Search - 2023

 
 
Eschewing the comfort of Tokyo’s air-conditioned museums, the inconvenient art movement draws viewers into the countryside to see artworks such as Christian Boltanski’s “Les Regards.”
CULTURE / Art
Jun 7, 2024

A list of Japan’s remote art sites

Get off the beaten path this summer and discover art tucked away in the farthest reaches of Japan.
Postage rates for sealed letters and other documents are expected to be raised by 30% as early as October, the first rise in 30 years aside from when prices increased along with consumption tax hikes.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2024

Postage rate hikes seen denting New Year's card tradition in Japan

The tradition of sending New Year's greetings on postcards began in 1873 with the introduction of postcards.
Takayuki Midorikawa stands in front of Ueda Junior High School in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jun 17, 2024

Fukushima schools open up to revising old rules

The prefecture has recently made some moves to accommodate a little more diversity in the classroom.
Korean skincare routines tend to be more complex than Japan’s counterpart beauty industry of “less is more,” making K-beauty something of a sweet spot between Japan and the West.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 9, 2024

K-beauty or J-beauty? The two 'are not so different these days.'

In early 2024, imports of Korean beauty products to Japan topped French cosmetics for the first time.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group will sell their Toyota shareholdings over an extended period of time lasting a few years, sources said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 7, 2024

Two of Japan's top banks to divest ¥1.3 trillion in Toyota shareholdings

Mitsubishi UFJ and Sumitomo Mitsui will sell in stages and take advantage of Toyota’s plan to buy back its own shares.
Amid the rising popularity of saunas, the Consumer Affairs Agency is urging users to exercise caution following a spike in the number of sauna-related accidents.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2024

Japan's consumer watchdog warns of accidents in the sauna

Users are urged to exercise caution to avoid severe injuries amid a spike in accidents as saunas become more popular.
Participants attend the official opening of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 7, 2024

Amid war, Putin looks east from Russia's window to Europe

Russia is pitching its $2 trillion economy to giants such as China and Saudi Arabia at its premier investment forum in St. Petersburg.
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo speaks about the planned new capital Nusantara, at Ecosperity Week in Singapore on June 7, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 7, 2024

Indonesian president in damage control over new capital

The abrupt resignations of two officials make it harder for Joko Widodo to allay fears about Nusantara, his legacy project.
Germany's Alexander Zverev during a match at the French Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jun 7, 2024

Alexander Zverev settles abuse case brought by former girlfriend

The agreement, according to German media, includes a monetary condition of €200,000 ($217,820), with the player not found guilty of any wrongdoing.
Gold prices change daily, reflecting wider market movements, but start at about 88,000 won ($64) for a 0.5-gram bar.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2024

You can now buy gold bars from vending machines in South Korea

Prices change daily, reflecting wider market movements, but start at about 88,000 won ($64) for a 0.5-gram bar.
A customer buys a ticket for ramen at a vending machine at Goumen Maruko ramen shop in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 8, 2024

Japan runs on vending machines. It’s about to break millions of them.

New yen notes set to be introduced this summer won't be compatible with many machines that businesses like ramen shops rely on.
Some major world economies want to finalize a plan ahead of this year's U.N. climate summit to halt new private sector funding for coal projects.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 8, 2024

Major world economies seek to halt new private sector coal financing

The biggest pushback on the OECD proposal to halt new private sector funding for coal projects has come from Japan, sources said.
Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor, bows during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 8, 2024

Shareholder votes in focus as big Japan banks sell Toyota shares

The potential exit of key stakeholders may lead to less stability and predictability for boards and management of listed companies across Japan.
People sit by makeshift shelters near Awlala Camp, Amhara region, Ethiopia
WORLD / Society
Jun 8, 2024

Attacks leave Sudanese refugees stranded in Ethiopian forest

About 8,000 people have left the Kumer and Awlala refugee camps, set up by the United Nations in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region.
Hirotsugu Kimura, a 24-year-old company employee, returns to Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, becoming the youngest Japanese to complete a solo, nonstop sailing voyage around the world.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2024

24-year-old sets new Japan record for sailing solo nonstop around world

Kimura set sail in October 2023, traveled eastward across the Pacific and passed the southern tips of South America and Africa.
Tokyo has proved to be an attractive destination for Chinese entrepreneurs in recent times, away from the challenges hitting the economy at home.
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2024

Chinese entrepreneurs bet on Japan

A Chinese-language MBA program has been catering to those seeking opportunities in Tokyo.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after beating Alexander Zverev in the French Open final at Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jun 10, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz lists French Open triumph as proudest moment of career

The 21-year-old beat Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the French Open final.
Bill May (rear, second from left) poses with the rest of the U.S. team after earning silver at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on July 17, 2023.
OLYMPICS
Jun 10, 2024

No men chosen to compete in artistic swimming at Olympics in Paris

World Aquatics said it was very disappointed that there would be no men in the Olympic competition.
An Nvidia Cop. Quantum-X800 InfiniBand Platform on display in Taipei on June 5. Nvidia was already the world's most valuable semiconductor firm. Now, it's become the first computer-chip company ever to hit $3 trillion in market capitalization.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 10, 2024

Big Tech is driving the S&P rally. Others will have to step up.

Part of the challenge for tech investors is the stocks are already quite expensive.
A driving course inside a new facility in the city of Saitama created for elderly drivers
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2024

Saitama police open Japan's first elderly driver training center

Drivers 70 and older have to undergo sessions consisting of driving instruction and classroom lectures, as well as cognitive tests.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks following the announcement of the partial results of the European Parliament elections, in Rome on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 10, 2024

Italy's PM Meloni comes out on top in EU vote, strengthening her hand

With 96% of the ballots counted, Meloni's Brothers of Italy won 28.8% of the vote, more than four times what it took in the last EU election in 2019.
People walk in front of a BYD Auto company and Autotorino store in Milan on March 20.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 10, 2024

European nations compete for Chinese EV factories as EU weighs tariffs

Chinese EV makers want to set up in Europe to build their brands and save on shipping and potential tariffs.
Japan is the only country in the world that still enforces a same-surname rule for married couples, according to Keidanren research.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 10, 2024

Japan should let married women keep names, main business lobby says

Keidanren said in a proposal that the government should quickly present legislation allowing for surname choice to parliament.
Carlyle will probably announce another two or three transactions in Japan this year, the fund's co-head of the Japan buyout advisory team says.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024

Carlyle sets sights on 300 Japanese businesses as PE deals boom

Carlyle, which has been operating in Japan since 2000, has made more than 40 private equity investments locally.
Migrant workers harvest and package vegetables in a greenhouse in Gasan-myeon, South Korea, in December 2023. Though a shrinking population makes imported labor vital, migrant workers routinely face predatory employers, inhumane conditions and other abuse.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 11, 2024

South Korea accused of 'human trafficking' with seasonal worker program

Filipino workers say brokers charge excessive fees to find them back-breaking work, confiscate their passports and documents, and cheat them out of wages.
Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi on Tuesday sought to allay the concerns of probation officers nationwide, saying it is important to create an environment in which they can work with peace of mind.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2024

Social media posts reveal potential motive in probation officer’s murder

Posts linked to the 35-year-old suspect suggest he was dissatisfied with his probation, police sources said.
Toyota Industries holds its shareholders meeting in Takahama, Aichi Prefecture, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024

Scandals and profitability in focus as Japan firms hold shareholders meetings

The strong interest in compliance follows a string of testing fraud scandals at automakers, while the focus on profitability has led to a flurry of shareholder proposals.
Kazuki Suzuki, one of the suspects, was taken into police custody in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2024

'Side job' fraud believed to have taken ¥1.9 billion from 8,600 victims

The fraud group ran multiple "side job" websites while recruiting members through social media and paying them an average of about ¥500,000 as monthly wages.
Some experts believe if Beijing wants to assert its dominance on the world stage, then it is hard to see where common ground for compromise with the West can be found.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2024

The U.S. debate over China policy intensifies

Some experts believe if Beijing wants to assert its dominance on the world, then it is hard to see where common ground for compromise with the West can be found.
Family members and supporters demand the immediate release of hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7 attack in Israel, as they protest outside a meeting attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 12, 2024

Israel calls Hamas' response to U.S. cease-fire plan a rejection

The outlook for the U.S. cease-fire plan in Gaza remains uncertain as neither Hamas nor Israel publicly committed to a deal.

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