Search - 2023

 
 
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 29, 2024

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani announces marriage

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani announced his marriage via Instagram on Wednesday.
Prospective foreign vocational school graduates who finish education ministry-accredited academic courses will be granted “technology, humanities and international affairs” residence status intended for white-collar workers such as engineers, interpreters and designers, even if their jobs don’t necessarily relate to what they have studied.
JAPAN
Feb 29, 2024

Japan eases residency rules for foreign graduates of vocational schools

The relaxation of rules is aimed at retaining highly skilled professionals amid a chronic labor shortage.
Japan Airlines has kicked off an unmanned drone service to deliver goods and medical supplies in the remote town of Setouchi.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 29, 2024

Japan Airlines starts drone service in remote areas for disasters

The carrier is working with local authorities in the town of Setouchi, a tiny inlet in Okayama Prefecture that's home to 8,000 residents.
A poster for digital coupons at a store in the city of Fukushima
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Mar 11, 2024

Fukushima’s welfare coupon campaign highlights digital divide

A call center dedicated to the initiative received so many calls that telephone lines were overloaded.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has upended Communist Party norms since consolidating power and installing a coterie of loyalists in 2022, marking a shift from the more collective decision-making that helped propel China’s economic rise.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

Xi’s one-man rule over China’s economy is spurring unrest

While the Chinese leader attempts to put the China's economy on a more sustainable footing, he is failing to convince the nation that's a good idea.
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, stands inside a defendants' cage before a hearing to consider an appeal on his extended pre-trial detention, at the Moscow City Court in Moscow on Feb. 20.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

'How much time he's lost': Jailed U.S. reporter's family waits for his return

The parents of Evan Gershkovich are counting on a promise from U.S. President Joe Biden to bring their son home.
Trucks are seen as Ukrainian hauliers take part in an round-the-clock counter-demonstration against the blockade of the border by Polish protesters on Feb. 20.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2024

Companies in Ukraine see problems pile up, but most tough it out

"The war has taught us to respond flexibly"
U.S. President Joe Biden discusses his administrationユs immigration and border security policies at a Border Patrol station in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

Trump and Biden both visit U.S.-Mexico border and spar on immigration

With the presidential election less than eight months away, polls show most voters blame U.S. President Joe Biden for the number of illegal entries.
Alex “Rami-chan” Ramirez
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Mar 1, 2024

Baseball star Alex Ramirez’s NPO helps special kids

Founder of Vamos Together, Venezuelan Alex Ramirez played for Yakult Swallows and Yomiuri Giants, then became manager of the Yokohama DeNa BayStars
Haas' Ayao Komatsu is the first Japanese to be named team principal of a non-Japanese Formula One team.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 1, 2024

Ayao Komatsu and a road less traveled to the top of a Formula One team

As the new boss at Haas, Komatsu is the first Japanese team principal for a non-Japanese F1 team.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a presidential permit for energy development that he signed during a tour of an oil rig in Midland, Texas, in July 2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2024

How the planet could survive another Trump term

In his first term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, rolled back environmental regulations, unleashed gas drilling and more.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 3, 2024

For Democrats pining for an alternative, Biden team has a message: Get over it.

While a new poll shows that 2 in 5 Democrats say the president shouldn't be the nominee, no one who matters to Biden is willing to suggest he step aside.
Sean Williams' sled dog team participates in the ceremonial start of the 52nd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 3, 2024

Alaska's 52nd annual Iditarod sled dog race mushes to starting line

The number of competitors this year, 38, represents one of the smallest fields going back to the first year of the race in 1973.
The Dongmenting night market in Shenzhen, China, on Feb. 12. Hong Kong residents are flocking to nearby mainland cities in record numbers for cheaper shopping and entertainment.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 4, 2024

Young Hong Kongers who defied Xi are now partying in China

Thanks to new infrastructure, they can regularly go to Shenzhen where products and services are cheaper.
TSMC's new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

Japan in the midst of a semiconductor plant construction rush

The government set aside ¥4 trillion between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2023 for subsidies for helping companies build semiconductor plants.
The Yarra River in Melbourne. The leaders of every ASEAN member, bar Myanmar, were in Australia for a three-day summit to commemorate 50 years of relations.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

Australia and Southeast Asia push to bolster ties in China’s shadow

The leaders of every ASEAN member, bar Myanmar, were in Australia for a three-day summit to commemorate 50 years of relations.
Shiseido is aiming to cut about 1,500 jobs in Japan through early retirement program.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

Outliers in Japanese stocks’ bull run under pressure to downsize

A rising number of blue-chip Japanese companies are cutting staff — a move that used to be seen as a last resort.
J-Power is making a AU$380.9 million bid for Australian renewable energy firm Genex Power.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

J-Power makes bid for Australian renewables firm Genex

The move comes as part of the Japanese company's efforts to boost its renewable energy assets.
Akiko Ito, former commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency, will be Canon's first female board member if approved at its general shareholders’ meeting on March 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

ISS backs Canon CEO after nomination of first woman to board

Japanese firms have been slow to appoint women to senior executive roles. But they’re now facing growing pressure to meet stricter standards.
Six months have passed since Japan started releasing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2024

Fukushima water release still vexing China-Japan ties

China-bound exports of Japanese fishery products in 2023 plunged by some 30% from the previous year in value terms.
A 2015 protest against the construction of military infrastructure in Okinawa Prefecture. Many residents are also worried about the impact of a Taiwan contingency on their islands.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 4, 2024

Okinawa’s peace movement carves its own path

Many Okinawans worry about a Taiwan contingency and are angered by U.S. base relocation: Grievances that have given impetus to the islands' own diplomacy.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

China scraps premier's briefing, breaking years of convention

The decision removes a rare platform for investors to learn more about the nation’s policy direction under President Xi Jinping.
PFAS does not break down easily and remains in the body and the environment for a number of years, and is thus called “forever chemicals.”
JAPAN / Explainer
Mar 4, 2024

Japan’s food safety panel drafts intake limit for 'forever chemicals'

The report spells out the “tolerable daily intake” of PFAS through food for the first time. Here's what you need to know.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Bahrain on Friday
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 5, 2024

FIA chief faces allegation of interference at 2023 Saudi Grand Prix

The case revolves around the overturning of a penalty given to Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
The pickup in consumer prices largely reflected the fading impact of government subsidies rolled out last year to keep a lid on utility costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2024

Tokyo prices heat up again, supporting case for BOJ rate hike

Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.5% in the capital, re-accelerating after cooling in January to a revised 1.8%.
Broad indications are growing that Chinese President Xi Jinping is shifting away from four decades of market-oriented reforms and financial innovation. The most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong has emphasized the Communist Party’s "centralized and unified leadership” of the sector, and pledged to build "a modern financial system with Chinese characteristics” that’s completely different from the West.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024

China's bankers exit industry amid crackdown on ‘hedonistic’ lifestyles

Finance workers in China are rethinking their career as Chinese President Xi Jinping signals a shift away from market-oriented reform and innovation.
The logo of semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices is seen on a graphics processing unit chip in this illustration
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 5, 2024

AMD hits U.S. roadblock in selling AI chip tailored for China

AMD had hoped to gain a green light from the Commerce Department to sell the AI processor to Chinese customers.
The EU hit Apple with a €1.8 billion fine ($1.9 billion) on Monday for violating the bloc's laws by preventing music streaming services from informing users about subscription options outside of its App Store.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024

EU fines Apple €1.8 billion over curbs on music streaming services

The European Union found Apple had violated law by preventing music streaming services from telling users about subscription options outside its App Store.
 Alli, which will be available from April 8, is expected to reduce fat stored around internal organs and prevent obesity-related diseases.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2024

Japan’s first over-the-counter anti-obesity drug to hit stores in April

The drug is expected to reduce fat stored around internal organs and prevent obesity-related diseases.
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep arrives at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, in February.
TENNIS
Mar 6, 2024

Simona Halep free to return after four-year doping ban reduced by CAS

The two-time Grand Slam singles champion had appealed to CAS in February, arguing that her positive test was the result of a "contaminated product."

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building