Search - information

 
 
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2022

U.S. battles Putin by disclosing his next possible moves

Declassified information is part of a campaign to complicate what officials say are Russia's plans to invade Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 19, 2021

Hidden Pentagon records reveal patterns of failure in deadly U.S. airstrikes

A trove of documents lays bare how the U.S. air war has been marked by deeply flawed intelligence, rushed and often imprecise targeting and the deaths of thousands of civilians.
They call it Q-Day: the day when a quantum computer, one more powerful than any yet built, could shatter the world of privacy and security as we know it.
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 23, 2023

The race to save our secrets from the computers of the future

Quantum technology could compromise our encryption systems. Can America replace them before it’s too late?
JAPAN / Society
Oct 31, 2023

Nihon University staff downplayed drug use problem, report says

The report shows how the university’s system of governance led to the delay in taking action against the American football team’s culture of drug use.
Portraits of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants, in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

The secret negotiations that led to the Gaza hostages deal

After weeks of tense diplomatic talks and painstaking negotiations, the work to free hostages taken by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 finally bore fruit.
Children and their parents wait at an outpatient area at a children's hospital in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Nov 25, 2023

What we know so far about surging respiratory illnesses in China

While emphasizing that the full situation remains unclear, experts say there is little to suggest the cases were caused by a new virus.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 13, 2023

Sumo's big ticketing problem

Securing tickets for sumo's biggest matches can be a headache, particularly for sumo's many foreign fans, partially due to outdated information online.
X owner Elon Musk
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2023

EU targets Musk's X in first illegal content probe

The probe will focus on countering the dissemination of illegal content and the effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation.
U.S. President Joe Biden with IBM’s System One quantum computer during a tour of a facility in Poughkeepsie, New York in 2022. Chinese spies are challenging the C.I.A. by deploying artificial intelligence and other advanced technology as the two nations try to pilfer each other’s trade secrets.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 28, 2023

Chinese spy agency rising to challenge the CIA

In recent years, China's Ministry of State Security has sharpened itself through better training, a bigger budget and the use of advanced technologies.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024

Dozens killed as Japan assesses damage from massive quake

The Monday afternoon quake led to the collapse of multiple buildings, caused landslides and sparked a large-scale fire in a popular tourist area.
David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Office representative on the Defense Department's Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, testifies during a House subcommittee's hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington last July.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 13, 2024

UFOs remain a mystery to lawmakers after classified briefing

Members of the House went into a confidential briefing hoping for answers about what the government knows about alien life. They emerged with more questions.
Soldiers during a live-fire exercise in Weiden, Germany
WORLD / Politics
Mar 5, 2024

Germany faces pressure to tighten security after Ukraine details exposed

One official described the lapses that led to the leak as expected from people who have never had security briefings but not from military officials.
Despite Japan's still-nascent domestic winemaking scene, wine drinkers in the country have long enjoyed an obsession with obtaining certifications around the beverage.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 17, 2024

What’s driving Japan’s love affair with wine certifications?

Studying wine is an extremely popular pastime in Japan — despite the number of students without a professional need to do so.
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during the LDP's 91st party convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024

What is being missed about the funding scandal

In discussions about the LDP funding scandal, certain considerations are missing. Beyond lambasting the party, these must be addressed for a clear vision.
Children are evacuated from a preschool in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, following tsunami warnings after a powerful earthquake struck off Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2024

Japan lifts tsunami advisory after strong quake hits Taiwan

Tsunami measuring at least 30 centimeters were observed at Yonaguni and Miyako islands, while waves as high as 20 cm also reached Ishigaki Island.
Although intelligence agencies are engaging more with the public than they used to, spy-themed entertainment is still the primary source of education about espionage.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2024

James Bond and Jason Bourne ruined spies for all of us

The average person knows deep down that what they see in the movies and on TV isn’t the same as reality, but they don’t know how or how much.
A giant screen shows Chinese leader Xi Jinping next to a flag of the Communist Party of China, at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing in October 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 21, 2024

Xi orders China’s biggest military reorganization since 2015

China will terminate the Strategic Support Force, which was created to enhance capabilities in space, cyber, political and electronic warfare.
TikTok raised eyebrows last month when it mobilized users to petition against a potential ban, demonstrating its influence on Americans.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 30, 2024

TikTok and Tesla just the start of U.S.-China clash over Big Data

Data security is again taking center stage in the intensifying rivalry between the U.S. and China.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits a child care support facility in Hiezu, Tottori Prefecture, in July.
JAPAN / Society
May 12, 2024

Government plans nationwide database to enhance child care support

Child care support measures and ways to apply for them differ according to each municipality.
Displaced Palestinian children stand at a school as they wait to flee Rafah after Israeli forces launched a ground and air operation in the eastern part of the southern Gaza city, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

How many of Gaza’s dead are women and children? For 10,000, it’s unclear.

The absence of personal details needed to ascertain their identities leads to their exclusion from the breakdown now being cited by the U.N.
Lamposts and other signs throughout Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture, display warnings, evacuation routes and measurements of height above sea level. The town has been hit by eight tsunami in its recorded history.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Jul 21, 2024

Why Japanese researchers are looking to submarine cables for faster tsunami warnings

While Japan boasts one of the world's most sophisticated earthquake and tsunami detection systems, gaps still remain.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 24, 2024

Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny

The funds can be used by the chief cabinet secretary with no explanation needed, fueling speculation of widespread misappropriation.
A public safety officer wipes away sweat in Times Square during high temperatures in New York on June 20.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 31, 2024

This is how we know when the world has its hottest day

These conclusions rely on a near real-time picture of the Earth’s climate for roughly every 30-square-kilometer chunk of the planet’s surface.
A tsunami advisory, shown in yellow, was issued following an earthquake in Kyushu on Tuesday afternoon.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2024

Tsunami advisory lifted after strong quake jolts Kyushu

The 7.1 magnitude quake, measuring a weak 7 on Japan's intensity scale, triggered small tsunami waves in some areas.
Health minister Keizo Takemi fields questions from reporters in March after a Cabinet meeting to deal with health problems caused by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's beni kōji red yeast rice supplements.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 14, 2024

Health Minister Keizo Takemi on how to improve Japan's health care system

Digitalization, hiring high-skilled foreign workers and increasing wages are among the steps that Japan could take.
A banner honoring the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is displayed on a street in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD
Sep 29, 2024

As Hezbollah threat loomed, Israel built up its spy agencies

Israel has spent the years since bolstering what was already considered one of the world’s best intelligence-gathering operations.
A damaged road in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 6, after a major earthquake struck the area on New Year's Day
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET
Oct 6, 2024

Important tool or alarmism? Japan experts split on megaquake advisories.

Supporters say the advisories are about reducing risk, but critics see a system that isn’t based on science and one in which the cons outweigh the pros.
A woman mounts a flag to a stack of cinderblocks in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Oct. 6.
WORLD / Society
Oct 31, 2024

Misinformation is turning American disasters into toxic battlegrounds

Deep political polarization, weakened trust in institutions and a lack of content moderation on social media allow false claims to flourish.
A member of the U.S. National Guard patrols on top of shipping containers along the Rio Grande, in Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, on March 19.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 19, 2024

Surveillance technology could supercharge Trump's plans, rights groups say

Trump could use surveillance systems and artificial intelligence as part of his plans to carry out mass deportations and more.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in a joint military drill involving Japan, the United States, Britain and Australia at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in January 2023.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2024

Japan hosts Five Eyes group meeting for first time

The move highlights the growing cooperation between Tokyo and its allies amid shared concerns about a rapidly deteriorating security environment.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji