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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 24, 2022

As cases explode, China’s low COVID death toll convinces no one

A country trying to mourn its dead from a COVID-19 outbreak is grappling with a system unprepared for the surge in fatalities, but China's government is painting a less dire picture.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 24, 2022

Gunman kills at least three in Paris in suspected racist attack

A 69-year-old man with a criminal record was taken into custody in the attack, which ignited neighborhood protests that led to violent clashes with police.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Dec 23, 2022

What to make of Japan’s new defense documents

Nothing in Japan's new defense documents signals an abandonment of the core principles of its security, but a refinement of roles and capabilities to match modern needs.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2022

A controversy forces Tokyo to define 'public park'

A plan to redevelop the capital's Meiji Jingu Gaien park and its sporting venues has drawn ire from people who want the area's trees to be spared.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 21, 2022

Why the BOJ chose the final weeks of the year to shift policy

The BOJ has apparently been keen to shore up its easing policy's side effects, but such a shift needed to catch market participants off guard to prevent speculative moves.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 20, 2022

From 'zero-COVID' to no plan: Behind China’s pandemic U-turn

Xi's own formula for beating back COVID may have inadvertently set China up for this jolting and potentially devastating turn.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 19, 2022

North Korea to finish preparations for spy satellite by April

Pyongyang claimed to have conducted “an important final-stage test” for the development of the satellite, one of leader Kim Jong Un's key goals for bolstering his arsenal.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 18, 2022

North Korea fires two medium-range missiles into Sea of Japan

The launches came just days after Japan committed to acquiring a 'counterstrike capability' that would allow it to strike enemy bases and command sites — including inside North Korea.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2022

COVID outbreak in Beijing shows rest of China what comes next

Bucking expectations for a managed and gradual transition, Chinese President Xi Jinping's government is now allowing the virus to run rampant.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 16, 2022

Red Sox introduce Masataka Yoshida

Masataka Yoshida helped lead the Orix Buffaloes to the franchise's first Japan Series title since 1996 this season. The Boston Red Sox haven't waited nearly as long for an MLB crown, but Yoshida wants to help add another to the trophy case at Fenway Park all the same.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Dec 16, 2022

No turning back: Global central banks vow to stay the course on inflation

It's a set of decisions that will shape the global economy in 2023, influencing exchange rates and terms of trade, and, risking a deeper-than-needed correction if they get it wrong.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Dec 16, 2022

Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is ‘gaslighting,’ and don't try to tell us there isn't a Japanese equivalent

Merriam-Webster saw a huge spike in people looking up the word “gaslighting” in 2022, and Japan is also no stranger to the concept.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 15, 2022

Despite unclear effectiveness, kanpō in short supply amid COVID wave

The widespread use and availability of kanpu014d in Japan has given some people hope that it may work as a viable treatment for the viral disease.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2022

25 years on from the protocol’s signing, did we ever 'Kyoto'?

Dec. 11 marked the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol, a landmark treaty that put the idea of global effort to save the planet on many national radars. To mark the event, The Japan Times has launched a new section, Our Planet, that will look at the climate crisis, earth science and disaster management...
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 14, 2022

Defense spending debate threatens to divide ruling Liberal Democratic Party

Rather than raising taxes, some LDP lawmakers want the prime minister to issue government bonds.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2022

Controversy grows over proposed use of Tohoku funds to cover defense spending

The government is eyeing using a special tax designed to finance reconstruction costs for areas affected by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
The port in Ensenada as Tropical Storm Hilary hits Baja California state, Mexico, on Sunday.
WORLD / Society
Aug 21, 2023

Storm Hilary puts California at risk of catastrophic flooding

A state of emergency was declared for much of Southern California, with flash flood warnings throughout a region more accustomed to drought.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2023

DPP leadership race officially begins ahead of Sept. 2 vote

Incumbent party leader Yuichiro Tamaki is facing off against No. 2 Seiji Maehara in a race that could affect the landscape of the next Lower House poll.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 21, 2023

Festival organizer files criminal complaint over DJ Soda groping

TryHard Japan filed the report to the police against two men and a woman over their alleged groping of the DJ’s breast and hugging of her without consent.
North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket is launched in Cholsan County, North Korea, on May 31 in this image taken from video.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2023

North Korea to launch satellite between Thursday and Aug. 31

Japan has indefinitely extended an order issued to destroy any North Korean ballistic missile, rocket or debris that threatens the country's territory.
A man walks past a TV broadcasting a report about North Korea's failed rocket launch, at the main railway station in Seoul on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2023

North Korea fails in latest attempt to put spy satellite into orbit

Pyongyang said it would try again in October, after the failed launch prompted Japan to issue an emergency warning for Okinawan residents to take shelter.
A customer shops at a sushi counter at the Food Le Parc supermarket in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 24, 2023

Hong Kong restaurants brace for cost jump after Japan seafood ban

The saga is yet another headache for the city’s restaurant industry, which is still suffering from the effects from pandemic curbs and a worker shortage.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Expert team reports on decades of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa

The team urged Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima to step down after the family-run business left the issue unaddressed for decades.
A child stands in front of the Hibiya Music Hall, which collapsed during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 31, 2023

The earthquake that turned Tokyo to ash

This week we commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake.
A view of the moon as viewed by the Chandrayaan-3 lander during Lunar Orbit Insertion on Aug. 5
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 1, 2023

India seeks to top its moon landing with spacecraft to study sun

India aims higher with its first solar observation mission, which will journey 1.5 million km to study the sun from a unique "parking spot" in space.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 1, 2023

Fisheries minister under fire for ‘contaminated water’ gaffe

“Contaminated water” is the expression used by China, and Japan has been extremely critical of Beijing's labeling.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 1, 2023

China banned seafood from Japan. Some tourists are eating it in Tokyo.

Travelers from China seem largely unfazed despite the ban, with many local seafood restaurants seeing little impact so far.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight