Search - 2023

 
 
A student at the University of Toronto campus. New immigration laws drastically reduce the number of foreign students in Canada.
WORLD / Society
Dec 12, 2024

Immigration whiplash hits Canada’s colleges in warning for economy

Concerns are mounting about damage to Canada’s reputation as a higher-education hub for talented young people who aim to join the workforce.
Boxer Kevin Johnson displays a shirt with an image of Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Nov. 24.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Dec 13, 2024

Aging U.S. heavyweight Kevin Johnson fights on to honor Vladimir Putin in Russia

Putin granted Johnson nationality with a decree under an express procedure used for others including U.S. actor Steven Seagal.
The Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture. Brennon Washington was stationed at the base when he abducted a minor on Dec. 24, 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 13, 2024

U.S. serviceman sentenced over sexual assault of underage girl in Okinawa

Brennon Washington persuaded the girl to get into his car under the pretense of cooking and watching a movie together at his home. Once there, he assaulted her.
Despite ongoing struggles, 2024 had plenty of bright spots for Japan's sake industry.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 15, 2024

Glass half full: Japan’s sake industry celebrates a brighter 2024

Despite a general decline in consumption, new openings and greater awareness gave Japan’s sake lovers reason to cheers this year.
"Butter," Asako Yuzuki’s thrilling novel inspired by a real-life femme fatale, was named the Waterstones Book of the Year in 2024.
CULTURE / Books / 2024 in Review
Dec 15, 2024

Women are writing a new chapter in Japanese literature in the 2020s

From the deadly serious and deeply weird to the fluffiest of diversions, a bounty of Japanese fiction in translation has delighted readers and critics this decade so far.
The U.S. Air Force's CV-22 Osprey displayed during Japanese-American Friendship Festival at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo on May 18
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2024

U.S. and Japanese Ospreys grounded this month after precautionary landing

While the details about the precautionary landing are not known, the incident has raised concerns over the vulnerability in Osprey components.
Disney and Oriental Land executives pose with Disney characters at the unveiling of an expanded cruise line, in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, earlier this year.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 16, 2024

Tokyo Disney Resort operator eyes cruises for new growth

The company plans to invest approximately ¥330 billion in the project, hoping to launch services in fiscal 2028.
An Apple logo is seen in Brussels, Belgium, in 2016.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 17, 2024

Congo files criminal complaints against Apple over conflict minerals

International lawyers representing Congo argue that Apple uses minerals pillaged from the country and laundered through international supply chains.
A man rides a motorbike along a street in the settlement of Hulbuk, formerly known as Vose, in the Khatlon region, Tajikistan, on Dec. 12.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2024

Tajik migrants fear for income and security as Russia reels from terror attack

Migrants in Russia say a rise in street harassment and police raids are making life there more difficult, a concern also raised by rights advocates.
Protesters hold placards reading "Arrest Insurrectionist Yoon Suk Yeol!" during a demonstration near the presidential residence in Seoul on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2024

Yoon’s martial law order divides South Korea and may alter foreign policy direction

South Korea’s vibrant civil society also fuels a divided citizenry, evident in protests for and against Yoon’s declaration.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea leader James Marape address a news conference in Sydney on Dec. 12.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2024

Australia shows how smart diplomacy is done

Recent deals reflect the laser focus the Australian government is devoting to its closest neighbors and a bureaucratic reorganization that translates into action.
A visitor takes pictures near models of military equipment and a giant screen displaying Chinese leader Xi Jinping, at an exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing in October 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 19, 2024

Graft scandals disrupt China military modernization, Pentagon report says

At least 15 high-ranking Chinese military officers and defense industry executives were removed between July and December 2023, the report says.
Inter Milan "ultras" merchandise is displayed outside San Siro Stadium in Milan before a Champions League match on Nov. 26.
SOCCER
Dec 19, 2024

Italy combats spread of mafia among soccer fan groups across country

Ultra groups at Inter and AC Milan, two of the biggest names in Italian soccer, have allegedly been infiltrated by the mafia.
The streets of Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district in 2020. Consultations over matters relating to host clubs have been increasing every year at police stations nationwide, according to the National Police Agency.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 19, 2024

National Police Agency panel calls for stricter rules against host clubs

The expert panel recommends targeting malicious practices, rather than specific establishments, to cover more ground.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
CULTURE / Film / 2024 in Review
Dec 20, 2024

A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity

International collaborations and indie risk-takers steered the film industry in a fresh direction in 2024.
Liam Lawson during a media event ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Dec 19, 2024

Lawson officially replacing Perez at Red Bull F1 team

The move means that the more-experienced Yuki Tsunoda will stay with the RB team for the 2025 season.
The rise in crypto heists comes as bitcoin jumped 140% this year to surpass the $100,000 mark.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 20, 2024

Losses from crypto hacks jump to $2.2 billion in 2024, report finds

The rise in crypto heists comes as bitcoin jumped 140% this year to surpass the $100,000 mark.
The site of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Thursday
WORLD
Dec 20, 2024

Israel keeps up Gaza bombardment as cease-fire talks intensify

Mediators are trying to forge a deal to pause the 14-month-old war in the Hamas-ruled enclave that would include a release of hostages seized from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2024

A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba

Before going private last December, Toshiba had long struggled to deal with activist investors, from whom the company accepted investments to stabilize its finances.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a ceremony for military combat officers at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, on Oct. 31.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 23, 2024

Israel's Netanyahu eyes Iran after triumphs over Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had a succession of monumental wins that include the top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah being eliminated.
Stefan Kaufmann, former president and CEO of Olympus
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2024

Ten months sought for ex-Olympus CEO Kaufmann over drugs

Stefan Kaufmann said that the allegations against him are all true, in the first hearing of his lay-judge trial at the Tokyo District Court.
The government said in the survey there were no cases of disruptive behavior, such as radio jamming, from sites that buyers from China acquired targeting the areas with national security importance.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2024

Most foreign buyers of land near Japan security areas are Chinese: survey

Japan's government said there were no cases of disruptive behavior, such as radio jamming, from the acquired sites targeting the areas with national security importance.
A Wizzair Airbus A320-200 plane lands in Riga International Airport, Latvia, in 2019.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2024

European airline pilots and crews voice concerns about Middle East routes

The safety debate about flying over the Middle East is playing out in Europe largely because pilots there are protected by unions, unlike other parts of the world.
Cocoa beans are pictured next to a warehouse at the village of Atroni, near Sunyani, Ghana, on April 11, 2019.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 25, 2024

How a hedge fund exodus reshaped global cocoa markets 

The impact of hedge funds' exit illustrates how reliant trading has become on these lightly regulated funds that increasingly shape financial markets.
Africa’s growing resource nationalism is prompting governments to renegotiate mining deals, aiming for a larger share of profits from mineral resources and reducing the revenues for multinational companies.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2024

Africans demand a bigger share of their natural resources wealth

Multinational companies should hurry to find sustainable ways in which they can share risk and revenue with governments, as they do elsewhere.
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.
CULTURE / Music / 2024 in Review
Dec 27, 2024

Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024

Japanese music made waves globally, fueled by Coachella debuts, TikTok virality and unexpected hits like Creepy Nuts' "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born."
Greenpeace activists protest nuclear power in Berlin in April 2023, just as Germany was shutting down its three remaining nuclear power plants. 
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2024

It's time for Germany to admit its mistake on nuclear energy

The main thing standing in the way of Germany rebuilding its nuclear sector is a stubborn insistence that it can’t be done.
Education costs for children who attend private schools from kindergarten through high school have hit a record high of approximately ¥19.76 million, according to a survey released by the education ministry.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 26, 2024

Cost of private education through high school hits record high in Japan

Total education costs for children who attend private schools from kindergarten through high school, including tuition and cram school fees, are approximately ¥19.76 million.
New Nadeshiko Japan coach Nils Nielsen (center) poses for photos with JFA President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (left) and Norio Sasaki, the JFA’s women’s soccer chair, during a news conference on Dec. 18.
SOCCER
Dec 26, 2024

JFA hopes Nils Nielsen's international focus leads Nadeshiko Japan back to glory

Nils Nielsen was officially unveiled as the new Nadeshiko boss at a packed news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 18. 
Stefan Kaufmann, former president and CEO of Olympus, in 2022
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 27, 2024

Ex-Olympus CEO Kaufmann gets suspended sentence over drugs

The judge decided to suspend the sentence, given that the former Olympus CEO has been staying away from drugs.

Longform

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