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Despite shifts in the global economy and trade, the world remains highly integrated and globalization is far from over.
COMMENTARY
Oct 25, 2023

Globalization’s demise has been greatly exaggerated

Trade flows, allocation of dollars, and supply chains are evolving, but these changes are not uniform and can be challenging to predict.
A poster for Uber displayed at a Tokyo subway station reads: "Meeting inbound demand together with Japan's taxis." It also notes that its service is used in 71 countries.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023

Japan weighs allowing ride-hailing amid taxi industry opposition

The taxi industry is opposed to any change, arguing that allowing ride-hailing is just a temporary fix that will take jobs from taxi drivers.
In September, the Sapporo Convention Center played host to the first Adventure Travel World Summit ever to take place in Asia.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 28, 2023

Travel pros warn against diluting ‘Japaneseness’

“Don’t dilute the Japaneseness, because that’s what makes it special,” said one travel expert. “We want to come to Japan.”
The European Union and Japan concluded an agreement Saturday on cross-border data flows, a deal that could benefit companies across a range of sectors, including financial services, transport, machinery and e-commerce, allowing them to handle data without cumbersome and costly administration.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2023

EU and Japan conclude agreement on data flows

The deal on cross-border data flows should drive business and may help shape global rules for data, the European Commission said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech on AI in London on on Oct. 26.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 1, 2023

Rishi Sunak embraces Musk to boost AI summit

The U.K. prime minister organized the event to reassert Britain’s influence in the wake of Brexit.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during the opening ceremony of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 5, 2023

Australia PM Albanese vows to 'work constructively with China'

The visit is the first by an Australian leader in seven years, with the two countries seeking to patch things up after a diplomatic spat.
A banner with the image of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple, in Surrey, British Columbia, on Sept. 20
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 6, 2023

India-Canada diplomatic rift remains bitter despite some visa easing

Mutual recriminations over the murder of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader from Punjab state have strained ties between the two countries.
The family grave of Toshihide Matsumoto is dismantled in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. An increasing number of Japanese people are opting to permanently close their family graves as traditional family structures continue to change.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2023

Graying Japan faces a grave problem

Services designed to help people move or scatter their ancestors' ashes and close up family graves are experiencing increased demand.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in 2022 in Bali, Indonesia
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2023

Biden and Xi to hold talks in San Francisco on Nov. 15, report says

Final preparations are under way for the meeting, which is set to be the first face-to-face talks that Biden and Xi will have in about a year.
Germany, which likely plays a key role in determining Europe’s China strategy, unveiled its 64-page strategy on China on July 13.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 14, 2023

Germany’s China strategy is epoch-making but ambiguous

While attempting to protect its interests, Berlin has had to deal with business circles attempting to avoid damaging ties with Beijing.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks with entrepreneur Elon Musk during a chat session on the rewards and risks of artificial intelligence in London, earlier this month.
EDITORIALS
Nov 10, 2023

Can the world harness AI’s fire without getting burned?

Calls are increasing for governance of artificial intelligence, the world-changing tech that bears both major rewards and risks.
People attend a demonstration against antisemitism on Sunday as antisemitic offenses surged in in France.
WORLD / Society
Nov 13, 2023

French marches against antisemitism rally over 180,000 people

The march comes after a surge in anti-Jewish incidents across the country following the eruption of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants.
The curtain is closing on the Lee dynasty's leadership of Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced his resignation, which could come next year, and the handing of power to deputy Lawrence Wong.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2023

Singapore contemplates the end of the Lee political era

Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced his resignation, marking the end of his dynasty's leadership and a new chapter in Singapore's politics.
Nepali security personnel stand guard at Pokhara International Airport in Pokhara, Nepal, ahead of the arrival of the first international flight from China on June 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 13, 2023

Nepal is investigating new airport made by China

A few engineers who had worked on the airport said that building quality had been compromised and that the project’s infrastructure was not sound.
Mainland Chinese student Zhou Hongxu arrives for a court hearing on suspicion that he attempted to develop a spy network for China in Taiwan in March 2018.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2023

Spies bring their China warnings in from the cold

The spy chiefs say Western nations need to safeguard technology innovation, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Dutch driver Max Verstappen speaks to the press after the opening ceremony for the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 16, 2023

Verstappen slams Las Vegas race as '99% show'

The Red Bull three-time world champion criticized the new street course and said Wednesday he had no interest in the razzmatazz around the event.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a family photo during an APEC summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

Kishida and Xi aim for trade progress despite lingering tensions

Their talks signaled initial momentum toward a cautious detente, although the two countries appeared to prioritize an improvement in economic ties.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen drives during a practice session at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 17, 2023

Lewis Hamilton defends Vegas race after Max Verstappen's criticism

Hamilton offered his thoughts about the Las Vegas Grand Prix after Max Verstappen called it "99% show and 1% sporting event."
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives for the leaders and spouses dinner during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 18, 2023

Philippines' Marcos meets China's Xi amid South China Sea tensions

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, seeking ways to come up with mechanisms to lower tensions.
Communicating over the phone, a necessity for businesspeople, is a headache for many young people.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Nov 27, 2023

Many young people in Japan scared of telephone calls

For some, their heart skips a beat when they hear phones ringing and they hesitate to make calls, fearing they might be considered a nuisance.
Up until very recently, the business of packaging semiconductors — encasing chips in materials that both protect them and connect them to the electronic device they’re part of — was, at best, an afterthought for the industry.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

A new front is opening up in the U.S.-China conflict over chips

The process of packaging semiconductors is increasingly seen as the "secret sauce" — a path toward achieving higher performance.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 22, 2023

Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder

While Japan and China look to ease tensions, NHK makes things tense with a Johnny’s-less “Kohaku” announcement.
Cormorant fishing master Youichiro Adachi (left) holds the leashes tied to the necks and bodies of cormorants on the Nagara River in Oze, Gifu Prefecture, on Sept. 8.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 30, 2023

Environmental change threatens Japan's cormorant fishing legacy

The method of fishing was once common in Japan, and a version of it has also been practiced in China
Bengals quarterback Jake Browning passes against the Ravens in the third quarter of their game at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on Nov. 16.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Nov 23, 2023

Bengals and Steelers in transition heading into division showdown

Two teams undergoing significant midseason changes and turmoil will collide when when the Cincinnati Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Many moods come and go, inspiring our art. Though love could be fleeting, it proved the most inspirational of all.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Nov 27, 2023

Tales of a Closed Country: Part 2

Even Japan's "sakoku" policies couldn't deter the lovers, artists and poets from their muses. After all, we humans tend to look for beauty where we can.
A person walks past a COP28 sign in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 1.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 28, 2023

Biggest climate talks ever confront global chaos and record heat

Greenhouse gas emissions are still rising, and promises to cut pollution remain insufficient to take the risk of unmanageable warming off the table.
Sultan Al Jaber strongly denied reports that he used his position as COP president to pitch new oil and gas investments to governments.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 30, 2023

COP28 president denies using climate talks to push oil deals

The allegations against Sultan Al Jaber have fanned long-running suspicions over the wisdom of a petrostate hosting the climate talks.
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement this year with “The Boy and the Heron,” which opened to critical acclaim and has so far earned ¥8.56 billion — a good showing but not enough to take the top spot at the box office for the year.
CULTURE / Film / 2023 in Review
Nov 30, 2023

The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era

The success of “Oshi no Ko,” “Detective Conan” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved that anime is the mainstream now.
A truck unloads tons of coal inside a warehouse in Tondo, Metro Manila, in 2016. Independent show ample potential for renewables in Japan and Southeast Asia.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Dec 3, 2023

How Japan's renewable underestimates are impacting Asia's energy transition

Contrary to Japan's stance, independent projections paint a picture in which renewables can power the fast developing region.
Filmmaker Kah Wai Lim (left) interviews the owners of 22 independent cinemas across Japan about the difficulties and joys of running a “mini-theater” in “This Magic Moment.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2023

‘This Magic Moment’: Mini-theaters keep indie cinema love alive

Kah Wai Lim highlights the resilient determination of small theater owners across the country who keep their businesses afloat against the odds.

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