying a second dose.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 20, 2021

With one number, Biden reverses Trump’s way of valuing climate

The president has reactivated the Obama-era approach to estimating the cost of climate change, a move that establishes a much higher dollar value for greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2021

COVID-19 cluster discovered at immigration facility as new strain spreads in Japan

The new variant, which features the so-called E484K mutation that may undermine vaccine effectiveness, has been identified in 93 cases in the nation.
Swimmer Andriy Govorov speaks during a news conference about the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
May 23, 2025

Anti-doping bodies speak out against drug-fueled Enhanced Games

WADA, the global anti-doping watchdog, condemned plans for the event as "dangerous."
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 23, 2025

As Taiwan looks to boost ‘unofficial ties,’ Paraguay’s leader offers facilitator role

Paraguayan President Santiago Pena stressed his government is “more than willing to support and be a strong ally” to Taiwan.
The site of a rare earth metals mine in China
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2025

Rare earth production outside China 'major milestone'

Lynas' announcement illustrates how much more needs to be done to broaden the supply of elements critical for electric vehicles and renewable technology.
U.S. soldiers at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on May 9.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 23, 2025

Pentagon denies report of U.S. troop withdrawal plan for South Korea

The denial came after The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House is considering pulling out roughly 4,500 troops and relocating them.
Masato Morihiro
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 23, 2025

Seven 'JP Dragon' crime ring members detained in Philippines

The seven members, including Hikari Ishikawa, 45, and Masato Morihiro, 37, were wanted by Japanese police on allegations of theft.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. on Wednesday submitted a recommendation to President Donald Trump on Nippon Steel's fraught $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel, a person familiar with the matter said, without providing further detail on its contents.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2025

U.S. panel submits view on Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal to Trump

Trump will now have 15 days to decide the fate of the transaction, although the timeline could slip.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2025

Japan pledges immediate rice price cuts to stop shift to foreign brands

The government has been releasing some of its stockpiled rice since March but that has yet to translate to lower supermarket prices.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives against the Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Thursday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
May 23, 2025

Thunder cruise past Timberwolves to grab 2-0 lead in series

The Thunder lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 going into Game 3 in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Lewis Hamilton waves to fans before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, on May 18.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
May 23, 2025

Lewis Hamilton has more movies in mind after working with Brad Pitt

Hamilton is also planning to do documentaries and possibly a television series with his Dawn Apollo production company.
All services on East Japan Railway's Yamanote Line in Tokyo were suspended for early Friday morning due to wire trouble.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2025

Tokyo's Yamanote Line resumes suspended train operations

The loop line was suspended Friday morning due to wire trouble, affecting some 197,000 passengers.
After last year’s controversy over using AI to write about 5% of her novel, Rie Qudan was asked by an advertising magazine to write a short story where she uses AI for 95% of it. The resulting short story, “Kage no ame” (“Rain Shadow”), was published March 25.  
CULTURE / Books
May 24, 2025

AI fiction is already here. Are humans ready?

Last year, Rie Qudan faced controversy after admitting that chatGPT wrote 5% of her novel. Now she’s published a story she only wrote 5% herself, leaving 95% to AI.
Seicho Matsumoto’s “Suspicion” is based on a true story known as “the Beppu 300 million yen insurance murder,” swapping the real-life husband with a former Tokyo hostess.
CULTURE / Books
May 25, 2025

Truth is slippery in ‘Suspicion,’ a detective story based on a true crime

Seicho Matsumoto’s mystery novella is based on 1974’s “Beppu 300 million yen insurance murder.”
A third-party committee set up by Fuji Television Network said in a statement Thursday that its recognition of sexual violence was based on the World Health Organization's definition because Fuji TV and its parent, Fuji Media Holdings, needed to fulfill their accountability to global shareholders.
JAPAN / Media
May 23, 2025

Fuji TV panel defends conclusion of 'sexual violence' by Nakai

The committee rejected the request from Nakai's lawyer to disclose interview records and other evidence, claiming that it would undermine its independence and neutrality.
The employment rate for March 2025 graduates of higher educational institutions stood at 98% as of April 1, the second highest on record, according to the data compiled jointly by the education and labor ministries.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2025

98% of new graduates in Japan are able to land jobs

The graduate employment rate is the second highest on record.

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