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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."
The number of skiers and snowboarders in Japan has been declining, and is down about 75% in 2020 from its peak in the late 1990s, according to the Japan Productivity Center.
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2023

Skiing in Japan is getting a $1.4 billion upgrade

Ken Chan, the former Japan head of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, aims to invest $1.4 billion in the resort of Myoko, Niigata Prefecture.
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.
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2023

Japan and Thailand to cooperate to improve investment climate

Thailand's foreign minister reportedly said that he hopes his country can cooperate with Japan in new areas, including digital transformation.
Climate activists protest demanding that the World Bank stop fossil fuel financing on the first day of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / ANALYSIS
Oct 13, 2023

Why money matters when taking climate change to court

More litigation funding for climate lawsuits could mean more cases.
Vitor Gaspar, director of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2023

IMF official says fiscal reform will only grow more difficult

According to data from the IMF, Japan's national debt-to-GDP ratio topped 260% in 2022.
The U.S. is struggling to cut China off from top AI technology.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 13, 2023

Biden eyes adding AI chip curbs to Chinese companies abroad

Efforts to close the loophole allowing access to chips the show how the Biden administration is struggling to cut China off from top AI technology.
Pedestrians walk past a McDonald's restaurant in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2023

Hong Kong takes economic hit as Chinese tourists fail to splurge

Changes in travel habits come as the Chinese economy weakens and youth unemployment remains high.
There are expectations that Japan’s life insurers may increase purchases of Japanese government bonds as yields rise at home along with signs that the central bank is edging toward a normalization of monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 13, 2023

Japan’s rising yields and yen hedging costs drive insurers to JGBs

Japanese government bonds are drawing interest amid signs that the central bank is edging toward a normalization of monetary policy.
A representative of Chevalier Brewery presents a bottle of its sake adapted to French drinkers' tastes.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 15, 2023

Sake fights an uphill battle for France’s wine lovers

Among many French drinkers, sake is still associated with cheap, low-quality alcohol only served at the end of meals in Japanese restaurants.
A gender-equality supporter protests against discrimination at an event held in Tokyo for International Women's Day in March 2021
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 13, 2023

Japan’s gender gap has never been wider. Can Kishida close it?

The government emphasizes the need to improve gender equality, but correcting Japan's dismal record requires a nuanced approach.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (front right) arrives for a news conference during the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in Marrakech, Morocco, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 14, 2023

Japan tells G20 it may need to act in FX market

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki's remarks came as the yen renewed its declines against the dollar.
Hiroshi Watanabe, former Japanese currency policy chief and onetime head of  the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, speaks during an interview in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2023

IMF warning on China puts 'Japanization' risk in spotlight

Stalling inflation and a deepening real estate crisis were said to be among the biggest risks to global growth during a recent IMF and World Bank meeting.
Washington is taking steps to prevent U.S. chipmakers from circumventing government rules in order to sell to China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 16, 2023

U.S. to tighten rules aimed at keeping advanced chips out of China

The Biden administration is aiming to close loopholes that might help its geopolitical rival gain cutting-edge technologies.
The International Monetary Fund says it sees no factors for Japan to intervene in the foreign exchange market to support the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 16, 2023

IMF sees no conditions for Japan to intervene in currency market

Whether Japan will intervene to support the yen has been a key focus lately, with the currency staying near ¥150 per dollar.
Xi Jinping's third Belt and Road Forum begins today in Beijing.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 16, 2023

Xi’s $1 trillion ‘project of the century’ faces uncertain future

China’s overall activity in BRI countries is down about 40% from its 2018 peak as the world’s second-biggest economy slows.
Road signage near Mai Mahiu, Kenya
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 16, 2023

Mental trauma: African content moderators push Big Tech on rights

Thousands are hired to scour social media for graphic content, but many allege irregular pay, union-busting and inadequate mental health support.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen attends the launching ceremony of Narwhal, its first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Sept. 28.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 16, 2023

Fearing China, South Korea targets Taiwan navy submarine contractors

Seoul has avoided arming the island, even as its companies ink weapons deals with other Asian neighbors.
Visitors walk down the main shopping street of Nanjing East Road, one of Shanghai's main commercial and tourist areas, on Sept. 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 17, 2023

China data likely to show fragile economy in need of support

Data due Wednesday will likely show gross domestic product expanded 4.5% in the July-to-September period from a year earlier.
Rangers catcher Jonah Heim hits a third-inning home run against the Astros during Game 3 of the AL Championship Series in Houston on Monday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 17, 2023

Rangers take 2-0 lead over Astros; Phillies down Arizona

Both Texas and Philadelphia protected early-inning leads in Monday's wins.
Toyota has suspended operations at six domestic plants following a blast at a factory run by one of its component suppliers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2023

Toyota halts six auto plants after explosion at parts supplier

The explosion occurred Monday at Chuo Spring’s factory in Aichi Prefecture, where vehicle suspension coils are made.
Oil storage tanks in the Keihin industrial area in Kanagawa Prefecture. Japan relies on the Middle East for over 95% of its oil.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2023

Japan still relies on Middle East oil 50 years on from crisis

Japan's alternative oil suppliers, such as Indonesia, have seen their ability to export reduced by their own economic growth.
Palestinian refugees flee to Rafah, in southern Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023

Japan must uphold humanitarianism in the Middle East

War cries from Israel and Hamas must be met with appeals for the defense of human life, a position Japan has historically held.
Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp.'s Japanese office in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2023

Taiwan's Powerchip considering five sites in Japan for factory

Powerchip announced in July that it was setting up a joint venture with financial firm SBI Holdings with the aim of securing government subsidies.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2023

Discount supermarket OK opens store in Tokyo's posh Ginza district

Discount supermarket operator OK opened a store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district, aiming to cater to foreign tourists and restaurant operators.
Elon Musk, owner of the X social media platform and carmaker Tesla, attends the opening ceremony of a new Tesla factory in Gruenheide, Germany, in March 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 18, 2023

X unveils ‘Not a Bot’ paid program and new Japan feature

The new “Not A Bot” subscription method is Elon Musk’s latest way of nudging users toward paying for the platform.
Foreign tourists in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Wednesday
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2023

Foreign visitors to Japan hit 96% of pre-COVID level in September

The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure was 2.18 million last month, up slightly from 2.16 million in August.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. The central bank announced an emergency bond-buying operation on Wednesday after the 10-year Japanese government bond yield hit a new decade high.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2023

Bank of Japan steps into debt market to slow rising bond yields

The operation had no immediate impact on the benchmark 10-year yield, which earlier in the day touched 0.815%, a fresh decade high.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 18, 2023

Compensation to be given over Japan payments clearing system glitch

Zengin-Net, the system’s operator, said member banks will reimburse customers for extra fees and penalties incurred.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2023

BOJ seen lifting inflation forecasts as pressure on policy grows

Central bank is also seen upgrading its forecast for 2024 from the current 1.9%, to at or above 2.0%.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight