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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Oct. 17, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

Serbian leader says ‘Taiwan is China’ as Xi plans Balkan trip

The Serbian leader’s wading into rising tensions over the Taiwan Strait sends a signal of allegiance to Beijing.
Brazil's Minister of the Environment Marina Silva (left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (center) and Abrao Neto, CEO of American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil, take part in a meeting on the U.S.-Brazil economic relationship, in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

G20 to mention conflicts but sidestep controversies in joint statement

A draft version of the communique, far shorter than that of previous years, also flags the risks of high uncertainty to the global economy.
John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate issues, gestures as he attends a news conference in Beijing in July 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 4, 2024

John Kerry bolstered U.S. climate reputation, but trust still elusive

Kerry is credited with restoring U.S. climate ties with China and courting private capital for climate action.
Former U.S. President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks during an election night watch party at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 9, 2024

Japanese government making preparations for 'Trump wins' scenario

The Foreign Ministry is fully mobilizing the Japanese Embassy in Washington and consulates across the United States to analyze his remarks.
The Biden administration has regularly sent warnings about Nippon Steel's proposed purchase of U.S. Steel and has steadfastly sided with the United Steelworkers over the sale of a once-iconic firm based in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 14, 2024

Biden to express concern over Nippon Steel's deal for U.S. Steel, source says

U.S. officials and lawyers have drafted a statement of concern and the White House has privately informed Tokyo of Biden's move, according to reports.
Supporters of South Korean plaintiffs in wartime labor lawsuits hold a rally in Seoul on March 6.
JAPAN
Mar 17, 2024

Wartime labor issue still overshadowing Japan-South Korea ties

Last month, a South Korean plaintiff received compensation deposited by Hitachi Zosen with a South Korean court handling the wartime labor suit.
The Bank of Japan will decide whether to end its negative interest rate policy at its policy board meeting, which ends on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2024

BOJ’s Ueda faces decision time on rate hike

With the end of Japan's negative rate being a near certainty, the only question that remains is whether it comes on Tuesday or at the end of April.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday will be leading the monthly meeting known as the Ukraine defense contact group (UDCG) of about 50 allies that have been militarily supporting Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

Out of money, Pentagon chief looks to convince allies of commitment to Ukraine

Lack of funding is already having an impact on the ground in Ukraine and Ukrainian forces are having to manage scarce resources, officials say.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 19, 2024

Japanese business groups welcome BOJ's first rate hike in 17 years

"I think the BOJ has caught the indications that a virtuous cycle between wages and prices has started," Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura said.
Significantly, JAL will also buy 11 A321neos, breaking Boeing’s exclusive hold on the airline as its sole supplier of single-aisle jets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2024

Japan Airlines to add 32 new Airbus planes to its fleet

The airline, a longtime Boeing customer, will also buy 10 jets from the U.S. planemaker as it expands its international network.
A coal-fired power plant in Shanghai in October 2021. For years, analysts expected coal production to plateau after it hit a then-record in 2013. Then came 2021, when power shortages in China set Beijing on a path to order more mining to ensure energy security.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 24, 2024

Coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, is preparing for a long goodbye

Output hit a record last year, and producers expect a future where coal will be required to balance renewable energy for decades.
A U.S. Marine prepares to demonstrate the use of night vision goggles to Ground Self-Defense Force troops at the GSDF's Camp Somagahara in Gunma Prefecture in March 2017.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024

U.S. eyes revamped military command in Japan, reports say

The allies are expected to announce the landmark agreement when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits the White House next month.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2024

Will Boeing leadership shake-up redeem plane-maker with airlines and fliers?

The embattled manufacturer has announced one of the most dramatic overhauls in its century-long history, with three top executives set to depart.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 29, 2024

Japan brought forward emergency yen meeting to maximize market impact, source says

Meeting like these are considered a sign Tokyo is moving closer to intervening in the currency market.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspects new fortifications for Ukrainian servicemen, near the Russian border in Ukraine's Sumy region, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 31, 2024

Zelenskyy vows drone strikes on Russia despite U.S. dissent

The drone attacks are in retaliation against Kremlin strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid and part of an effort to compel Moscow to stop them.
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried arrives at a courthouse in New York in March 2023. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2024

Sam Bankman-Fried's 25-year sentence is a warning to crypto

The former FTX CEO's conviction to 25 years in prison sends a clear message to cryptocurrency fraudsters. The costs of misconduct outweigh the benefits.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left) attends a disciplinary panel in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 4, 2024

LDP announces formal punishment for scandal-tainted lawmakers

An LDP disciplinary panel handed down the reprimands following weeks of debate among the leadership and several rounds of internal investigations.
Miyagi Gov. Yoshihiro Murai speaks at a a news conference in Sendai on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 9, 2024

Miyagi governor suggests scrapping national sports event

The annual event is hosted in rotation by the 47 prefectures.
A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a Starlink antenna near Bakhmut, Ukraine.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 10, 2024

Pentagon reveals SpaceX contract for Starlink in Ukraine costs $23 million

A U.S. official characterized the service as a vital part of the security assistance the U.S. is providing to Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (not pictured) in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2024

It's inflation, stupid: Biden faces renewed election threat

The cost of living is rising more quickly again, just when he thought he had put the issue behind him to get a clear run at November's vote.
JTC and Sun Electric's SolarRoof project in Singapore in July 2018
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 15, 2024

Southeast Asia 'woefully off track' on green investment

Energy consumption in the region is expected to grow 40% this decade.
In Japan, there’s a huge gap between how companies value their real estate assets on their books against what those same properties would fetch if sold in the market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2024

Hidden billions in Tokyo real estate lure activist hedge funds

Billions in value can be unlocked by pressuring companies to sell off holdings, a tactic that activist funds are now employing.
Coyotes players salute the fans following their final game home game in Tempe, Arizona, on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Ice hockey
Apr 19, 2024

Coyotes moving to Utah after NHL approves sale and relocation of franchise

The NHL has approved the sale and relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah starting with the 2024-25 season.
A "masakaki" tree offering made by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is shown at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2024

South Korea protests Japanese leaders' offerings to Yasukuni Shrine

The government in Seoul said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's offering had prompted a feeling of "deep disappointment."
A woman walks past the Bank of Japan headquarters in central Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2024

BOJ leaves policy unchanged despite yen’s continued weakness

Investors and market observers had been watching for whether the bank would send more hawkish signals to prop up the Japanese currency.
Birane Mbaye, one of the survivors of a disastrous attempt to reach Spain last year, sits on a wooden fishing boat at the shore of Fass Boye, Senegal.
WORLD / Society
Apr 27, 2024

African migrant disaster survivor haunted by weeks lost at sea

Birane Mbaye's memories of the voyage are hazy, but vivid nightmares about his friend still shock him awake at night, screaming.
Traders edged back from record bets on yen weakness this past week, in a period that included a likely bout of intervention by Japan to prop up the currency.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 4, 2024

Traders spooked by intervention risk trim record yen shorts

Traders edged back from record bets on yen weakness this past week, in a period that included a likely bout of intervention by Japan.
Portu celebrates scoring Girona's second goal during the team's win over Barcelona on Saturday.
SOCCER
May 5, 2024

Real Madrid secures La Liga title after Girona thrashes Barcelona

A brace from substitute Portu helped surprise package Girona humble its Catalan rivals for the second time this season.
The National Police Agency coined the term "tokuryū" to classify individuals involved in dark part time jobs and quasi-gangsters, using the words "tokumei" (anonymous) and "ryūdo" (fluid) to reflect their characteristics.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
May 6, 2024

Tokuryū, a new crime menace in Japan, emerges from the shadows

Unlike the yakuza, which have a hierarchical structure and strict codes of conduct, they lack a clear organizational structure and thrive on anonymity.
Jordan Bardella, President of the French far-right National Rally party, gestures he attends a political rally during the party's campaign for the European elections in Perpignan, France, on May 1.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2024

Just how dangerous is Europe’s rising far right?

Anti-immigration parties with fascist roots — and an uncertain commitment to democracy — are now mainstream.

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers