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An automated truck is seen at Anglo American's Quellaveco copper mine in Peru in April.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2024

Japan and Peru to agree on mineral mining technology tie-up, report says

Resource-poor Japan has been actively reinforcing global supply chains for critical minerals — essential components for decarbonization technology.
A US-made TOW-2A wire-guided anti-tank missile, launched by Taiwanese soldiers from a M1167 TOW carrier vehicle at the Fangshan training grounds in Pingtung, Taiwan, on Aug 26.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 10, 2024

Taiwan sees a higher price for U.S. support as Trump returns to power

Tensions between Beijing and Taipei are high, with frequent Chinese military drills stoking fears of an accidental conflict.
Sri Lanka's President and National People's Power party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake addresses his party supporters during the last day of campaigning for the 17th Parliamentary Election in Piliyandala suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 12, 2024

Sri Lanka's new president faces first parliament test

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake seeks to expand his three parliamentary seats to a house majority in elections on Thursday.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Lula’s embrace of Xi sets up a clash over Trump’s China policy

Brazil’s geography and colonial history meant that it has traditionally looked to the Atlantic for commerce. Now it’s deepening ties with the Asia Pacific.
A University of Lisbon banner reads "From Lisbon to the World." Talent flight to wealthier countries of the north is a problem Portugal shares with several others in southern and central Europe.
WORLD / Society
Nov 15, 2024

Borderless Europe fights brain drain as talent heads north

Workers moving to other nations within the bloc exacerbates regional labor shortages and deprives poorer countries of tax revenues.
Members of the Indigenous People Association stage a protest to demand action on climate change, holding cutouts of U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the waters of Botafogo Bay, ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 17, 2024

Biden weighs fossil fuel finance curbs that could outlast Trump

Landing the deal is seen as essential to deliver on a promise Biden made during his first year in the White House.
Leaders of over 70 universities and research institutions from Japan and India attended a forum in New Delhi in mid-October.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2024

Japan's public and private sectors seek workers from India

The number of technical trainees and what are known as specified skilled workers coming from India to Japan has been on the rise in recent years.
Originally debuting on a coin purse, Hello Kitty became a national phenomenon in Japan and is now the second highest-grossing media franchise worldwide.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2024

Hello Kitty looks pretty at 50 (and is worth more than ever)

Kitty’s broad appeal, especially to adults, helped popularize the Japanese concept of kawaii (cuteness), which has since become a global trend.
Beijing Daxing International Airport
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2024

China reinstates visa-free travel for Japanese nationals

The exemption will cover travel for up to 30 days and will continue through the end of 2025. 
Retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson and YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul fight during the heavyweight boxing bout in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 15. The fight highlights the need for a national boxing commission to enforce uniform safety standards and prevent exploitative matchups.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2024

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's fight should have been illegal

Among major American sports, boxing is unique for its decentralized structure. There’s no annual schedule, season, commissioner or mandatory rulemaking body.
World leaders pose for a family photo during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima on Nov. 16.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2024

Trump casts long shadow over summits as world holds its breath

Officials raised worries about Trump’s specific threat to impose 60% tariffs on China, a measure that would force Beijing to reroute exports to other parts of the world.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's direct approach appears to mark a shift in the Japanese government's stance on the deal.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2024

Ishiba urges Biden to approve Nippon-U.S. Steel deal, sources say

The prime minister sent a letter asking the U.S. president to avoid marring recent efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries.
A woman carries firewood she bought at a marketplace in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Oct. 2. Telehealth — the use of technology to provide and access health care services remotely — has been growing around the world but is relatively new in Zimbabwe.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 27, 2024

In Zimbabwe, Starlink’s fast internet gives telehealth a boost

The satellite unit of Elon Musk's SpaceX received the green light in May to operate its internet services in Zimbabwe.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin at a ceremony in Pyongyang in June. If North Korean troops sent to the war in Ukraine under an agreement between the two nations are used for anything other than cannon fodder, they may gain experience that could improve the communist nation's military.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 27, 2024

Autocrats challenge traditional geopolitics and strategic boundaries

Emerging "common market of autocracies" are enabling regimes like Russia and North Korea to evade Western sanctions through unconventional networks and barter systems.
Environmental activists demonstrate in front of the convention center in Busan, South Korea, where delegates from around the world are seeking to reach a binding treaty against plastic waste.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 29, 2024

Showdown looms on plastic treaty days before deadline

With just two days of talks left, countries seeking an ambitious treaty urged delegations that "have not moved a centimeter" to make compromises or "get out of the way."
Charles Kushner attends the funeral for Ivana Trump, socialite and first wife of former U.S. President Donald Trump, at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York in July 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 1, 2024

Trump taps Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law, as envoy to France

The choice is in keeping with Trump's pattern, so far, of selecting people, often wealthy, who are close to his family or of proven loyalty.
Jean-Pierre Charriton
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Dec 2, 2024

President of L’Oreal Japan leverages innovation

Entered L’Oreal in 1991, in charge of the Biotherme products. After a career path in many countries, he arrived in Japan in 2021.
Students give a presentation at a competition in London on Friday for revitalization strategies in the Hokuriku region
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2024

London students compete on ideas to promote Hokuriku region

The presentations set out unique tourism strategies, such as "sake passports" to encourage tourists to visit local breweries, and "health tourism" to promote local foods.
Passengers line up at Narita Airport to board a flight to Seoul on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2024

Japanese companies weigh impact of South Korea's martial law chaos

The Foreign Ministry estimates that over 40,000 Japanese nationals reside in South Korea, with around 3,000 Japanese companies maintaining local offices.
No new turbines have been ordered in Sweden since the first quarter, according to the latest data from industry group Svensk Vindenergi, the longest such stretch in two years.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 7, 2024

Free green power in Sweden is crippling its wind industry

The country has one of the greenest grids in the world. But even more is needed to electrify the rest of its economy.
Filipino housekeepers undergo training to work for a Japanese staffing company. By applying the same criteria when hiring overseas and local workers, Japanese firms tend to underutilize the unique skills that foreign nationals can bring.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 8, 2024

Firms should quit turning foreign workers into Japanese ones

Many foreign nationals struggle with the idiosyncrasies of Japan's employment system. Firms tend to assimilate overseas personnel rather than utilize their unique skills.
A variety of rice cookers at a home appliance store
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Dec 16, 2024

Companies rush to high-end rice cookers as consumer tastes change

Appliance-makers are working with rice growers to boost demand, as well as debuting products that focus on flavor and features.
A smartphone with a displayed Nvidia logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 10, 2024

Nvidia hit with China probe in global tech war escalation

The move against Nvidia is Beijing’s latest riposte to escalating U.S. technology curbs.
The government is preparing to set Japan’s new Nationally Determined Contribution, an emissions reduction commitment made by members of the United Nations climate framework's Paris Agreement.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Dec 10, 2024

As Japan nears new climate goal, criticism of policy process ramps up

Critics say the process is not intended to facilitate genuine debate, and that those who support the energy status quo are overrepresented on policy panels.
A protester wears a mask depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally calling for his impeachment, in Seoul, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / ANALYSIS
Dec 12, 2024

South Korea's soft power gains at risk from extended political crisis

How the country — a top global destination for medical and plastic surgery tourism — gets through the period of uncertainty will impact foreign visitor numbers.
Syrian President Bashar Assad's downfall stemmed from his failure to reform the country's corrupt, sectarian regime and an economy ravaged by war, leaving his government unable to withstand the recent rebel offensive.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2024

Syria’s kleptocratic rule and a house of cards

Like the fictional mafia family, Assad’s regime relied on kickbacks from wealthy business owners and shaking down foreigners.
Attendees view a concept model of the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) fighter plane at the BAE Systems pavilion at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, England, in July.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2024

Trilateral fighter project takes big step with joint venture deal

The U.K.-headquartered entity, to be set up by mid-2025, will be responsible for the industrial side of Japan, Britain and Italy's Global Combat Air Program.
George Glass in July 2017
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 15, 2024

Trump reportedly eyeing businessman George Glass as envoy to Japan

Glass, who served as ambassador to Portugal under Trump's first administration, is one of the biggest fund donors who supported his comeback as U.S. president.
Crystal Smith, the elected chief of the Haisla people, stands on the shoreline of the Douglas Channel in Kitamaat, British Columbia, Canada, on Oct. 1.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 15, 2024

Indigenous people in Canada weigh costs of a gas windfall

The promise of billions of dollars of gas investment has renewed a generations-old debate over Indigenous identity and environmental stewardship.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2024

Starmer’s China reset plans get undercut by royal access scandal

It has emerged in court documents that a Chinese man who acted as a business adviser to the Duke of York was banned from Britain on national security grounds in 2023.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji