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Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Friday
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 22, 2023

BOJ maintains its dovish monetary easing amid policy speculation

Comments by Gov. Kazuo Ueda in an interview earlier this month had sparked speculation that the BOJ might move to change policy at an earlier date.
Several factors are pushing up Japan’s land prices: foreign tourism, a return of manufacturing to the country and the change in work practices after the COVID-19 pandemic.
EDITORIALS
Sep 22, 2023

Rising land prices are a cause for celebration and concern

The government said real estate prices across Japan rose 1% from the preceding year, the first such national increase in over three decades.
A mosaic image of the asteroid Bennu, composed of 12 PolyCam images collected in December 2018 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 24 kilometers
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 24, 2023

NASA readies for dramatic return of asteroid sample to Earth

Scientists hope the sample will provide a better understanding of the origin of the solar system and how the Earth became habitable.
Paternity leave has not taken root in Japan due to concerns over decreases in income and disruptions to the work side of life.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Japan local governments working to encourage paternity leave

From Saga to Yamanashi, local officials are trying a variety of policies to give their male employees a chance to better participate in family life.
Currently, part-timers lose their status as dependents if their annual income surpasses ¥1.3 million, requiring them to pay social insurance premiums.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2023

Japan mulls relief measures for dependent part-timers

Currently, part-timers lose their status as dependents if their annual income surpasses ¥1.3 million, requiring them to pay social insurance premiums.
Mitsubishi Chemical’s plan for a new semiconductor materials plant comes as the government makes investments in the domestic sector.
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2023

Mitsubishi Chemical to open new semiconductor materials plant

Details on when or where it will be built or how much it will cost have not been decided, but Fukuoka Prefecture is reportedly a candidate location.
ASML is the world’s only maker of very high-end semiconductor lithography equipment and is one of Europe’s most valuable technology companies.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 27, 2023

ASML to open Hokkaido facility as Japan's chipmaking push gathers steam

The maker of high-end chip equipment, which currently has eight sites in Japan, plans to grow its headcount by around 40%.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 22
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Solomons leader says he spurned U.S. summit 'lecture'

The pro-China prime minister severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2019, unlocking large sums of Beijing aid and investment.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen attends the launching ceremony of Hai Kun, the island's first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2023

How Taiwan's new subs could complicate a Chinese invasion

The way in which Taipei deploys what is set to be a fleet of eight new attack submarines will be crucial in its efforts to deter or counter Beijing.
Toyota's global sales and production for August hit record highs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 29, 2023

Toyota's global sales and output hit record high in August

Global production rose 4% to a record 924,509 vehicles, including subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors, the Japanese carmaker said Thursday.
The race to develop ever bigger and more efficient wind turbines may have been too hasty, some executives and analysts said.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2023

Wind power industry drifts off course

The race to reduce reliance on fossil fuels is putting pressure on manufacturers and supply chains
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Ramos-Horta during a meeting in Dili, East Timor, in June 2022
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 29, 2023

Timor president says China military cooperation 'never discussed'

China's increased efforts to form security ties with developing countries in close proximity to Australia have raised alarm bells in Canberra.
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2023

Osaka signs deal to open casino resort in fall 2030

Officials hope the resort will help spur the regional economy after the end of the 2025 World Expo in the city of Osaka.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 29, 2023

With help from GM, Honda tries again in U.S. EV market

The carmaker unveiled the brand’s first electric SUV on Thursday, marking a renewed push into fully electric vehicles.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference after his Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Sept. 13.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 2, 2023

Late fall emerges as possible timing for snap election in Japan

A decision on a snap poll could be determined by debate over an economic stimulus package and a supplementary budget bill to pay for it.
Hong Kong and China Gas, part of billionaire Lee Shau Kee’s business empire, is accelerating an expansion of biofuel firm EcoCeres in foreign markets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2023

Hong Kong tycoon’s energy empire ramps up green jet fuel push

EcoCeres, one of Asia’s largest producers of green jet fuel, is exploring the possibility of expanding into new markets like the U.S. and the Middle East.
TSMC is expected to see a slower recovery going into 2024 due to weaker demand.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2023

TSMC’s $72 billion dip has markets bracing for more

Shares of the world’s largest contract chipmaker have fallen 10%
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2023

Children's agency chief Ayuko Kato vows to tackle falling birthrate

One of the aims of the agency is to help implement the Children's Future Strategy, a plan that was announced as a way to reverse the declining birthrate.
A prescription injector for Ozempic, a weight loss drug
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2023

Ozempic cuts alcohol cravings. Liquor companies aren’t ready.

A survey conducted by Morgan Stanley’s AlphaWise research unit found that people consumed 62% less alcohol while taking weight loss drugs.
Robert Fico, whose Smer-Social Democracy Party won Slovakia’s early parliamentary elections, exits a meeting with the country’s president on Monday. 
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2023

Can national reconciliation defeat European populism?

For the U.S., Slovakia's general election may produce another unreliable allied government.
An image of an immersive attraction at Immersive Fort Tokyo slated to open next spring in Tokyo's Odaiba area.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2023

New immersive theme park to open in Tokyo’s Odaiba

The new facility, to be called Immersive Fort Tokyo, will feature 12 immersive attractions along with six shops and restaurants.
U.K. Prime Minster Rishi Sunak, left, and his wife Akshata Murty, on the closing day of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
Oct 6, 2023

Seeking everyman image, U.K. PM Rishi Sunak taps Indian heritage

Sunak’s rise to power in a country that until 1947 ruled India as a colony has seen little of the fanfare that accompanied the first Black U.S. president.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 6, 2023

Sapporo to push back Winter Olympics bid to 2034 or later

Sapporo mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto will meet with the Japanese Olympic Committee next week to request the change.
Arm CEO Rene Haas participates in the opening bell ceremony at the Nasdaq exchange in New York on Sept. 14 as the chip design firm holds an initial public offering.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 6, 2023

SoftBank’s Arm faces Wall Street scrutiny after massive IPO

Arm Holdings raised $4.87 billion last month in the largest IPO on a U.S. exchange since November 2021.
British Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks to reporters in Wakefield, England, in 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2023

Britain's Keir Starmer plots painstaking path to power

Taking lessons from center-left parties in Australia and Germany, Starmer has imbued Labour with a cautious and methodical approach.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 8, 2023

Japan boosting SDF presence in southwestern area of Kyushu

The region will see new SDF units from next April, including an F-35B stealth fighter squadron and a surface-to-ship missile unit.
Peak of fossil fuel consumption may be approaching, but the post-peak period may not lead to a rapid decline, which could impact global efforts to combat climate change.
COMMENTARY
Oct 8, 2023

With fossil fuels, ‘peak demand’ isn’t what it sounds like

Peak fossil-fuel consumption will be a cause for celebration. But we should remain skeptical it’s as near as the IEA has said, especially for gas.
Australian head coach Eddie Jones' reliance on young players did not work out for the team during the Rugby World Cup
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 9, 2023

High-stakes misses prove costly as Australia crashes out of World Cup

Australia's gambles resulted in an early exit from the Rugby World Cup.
Visitors walk along the Marina Barrage water catchment area in Singapore in 2009.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 10, 2023

Singapore fighting rising seas to save $50 billion in real estate

During a half-century of independence, Singapore has fought to expand its territory, inch by hard-won inch. On the tip of the Malaysian peninsula, the island city-state piled up sand to expand its coastline and reclaim land from the sea.
A photo taken on Thursday shows details of a contract between the Beijing Yunze Technology Co. Ltd. and a company then part of Yevgeny Prigozhin's commercial empire — for the acquisition of two high resolution observation satellites.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 11, 2023

Chinese firm sold satellites for intelligence to Russia's Wagner

The satellite images were used to assist Wagner's operations in Ukraine, but also in Africa — and even its failed mutiny in June — a contract has shown.

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Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji