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Asahidake in Daisetsuzan is located in the town of Higashikawa, Hokkaido, which ranked as the most comfortable municipality in 2024.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 9, 2024

Small Hokkaido town ranked most comfortable place to live in Japan

Higashikawa, a small town with a population of just 8,000, was rated highly due to its friendliness and safe environment.
Ashwini Vaishnav (left), the Indian minister of electronics and information technology, and N. Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Sons, take part in the foundation stone laying ceremony for India's first AI-enabled semiconductor fabrication facilities in Dholera, Gujarat, India, on March 13.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 9, 2024

Could India become an alternative to China in the ‘chip war’?

As decoupling from China gains traction, the U.S. and its allies are betting on India for supply chain restructuring and semiconductor development.
Hula dancers perform at Spa Resort Hawaiians in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in November 2018.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

Spa Resort Hawaiians to be acquired by U.S. fund

The acquisition is expected to cost U.S. investment fund Fortress Investment Group up to around ¥14 billion.
A monitor in Tokyo shows the Nikkei stock average tumbling on Monday morning.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 9, 2024

Tech leads Nikkei decline but yen's retreat caps losses

The drop follows a sell-off in U.S. equities on Friday, after monthly U.S. payroll figures confirmed that the jobs market was losing momentum.
Masatsugu Asakawa, president of the Asian Development Bank, speaks during a news conference in Incheon, South Korea, on May 2, 2023.
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2024

Asian Development Bank says president to leave in early 2025

Japan is reportedly set to back former top financial diplomat Masato Kanda as a candidate for the ADB's next president.
U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles mimics a "Kamehameha,” an energy-blast attack from the anime "Dragon Ball Z,” after winning the men's 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 4.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 10, 2024

Athletes go Super Saiyan for anime

Although outsiders often consider anime a niche interest, it is a touchstone for younger generations, including athletes.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 10, 2024

U.S. House passes bill to blacklist some China biotech firms

China hawks in the U.S. House passed legislation that would blacklist Chinese biotech companies and their U.S. subsidiaries.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland sits between FBI Director Christopher Wray and Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general, during a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, in Washington on Sept. 4. Federal prosecutors say Russia secretly paid the American company Tenet Media to push pro-Kremlin messages from social media influencers including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 10, 2024

Russia focusing on American social media stars to covertly influence voters

The approach is widely viewed by American security agencies as one of Russia’s preferred tactics this cycle.
Global investors are expecting the yen may rise further since the Bank of Japan raised interest rates in July.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 10, 2024

Yen rally prompts an unwind of hedges in Japanese stocks but investors wary of earnings hit

Expectations that the yen may strengthen further have prompted strategists to recommend unwinding currency hedges on Japanese shares that have outperformed peers.
Rapidus' semiconductor foundry construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

Japan’s Rapidus seeks another ¥100 billion in chipmaking push

The proceeds will help finance the construction of Rapidus’ foundry in Hokkaido, sources said.
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.

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