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People use umbrellas during a hot summer day in Ginza, Tokyo, in August.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 1, 2024

Extreme heat takes big toll on work and elderly mortality in Japan: report

The annual Lancet Countdown report says the world is facing elevated threats in 10 of 15 health indicators due to climate change.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki’s personal YouTube channel has more than 326,000 subscribers, by far the highest number among party leaders.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 1, 2024

How Japan’s new kingmaker party won over young voters

The Democratic Party for the People's election gains can be traced to two different factors: its youth-oriented policies and skillful use of social media platforms.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2024

Japan’s potential kingmaker says BOJ shouldn’t hike before March

The central bank needs to closely examine the results of next year’s wage deal results before moving on policy again, Tamaki said.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani speaks to fans in English during a World Series victory celebration at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 2, 2024

Dodgers celebrate World Series win with long-awaited parade

Shohei Ohtani brought his brown-and-white dog, Decoy — a fan favorite — in an Ohtani jersey, for the celebrations, with the slugger offering a rare address in English.
The United Nations Headquarters in New York City
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2024

U.N. panel adopts nuclear abolition resolution proposed by Japan

The resolution mentioned the selection of Nihon Hidankyo, the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, and comes amid a tense security environment.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki (left) and his counterpart in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024

Opposition parties band together to shape Lower House agenda

Four main opposition parties have agreed to jointly request the opening of a session of the budget committee and a special committee on political reform.
During the Bank of Japan's September policy board meeting, some members pointed out that the central bank needs to more carefully communicate with the public to prevent a divergence between its views and those of investors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 6, 2024

Bank of Japan board member moots Fed-style dot-plot projections

The dot plots show short-term rate projections of U.S. Federal Reserve officials.
Sakuya Ishikawa (Sosuke Ikematsu) wakes up from a coma to find his mother gone and decides to virtually re-create her with harvested data in “The Real You.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 7, 2024

‘The Real You’: Provocative dystopia combines sci-fi concerns with melodrama

In Yuya Ishii’s drama, a young man’s existential crisis amid the rise of artificial entities feels very much of the present moment.
Sanwa Koutsu's Kuroko Taxi service has drivers dressed in traditional stagehand garb communicate with passengers only through gestures and written messages.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024

The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services

“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” one customer says. "I think it’s a pretty smart business move."
In Japan, these sweet morsels are a traditional New Year's treat, but they share a surprising overlap with American Thanksgiving flavors, too.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Nov 10, 2024

The winter sweet that matches perfectly with autumn

If I’m in America for Thanksgiving, I’ll serve "kuri kinton" (syrup-stewed chestnuts in sweet potato paste) as a festive accompaniment to the holiday turkey.
Outgoing Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii speaks at the party's executive meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2024

Komeito pins hopes on new leader after dismal electoral performance

Transport minister Tetsuo Saito, 72, is set to formally succeed party leader Keiichi Ishii.
Houses in the countryside outside the North Korean city of Kaesong are seen across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from the Ganghwa Peace Observatory, on the South Korean island of Ganghwa on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 9, 2024

North Korea launches GPS interference, affecting airplanes and ships

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the attacks impacted "several" ships and "dozens" of airplanes.
Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
BUSINESS / Longform
Nov 11, 2024

A boom for business tourism in Japan?

Japan’s MICE sector is expanding rapidly, adapting with tech upgrades, flexible venues and sustainable initiatives as the Osaka Expo approaches.
Youth leaders at the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, which started on Monday and runs until Nov. 22. Youth participation is key to the success of climate diplomacy as the international community strives to limit global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2024

A blueprint for youth inclusion in climate diplomacy

Youth participation is vital to keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius target within reach, one under discussion at the ongoing COP29 climate change conference in Azerbaijan.
A woman holds a bouquet of flowers on Wednesday as she heads toward a sports center where a deadly car attack took place in Zhuhai, China. On Saturday, one man was arrested after eight people were killed and 17 others wounded in a knife attack at a vocational school in the eastern city of Yixing, in Jiangsu province.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Nov 17, 2024

At least eight dead and 17 hurt in China school knife attack

The suspect — a 21-year-old former student at the vocational school in the city of Yixing — was arrested, police said.
A socially awkward janitor (Haruka Ayase, left) hits the road to pick up a dying woman’s daughter (Kana Osawa) in “Route 29.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 18, 2024

‘Route 29’: Misfits come together in touching road movie

Though the protagonists spend more time on their feet than in a car, Yusuke Morii’s feature about two strangers hitting the road is picaresque and borderline precious.
A rubber-tired tram system, tentatively called the “Fuji Tram,” would run along magnetic markers, reducing environmental damage, according to the Yamanashi Prefectural Government.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 19, 2024

Why Yamanashi gave up building a light-rail system on Mount Fuji

As an alternative, the governor proposed a new plan to use a rubber-tired tram system.
YouTuber Genki Ichioka appears in a video produced by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE). Since July, NITE and Ichioka have collaborated on videos on product safety awareness.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 20, 2024

NITE partners with YouTuber to reach younger audiences on product safety

The collaboration with Genki Ichioka, who has over a million subscribers on his channel, aims to raise awareness about the potential dangers of everyday products.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in a joint military drill involving Japan, the United States, Britain and Australia at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in January 2023.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2024

Japan hosts Five Eyes group meeting for first time

The move highlights the growing cooperation between Tokyo and its allies amid shared concerns about a rapidly deteriorating security environment.
A failed actor (Koji Seki, left) revisits memories of his ex-wife (Kano Ichiki) after learning about her unexpected death in “Performing Kaoru's Funeral.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 21, 2024

‘Performing Kaoru's Funeral’: Ambitious drama reflects on love that doesn’t die

Koji Seki brings gravitas to his role as a man tasked with serving as chief mourner for his dead ex-wife in Noriko Yuasa’s drama.
Iwao Hakamata at his home in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in October. The former boxer was acquitted of a 1966 quadruple murder in September after a retrial.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 21, 2024

Chief prosecutor in central Japan to apologize in person to Iwao Hakamata

The head of the Shizuoka District Public Prosecutor's Office is expected to meet the former boxer recently acquitted of a quadruple murder over his lengthy legal battle.
Out of over 16,000 pharmaceutical products, 3,103 — or 18.5% — were either in limited or suspended supply as of the end of October, according to a recent survey. Of these, over 60% are generic drugs.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2024

Japan's generic drug shortage continues as flu season kicks off

The supply shortfall is due to a string of scandals that hit the generic drug industry in recent years as well as other structural problems.
Oitomi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of the company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 23, 2024

After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future

Thanks to the Dodgers superstar, the waitlist for Oitomi’s Miyabi Tetsubin kettle now stretches to more than a year.
British-born Daniel Calvert earned his third Michelin star last month — a stunning achievement considering his restaurant, Sezanne, has only been open for just over three years.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 24, 2024

Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’

Daniel Calvert has managed to reach the pinnacle of the culinary world just three years after opening fine French dining restaurant Sezanne.
Fans display extra editions of a newspaper featuring Shohei Ohtani on Friday after the Dodgers slugger was named National League.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 22, 2024

Japanese fans rejoice after Ohtani's MVP win

Japanese baseball fans rushed to grab the latest newspaper editions on Friday after Ohtani was named the National League's Most Valuable Player.
Brazil’s Rayssa Leal celebrates after winning the women's Street League Skateboarding competition on Saturday in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Nov 24, 2024

Rayssa Leal and Chloe Covell on Japan’s teen skaters: We are friends, not rivals

On Saturday, there were plenty of high-fives, fist bumps and hugs between “rivals” as Leal won Street League Skateboarding's Tokyo stop.
A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Nov 24, 2024

How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit

While offering relief to low-income households, such measures encourage the continued use of the fossil fuels driving climate change.
Hiromi Yamamoto
ESG CONSORTIUM
Nov 25, 2024

Oji seeks optimal approaches to nurturing and utilizing forests

Oji Holdings, Japan’s leading paper maker, owns and manages 635,000 hectares of forests across the globe. Forest resources — for wood, paper and wood-derived materials or for biomass power generation — are attracting increased attention as sustainable resources. However, their sustainability hinges...
An IBM research facility in Albany, New York. Despite some continuity between the first Trump administration and Biden's policies on critical and emerging technologies, the outgoing president placed more emphasis on cooperation with allies.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 26, 2024

Will Trump change course on critical and emerging tech?

Washington's policies to protect key tech fields have not just hurt China, but U.S. allies too, leading to a form of cooperation with friction whose future is uncertain.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito, speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Monday, denies alleged election law violations.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2024

Embattled Hyogo governor denies alleged election law violation

Embattled Gov. Motohiko Saito admitted Monday that he paid a PR agency to produce campaign posters, but he denied violating election law.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan