Search - 2023

 
 
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023

The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked

One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick runs with the ball during a training session at the Stade du Parc in Rueil-Malmaison, near Paris, on Thursday, ahead of Saturday's Rugby World Cup final against South Africa.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 27, 2023

World Cup fever builds in New Zealand ahead of 'cracking' final

The All Blacks and the Springboks are both bidding to become the first nation to win the World Cup for a fourth time.
South Africa players huddle ahead of the second half of the team's semifinal game against England in the Rugby World Cup, in Saint-Denis, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 27, 2023

Springboks expect 'grind' against All Blacks in World Cup final

South Africa has never lost a World Cup final, winning the 1995, 2007 and 2019 editions.
Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia celebrates after hitting the game-winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 1 of the World Series on Friday in Arlington, Texas.
BASEBALL
Oct 28, 2023

Adolis Garcia's blast lifts Rangers in World Series opener

Garcia's eighth home run of the postseason pushed his RBI total to 22, eclipsing David Freese (2011) for the most in one postseason in MLB history.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 28, 2023

Tigers take bite out of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Japan Series opener

The Tigers got off to a fast start against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Buffaloes in the Japan Series.
South African players celebrate with the Webb Ellis Cup after their win over New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 29, 2023

Springboks hold off 14-man All Blacks to win World Cup

South Africa produced a magnificent defensive display to edge New Zealand 12-11 and win their fourth title.
United Auto Workers members strike at a General Motors assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2023

General Motors hit with more strikes while Stellantis reaches deal with UAW

More than six weeks after the historic strikes began, GM is now the only one of the companies that doesn’t have a deal with the union.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 29, 2023

After Game 1 loss, is this the end for Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Japan?

The big question after Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s loss in Game 1 of the Japan Series: Is this the end of his NPB career?
An Albanian communist hangs a banner with Enver Hoxha's image in a public cemetery in Tirana in April 2012 to mark the anniversary of the hard-line Stalinist dictator's death.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2023

When freedom does not bring about justice

From communism to capitalism, Lea Ypi's book,"Free: Coming of Age at the End of History" reflects on Albania's transition to freedom.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has resigned after their dismal showing at the World Cup, but says he has no other job offer as yet.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 30, 2023

Jones resigns as Wallabies coach, say Australian media reports

Jones has been linked with the head coach role of Japan, which he has denied.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023

Orix's Gonzalez eager for more jewelry with win in Japan Series

The Buffaloes infielder, who is in his first season in Japan, is fine tuning his approach as he goes along.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 30, 2023

In the Japan Series, it’s a tale of two fanbases

The Tigers and Buffaloes have a lot of similarities, but there's a yawning gap in the support, enthusiasm and attention paid to each Kansai club.
Utilities are increasingly controlling power output from renewable energy sources as the share of renewables expands.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 30, 2023

Renewable energy cuts from output controls surge sixfold in Japan

With renewables such as solar power in wider use, output controls aimed at balancing power supply and demand have been used more frequently.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 30, 2023

Police prep crowd control plans in case Tigers win Japan Series

The Tigers are facing off against the Orix Buffaloes in the series, which kicked off on Saturday.
Bungie, the Sony-owned game studio behind Destiny 2, has cut an undisclosed number of staffers amid restructuring of Sony's video game operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2023

Sony’s Bungie game unit cuts staff following delayed titles

Sony, which purchased Bungie in early 2022 for $3.6 billion, has been cutting staff across its PlayStation division this year, in part due to delays.
Former President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales says he will use his right to appeal a three-year ban on all soccer-related activities.
SOCCER
Oct 31, 2023

Spain's ex-FA chief Rubiales gets three-year ban over kiss scandal

Rubiales said he will use his right to appeal, accusing FIFA of not giving him the chance to defend himself.
Australia head coach Eddie Jones during training in Saint-Etienne, France, on Sept. 30. Jones has repeatedly denied a return to coaching in Japan.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 31, 2023

Rugby Australia confirms Eddie Jones has quit as Wallabies coach

Jones, 63, will formally leave his position on Nov. 25, the governing body said.
Japan's industrial output increased a smaller-than-expected 0.2% in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2023

Japan's September industrial production growth misses consensus

Factory output increased 0.2% from a month earlier, missing economist expectations of a 2.5% gain.
A graphic pro-Israel advert was displayed within mobile phone video games in Britain, France, Austria, Germany and Holland.
WORLD
Oct 31, 2023

Graphic pro-Israel ads displayed in children’s mobile phone games

Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the video was a government-promoted ad but said they had "no idea" how it ended up inside games.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference on Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2023

Bank of Japan to allow 10-year yields to top 1%

The development is significant as the central bank has long maintained its strategy of buying up government bonds to control interest rates.
Australia's David Warner watches the ball after playing a shot during the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international match between Australia and New Zealand in Dharamsala, India, on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Cricket
Oct 31, 2023

Warner enjoying making doubters 'look stupid' at World Cup

Resurgent Australia are fourth in the standings, having won their last four matches in succession.
More and more children are producing content as online influencers and generating lots of money.
COMMENTARY
Oct 31, 2023

Kidfluencers are today’s version of chimney sweeps

Protecting children from labor exploitation is difficult in the age of social media.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 31, 2023

Buffaloes edge Tigers in Game 3 of Japan Series

After dueling 8-0 blowouts, the Japan Series finally got a close game.
More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers went on strike from Oct. 4 to 7 across the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 1, 2023

Unions in the U.S. are winning big for the first time in decades

Recent victories mark a potential turning point for the country’s labor movement, which has seen union ranks and power dwindle for decades.
The front entrance gate leading to the former Ashigakubo Elementary School in Yokose, Saitama Prefecture. The school, which was more than a century old, was forced to close in 2009.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2023

School's out forever in aging Japan

As the number of children in Japan decreases, public money has been made available to help municipalities repurpose old schools.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Andrew Heaney during the first inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday in Phoenix.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 1, 2023

Offensive explosion moves Rangers to cusp of World Series title

The Rangers rolled to an 11-7 win and are now one victory away from their first World Series championship.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 1, 2023

The risers — and fallers — in the latest sumo rankings

The sumo rankings ahead of the upcoming Kyushu Basho produced its share of winners and losers.
An Israeli man attends a day of prayer in the Old City of Jerusalem on Oct. 19 where attendees called for the safe return of hostages taken by Hamas militants earlier in the month. 
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 31, 2023

Israel’s own 9/11 moment

Israel needs to prepare now for when the fighting stops. Will it look to the Palestinian Authority to administer Gaza? What role will the U.N. play?
A screengrab taken from a video — released by the Chinese coast guard in October — shows a collision between a Chinese coast guard ship (right) and a Philippine resupply boat.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2023

Japan to offer surveillance radars to Philippines

The Japanese security aid comes as a territorial dispute between the Philippines and China is intensifying in the South China Sea.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 1, 2023

Yusuke Oyama lifts Tigers to thrilling win to even Japan Series

The Japan Series between the Tigers and Buffaloes is now tied 2-2.

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