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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2023

The mouse that roared: New Zealand and the world's 2% inflation target

Since it's arrival in 1990, the 2% inflation target phenomenon has sailed from Wellington around the globe to become the accepted norm among central banks, large and small.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Longform
Jan 30, 2023

Reining in Japan’s unstoppable urban sprawl

The world’s most rapidly aging nation wants its shrinking population to concentrate in regional urban centers. However, things aren't going as planned.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2023

‘Woke’ is a political term with a long and complicated history

The idea of wokeism has been used by both Black and White Americans to fight injustice since the early 1900s.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 20, 2023

How a U.S. soldier made a mad dash into North Korea

The U.S. military was scrambling on Wednesday to determine the soldier's fate, as well as his motive.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 13, 2023

A showdown in Jamaica is deciding the fate of the deep ocean

Seabed mining has the potential to become a trillion-dollar industry as the transition to electric vehicles spurs demand for metals like cobalt and nickel.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 13, 2023

Google’s AI chatbot is trained by humans who say they’re overworked, underpaid and frustrated

Thousands of outside contractors work to make Google's Bard reliable, but its also becoming an increasingly thankless job.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 10, 2023

A top U.K. newspaper explores its ties to slavery — and Britain’s

The Guardian’s 'Cotton Capital” series provoked glee among the paper’s ideological opponents, and had its share of critics too.
SUMO
Jul 7, 2023

Terunofuji looking to take another step toward rarefied status at Nagoya Basho

One of the most highly anticipated grand sumo tournaments of recent times gets underway at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya on Sunday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 7, 2023

Wagner chief Prigozhin is in Russia, Belarus leader says

Prigozhin repeatedly accused the top brass of corruption and incompetence and cast the June 24 'march of justice' on Moscow as a protest against them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 28, 2023

Adam Smith, founding father of modern economics, 300 years later

The tercentenary of Adam Smith’s birth is an opportunity to consider how his insights into the dynamics of economic growth will shape our understanding of a world with AI.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 27, 2023

U.S. denies any role in Russia uprising as allies watch and wait

In his first public comments about the matter, U.S. President Joe Biden said it was still too soon to make any conclusions about the revolt by Wagner Group mercenaries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2023

A fulfilling job is a luxury of modern times

The idea that your work should pay emotional dividends — and not just the bills — would have seemed strange to most people before the 20th century.
Demonstrators protest against Japan's plan to discharge treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the ocean, in Seoul on July 7.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 20, 2023

Fukushima water opposition is steeped in anti-science

Skepticism over Japan’s plan to discharge treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant must not give way to scaremongering.
A cargo vessel on the Sulina Channel en route to the Danube River, in Romania
WORLD
Jul 21, 2023

Ukraine grain relies on a river that’s drying up

A heatwave fanning across the southern part of Europe is lowering river levels and crimping export capacity, which will make shipping grain even more difficult.
Some economists hope the labor ministry panel will make an annual average minimum wage proposal of above ¥1,000 this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2023

The average minimum wage may top ¥1,000 this year. But is that enough?

Aside from the symbolic hurdle, a more substantial issue remains: Will momentum for wage hikes from this spring continue or will it be short-lived?
Employees of a fishing net manufacturer, including Ainu Indigenous people, work at a facility in Urahoro, Hokkaido, in June.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jul 23, 2023

In Hokkaido, an Ainu group's lawsuit and climate change converge on salmon fishing

The Raporo Ainu Nation in Hokkaido is fighting for its Indigenous rights to fish for salmon. But warming waters are raising questions about future fish stocks.
An overwhelming majority of Japanese firms are negative about achieving a goal of having women in 30% of executive positions by 2030, a survey shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 20, 2023

Firms pessimistic about hitting 30% goal for female execs by 2030, poll shows

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set the target in June for leading companies, aiming to boost womens' management participation from 2.2% as of July 2022.
Visitors walk past a military fence at Imjingak peace park in the border city of Paju on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2023

U.S. worries mount over soldier after silence from North Korea

U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Washington was fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang, including through U.N. communications channels.
Hou Yu-ih, mayor of New Taipei City, during a protest against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei, on July 16. Taiwanese voters are preparing to choose their next president in January, in a vote that will define cross-strait and U.S.-China relations for years to come.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 21, 2023

Popular Taiwan mayor stumbles in bid to lead in U.S.-China hotspot

His failure to articulate a critical policy at the bedrock of Taiwan’s international status drew widespread criticism online.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jul 18, 2023

ChatGPT, Bing, Bard and DeepL: Which one offers the best Japanese-to-English translation?

AI is revolutionizing the world of translation, but which tool reigns supreme? We staged a head-to-head battle between ChatGPT-4, Bing, Bard and DeepL … and the results are in.
Barley loves walks but isn't a huge fan of car rides.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jul 16, 2023

A great dog who is sprightly but won't tug on the leash

Barley is coming to Tokyo in the hopes of finding a new place to live. Give him a chance and you'll get a best friend in return.
TikTok is in a race to dominate e-commerce in Southeast Asia.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2023

TikTok steps up Southeast Asia presence amid e-commerce push

As the company intermingles social media and e-commerce, it is betting that this vision of shopping will knock aside rivals in the region.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 24, 2023

Takahiro Arai helps Carp surge back into pennant race in first season in dugout

The return of former star player Takahiro Arai as manager as energized the Carp.
Professor Mutsuko Tendo (right) teaches a class in career development theory at Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2023

Women’s universities in Tohoku seeking to survive with distinctive education

Women's colleges had long been regarded as schools with a focus on home economics and liberal arts, but some are now reorganizing their programs in a bid to attract students.
Visitors crowd around a water fountain during a heat wave in Rome, Italy, on July 17.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 25, 2023

Climate change role in July heat waves 'overwhelming,' scientists say

Extreme weather has caused havoc across the planet this month, with record-breaking temperatures causing forest fires, water shortages and more hospital admissions.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring in his debut for Inter Miami during a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 25, 2023

Will Messi’s MLS gambit be good for Latin American soccer?

The superstar’s arrival in Miami will spur investment in the sport throughout the Americas and may finally help slow the exodus of young players to Europe.
The ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference with Japan at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meeting in Jakarta on July 13
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2023

Is ASEAN part of the 'Global South'?

Despite the effort put into its formation, the Group of 20’s failure to function as hoped may well have brought about the Global South narrative.
Veteran Japanese investors are split over whether to put their money into Chinese bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 27, 2023

Friends who help manage $640 billion clash on China bonds

While they’ve been friends for at least a decade, their take on trading China bonds couldn’t be more diametrically opposed.
Danish ambassador Peter Taksoe-Jensen hopes for a "ketchup effect" in the development of Japan's offshore wind potential.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 27, 2023

Unlocking Japan's offshore wind potential requires change in mindset

While Japan has made progress in expanding its offshore wind power, Denmark’s ambassador to Japan says that the pace of change is still too slow.
Jingu Gaien is a famous landmark, park and sports center in Minato Ward, Tokyo. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 26, 2023

Tokyo's tree-razing drama shouldn't stymie transformation

Residents are raging over a redevelopment plan. But while other cities become stuck in time, Tokyo's best projects can combine the spirit of the past with the hope for the future.

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