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Musician Koshi Inaba is the latest artist to be featured on national broadcaster NHK’s Tiny Desk Concerts Japan. Based on a series from America’s National Public Radio, Japan’s version has spotlighted acts that you likely wouldn’t see stateside, like veteran rockers Kirinji and upstart pop artist yama.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2024

NHK furthers global reach with Tiny Desk Concerts Japan

Musician Koshi Inaba delivered a rollicking set for the stripped-down music series that brings cherry-picked Japanese acts you likely wouldn’t see stateside to new ears.
Intel, once the world’s largest chipmaker, has become the target of takeover speculation since a rapid deterioration of its business this year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 28, 2024

Arm is rebuffed by Intel after inquiring about buying product unit

Intel, once the world’s largest chipmaker, has become the target of takeover speculation since a rapid deterioration of its business this year.
An employee works on the production line of Nio electric vehicles at a JAC-NIO manufacturing plant in Hefei, Anhui province, in China in 2022.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2024

China's factory and service sectors skid as stimulus calls grow

The data showed China's manufacturing industry remains a pain point for policymakers, who acknowledged the economy faces "new problems."
Then-Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte addresses a joint news conference with his Finnish counterpart in Helsinki on June 13.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 30, 2024

Trump to Putin: The key challenges facing NATO's new secretary-general

With Russia's war in Ukraine raging through a third year and its leading power the United States set for a crunch election, NATO is grappling with major challenges.
People take shelter on Tuesday during an air raid in central Israel after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at the country. Iran has targeted Israel twice in recent months with little to show for its efforts, risking further loss of credibility in the region.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2024

Iran’s missile salvo was yet another strategic blunder

The intended message was clear — we don’t want a real war, but if it comes to one, look what we can do. And yet the attack projected weakness instead.
An electronic ticker at the Tokyo Stock Exchange
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

More stocks trade below book value in Japan despite reforms

About 38% of Topix 500 companies were trading below book value as of the end of September.
For one night in Tokyo last month, Daniel Calvert (left) and Quique Dacosta brought their wildly different culinary styles together into a remarkable service.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 6, 2024

A meeting of Michelin minds at Tokyo's Sezanne

Daniel Calvert says no to most requests for pop-ups at two-Michelin-starred Sezanne — except when the chance to work with three-starred Quique Dacosta came up.
Digital minister Taro Kono attends an Upper House committee session in June. The cautioning of Kono over his use of his smartphone to respond to a question in the Upper House last November attracted significant attention and led to a bipartisan call for digital transformation within parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2024

Digitalization advances gradually in Japan's parliament

Improvement plans have been adopted but certain practices, such as the use of tablets at the podium during plenary sessions, remain off-limits.
A tea field in Makinohara, the birthplace of Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda, in August. The city in Shizuoka Prefecture, which once thrived on a now-declining tea industry, exemplifies disparities between Japan's struggling rural areas and its bustling megacities.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 4, 2024

In Bank of Japan chief's birthplace, Ueda's policy puzzle is laid bare

Makinohara's mayor says the Shizuoka Prefecture surf town is not keeping pace with Japan's broader recovery.
Paul Watson speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. climate summit in Paris in December 2015.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 4, 2024

Japan says Paul Watson case 'nothing to do with whaling'

The co-founder of Sea Shepherd was arrested in Greenland in July on an arrest warrant issued by Japan.
Men run for cover after an Israeli strike on the Mreijeh neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Oct 5, 2024

Countdown to Middle East war? How the region can step back from the brink

Brakes remain to halt a regional fall into a wider conflagration that would lock Israel and Tehran into escalating conflict and suck in other nations.
Japanese film director Kiyoshi Kurosawa gestures as he poses for photos during a press conference at the 29th Busan International Film Festival.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 5, 2024

Japan's 'master of horror' Kiyoshi Kurosawa highlights 'B-movie' appeal

The director, who received the Busan International Film Festival's Filmmaker of the Year Award on Wednesday, said he'd like to see more artists explore genre cinema.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba inspects the area around a morning market, which was heavily damaged in the Jan. 1 earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2024

Torrential rain in Noto Peninsula to be designated a severe disaster, Ishiba says

Ishiba announced the plan during a visit to areas damaged heavily by the rain and the powerful Jan. 1 earthquake.
An emergency shelter in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, set up in January after a powerful earthquake earlier that month. The central government plans to survey the level of stockpiles at temporary shelters around the country.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 6, 2024

Japanese government to survey stockpiles at designated shelters

The survey is expected to cover stocks of food, blankets, baby formula, paper diapers for infants and adults, portable toilets, toilet paper and sanitary products.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2024

Ishiba says LDP will not endorse some 'slush fund' lawmakers in general election

The new leader hinted that "a fair number of non-endorsements is likely" as the party looks to rebuild public trust that has eroded following the scandal.
While unlikely to revisit the record hit in July, the 225-issue Nikkei average may finish this year up 1.3% from its current level, according to a forecast by analysts.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 8, 2024

Solid earnings will spur hope Japan stocks hold onto 2024 gains

While unlikely to revisit the record hit in July, the 225-issue Nikkei average may finish this year up 1.3% from its current level, according to a forecast by analysts.
Japan's has experienced a significant decline in global economic power, with its share of global gross domestic product dropping from 18% in the 1980s to an anticipated 3% by 2050.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 8, 2024

Japan needs more than mere economic strength

Japan, a country that has long relied on its economic prowess for international stature and standing, must change its perspective.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

LDP pulls endorsements of 12 'slush fund' lawmakers for Oct. 27 election

Former LDP policy chief Koichi Hagiuda, ex-party Diet affairs chief Tsuyoshi Takagi and former education minister Hakubun Shimomura are among those not endorsed.
As streaming services like Netflix invest in Japanese content, the hope is to revitalize the nation’s cultural exports and elevate its television landscape.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 9, 2024

Netflix’s ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ reveals some surprising truths

"Tokyo Swindlers" can reveal some home truths — even when they’re presented by a group of fraudsters.
Seven & I had been under pressure from activists and other investors for years to narrow its focus on its crown jewel: 7-Eleven and other convenience stores.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024

Seven & I to embrace 7-Eleven name as it sheds noncore businesses

The plans accelerate restructuring efforts in the face of an unsolicited ¥7 trillion takeover proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Thursday night's electronic dance music-infused event had the signature trappings of Elon Musk's salesmanship, but some Tesla investors and experts said they were hoping for more concrete details.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 12, 2024

Tesla's robotaxi event was long on Musk promises. Investors wanted more details.

Concrete details on how the company plans to transform from an automaker into an autonomous driving and artificial intelligence titan were missing.
Afghan women after an earthquake in Herat, Afghanistan, on Oct. 10, 2023
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 14, 2024

Poorest nations in worst financial shape since 2006, World Bank says

The World Bank report finds these economies are poorer today, on average, than they were on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kioxia has undergone years of upheaval and the attempt to list the company is closely watched as a test case for buyout firms in Japan where more companies are selling non-core assets or going private.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 14, 2024

Bain sought $10 billion valuation for Japan's Kioxia, but investors only wanted to pay half

The valuation gap complicates the buyout firm's effort to exit its six-year-old investment in Kioxia.
Former President Donald Trump makes calls to voters backstage after a town hall-style presidential campaign appearance at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan on Sept. 27.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 14, 2024

A frustrated Trump lashes out behind closed doors over money

Trump has groused about the amount of time he is having to spend raising money, angry that he is not on the trail doing what he draws energy from — his rallies.
A cyclist stops to look at an electronic share price board in Tokyo on Sept. 30. From Nov. 1, cyclists who use their cellphones while cycling or ride under the influence of alcohol may be fined or jailed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 20, 2024

Road traffic law revisions for cycling offenses to kick in next month

Cyclists who use their cellphones while cycling or ride under the influence of alcohol will be liable to fines and imprisonment from Nov. 1.
The success of Seven & I's major restructuring plan depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan, and improve profit margins overseas, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2024

7-Eleven's turnaround plan requires heavy lifting to stop takeover bid

Much depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan and improve profit margins overseas.
Rohingya refugee children look on from their shelter at a refugee camp, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 28.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2024

Stateless speak up as world misses its #Ibelong deadline

They are often deprived of the most basic rights, exposing them to exploitation, destitution and detention.
Tokyo Metro priced its shares at ¥1,200 apiece. It is expected to list on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Oct. 23.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 15, 2024

Tokyo Metro raises $2.3 bln in Japan's biggest IPO in 6 years

The subway operator priced its shares at the top of its provisional range of ¥1,100 to ¥1,200, a regulatory filing from the company showed on Tuesday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) welcomes Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upon his arrival at the Group of 20 Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Canada-India rift seen as a momentary gain for Modi and Trudeau

The divide could bolster Narendra Modi's image as a hawk on national security while taking the spotlight off of Justin Trudeau reportedly being asked to step down.
A woman cycles past campaign posters for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo, set to be held on Oct. 27, on Tuesday. A total of 314 women have filed candidacies in the election, a record high in any poll for the lower chamber of Japan's parliament under the current Constitution.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2024

Record 314 women file candidacy for Lower House vote, boosting share to 23%

The total increased 70% from 187 in the previous Lower House election, in 2021, but remained below the government-set target of reaching 35% by 2025.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan