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Masato Kanda, Japan's former top currency diplomat, led massive bouts of yen-buying intervention in the currency markets in 2022 and 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2024

Japan nominates ex-currency diplomat Kanda to head ADB

Since its 1966 founding, the ADB's top post has always gone to a Japanese national, making Kanda a strong candidate.
The European Court of Justice is set to give a ruling on Irish tax breaks to U.S. company Apple on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 10, 2024

D-Day for Apple and Google as EU court to rule on major cases

The Apple case has been one of several investigations in the previous decade into sweetheart tax arrangements between major companies and several EU countries.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 16 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

iPhone 16 to land in Japan without Apple Intelligence 

The new feature, which uses generative artificial intelligence to analyze text and photos, will only be activated in 2025 in several markets, including Japan.
An electronic sign developed by Mitsubishi Electric displays announcements in multiple languages at a factory in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

Mitsubishi Electric develops multilingual translation system for meetings

The firm hopes the system will be used when information needs to be related accurately to a large number of workers, including non-Japanese ones.
Commuters sit at a cafe in Sydney on Feb. 26.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 11, 2024

Over a third of Australians say they’ll never be able to retire

Australia’s proportion of retirees is expected to surge from 8% today to 19% over the next 40 years.
Unclaimed luggage in the Delta baggage claim area at Los Angeles International Airport on July 25 following a catastrophic system outage.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 11, 2024

U.S. airlines may soon face cash penalties for delayed flights

A proposed compensation program would mean U.S. airlines would have to pay a set cash payment amount to each passenger on a disrupted flight
Mauricio Pochettino will take over as the head coach of the U.S. men's national team after his abrupt departure from Chelsea earlier this year.
SOCCER
Sep 11, 2024

Mauricio Pochettino appointed as new coach of U.S. national soccer team

The former Chelsea coach replaces American Gregg Berhalter, who was fired in July after a disappointing Copa America campaign.
Vadim Morus, a Russian professional skater and trainer, practices for his performance in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 19.
WORLD / Society
Sep 11, 2024

A mini-Russia emerges in Serbia as thousands flee war

Russian-owned clubs, kindergartens and medical practices have sprung up in Belgrade, a city of less than two million people.
Elderly pachinko players at Day Service Las Vegas, a casino-themed day care service in Yokohama, in August
JAPAN / Society
Sep 11, 2024

Pachinko-style gambling is helping seniors’ brains in Japan

Bolstered by evidence that playing the pinball machines can help prevent dementia, some businesses are now tailoring services in a bid to revive growth.
A barista fills a customer’s order at a Starbucks in Odessa, Texas. Starbucks has more than 16,000 locations in the United States, including this one in Odessa.
BUSINESS
Sep 10, 2024

A funnel cake macchiato anyone? The coffee wars are heating up.

From the giant Starbucks to small coffee shops, the battle is on for who can come up with the craziest, calorie-laden, not-really-coffee drink.
The dollar fell to an eight-month low in Tokyo trading Wednesday morning, after a Bank of Japan policymaker signaled a willingness to raise interest rates further.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 11, 2024

Yen leads gains versus dollar as traders weigh BOJ and U.S. debate

The yen has been in a broad appreciation trend since hitting a multi-decade low of ¥161.95 on July 3.
The share of online brokerages in the publicly offered investment trust market rose above 20% for the first time at the end of June as younger investors do deals on their smartphones and laptops.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 11, 2024

Online brokers are taking Japan market share from bigger rivals

The popularity of an expanded tax-free investment account program called NISA has encouraged its users to do deals on their smartphones and laptops.
East Japan Railway plans to run driverless shinkansen by the mid-2030s.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 11, 2024

JR East unveils plans for driverless shinkansen by mid-2030s

The company said it first aims to realize driverless operations for the Joetsu Shinkansen line between Niigata and Tokyo stations.
With the world's democracies and authoritarian regimes watching, the U.S. election on Nov. 5 will have global implications.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2024

The choice confronting American voters

Republicans and Democrats differ significantly on the role of government in society, a divide that the U.S. Supreme Court used to mediate.
Japan Freight Raiway's Kudara freight terminal in the city of Osaka
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2024

JR Freight suspends operations over data tampering

Data on the pressure applied when fitting wheels onto trains’ axles was falsified for inspection records.
Job-seekers take a Japanese class at an employment placement company in Hanoi in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 11, 2024

Is Japan an attractive option for foreign talent from Asia?

The uptick in young foreign workers is driven by growing interest in Japanese society and culture and difficulty in finding jobs at home.
From Malaysia to Brazil, free speech is being pitted against social media regulation.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2024

To hold Big Tech accountable, focus on the harms

The Malaysian case underscores the urgent need for effective safeguards against online abuse, while raising concerns about the potential misuse of regulatory power.
Cosplayer Xu Yunting (left), dressed as Jesse, a male character from the video game Light and Night, and video game enthusiast Feng Xinyu visit a crafts shop during their 'cos commissioning' date in Shanghai.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 11, 2024

'Dream men': Female cosplayers in China fulfill fantasies for young women

A trend called "cos commissioning" is allowing young women in China to perform idealized heteronormative relationships — with other women.
The Kangei Maru, a 9,300-ton whaling mothership, was launched in May.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2024

Japan shows first commercial fin whale catch in 48 years

The country this year added the fin whale to a catch list that already includes minke, Bryde's and sei whales.
Shoppers outside an office building in Beijing in August. China's overall public spending — which includes local governments — is shrinking, not growing. It contracted about 2% in the first seven months of 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2024

China’s attempt to boost demand is stifled by wall of austerity

While finance chiefs in Beijing are testing new ways to boost the economy by encouraging demand, their counterparts in the provinces are in full belt-tightening mode.
The total cost of cooking curry rice has topped ¥300 for the 12th straight month and is expected to exceed ¥350 per serving in August, according to a survey.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2024

Making a bowl of curry rice at home now costs over ¥300, survey says

The cost of the budget-friendly dish hit a record ¥342 in July, up ¥44 from the same period last year, according to a survey.
Alimentation Couche-Tard is discussing raising its takeover bid for Seven & I Holdings, informed sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024

Couche-Tard weighing higher price for 7-Eleven owner, sources say

Its bid would need to be significantly higher than the initial proposal of $14.86 per share in order to get Seven & I to enter negotiations, they said.
Hong Kong’s property tycoons are eagerly awaiting interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve due to their struggles with slow home sales, vacant office buildings and tenants pushing for lease renegotiations.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2024

The Fed is making Hong Kong's billionaire landlords anxious

Many Hong Kong property companies have significant amounts of debt at floating interest rates tied to Hibor, which tracks the Fed's rate changes.
Labor market reform will likely be a hot economic debate topic in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, the campaign of which kicked off on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2024

Labor market reform becoming hot topic in LDP leadership race

Candidates differ in how they intend to tackle labor market issues, especially on whether to give firms more flexibility in the dismissing of workers.
A Japan Freight Railway train passes through a train station in Osaka in 2017. JR Freight on Thursday resumed operations for all of its freight trains after a temporary halt following the discovery of data tampering and other irregularities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024

JR Freight resumes train operations after discovery of data tampering

The freight operator had suspended operations on Wednesday to inspect container cars suspected to have been affected.
The Osaka Prefectural Police recently arrested three people who allegedly had some ¥4.9 billion in total paid into their bank accounts from about 10,000 people who took part in overseas online gambling.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024

Three arrested over alleged laundering of online casino money

The suspects allegedly had some ¥4.9 billion in total paid into their bank accounts from about 10,000 people who took part in overseas online gambling.
A vendor attends to a customer at the secondhand books section of Panjiayuan antiques market in Beijing
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 13, 2024

China wants academic exchanges, but censorship could stand in the way

The Chinese Communist Party has exerted control over all publications since establishing the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Palestinians search for survivors of an Israeli strike in the Shejaiya suburb east of Gaza City on Thursday. A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development described the economy of the Gaza Strip as being "in ruins" more than 11 months after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 13, 2024

Gaza economy shrinks to less than a sixth of its pre-war size, U.N. says

A document from the U.N.'s trade agency also describes "a rapid and alarming economic decline" in the occupied West Bank.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Some 53% of economists surveyed by Bloomberg said the earliest timing for a rate change would be in October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 13, 2024

Over half of BOJ watchers see next rate hike coming in December

The survey results show most analysts believe the market ructions after the July 31 rate hike didn't derail the BOJ from the normalization path.
A supermarket in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, operated by Aeon. Shares of Aeon have extended their gains to 25% this year and reached a record high this week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seven & I proposal fuels rally in Japanese retailers like Aeon

An increase in Japan’s consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Asia’s second-biggest gross economy, is also supporting retailers.

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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