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"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 19, 2025

For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’

Begun as a response to Asian-directed violence during the pandemic, the “Very Asian” series of cookbooks-slash-cultural primers turns its gaze toward Japan.
Japan’s primary balance is once again set to miss its long-standing target of achieving a balanced budget by the year ending March 2026.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2025

Japan now expects to miss its 2025 primary balance goal

The primary balance, which excludes interest payments on public debt, is projected to remain in the red with a deficit of around ¥4.5 trillion.
Jose Ando purposefully wrote his Akutagawa Prize-winning novel “Dtopia” to be accessible to an audience beyond Japan and to spark conversations about race, gender and the effects of modern entertainment.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 27, 2025

Jose Ando's rapid rise from first pages to the Akutagawa Prize

Just three years after dedicating himself to writing, the author won Japan's top literary award for his novel "Dtopia," which offers a fresh perspective on identity and diversity.
Military delegates arrive for the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 5, 2025

China says it will boost defense spending by 7.2% this year

The 1.78 trillion yuan ($246 billion) budget was revealed at the annual session of China’s National People’s Congress on Wednesday.
The Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters. Between October 2022 and late September 2023, a Chinese couple developed about 2,300 square meters of land owned by 21 individuals without their consent and opened a campsite, according to police.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 21, 2025

Chinese couple arrested for opening campsite at historic Fukuoka ruins

A city official first spotted prefab huts erected at the castle ruins around October 2022 and demanded their removal, but the couple refused to comply, according to police.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang poses for a photo with attendees of the China Development Forum at Diaoyutai Guesthouse in Beijing on Sunday.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2025

China promotes business potential to Apple and others from U.S.

Beijing is keen to woo foreign investment amid heightened geopolitical tensions, as policymakers try to boost domestic consumption to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's contradictory statements on U.S. military strategy and alliances with Europe and Asia raise questions about his true stance, reflecting the chameleon-like nature of U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2025

Will the real Pete Hegseth please stand up?

The same fears remain in terms of security. Even if the Trump administration seeks to deter China, it is unlikely to shift its policy of so-called pacifism.
Reports claim that children with unusual names were being bullied at school and facing difficulties finding jobs.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 6, 2025

What’s in a name? With new guidelines, the Japanese government wants to know.

Japan now requires official furigana for names in the family register, aiming to limit overly creative "kira-kira" readings.
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.
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.
The Chinese Ministry of State Security said Monday it is investigating a 39-year-old ministry official identified by his surname Hao for providing information to the CIA in exchange for money.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 21, 2023

China deepens espionage crackdown targeting spies for the CIA

China said it found another case of an individual informing the CIA, adding to a series of espionage accusations between the two nations.
China's Premier Li Qiang (right) speaks with U.S, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 30, 2023

U.S. commerce chief says business with China is key, but risky

The comments by Washington’s top trade promoter underscore that commerce has become one of the main strands of tension between the two powers.
Police and security personnel stand outside the entrance of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Tuesday. Japan said that harassment being faced by its citizens in China after the Fukushima water release was "extremely regrettable," confirming that a brick was thrown at the country's embassy in Beijing.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Fukushima water release dampens chances of Japan-China detente

Japan is now bracing for a new period of wide-ranging tensions with its neighbor as the strained ties look likely to continue into the months ahead.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's nonattendance to the Group of 20 summit would be a further blow for the host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 1, 2023

Xi plans to skip G20 summit as China-India tensions mount

Xi Jinping's absence would mark the first time he has skipped a G20 summit since taking power.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 3, 2023

Kishida aims to draw 'Global South' support in upcoming trip

Kishida plans to find common ground with emerging economies over the topic of food security, an area of increased attention since the invasion of Ukraine.
A painting in the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2023

China marks WWII victory day on high alert

China marked the 78th anniversary of its World War II victory over Japan on Sunday.
Employees work on the assembly line at an electric vehicle plant in Shanghai. Cutting salaries is illegal in China, but complex pay structures offer loopholes.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2023

China's auto workers bear brunt of price war as fallout widens

Cutting salaries is illegal in China, but complex pay structures offer ways around this.
Part of the deserted Legend of Sea project developed by Country Garden
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

China’s credit wreck exposes governance failings to the world

"Foreign money managers still have willingness to invest in China, but how much we invest is in flux.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center), Chinese Premier Li Qiang (back, second right), U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (front right) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo (back right) arrive for the East Asia Summit as part of Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Jakarta on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 8, 2023

U.S.-China rivalry dominates ASEAN talks as summits wrap up

The meetings saw the United States, Japan, China and others look to shore up regional partnerships as they vie for influence over the 10-member bloc.
More cooks are pursuing careers in cooking for wealthy clients, but the glitz that makes it into viral TikTok videos isn’t always the whole picture.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 10, 2023

Private chefs toe the line between occupation and isolation

A new chapter in the age of food celebrity is unfolding online as more cooks take up careers as private chefs and go public with the perks of the job.
Prime Minster Fumio Kishida talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, as they arrive at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Jakarta on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2023

The ASEAN Summit gives us just more of the same

ASEAN needs to address problems internal divisions and maintain its role in the region.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

Top Biden official and Chinese diplomat hold 'constructive' talks

The talks come ahead of an anticipated November meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at an APEC summit.
A screen in a shopping area in Beijing broadcasts news footage of military drills by China's People's Liberation Army around Taiwan on Aug. 19.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 27, 2023

China says drills near Taiwan target 'arrogance' of separatists

Taiwan has said this month that it had observed dozens of fighters, drones, bombers and other aircraft, as well as warships operating nearby.
Aoi Suzuki and her two sons head back down to a barbecue after watching the sun set.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 28, 2023

Traveling Okinawa with a broken heart

Writer and photographer Lance Henderstein reads us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrive to speak to the press prior to meetings at the State Department in Washington on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 27, 2023

Top U.S. and China envoys seek 'in-depth' dialogue to stabilize ties

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for talks that could pave the way for a meeting of the two countries' leaders.
A Grab food delivery cyclist makes a delivery in Singapore on Aug. 21.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2023

Consolidation looms for Southeast Asia’s food delivery giants

With growth in the sector slowing, companies are slimming down or bolstering their ties with other operators.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during the opening ceremony of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 5, 2023

Australia PM Albanese vows to 'work constructively with China'

The visit is the first by an Australian leader in seven years, with the two countries seeking to patch things up after a diplomatic spat.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Filoli estate in Woodside, California, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

Xi and Biden agree to restart high-level military-to-military talks

The leaders of the two superpowers looked to stabilize a relationship that has been in freefall amid fears it could devolve into outright conflict.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 21, 2023

'Offensive' and 'defensive' diplomacy: Managing ties with China

Since the 20th National Congress of the CCP, in October last year, Beijing has been seeking to maintain a balance.
Staff members work at a desk next to an exhibition for Shenzhen's metro carbon inclusion project, inside a subway station in Pingshan district of Shenzhen on Oct. 19.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / ANALYSIS
Nov 27, 2023

China turns to households in fight to slash carbon emissions

"Carbon inclusion" programs aim to help transform the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter into a carbon-neutral country by 2060.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic