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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2022

Voting-system firms battle right-wing rage against the machines

The efforts to fight misinformation have so far blocked any significant loss of business, but companies remain concerned as the belief in voter-fraud fictions continues to grow.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 7, 2022

Russia reactivates its trolls and bots ahead of U.S. midterms

Researchers have identified a series of Russian information operations to influence American elections and, perhaps, erode support for Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 5, 2022

Twitter cuts spur concerns about U.S. midterm elections and human rights

Elon Musk's broad-based cuts at the social media site are leading current and former employees to question whether it will have the resources to effectively moderate content.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 15, 2022

China's Taiwan drills accompanied by wave of misinformation

As millions watched a Weibo livestream of a flight-tracking site showing Pelosi's flight landing in Taiwan, unsubstantiated claims emerged that her plane was forced to turn back to the U.S.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2022

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated

A suspect was arrested after Abe, one of the most consequential leaders in Japan's postwar history, was shot while campaigning in the city of Nara on Friday.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2022

As Japan looks to possible fourth COVID shots, hesitancy and disinformation linger

Almost 80% of people in Japan have received at least two COVID-19 doses, but that doesn't mean all are planning to get additional shots.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2021

SoftBank slumps 9% after week of bad portfolio news

Shares fell to u00a55,057 — the biggest intraday drop since March 2020 and part of its worst annual decline since 2006.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 30, 2021

Will the Komuros start to see good news now they’re wed?

Now that Princess Mako has married Kei Komuro, will the media begin to reflect on its coverage of their time in the spotlight? For Princess Kako's sake, let's hope so.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 27, 2021

What you need to know about the not-so-fairy tale of Princess Mako

The wedding between the princess and Kei Komuro was originally scheduled to take place in November 2018. But things did not go as planned.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 13, 2021

Shohei Ohtani puts on show at Home Run Derby but bows out in first round

The New York Mets' Pete Alonso, the defending champion, won the eight-man competition to retain his title.
Japan Times
TENNIS
May 31, 2021

French Open deletes tweet targeting Naomi Osaka's choice to skip news conferences

The tweet showed pictures of Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff engaging with the media along with the caption: 'They understood the assignment.'
Japan Times
TENNIS
May 27, 2021

No comment: Naomi Osaka to skip news conferences at French Open

Osaka says she hoped the 'considerable amount' that she expected to forfeit as a penalty would go toward a mental health charity.
Australia had the chance to embrace reconciliation with its First Nations peoples in the Voice referendum. Voters chose division instead.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 17, 2023

Ignorance sank Australia’s Indigenous Voice referendum

Australia had the choice to embrace reconciliation with its First Nations peoples. Misinformation, dirty politics and apathy prevailed instead.
Motorists drive past a giant billboard depicting Muslim people walking with their national flags toward the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem, in central Tehran's Valiasr Square on Oct. 25.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 4, 2023

In a worldwide war of words, Russia, China and Iran back Hamas

Officials and researchers say the deluge of online propaganda and disinformation is larger than anything seen before.
A man wearing a t-shirt in support of QAnon, participates in a 'Back the Blue' rally in New York on Aug. 9, 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

U.S. political violence driven by new breed of 'grab-bag' extremists

Such radicals eschew firm creeds. Instead, they embrace notions, no matter how divergent, that blends with their particular grievances.
Elon Musk attends an interview in New York on Nov. 29.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 10, 2024

SEC’s ‘compromised’ account amplifies X mistrust, security concerns

The high-profile breach comes at a time when X and billionaire owner Elon Musk are seeking to win back trust from both users and advertisers.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers remarks during the Third Summit for Democracy in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

South Korea-hosted summit warns of AI risks to democracy

South Korea is hosting the Summit for Democracy conference, an initiative aimed at discussing ways to stop the erosion of rights and freedoms.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, received an outpouring of global sympathy after her video message on Friday revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
WORLD / Society
Mar 25, 2024

Wild theories persist despite U.K. royal Catherine's cancer revelation

Conspiracy theorists continue to push claims of digital manipulation, cancer misinformation and anti-vaccine myths on social media.
CrowdTangle, bought by the firm now known as Meta in 2016, offers crucial real-time transparency into the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech on influential Meta-owned platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2024

Meta to switch off tool that tracks misinformation months before U.S. vote

CrowdTangle offers crucial real-time transparency into the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, at the Viva Technology conference in Paris on June 16, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2024

Brazil judge opens inquiry into Musk over blocked accounts on X

Musk has challenged a decision by a Supreme Court judge ordering the blocking of certain accounts.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (right) talk as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (center) uses a phone during an informal European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

EU weighs response to Russian 'interference' in election run-up

Several EU states want to sanction Russia for their suspected disinformation campaigns ahead of European elections set for June.
"Paris" is projected onto the Arc de Triomphe to celebrate the entry into the Olympic year, during the New Year's celebrations on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Jan. 1, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

Russian bots use fake Tom Cruise for Olympic disinformation

The video also included falsified endorsements from media outlets including The New York Times and the BBC.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, raises a fist as he departs after answering questions during the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 3, 2024

Trump agrees to Fox News offer of debate with Harris on Sept. 4

Harris had responded last month that she was "ready" after Fox News proposed the presidential debate between the two candidates on Sept. 17.
Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute's Global Conference on May 6 in Beverly Hills, California.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2024

Musk’s free speech mantra collides with crackdowns on hate speech and disinformation

Since taking over, Musk has largely abandoned X’s prior efforts to curb misinformation, instead asking users to police themselves.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for November's presidential election, speaks during a debate with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2024

Trump faces blowback for repeating lie about migrants and pets

The episode highlighted the risk for political candidates of embracing conspiracy theories that don’t survive the light of day off social media.
Poll workers set up early voting equipment in Seffner, Florida, on Aug. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2024

Russia produced most AI content to sway election: U.S. intelligence

Russia is seen as being a more sophisticated actor than other nations and having a better understanding of how U.S. elections work.
The tech platforms contributing to social instability should financially support independent journalism as a way to combat misinformation and promote a healthier society.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2024

How independent journalism can save society from the effects of Big Tech

Independent journalism is critical in verifying facts, exposing corruption, addressing societal issues and contrasting it all with the negative impacts of Big Tech.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk speaks during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2024

Elon Musk-led election falsehoods hang over vote as tally begins

Elon Musk has become Republican candidate Donald Trump’s most high-profile donor and supporter.
The Keikyu Line in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Japan’s rail stocks soar on Keisei Electric activist stake news

Keisei’s stock jumped over 18%, its sharpest intraday rise since October 2008, with Keikyu climbing more than 16%.
China's solar industry, hit hard in 2024 by overcapacity and financial losses, is expected to recover in 2025 with tighter market conditions and a 25% revenue growth forecast.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2024

Here’s the best climate news you missed this year

There are plenty of positive trends out there once you peer past the alarmist headlines.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past