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Hou Yu-ih, mayor of New Taipei City, during a protest against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei, on July 16. Taiwanese voters are preparing to choose their next president in January, in a vote that will define cross-strait and U.S.-China relations for years to come.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 21, 2023

Popular Taiwan mayor stumbles in bid to lead in U.S.-China hotspot

His failure to articulate a critical policy at the bedrock of Taiwan’s international status drew widespread criticism online.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Henry Kissinger, former U.S. secretary of state, attend a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2023

White House looks forward to hearing about Kissinger's China trip

Kissinger — an architect of normalizing ties between Washington and Beijing in the 1970s — was welcomed warmly as an "old friend" by Xi Jinping.
Investors have scooped up yen debt from issuers outside Japan, fueling the busiest July since 2018.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 24, 2023

Global yen bond market emerges as oasis amid Japan volatility

Investors have scooped up yen debt from issuers outside Japan, fueling the busiest July since 2018.
School children walking on a road submerged by sea water at Timbulsloko village in Demak, Indonesia.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 24, 2023

'Slow disaster': Indonesians in sinking village forced to adapt

More than 200 people remain in one of Indonesia's fastest sinking areas, an alarming symbol of how climate change could upend coastal communities everywhere.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 24, 2023

Takahiro Arai helps Carp surge back into pennant race in first season in dugout

The return of former star player Takahiro Arai as manager as energized the Carp.
Yuna Kato says relatives have tried to steer her away from careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 30, 2023

Japan on a mission to attract more women into STEM fields

In the IT field alone, the country is looking at a shortfall of 790,000 workers by 2030, largely due to a severe underrepresentation of women.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) speaks with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger during a meeting in Beijing last week.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 24, 2023

China enlists old friends to translate as U.S. talks hit brick wall

Beijing is struggling to find a common diplomatic language to talk productively with Washington.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walks in front of an intercontinental ballistic missile in this undated photo released in March 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 25, 2023

From 'Young General' to 'Supreme Leader': The evolution of Kim Jong Un

North Korea's thinking on its relations with the U.S. has undergone dramatic changes, and Kim Jong Un's past evolution offers indications of where the country might be headed.
A man sits on his own at a taco stand on Kokusai Street in Naha.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 2, 2023

Peacemaking of a different sort in Okinawa

Through therapy and community outreach, counseling service TELL draws on the personal experiences of its clinicians and support workers to help various communities in Okinawa.
Nissan Motor has finalized plans to invest in Renault’s electric-vehicle venture Ampere, capping months of negotiations to rebalance the troubled automotive alliance.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 26, 2023

Nissan to invest $663 million in Renault EV unit as alliance rejigged

The deal caps months of negotiations aimed at rebalancing the troubled automotive alliance.
 Gerrymandered districts and attacks on voting rights are further threatening American democracy at the state and local levels.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2023

The local threat to American democracy

Through "preemption" measures, ballot and voting restrictions, gerrymandering and other schemes, America continues to be threatened by entrenched minority rule.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 26, 2023

Can Japan prevent crimes from happening on trains?

Trains are often targeted for attacks because they offer the most familiar, everyday setting. Railway companies are now exploring ways to bolster security.
Two F-15 fighter aircraft from the ASDF fly alongside two Rafale jets and an A400M transport aircraft from the French Air and Space Force as the two forces kicked off Wednesday their first-ever joint fighter exercise in Japan
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2023

France and Japan expand defense ties with first joint fighter jet drills

The drills are scheduled to run from Wednesday to Saturday in the airspace around the Kanto region and the ASDF’s Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture.
Then-Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds a copy of China's constitution during a news conference at the National People's Congress in Beijing in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 26, 2023

China ousts foreign minister as world grasps for clues as to why

There are still several questions over Qin Gang's fate and whether he will continue to serve in the government as a state councilor.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Dec. 29. Meloni is expected to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden this week.
WORLD
Jul 27, 2023

Meloni to tell Biden privately Italy plans break with China

The Italian prime minister is not planning to go public on her decision to break with China during her short trip to Washington.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 26, 2023

A tale of two Fujis: Bullet climbs, crowds and Lizzo

With the borders fully open, Mount Fuji is all booked up and Fuji Rock is back in full force. Drew Damron and Patrick St. Michel join us on the podcast to discuss Japan’s two favorite Fujis.
Troops take part in a military parade to mark the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea's army, in Pyongyang, on Feb. 8.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 27, 2023

What we know after 70 years of the Korean War armistice

Despite remains technically at war for 70 years, the signing of an armistice deal on July 27, 1953, turned a divided peninsula into the world's longest ceasefire.
A screen displays Chinese leader Xi Jinping, at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing last October.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2023

China eyes accelerated plan for ‘world-class military,’ Japan says

An annual defense white paper said the world was facing its greatest test since World War II amid China's military buildup and the Ukraine war.
John Lee, Hong Kong's chief executive, during an event in Hong Kong on April 15
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 28, 2023

U.S. should invite Lee to summit after report he’s barred: Hong Kong

Chief Executive John Lee and other top Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials were sanctioned by the U.S. for their role in the crackdown on civil liberties in the city.
Demonstrators march against the Israeli government's judicial reform plan in Tel Aviv on Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 28, 2023

When democracy stumbles, we all will suffer

The erosion of democratic norms and principles in one country undermines the value of those norms in others.
A major bonus of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is the time it offers you to be able to plan for long-term goals. Writer Erik M. Jacobs was able to map out what he needed to pursue a career in U.S.-Japan relations, for example.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Learning Curve
Aug 8, 2023

Every situation is different on JET, but they're all similarly rewarding

As a new wave of JET Program participants arrives in the country, a program alumni shares tips on getting the most out of the experience.
Pan Gongsheng
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 29, 2023

China’s central bank chief is taskmaster Xi couldn’t let retire

Pan Gongsheng is expected to turn around growth slowdown for the world's second largest economy and safeguard the $60 trillion domestic financial system.
A woman in Vatican City on July 19 during a heat wave. Projecting temperatures is inherently imprecise because modern humans have never experienced such extremes.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 29, 2023

An overheating planet requires extreme climate solutions

Projections say warming will only get worse, but humans exert control over planet-warming pollution and can change these models’ trajectories.
Chef and restaurant owner Rikuo Morimoto, who runs the restaurant Andante in Tokyo, on May 1. A 2019 government report estimated that about 1.27 million small business owners would be 70 or older by 2025 and have no successors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 6, 2023

'Era of mass closures': The Japanese firms with no successors

A 2019 government report estimated that about 1.27 million small business owners would be 70 or older by 2025 and have no successors.
A new high-rise is erected in Beijing in October 2021. The same year, 41% of the assets in China’s banking system were accounted for by property-related loans and credit.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2023

Is Japan’s economic past China’s future?

China is facing a long period of low growth similar to Japan’s experience since the 1990s.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2023

July in Japan saw second-highest number of days over 35 C for the month

Temperatures above 35 C were recorded at 2,435 locations, with climate change and El Nino contributing to scorching heat.
AIRism clothing on display at Uniqlo 5th Avenue in New York on Monday
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2023

Garment-makers bet on 'cooling' fabrics as temperatures rise

With widespread heat waves, and inflation-weary consumers prioritizing essentials, retailers are pursuing sales by marketing "cooling" garments.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 2, 2023

Football players at Japan university allegedly caught with cannabis

Club activities for the team have been suspended and the college has conducted interviews with coaches, club members and former club members.
Up until the 1980s, Mexico was a country in which drug cartels and a corrupt state could cut deals that took much of the bloodshed out of the business. The government's crackdown on the drug traders, at the behest of the U.S., changed that.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2023

Mexico and the U.S. are divided by guns and fentanyl

The two neighbors see the toll taken on their citizens by violence and drugs in different ways and can’t agree on which poses the most pressing threat.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown takes a shot against the Miami Heat in the third quarter during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami on May 23.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2023

Could Saudi money be coming to the NBA, too?

Jaylen Brown just signed the richest contract in the league’s history, but there’ll probably be an ever bigger deal before long.

Longform

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