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As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2023

Tokyo to install quake-resistant pipe joints to avoid water outages

As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
Charles Q. Brown Jr.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2023

Top U.S. general doubts China's Xi planning to take Taiwan by force

Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Chinese leader would "try to use other ways to do this.”
A man, who said he was jailed for two years, speaks on condition of anonymity in temporary housing for former prisoners in Tokyo. Criminal recruits in Japan are being "exploited and disposed of as pawns" by gang leaders, the National Police Agency has said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 24, 2023

Why Japan's gangs are recruiting online

For Japan's criminal underworld, social media offers an anonymous way to connect with anyone willing to commit crimes to earn money.
The government aims to have 50% of new fathers take child care leave by 2025 and 85% by 2030.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2023

Japan panel proposes child care plan covering 100% of income

The 100% allowance would only be offered for up to 28 days, with the amount for any further leave being around 80% of income.
South Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (center) speaks to his players during a training session at Mokdong Stadium on Nov. 13, ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between South Korea and Singapore.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2023

Warning for Japan as Asian heavyweights begin World Cup qualifying

A record eight direct spots and one intercontinental playoff berth are up for grabs for Asian Football Confederation sides at the expanded event in 2026.
India's exports represent about 40% of rice's global trade. New Delhi has banned or taxed rice and wheat exports to counter domestic food inflation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2023

India pushes the world toward another rice crisis

Spooked by volatile foodgrain prices ahead of a general election next year, India’s government has banned or taxed rice and wheat exports.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday for a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

Biden says China has 'real problems' ahead of key summit with Xi

The leaders of the world's two largest economies will huddle on the sidelines of the APEC summit in California for their first encounter in a year.
The Formula One track in Las Vegas is lit up ahead of the Grand Prix on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 16, 2023

Formula One’s Las Vegas race isn’t living up to the hype

Liberty Media, the owner of F1, has started to lower profit expectations for the race, blaming unexpected costs.
A residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in the Serhiivka, in Ukraine's Odesa region, in July 2022. Daria Krokva, a doctor, fled Ukraine for Japan in April 2022 after being advised to evacuate by a cousin in Kobe.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2023

Ukrainian doctor aims for national license in Japan

Daria Krokva is working hard on her Japanese proficiency in order to qualify for taking the national examination for medical practitioners.
Tunnel construction for the Hokkaido Shinkansen has proved slow in some areas due to geological reasons and the difficulty of blasting through the earth.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Nov 20, 2023

Tight labor market puts Hokkaido Shinkansen 2030 goal in doubt

The 212-kilometer route now under construction will link cities between Hakodate, at the southern tip of the prefecture, and Sapporo.
Petroleum pipelines and fuel storage tanks at a refinery near Manama, Bahrain, in 2017
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 18, 2023

To meet climate goals, Gulf countries will have to overhaul everything

The growing oil-rich region faces myriad challenges as the world pushes to decarbonize.
Eom Dong-hwan, South Korea's minister for its defense acquisition program and administration, speaks at a ceremony marking Poland's receiving of its first delivery of South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers in Gdynia, Poland, in December 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2023

South Korea’s defense ambitions can be met by tech

Decades of facing down North Korea has forced Seoul to slowly build its own arms-producing capabilities instead of relying heavily on the U.S.
Japan's culture of floor-sitting stretches back to ancient times. Only in the last 60 years has it faced off against a new lifestyle brought along by the rapid spread of chairs and other high furniture.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Nov 20, 2023

Has Japan mastered sitting?

Sitting is a deceptively simple act. But the story of sitting in Japan spans centuries of culture, politics and religion.
Pacific Investment Management headquarters in Newport Beach, California. The bond giant says it has started building a long yen position.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023

Pimco is buying yen to prepare for tighter BOJ monetary policy

The bond giant started building a long yen position when Japan’s currency weakened past ¥140 per dollar a few months ago.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 22, 2023

Things get warmer with Xi; Johnny’s get the cold shoulder

While Japan and China look to ease tensions, NHK makes things tense with a Johnny’s-less “Kohaku” announcement.
Kashmiri journalists protest against internet blockade put by India's government in Srinagar in October 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Internet out: India deploys shutdowns in name of security

Some blackouts last hours, others days. Some stretch for months.
For some brides to be, all it takes is one online search for wedding dresses or bouquets to trigger a flood of targeted wedding ads to their accounts.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 25, 2023

For brides on social media, diet ads are becoming unavoidable

Whether it's searching for bridesmaid dresses or posting pictures of their engagement rings, brides' innocuous online activity leads to targeted ads.
Analysts say that the election of brash Argentine upstart Javier Milei shows that an anti-incumbent trend over the past decade is becoming a fixture.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Fed-up voters put Latin American leaders on thin ice

From Chile to Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, voters have simply opted to boot out the government of the day in favor of someone new.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh on Dec. 8, 2022.
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2023

Mideast wealth funds draw greater U.S. scrutiny over China ties

A U.S. committee is reviewing several multibillion dollar deals this year on concerns they could pose national security risks.
Protesters on Saturday during a demonstration, on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in Mexico City
WORLD / Society
Nov 26, 2023

Thousands march across globe to denounce violence against women

Thousands of people took to the streets across the world to condemn violence against women.
Police officers block Wulumuqi Street in Shanghai on Nov. 27, 2022, amid protests over China's 'zero-COVID' policy.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 26, 2023

'Still suffocated': Mourning China's 'zero-COVID' protests a year on

Vigils for victims of a fire quickly morphed into calls to end zero-COVID measures — and in some cases, to topple Xi Jinping.
Almost two years into the grinding war, Ukrainians are coming to terms with the prospect of a much longer and costlier conflict than they had hoped for, and one that some now acknowledge they're not guaranteed to win.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 28, 2023

Ukraine strains to bolster its army as war fatigue weighs

Ukrainians are coming to terms with the prospect of a much longer conflict than they had hoped for and one they may not win.
"Changes in environment surrounding schoolchildren, such as increases in the amount of time spent using smartphones at home, can be considered as a cause" of poor eyesight, an official of the education ministry said.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 28, 2023

Record number of Japanese children have poor eyesight, survey says

The proportion of elementary, junior high and high school students with less-than-normal visual acuity have reached record highs.
People in New York watch drones creating a 3D display outside the United Nations Headquarters calling attention to the Amazon rainforest and climate change.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Nov 29, 2023

Amazon rainforest destruction slows sharply year to date, report says

Destruction across the Amazon rainforest so far this year has slowed dramatically, down 55.8% from the same period a year ago.
With COP28 taking place during a year set to be the hottest on record, the need for more progress has never been greater.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 29, 2023

Japan's relationship with coal likely to be in focus at COP28

With the climate talks taking place during a year set to be the hottest on record, the need for more progress has never been greater.
A wind farm near near Golmud, Qinghai province, China
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2023

The promise of China’s sustainable-development path

As of this month, China has (since 2017) approved 572 “ecological civilization construction demonstration zones.”
Singapore is again the world's most expensive city to live in, an honor it shares with Zurich this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 30, 2023

Singapore and Zurich are the world's most expensive cities

Tokyo fell to 60th place while Osaka dropped to 70th amid a weak Japanese yen.
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement this year with “The Boy and the Heron,” which opened to critical acclaim and has so far earned ¥8.56 billion — a good showing but not enough to take the top spot at the box office for the year.
CULTURE / Film / 2023 in Review
Nov 30, 2023

The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era

The success of “Oshi no Ko,” “Detective Conan” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved that anime is the mainstream now.
Rules changes will limit the weighing of gymnasts in Britain.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 30, 2023

Britain restricts weighing of gymnasts in wake of abuse

Gymnasts who are 11 and older in Britain may now be weighed only with their permission and with the permission of a parent if they are under 18.
Chile's Joaquin Niemann (left) and Japan's Rikuya Hoshino line up their putts during a playoff on the final day of the Australian Open in Sydney on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Dec 3, 2023

Niemann tops Hoshino in Australian Open playoff

South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai retained the title in the women's Australian Open, being played in parallel on the same course.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan