Search - i

 
 
With Labor Thanksgiving Day approaching in Japan, it's a good time to show some appreciation to your colleagues.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 20, 2024

You don’t need an onion bouquet to say thanks — just the right words

Nov. 23 is Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan and Nov. 28 is Thanksgiving in the United States. That makes it a good time to learn how to show your appreciation.
Mika Abe (right) opened a restaurant committed to animal welfare in Sendai in November.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Dec 2, 2024

Restaurant committed to animal welfare opens in Sendai

Muku offers dishes including grilled pork from pasture-raised pigs and poached eggs from cage-free chickens, served as part of a salad bowl.
People walk near the entrance of the venue of the United Nations climate change conference COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 20, 2024

Development banks seek private money for climate change fight

Development banks committed to increasing their lending to poorer countries to $120 billion a year by 2030.
Slovakia's Viktoria Hruncakova in action during her Billie Jean King Cup semifinal match against Britain's Emma Raducanu in Malaga, Spain, on Tuesday
TENNIS
Nov 20, 2024

Slovakia stuns Britain to reach Billie Jean King Cup final

It is the first time Slovakia has reached the final of the women's team event since 2002.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen (left) speaks with McLaren's Lando Norris after the sprint race during the weekend of the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo on Nov. 2.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 21, 2024

Verstappen in sight of exclusive club of four-time F1 champions

Red Bull's three-time champion needs only to stay ahead of Lando Norris to secure the title.
A car carrying suspect Ryotaro Masuda, who was indicted for allegedly beating his 25-year-old girlfriend to death, leaves the Shibuya Police Station in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 21, 2024

Man charged with murder allegedly made victim date other men for money

Investigators suspect Ryotaro Masuda beat his girlfriend repeatedly and invested money she received from coerced involvement with other men.
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 22, 2024

Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award

Ohtani won an MVP award for the third time in four seasons.
Yuki Tsunoda arrives at the paddock on Thursday ahead of the first practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 22, 2024

Yuki Tsunoda interrogated in his pajamas on U.S. arrival

Tsunoda said the questioning lasted for several hours.
Despite its somewhat grisly inspiration, this decadent cake would fit into most holiday menus.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Nov 24, 2024

A buttery pound cake to die — or kill — for

As a nod to author Asako Yuzuki, I’ve elevated this recipe inspired by her 2017 bestseller with a little of Japan’s yuzu citrus.
Do Deuce with jockey Yutaka Take aboard wins the Emperor’s Cup (Autumn) at Tokyo Racecourse on Oct. 27.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Nov 22, 2024

Strong group of contenders set to compete for glory

Christmas comes early, as usual, for fans of horse racing in Japan. This Sunday once again sees the Group 1 Japan Cup run at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, just a short distance away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.
Blast Onepiece (center) wins the 63rd Arima Kinen on Dec. 23, 2018, at Nakayama Racecourse in Chiba Prefecture.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Nov 22, 2024

Making new lives for veteran racehorses

The future is expanding for retired racehorses. Generally speaking, there are not many racehorses who can transition to life as stallions or brood mares, passing on their blood to future generations. Some go on to second careers as riding horses, for example. But, in the end, thoroughbreds are basically...
The private equity landscape is rapidly changing in Japan, where more than $12 billion in such transactions have been announced this year, after reaching a record in 2023.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 22, 2024

KKR-Bain brawl worth $4 billion highlights Japan private equity boom

The saga shows how fast the private equity landscape is changing in Japan, where more than $12 billion in such transactions have been announced this year.
Sony's potential acquisition of Kadokawa, the publisher behind Elden Ring, represents an opportunity to expand its intellectual property across gaming, anime and other media provided it learns from past failures.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2024

Like in Elden Ring, Sony must learn from its mistakes

The Japanese firm’s proposed deal for Kadokawa has great potential — if it can avoid getting stuck in the same mazes as before.
Retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson and YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul fight during the heavyweight boxing bout in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 15. The fight highlights the need for a national boxing commission to enforce uniform safety standards and prevent exploitative matchups.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2024

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul's fight should have been illegal

Among major American sports, boxing is unique for its decentralized structure. There’s no annual schedule, season, commissioner or mandatory rulemaking body.
Motohiko Saito talks to reporters on Monday after his reelection as Hyogo governor. His surprising comeback highlights rising populism in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2024

Has the age of populism finally reached Japan?

Motohiko Saito's reelection in Hyogo sparks concerns over populist trends in Japan's politics.
Samurai Japan infielder Shugo Maki celebrates after hitting a grand slam against Venezuela in the sixth inning of their game at the Premier12 at Tokyo Dome on Friday.
BASEBALL
Nov 22, 2024

Shugo Maki hits grand slam to power Japan to victory over Venezuela at Premier12

Japan is 7-0 in this year's tournament.
Scott Bessent speaks at a campaign event for Donald Trump in Asheville in North Carolina in August.
WORLD
Nov 23, 2024

Trump taps Scott Bessent for U.S. Treasury

Bessent has advocated for tax reform and deregulation, particularly to spur more bank lending and energy production.
While the ETH Zurich is an outlier for now in Switzerland, the decision has shone a spotlight on how universities in the German-speaking world are attempting to balance national security concerns with academia’s imperative to pursue open scholarship and collaboration across borders.
WORLD / Society
Nov 23, 2024

Swiss university applies stricter measures to Chinese students

Switzerland’s top technical university justified the move as complying with laws to counter international espionage.
Emerging Gen Z J-pop group ME:I will perform on this year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen," national broadcaster NHK’s New Year's Eve spectacle.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 24, 2024

'Kohaku' still matters for J-pop bragging rights

The recently announced 2024 lineup underlines how capturing a year of J-pop in one broadcast bonanza is impossible these days.
Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California. Replicas of the giant doughnut sculpture will be installed, where possible, at shops in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 24, 2024

An iconic 32-foot doughnut might give Randy’s an edge in Japan

The doughnut had a cameo in “2012,” where it is seen rolling down the street as an enduring symbol of end-time. Now the brand looks to tackle the tough Japanese market.
England's Tom Roebuck (left) attempts to get away from Japan wing Jone Naikabula during their match in London on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Nov 25, 2024

Japan coach Eddie Jones calls for patience after blowout loss against England

Jones' inexperienced starting lineup had a combined total of 201 caps, while England had 622.
The Keikyu Line in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Japan’s rail stocks soar on Keisei Electric activist stake news

Keisei’s stock jumped over 18%, its sharpest intraday rise since October 2008, with Keikyu climbing more than 16%.
A farmer cleans solar panels in a field in the Baluchistan region of Pakistan.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Nov 25, 2024

Surprise solar boom in Pakistan helps millions, but harms grid

The rise of solar in Pakistan has many benefits, but a rapid and unregulated boom also threatens to weaken the country’s utilities and destabilize the fragile economy.
A Rohingya child walks across a bamboo bridge at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Sept. 30.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 25, 2024

In world's largest refugee camps, Rohingya mobilize to fight in Myanmar

The emergence of Rohingya fighters and weapons in camps is regarded as a ticking time bomb by Bangladesh, one source said
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a meeting at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Thursday to discuss political reform.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2024

Corporate donations remain sticky point in political reform talks

The opposition wants such donations banned but the ruling coalition maintains that a ban would curtail the political freedom of the private sector.
Kozo Iizuka (center) takes part in an investigation of the site of an April 2019 car crash in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district that he was involved in, in June the same year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 25, 2024

93-year-old inmate imprisoned over fatal Tokyo car crash dies

Kozo Iizuka died while serving a five-year term for negligent driving that caused the deaths of a woman and her young daughter in Ikebukuro in April 2019.
Chung Suet-ying poses with the Best Leading Actress award for "The Way We Talk" at the 61st Golden Horse Awards in Taipei on Nov. 23.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 26, 2024

Chinese films about COVID-19 and gay romance win big at Taiwan awards

The Golden Horse awards are the Chinese-speaking world's version of the Oscars.
Tiger Woods in action during the 152nd Open Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland, on July 19
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Nov 26, 2024

Tiger Woods to skip Hero World Challenge after back surgery

Woods hosts the annual event but has played just once in the last three years due to health concerns.
Former F1 world champion Mario Andretti will serve as a director on the board of a new General Motors Formula One team set to debut in 2026.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 26, 2024

GM agrees deal to enter F1 with Cadillac in 2026

The firm said it had also registered with FIA as a power unit manufacturer to become a full works outfit by the end of the decade.
Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito, speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Monday, denies alleged election law violations.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2024

Embattled Hyogo governor denies alleged election law violation

Embattled Gov. Motohiko Saito admitted Monday that he paid a PR agency to produce campaign posters, but he denied violating election law.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear