Search - 2023

 
 
The average for summer bonuses this year was slightly higher than the ¥845,453 in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and trailed only the ¥870,731 in 2018, the labor ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2023

2023 summer bonuses second-highest on record in Japan

Bonuses at major Japanese companies this summer averaged ¥845,557, up 1.59% from a year before, the labor ministry has announced.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel eats a peach as he visits Hamanoeki Fish Market and Food Court, as part of his trip to Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Aug. 31.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 9, 2023

Rahm Emanuel's protocol-busting China swipe stirs controversy

The comments conflict with the commonly observed practice of U.S. diplomats staying away from speculation on other countries’ domestic politics.
Georgia players form a guard of honor for the victorious Wallabies following their 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool C match outside Paris on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones upbeat after World Cup-opening win

The former England and Japan coach successfully is riding high after his Australia team opened its campaign by defeating Georgia.
England flyhalf George Ford kicks a penalty during a 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D match against Argentina in Marseille, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023

Fantastic George Ford kicks 14-man England to win over Argentina

The flyhalf scored all the points, including a record-equaling three drop goals in a 10-minute first-half blitz that seemed to sap Argentina's spirit.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023

Leg injury puts Kazuki Himeno in doubt for World Cup opener

Amanaki Saumaki is considered ready to fill in for Japan's captain against Rugby World Cup debutant Chile in Toulouse.
Coco Gauff celebrates next to former tennis champion Billie Jean King after winning the U.S. Open against Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday.
TENNIS
Sep 10, 2023

U.S. teen Coco Gauff fights back to win U.S. Open

Coco Gauff, 19, clinches her first Grand Slam title, overpowering Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final to become the first American win since 2017.
Team Canada celebrates after beating the United States in the bronze-medal match at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Sep 10, 2023

Canada outlasts Team USA in OT for first-ever FIBA World Cup medal

Team USA, previously unbeaten in its four bronze-medal matches, recorded the most points it has ever conceded in a World Cup game.
China's exports fell by 14.5% year on year in July, a stark contrast from the robust 17.2% export growth recorded in July 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2023

Why hasn’t China rushed to bail out its economy?

China's reluctance to unveil a massive stimulus package despite the ongoing economic slowdown has puzzled foreign observers and the Chinese public alike.
Germany's Dennis Schroder lifts the trophy after his team's win over Serbia in the Basketball World Cup final in Manila on Sunday.
BASKETBALL
Sep 11, 2023

'Team-first' mentality carries Germany to first Basketball World Cup title

Both Germany and Serbia had already qualified for next year's Paris Olympics as the World Cup's two highest-placed European teams.
Luis Rubiales, seen after the Women's World Cup final, stepped down as head of the Spanish soccer federation on Sunday.
SOCCER
Sep 11, 2023

Luis Rubiales steps down amid scandal over unsolicited kiss

Rubiales announced his resignation in a statement in which he said his position had become untenable.
South Africa's Franco Mostert (top) attempts to tackle Scotland fullback Oliver Smith during their match at the Rugby World Cup in Marseille, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 11, 2023

South Africa and Wales make winning starts at Rugby World Cup

The Springboks defeated Scotland, while Wales had to hold off a late rally by Fiji.
Former Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales' forced kiss on player Jenni Hermoso drew global protests from women's rights advocates.
SOCCER
Sep 12, 2023

Luis Rubiales quits, but women’s soccer in Spain is still troubled

Even after the federation chief's resignation over his forcible kiss of a player, pay disputes are threatening to disrupt domestic leagues.
U.S. President Joe Biden raises a toast in Hanoi on Monday. While the U.S. may have successfully bolstered strategic ties with India and Vietnam to counter China, rights advocates were disappointed, given Biden's vow to prioritize the issue when taking office in 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2023

Biden accused of sidelining rights issues in Vietnam and India

For rights advocates, Biden's travels were a disappointment, given his administration's vow to prioritize the issue when taking office in 2021.
Buildings in downtown Bozeman, Montana. Tech-savvy Californians who work from home are fleeing to cheaper states, while retirees and nature lovers are flocking to places like Montana.
WORLD / Society
Sep 12, 2023

Pandemic population boom in rural hotspots sparks resentment

In some places, the influx of new residents is deepening political divides in an already polarized country.
A villager amongst the rubble of destroyed buildings following an earthquake near the town of Amizmiz, in the Al Haouz region of Morocco, on Sunday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 12, 2023

Morocco planning to hold IMF-World Bank meetings despite quake

The meetings in Marrakech were originally scheduled for 2021, but were postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aillis CEO Sho Okiyama receives the first place award from Pegasus Tech Ventues founder and CEO Anis Uzzaman at the Startup World Cup Tokyo preliminary on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 12, 2023

Two Japanese startups to compete in Startup World Cup 2023 final

Smart homes and AI-assisted medical devices took top prizes, with the winners now set to attend the final competition in San Francisco.
England's Tom Curry waits to be shown a yellow card during the team's Rugby World Cup Pool D match against Argentina in Marseille, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 13, 2023

England's Tom Curry banned for Japan and Chile games

England is already without captain Owen Farrell for the Japan game as he serves the final game of his suspension.
Asep Muizudin Muhamad Darmini was recently discharged from a hospital in Jakarta after being treated for a respiratory illness caused by the city's air pollution.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 13, 2023

Breathless Indonesians irate over pollution crisis in Jakarta

Air pollution is hardly a new phenomenon in the city, but monitors and activists say the effects have been even worse than usual this year.
Bottles of whisky sit on display behind the bar at the Door XXV private club in the Golden Equator Group office in Singapore.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

Asia takes over the world’s whisky market

Yearslong efforts by Pernod, Diageo and other major whiskey producers to get Asian drinkers to spend more on their premium spirits are finally paying off.
To the chagrin of many U.S. voters, the 2024 presidential election is likely to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2023

America faces a critical moment in its history

To the chagrin of most voters, the 2024 U.S. presidential election is likely to be a rematch between Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump.
The incoming and outgoing presidents of Johnny & Associates, Noriyuki Higashiyama and Julie Keiko Fujishima, bow at a press conference on Sept. 7.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 14, 2023

Johnny’s talent agency has admitted to a past of abuse. What next?

Karin Kaneko joins the show to update us on how the story is unfolding.
South Africa's Malcolm Marx (center) is tackled during a match against Scotland at the Rugby World Cup in Marseille, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 14, 2023

South Africa's Malcolm Marx ruled out of World Cup with knee injury

Marx "went down at training on Wednesday after having his knee caught in contact," the Springboks said in a statement.
England defense coach Kevin Sinfield (left) and scrumhalf Danny Care speak with reporters during a news conference in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France, prior to the Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 14, 2023

England assistant coach defends tackling amid flurry of red cards

Sinfield said the team is working on its tackling, but that the players are human and "they make mistakes."
Arm CEO Rene Haas rings the opening bell, as Softbank's Arm, a chip design firm, holds an initial public offering at Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2023

Chip designer Arm soars 25% in IPO win for owner SoftBank

Shares in the chip designer, still 90% owned by SoftBank, closed at $63.59 in New York trading Thursday, giving it a market value of over $65 billion.
Many scientists say more research into volcanoes is vital to gauge how far eruptions can briefly affect the long-term trend of global warming, which is primarily driven by burning fossil fuels.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / ANALYSIS
Sep 15, 2023

Why is 2023 so hot? A rare Pacific volcano is among the suspects

Greenhouse gas emissions are overwhelmingly to blame, scientists say, but water vapor from the Tonga eruption last year may have played a role too.
Novak Djokovic practices ahead of the Davis Cup in Valencia, Spain, on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Sep 15, 2023

Novak Djokovic planning to try for gold medal at Paris Olympics

Djokovic won bronze at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, but fell short in London, Rio, and in Tokyo two years ago.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu (far left) attends the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 15, 2023

Missing Chinese defense chief signals turmoil in Xi's government

Washington has reportedly concluded that Li Shangfu, who took up his post in March, has been stripped of his responsibilities.
France's Anthony Jelonch is tackled by Uruguay's Tomas Inciarte Rachetti during their Pool A match at the Rugby World Cup in Lille, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 15, 2023

France overcomes spirited performance from Uruguay at World Cup

France leads Pool A with eight points, three ahead of Italy. New Zealand faces Namibia in Toulouse on Friday.
Kabul is diverse and culturally rich, like the rest of Afghanistan. Yet the country has struggled with political inclusivity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 15, 2023

Japan can help pave the way for an inclusive Afghanistan

A new generation of Afghan leaders wants to be included in the country's future. Japan is well-positioned to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban.
SOCCER / J. League
Sep 15, 2023

Frontale beats Tokyo to give Bafetimbi Gomis win in Japan debut

The win gave Toru Oniki's men a boost ahead of their Asian Champions League campaign, which kicks off on Tuesday in Malaysia.

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