Search - 2023

 
 
The Singapore skyline
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 6, 2023

The rich are flocking to Singapore as bankers stick with Hong Kong

From Singapore’s earliest years as an independent state, it has aimed to be one of the key locales through which the world’s money flows.
New Zealand's Damian McKenzie scores a try against Uruguay during the Rugby World Cup in Lyon, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 6, 2023

New Zealand routs Uruguay to cruise into RWC quarterfinals

The All Blacks ran their tally to 36 tries and 240 points in the three matches since their opening defeat against France.
This year's Tokyo Game Show attendance came up just shy of 2019's draw — an encouraging sign for the event's future.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 7, 2023

A dark fantasy spin on ‘Pinocchio’ may put FromSoftware under pressure

It wasn’t the biggest TGS ever, but it's hard to imagine anyone behind the scenes at TGS headquarters pulling their hair out over 2023’s return to form.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Oct 6, 2023

Cram school teacher arrests ignite child safety debate

Two cram school teachers in Tokyo were arrested for allegedly taking photos of a female student's underwear and sharing them on a group chat.
Mysteriously suspended on the water of the Fugan Canal in Kansui Park, Hiroko Kubo’s “Mountain Dogs” (2023) are made from materials that reflect the industries of Toyama.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 7, 2023

An introspective Go For Kogei turns its attention to Toyama

The craft-art festival focuses on the historically industrial city to explore the Hokuriku region's crafts in an urban setting.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, announces a slew of retaliatory measures against China, including sanctions, at a news conference at the White House in May 2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2023

Protectionism started the geopolitical fire

The protectionism in the post-pandemic economic shutdowns will also impact international relations.
Japan head coach Jamie Joseph holds a news conference last month in Toulouse, France.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 6, 2023

Japan coach Joseph makes just one change for Argentina showdown

Coach Jamie Joseph has largely kept faith with the side that beat Samoa 28-22 last time out, with just Fifita Siosaia replacing Jone Naikabula.
Japan fullback Lomano Lemeki breaks free from Samoa's Ben Lam during their Pool D match at the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 7, 2023

Brave Blossoms braced for climactic showdown against Argentina

The winner of the match will advance to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 8, 2023

Japan boosting SDF presence in southwestern area of Kyushu

The region will see new SDF units from next April, including an F-35B stealth fighter squadron and a surface-to-ship missile unit.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 9, 2023

Wage hikes key for BOJ policy normalization

Wage growth trends during next year's spring labor-management negotiations will be closely watched for indicators.
The Brave Blossoms leave the pitch after their loss to Argentina at the Rugby World Cup in Nantes, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 9, 2023

Japan shows heart in bittersweet finale at Rugby World Cup

Japan's hopes at the Rugby World Cup were dashed in a thrilling match against Argentina.
Australian head coach Eddie Jones' reliance on young players did not work out for the team during the Rugby World Cup
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 9, 2023

High-stakes misses prove costly as Australia crashes out of World Cup

Australia's gambles resulted in an early exit from the Rugby World Cup.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Oct 9, 2023

Shinnosuke Abe hoping to join special group of Giants managers

Shinnosuke Abe is hopeful of guiding the Giants back to the Central League summit.
U.S. economist Claudia Goldin is only the third woman to be awarded the Nobel economics prize.
WORLD
Oct 10, 2023

Gender gap economist Claudia Goldin wins Nobel prize

Exploring the origins of the gender gap in labor markets, Goldin is only the third woman to win the Nobel economics prize.
Ozempic is a drug for treating Type 2 diabetes that is now being used widely as an appetite-suppressing weight loss aid.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 9, 2023

Ozempic threat is spurring a slump in snack and beer stocks

Snack and beverage producers are most at risk, as well as purveyors of weight-management food products such as shakes and frozen meals.
A Matsumotokiyoshi drugstore in Tokyo. Matsumotokiyoshi Holdings and Cocokara Fine integrated their operations in 2021.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Oct 10, 2023

Japanese drugstores under pressure for realignment

One analyst has described realignment in the drugstore sector as "a natural course of development."
Portugal's historic Rugby World Cup win in Toulouse, France, on Sunday, was a reminder of the challenges Tier 2 nations face in the sport.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 10, 2023

Mind the gap! Rugby's Tier 2 nations want more and better fixtures

Despite providing some moving moments at the Rugby World Cup in France, the sport's minnows are far away from being able to upstage established teams.
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Tetsuo Saito
JAPAN / Society
Oct 10, 2023

Japan to add driving to specified foreign worker skills

"We'll make various efforts to ensure that local residents and tourists have access to necessary means of transportation," minister Tetsuo Saito said.
Israeli flags flutter at Ofer Park in Petah Tikva, Israel.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Oct 11, 2023

War threatens funding recovery in Israel's vital tech industry

A global slowdown and the Israeli government's divisive judicial reforms had prompted a sharp drop in funding earlier this year.
Rafael Nadal last competed in January at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Oct 11, 2023

Tournament director says Rafael Nadal to play at Australian Open

The Spaniard, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, has been out of action since January after hurting his hip flexor in a second-round defeat in Melbourne.
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. European nations have been dealing with a range of geoeconomic changes.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 12, 2023

European Union being shaken by geoeconomic changes

European countries previously did not see China as a security threat due to their geographical distance. That is starting to change.
The U.K.'s decision to cut back on its HS2 high-speed rail network runs contrary to the path taken by Japan, which stuck to a long-term infrastructure plan.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023

U.K. effort to imitate Japan's shinkansen falls short

There is value of sticking to a long-term infrastructure plan, as Japan has done for almost 50 years with its high-speed rail system.
A Palestinian girl searches the remains of a house in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, that was destroyed during the recent Israeli-Hamas fighting on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023

What's next after Hamas' deadly border raid?

The attack on Israel mirrors that of the Yom Kippur War. As in 1973, Israel has much soul-searching to do, but the outcome could differ considerably.
Ground Self-Defense Force members take part in a military review in Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, in October 2018.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2023

'Not proud at all': Japan struggles to recruit for Self-Defense Forces

Experts have said that the country's armed forces could be weakened because of a lack of personnel.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo gives a news conference at the Boeing aircraft hangar facility in Shanghai on Aug. 30.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 12, 2023

Foreign businesses face a hostile China

The Chinese government's "zero-COVID" policy and regulatory favoritism toward local companies have created obstacles for foreign businesses.
Google, Amazon and Cloudflare have reportedly endured the internet's largest-known denial of service attack.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2023

Internet companies report biggest denial of service operation

Internet protection company Cloudflare said the attack was "three times larger than any previous attack we've observed."
Signage for Japan's top banks, MUFG Bank, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2023

Japan’s top banks pay women about half of what men earn

The country has a relatively high labor participation rate for women, but many of the positions they occupy have little prospect of better pay.
Ireland's Garry Ringrose scores a try during his team's Pool B match against Scotland at the Rugby World Cup in Saint-Denis, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 12, 2023

Ireland not weighed down by No. 1 ranking ahead of All Blacks clash

Ireland can match the top-tier record for winning streaks with its 18th straight victory on Saturday.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Tuesday in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 12, 2023

Why are ruling party lawmakers calling for tax cuts?

As the prime minister prepares for a new economic stimulus package, it's members of his own party who are raising a fuss.
A woman hands out pamphlets outside a voting center in central Sydney on Oct. 3. A coming referendum will decide whether to recognize Indigenous Australians in the Constitution.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2023

Australia’s First Nations vote is coming down to love against war

Australia was founded as a federation in 1901 without formal recognition of the continent’s Indigenous peoples.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building