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During his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump took a hard line against China. As Trump takes office again, this confrontation is likely to continue and potentially escalate over issues such as Taiwan and economic security interests.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 20, 2025

Politics and the economy: Bedfellows of U.S.-China relations

Since Trump's first term, China has shown its willingness to use aggressive economic measures in its confrontation with the U.S., setting the stage for a potential escalation.
Strong waves from the Pasig River pummel the shoreline in Manila on Nov. 17 as Super Typhoon Man-yi hits the Philippines.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 24, 2025

Disaster fatigue: When storms drown out compassion

Natural disasters in the Philippines are taking a toll not only on the most vulnerable but also on those whose very job it is to help to them.
Posters of Israeli hostages (left to right) Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Karina Ariev and Daniela Gilboa, who have been held in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants
WORLD
Jan 25, 2025

Hamas names four Israeli female soldier hostages to be freed in second swap

The exchange follows the release on Sunday of three Israeli women and 90 Palestinian prisoners, the first such exchange in more than a year.
Engineers with Chinese startup DeepSeek built a competitive AI model despite U.S. attempts to curtail China’s tech development, raising questions about the effectiveness of Washington’s trade curbs.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 28, 2025

DeepSeek’s AI model tests limits of U.S. restrictions on Nvidia chips

Powerful AI software from the Chinese startup indicates its engineers built a competitive model despite U.S. attempts to curtail Beijing's tech development with trade curbs.
The findings on the alarming acceleration of warming have enormous ramifications for ocean health, as rising temperatures impact everything from coral reefs to fisheries.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 28, 2025

Oceans are warming faster and faster as the Earth traps more energy

The alarming acceleration helps explain why 2023 and 2024 saw unprecedented ocean temperatures — and more extreme storms.
Taxis in central Sendai. More people are becoming attracted to the job of a taxi driver as it can allow them to work flexibly.
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Feb 10, 2025

Cab driving becoming an increasingly popular job in Sendai

Flexible hours and the work-at-your-own-pace environment has led to a renewed interest in taxi driving among younger people.
Economic coercion has become a prominent tool in global geopolitics, with both China and the U.S. relying on it to pursue their policy goals, and more so with Donald Trump now in office.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2025

When big countries wave their big economic sticks

There is no agreed definition of economic coercion under international law; like pornography, we know it when we see it.
Nidec announced its takeover bid for machine manufacturer Makino Milling Machine without first making a proposal. Such nonconsensual takeover bids are increasing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 29, 2025

Japanese ministry opens door to taboo corporate takeovers

It used to be common for takeover bids to be launched after both sides reached an agreement in behind-the-scenes negotiations.
France's Antoine Dupont runs with the ball during a practice in Marcoussis, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jan 30, 2025

France set to open Six Nations campaign against 'transitioning' Wales

France's results have vastly improved since Galthie took over in 2020.
A map of the South China Sea is shown during a Philippine Coast Guard mission to the Second Thomas Shoal, claimed by both the Philippines and China. Each country has its own name for this area, signaling the use of toponyms to stake territorial rights.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 3, 2025

What’s in a name? In the South China Sea, a whole lot.

In the South China Sea, disputed territories have been given different names by the states vying for them. Will Trump's moves thousands of miles away validate this approach?
A surge in management buyouts has come amid increasing pressure from activist investors to improve corporate value, and the burden of maintaining a listing.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 5, 2025

Japan weighs tougher management buyout rules to protect minority shareholders

A surge in buyouts has come amid increasing pressure from activist investors to improve corporate value.
A picture depicting U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the slogan above "We (Israel) are ready" (for normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia) is seen in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 6, 2025

MBS torn between Trump and Saudi people on potential Israel deal

Among Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s biggest concerns is Saudi Arabia’s young people, which have seen Palestinian support surge amid the war in Gaza.
Protesters hold a banner reading "Enough of the Nazi glorification" as they demonstrate against an annual neo-Nazi rally in Budapest on Saturday.
WORLD
Feb 9, 2025

Thousands join far-right rally in Budapest as anti-fascists protest

Each year, far-right groups gather in Budapest for the "Day of Honour," marking a failed 1945 Nazi-Hungarian breakout during the Soviet siege of the city.
Semiconductor chips on a printed circuit board in in 2023. Chinese companies' dramatic increase in legacy chip production capacity in recent years has forced Taiwanese foundries to retreat or pursue more advanced and specialty processes.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2025

Taiwan's legacy chip sector contemplates future as China eats into share​

Strong funding support from Beijing and an embrace of lower margins have enabled Chinese foundries to undercut Taiwanese rivals on price.
Toshikazu Shiba (right), 71, works full-time along with younger staff at sofa manufacturer Eucas in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Feb 17, 2025

More older people choosing to work for social connection and survival

Older residents are exploring ways to navigate the later stages of their lives, whether continuing their careers or with new ventures.
A Good me tea store, operated by Guming Holdings Ltd., in Chongqing, China, on Saturday. The tea chain's shares began trading in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 12, 2025

Hong Kong’s latest bubble tea IPO mints another billionaire

Guming Holdings' IPO has made founder Yun’an Wang a billionaire as China’s bubble tea market continues its rapid expansion.
Screens display web pages of the Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot DeepSeek. South Korean authorities said on Monday that DeepSeek would not be available on local app stores, pending a review of the Chinese AI startup's handling of user data.
WORLD
Feb 17, 2025

Chatbot vs. national security? Why DeepSeek is raising concerns

Governments from Rome to Seoul are cracking down on the chatbot, saying they need to prevent potential leaks of sensitive information.
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga pitches during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 18, 2025

For the Mets, Kodai Senga is the ultimate X factor

It’s easy to forget just how good the right-handed Senga was in the last several months of 2023, his rookie season.
Tents belonging to Palestinians are seen amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2025

Talks on next phase of Gaza ceasefire to begin this week: Israeli minister

Negotiations over the second stage are expected to be tough because they include issues such as the administration of post-war Gaza.
In its new medium-term business plan, Suzuki also included a goal to increase its sales to 8 trillion yen in the fiscal year beginning April 2030 from 5,374.2 billion yen in fiscal 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2025

Suzuki targets operating profit of ¥800 billion in FY 2030

Suzuki will spend ¥4 trillion on research and development and capital investment over the six years to fiscal 2030.
A customer visits a store along the Togoshi Ginza shopping street in Tokyo on Jan. 23. Rising fresh food prices contributed to the acceleration in overall inflation in January, as vegetable prices, including cabbage, soared.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 21, 2025

Japan’s inflation speeds up, keeping BOJ on rate hike path

Overall inflation accelerated to 4% from 3.6%, according to the internal affairs ministry, hitting that mark for the first time in two years.
Eliya Cohen, who was seized from a roadside emergency shelter on Oct. 7, 2023, waves during a public hostage handover ceremony staged by Hamas in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday.
WORLD
Feb 23, 2025

Israel will postpone the release of Palestinian prisoners

Benjamin Netanyahu's office has stated it will delay the exchange partly due to 'humiliating ceremonies' by Hamas.
Efrat Machikawa (center) and others protest in white near the Knesset in Jerusalem on Feb. 14, advocating for the safe return of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 24, 2025

The terror, the protests and the reunion: Efrat Machikawa's life since the Israel-Hamas war

The family of Machikawa's uncle, 80-year-old Gadi Moses, taken hostage from southern Israel by Hamas in their October 2023 attack, waited nearly 500 days for him to return home.
Amid rising global defense spending, U.S. President Donald Trump's push for 5% of GDP on military budgets poses a challenge for American allies, including Japan, which is already struggling to meet its 2% target.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 25, 2025

U.S. defense spending demands could transform global security

The level of spending the U.S. is demanding could spark an arms race as adversaries try to match NATO and America's Asian allies.
Victims of scam centers who were tricked or trafficked into working in Myanmar, are stuck in limbo at a compound in Myawaddy, Myanmar, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Feb 28, 2025

Southeast Asia's latest scam center crackdown

Here's a look at why the crackdown is happening now and the broader implications for relations between China, Thailand and Myanmar.
People gather by the rubble of destroyed buildings for a mass gathering for a communal iftar fast-breaking meal on the second day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the area of al-Dahduh in Gaza City's Tal al-Hawa district on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2025

Israel blocks aid to devastated Gaza as truce's first phase ends

The decision came as talks on a truce extension appeared to hit an impasse, after the ceasefire's 42-day first phase drew to a close.
A man looks at an electric car inside an SAIC-GM Wuling dealership in Jakarta. Electric vehicle sales in Indonesia totaled just 43,188 last year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 4, 2025

China’s EV makers are facing a reality check in Southeast Asia

Despite local aspirations to own EVs, they are still beyond the reach of many, and access to a reliable source of electricity is also not always a given.
Excerpts from Natsume Soseki’s “Ten Nights of Dreams” and footage of dancer Min Tanaka and "shō" player Mayumi Miyata play across three large screens that are reflected in a mirror-like pool of water in the installation “Time Time.”
CULTURE / Art
Mar 4, 2025

Crowds shouldn’t stop you from seeing the hit Ryuichi Sakamoto exhibit

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo’s “Seeing Sound, Hearing Time” has far exceeded expected visitor numbers, but there could be an upside to the crowds.
Mendoza, Argentina, offers a combination of natural beauty, a thriving wine industry, political conservatism and valuable resources, making it an attractive potential safe haven amid global instability.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2025

I just found my nuclear war hideaway

This question is less and less theoretical: The world seems to be living on the edge, with growing tensions between great powers.
The illuminated advertising board of a host club in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district. The bill approved by the government on Friday aims to ban hosts from emotionally manipulating customers into making excessive purchases — a common tactic in the industry.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2025

Japan looks to crack down on host club exploitation with tighter regulations

Police received 2,776 consultations nationwide related to host clubs last year, with many involving women coerced into sex work to cover unpaid bills.

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A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami