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Even with the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" and improvements in on-screen representation, Asian actors still comprise just 18.4% of film roles, which is an improvement compared to 3.4% in 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

To win back audiences, put more Asians behind the camera

The movie industry is losing out at a time when it can ill-afford to do so. Betting on Asian talent would help.
Fumihiro Inoue, an associate professor at Yokohama National University speaks during an interview on Sept. 18 in Hodogaya Ward, Yokohama.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 9, 2024

Expert calls for new chip research institute near Tokyo

"Technological innovation led by companies is necessary for the semiconductor industry to regain momentum," said Fumihiro Inoue.
U.K. Conservative leadership candidates Kemi Badenoch (left) and Robert Jenrick after delivering speeches at the party's annual conference, in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 10, 2024

Who are Badenoch and Jenrick, the candidates to lead U.K. Tories?

By choosing Badenoch or Jenrick, the Conservative party looks set to appeal to supporters lost to Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform U.K. party.
Some 930,000 defective SIM cards of NTT Docomo and other carriers that use Docomo's network might become unusable even if they are functioning normally now.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024

NTT Docomo recalling almost a million defective SIM cards

The defective cards were manufactured between December 2021 and October 2022, with serial numbers that start with GD06.
New economic revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks during an interview on Tuesday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 10, 2024

Japan is aiming for a growth-oriented economy, new minister says

The new minister also underlined his resolve to attain the government's target of raising the weighted average of minimum wages in the 2020s.
Just 1 in 10 researchers and 1 in 5 students at the prestigious University of Tokyo are women.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Oct 10, 2024

Women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance with posters

Gender bias begins early in Japanese education.
Jets coach Robert Saleh hugs quarterback Aaron Rodgers during their game against the Patriots in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sept. 19.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 10, 2024

Aaron Rodgers denies any involvement in Jets' decision to fire Robert Saleh

Some reports said that Rodgers had been unhappy with a plan by Saleh to demote offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
The corporate goods price index (CGPI), which measures the price companies charge each other for their goods and services, rose 2.8% in September from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 10, 2024

Japan's wholesale inflation perks up, while yen rise eases cost pressure

The decline in import costs will likely shift the BOJ's attention to whether a more demand-driven rise in inflation takes hold in the country.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is the largest foreign issuer of yen bonds this year, raising a record ¥545.1 billion.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 10, 2024

Berkshire issues bonds worth ¥282 billion, sparking Japan investment hopes

The seven-part bond deal is Berkshire’s biggest yen-denominated deal since 2019, and makes it the largest foreign issuer of yen bonds this year.
The Taro Nasu gallery in Tokyo, with work by the French artist Benoit Pieron on view.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 10, 2024

In Tokyo, the Taro Nasu gallery focuses on conceptual art

Striving to be unique, the small gallery is bringing attention to artists from around the world whose works have rarely been seen in Japan.
The Consumer Affairs Agency is warning against fake websites that lure consumers into purchasing unrelated or counterfeit products.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 10, 2024

Consumer watchdog warns against fake electronics sites

The sites, often promoted via social media ads, are luring consumers into purchasing unrelated or counterfeit products.
Fast Retailing booked its third consecutive year of record earnings on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024

Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing posts 31% rise in full-year profit, beats estimates

Operating profit rose 31% to ¥500.9 billion in the 12 months through August from ¥381.1 billion a year earlier.
FEPC Vice Chairman Toshiharu Sasaki (center) holds a news conference after meeting with Aomori Gov. Soichiro Miyashita on Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2024

Aomori Prefecture rejects proposed high-level nuclear waste delivery

The prefecture was asked to accept a small amount of high-level nuclear waste returned from overseas instead of more low-level waste, which had been agreed earlier.
Roof damage at Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton made landfall, in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday. Almost 3 million people were without power Thursday after Milton made landfall and crossed the state.
WORLD
Oct 11, 2024

Hurricane Milton’s surprise was the damage unleashed by powerful winds

Much of the worst damage from the hurricane, like the shredded roof of the Tropicana Field sports stadium, came from wind rather than water.
Independence Square in central Kyiv
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2024

World Bank board approves new Ukraine fund, sources say

The fund will help fulfill a pledge by Group of Seven rich democracies to provide Ukraine with up to $50 billion in additional funding by the end of the year.
With less than a month before the election, polls and prediction markets show Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump in a virtual dead heat.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Oct 11, 2024

Risks from possible contested U.S. election appear on market's radar

For now, political uncertainty appears to be doing little to dampen enthusiasm for stocks.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk rides in Tesla's robotaxi at an unveiling event in Los Angeles on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 11, 2024

Tesla CEO Musk unveils Cybercab and Robovan as focus shifts to automation

Musk said Cybercab production will start in 2026, with the autonomous taxis available to buy for less than $30,000.
Hiroyuki Okuzawa, chief operating officer of Daiichi Sankyo, during an interview in Tokyo on Friday
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024

Daiichi Sankyo eyes newer cancer drugs to stave off rivals

The Japanese drugmaker has emerged as a leader in ADC, a type of cancer therapy that targets cancerous cells while sparing the healthy ones.
The Bank of Japan's surprise rate increase on July 31 led to Japanese stocks plummeting into bear-market territory, with the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average falling 12.4% on Aug. 5 alone.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 11, 2024

Bank of Japan vows better messaging to avoid more market turmoil

There is "strong will" within the central bank to learn from what had happened during its last rate increase, BOJ Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino.
An office worker inside a commercial building at night in Tokyo
JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2024

Widespread overwork and stress found in Japan's arts and health sectors

In the arts and entertainment sector, over 40% of technical staff and stage directors worked 60 hours or more in a week, a health ministry survey found.
The history of cooking shows that no country can claim exclusive ownership of a dish, as many iconic foods like kabobs, pizzas, or pad thai have international roots shaped by cultural exchanges.
COMMENTARY
Oct 11, 2024

A battle over the kebab’s nationality

National dishes are often recent constructs, with many foods evolving across regions and influenced by various cultures.
Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks during a party leaders' debate at the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 11, 2024

Opposition party shakes up Japan’s rate debate with new inflation target

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan calls for redefining the Bank of Japan’s inflation target to “above 0%” from the current 2%.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends the East Asia Summit during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 11, 2024

Ishiba clears low bar in diplomatic debut

Experts said Ishiba's visit signaled that he would maintain continuity with the policies set by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
A U.S. security panel granted Nippon Steel permission to refile its bid, pushing a final decision beyond the presidential election next month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2024

Nippon Steel will exit Alabama plant if U.S. Steel bid succeeds

Japan’s biggest steelmaker would offload its 50% holding in AM/NS Calvert to its joint-venture partner ArcelorMittal for $1, it said in a statement on Friday.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan. For investors who were hoping to hear authorities spell out exactly how much the government will spend to revive the ailing economy, Saturday's news conference was disappointing.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Oct 12, 2024

China's stimulus message leaves investors wanting though hanging onto hope

Saturday's news conference reiterated Beijing's broad plans to revive the ailing economy, leaving investors disappointed at the lack of detail.
Starting on Nov. 5, the Tokyo Stock Exchange will extend its stock trading hours by 30 minutes to 3:30 p.m.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 13, 2024

200 listed firms in Japan to postpone earnings disclosure

The delay in disclosure signals that companies make light of investors and increases the risk of insider trading, critics said.
The Osaka Expo site under construction. The expo is scheduled to take place on Yumeshima, an artificial island, from April 13 through Oct. 13 of next year.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2024

Challenges remain six months to go before Osaka Expo

About 7.14 million advance tickets had been sold since they went on sale last year — only 51% of the organizers' target of 14 million.
A man searches through the rubble of a wrecked house in the Turkish town of Cankiri after a strong earthquake hit central Turkey in June 2000.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2024

Earthquakes, hurricanes and other disasters will shape our future cities

The progress of Antakya’s renewal bears watching. However it proceeds, there will be lessons to learn.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo’an (center) during a news conference in Beijing on Saturday
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 14, 2024

China leaves economists wanting more action to defeat deflation

The supportive measures announced by Finance Minister Lan Fo'an over the weekend gave little indication Chinese authorities feel any urgency to boost consumption.
Afghan women after an earthquake in Herat, Afghanistan, on Oct. 10, 2023
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 14, 2024

Poorest nations in worst financial shape since 2006, World Bank says

The World Bank report finds these economies are poorer today, on average, than they were on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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