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Alarmo and other recent products reflect Nintendo's strategy of using its iconic intellectual properties to engage users while preparing for the inevitable transition to a successor console after the Nintendo Switch.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 24, 2024

Nintendo’s latest device, the Alarmo, is a $100 wake-up call

Alarmo and other recent products reflect Nintendo's strategy of leveraging its iconic IPs to engage users as it prepares for the successor to the Nintendo Switch.
U.S. President Joe Biden leaves after delivering remarks from the White House Rose Garden in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 28, 2024

Biden readies $725 million arms aid package for Ukraine, sources say

The Biden administration plans to provide a variety of anti-tank weapons from U.S. stocks to blunt Russia's advancing troops.
A sign at the entrance to the Vauxhall van factory in Luton, England, on Nov. 27. Stellantis plans to close the factory, and has made efforts to pin the blame on the government's mandate for more electric vehicle sales.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 2, 2024

The EV transition is leaving the U.K. auto industry behind

The country wants to be a leader in EVs but has lagged others in establishing the necessary plants and battery factories.
A Ukrainian serviceman holds a Stinger anti-aircraft missile as he takes part in joint military drills near the border with Belarus, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the country's Rivne region in February 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2024

U.S. to send Ukraine with $725 million weapons package ahead of Trump return

President Joe Biden's outgoing administration is seeking to bolster Kyiv in its war with Russian invaders before leaving office in January.
Facebook parent company Meta is asking developers to submit proposals to deliver 1 to 4 gigawatts of nuclear energy, starting in the early 2030s.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 4, 2024

Meta seeks new nuclear reactors to run U.S. data centers

The Facebook parent is asking developers to submit proposals to deliver 1 to 4 gigawatts of reactor capacity, starting in the early 2030s.
Saudi Arabia has executed 303 people this year according to a tally based on official figures.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 4, 2024

Saudi Arabia surpasses 300 executions in 2024

Saudi Arabia executed the third highest number of prisoners in the world in 2023 after China and Iran, according to Amnesty International.
Choi Sang-mok, South Korea's finance minister, during an interview in Seoul on Thursday
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Dec 6, 2024

In South Korea's crisis playbook, currency stability is paramount

In the four decades since South Korea was last under martial law, the nation has significantly evolved its systems to focus on ensuring economic stability.
A Taiwanese Air Force Mirage 2000 fighter jet prepares to take off at an air force base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 10, 2024

Taiwan says China naval deployment is largest in decades

China has deployed the largest number of naval ships to regional waters around Taiwan since the mid-1990s, the Defense Ministry in Taipei said Tuesday.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a signing ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Nov. 28.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 11, 2024

Lula faces Biden parallels as surgery raises questions over age

The operation raises difficult questions about whether the 79-year-old leftist leader is fit to meet the challenges that are piling up in front of him.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump embraces SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2024

SoftBank pledges $100 billion U.S. investment at Trump event

SoftBank chief Masayoshi Son’s announcement this time marks the highest-profile commitment by a company to expand investment in the U.S. since Trump’s election win.
A soldier stops a car at a checkpoint in Bishnupur, Manipur, India, in April.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 20, 2024

Fighters from Myanmar's civil war exacerbate ethnic conflict in India

The conflict between Manipur's mostly Hindu Meitei community and the mainly Christian Kuki tribes is seen as one of India's biggest law-and-order failures.
Yuki Tsunoda ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix late last month.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Dec 21, 2024

Tsunoda loses out in Red Bull's F1 reshuffle

A flurry of Red Bull announcements culminated on Friday with 20-year-old Isack Hadjar confirmed as Tsunoda's teammate.
Here we go again, a Christmas marked by legal battles, evolving traditions, commercial influence, and debates over greetings.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2024

There is no war on Christmas. There are many.

As usual, our holiday cornucopia overfloweth with litigation.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, attend a Lakers game in Los Angeles on Dec. 8.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 29, 2024

Shohei Ohtani ends blockbuster year with baby announcement

Ohtani announced on Instagram on Saturday that he and his wife are expecting their first child, capping a huge year for the Dodgers star.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is still signaling caution ahead of the central bank's January meeting.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 21, 2025

BOJ likely to raise rates this week in absence of immediate Trump tariffs

The possibility is "quite high" if markets remain calm following Trump's inauguration on Monday as the 47th president of the United States.
A Donald Trump 2024 campaign hat on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 22, 2025

Markets braced for uncertainty as Trump holds back from pledged tariffs

Chinese markets were relieved after Beijing avoided an instant blizzard of executive orders, but Mexico's peso and Canada's dollar weren't so lucky.
Fuji Media Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The company will hold an extraordinary board meeting on Thursday over the firestorm sparked by TV host Masahiro Nakai's alleged sexual misconduct.
JAPAN / Media
Jan 22, 2025

Fuji TV scandal sparks probes on exploitation within TV industry

The sexual misconduct allegations against TV host and former SMAP member Masahiro Nakai have thrown a spotlight on the TV industry's culture and ethics.
Japan's exports gained 2.8% in December from a year ago, led by chipmaking machinery and semiconductor parts, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025

Japan’s exports rose in December ahead of anticipated Trump tariffs

Exports measured in value gained 2.8% from a year ago led by chipmaking machinery and semiconductor parts, although shipments fell in terms of volume.
The Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Maryland
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 24, 2025

Trump alarms scientists by muzzling U.S. health agencies

The move could delay essential information and slow funding for potentially life-saving initiatives.
Mitsubishi Motors is unlikely to join Honda and Nissan's deal to create a holding company together, it was reported Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 24, 2025

Mitsubishi Motors won’t join Honda and Nissan tie-up, Yomiuri says

Mitsubishi Motors hasn’t made any announcements and is considering all options, a spokesperson for the company said.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda had sounded dovish after the central bank's December policy meeting, which led some analysts to say that rate hikes might only emerge in March.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 24, 2025

BOJ takes rates to 0.5% amid calm markets after Trump inauguration

The 25-basis-point move marks the first rate increase since July and takes rates to their highest level since the 2008 global financial crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a giant screen during his address by video conference at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 25, 2025

Trump spurs surprise world rally in first week on trade respite

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision not to immediately slap tariffs on U.S. trade partners triggered the surprising market response.
U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event about the economy at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 26, 2025

Trump’s frenzied debut delights base as thornier decisions await

The honeymoon is hardly assured to last, with the U.S. president so far avoiding drastic steps that would tempt backlash from his party, Wall Street or both.
A turbine spins at the South Fork Wind site, approximately 56 kilometers off the coast of Montauk, New York, in December 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 27, 2025

Trump casts chill over U.S. wind energy sector

The president has signed a series of executive orders that has brought the sector into crisis.
Fuji TV President Koichi Minato (left) and Chairman Shuji Kanoh, also chairman of the broadcaster's parent company Fuji Media Holdings, bow during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. The two have announced their resignations.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 28, 2025

Fuji TV president resigns over handling of Masahiro Nakai scandal

Koichi Minato has been the target of criticism following the revelation that he became aware of the incident involving Nakai right after it occurred in June 2023.
Fuji TV President Kenji Shimizu speaks to reporters at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday following a board meeting.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2025

Fuji TV expects ¥23 billion dent in revenue over Nakai scandal

The broadcaster, projecting its ad revenue to total ¥125.2 billion in the year through March, expects to fall into the red.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (right) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at an event on Monday to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2025

SoftBank forms joint venture with OpenAI in enterprise play

SoftBank and OpenAI said that the joint venture will help large Japanese enterprises in the adoption and training of Cristal intelligence in order to improve their businesses.
The three megabank groups including Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group posted record consolidated net profits in April-December 2024.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2025

Japan firms to log record profits — driven by finance and AI biz

Leading the growth is the financial sector, buoyed by the return of positive interest rates to Japan thanks to the Bank of Japan's rate hikes
A worker welds at a steel manufacturing facility in Mexico City on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 10, 2025

Trump to announce 25% steel and aluminum tariffs in latest escalation

Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One on his way to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, said he will announce the new metals tariffs on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron attends an interview for national television ahead of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2025

Macron beats French investment drum ahead of AI summit

The two-day event in Paris has stated aims that include "mapping" AI governance around the world, and promoting the idea of more ethical, accessible and frugal AI.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’