Search - 2022

 
 
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, in May 2023
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2024

Can Japan again master semiconductors to relive its glory days?

Competition in the sector is fierce, with many countries pushing to develop their own capabilities and insulate supply chains from geopolitical tensions.
Nitish Kumar, chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2024

India’s political opposition reels as fickle Modi rival turns ally

Nitish Kumar was one of the key players behind the 28-party alliance created last year to fight the ruling BJP at elections due in a few months time.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 30, 2024

Pakistan court jails Imran Khan for 10 years, days ahead of polls

Khan has been fighting dozens of cases since he was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerbeg. In October, more than 30 states sued Meta, alleging its social media apps were feeding harmful content to youth.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 31, 2024

Social media CEOs brace for child safety scrutiny: Here's what to expect

Evidence suggests that excessive use of social media and harmful content may damage mental health.
Shoko Kawata stumps in the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2024

Japan's youngest female city mayor is focused on women's empowerment

The election of Shoko Kawata, 33, was unexpected — but was a welcome change for some.
The Tokyo Kiki Lounge is a queer pageant, dance competition and party, known in the ball culture as a “kiki ball.”
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 1, 2024

You're free to be yourself at the Tokyo Kiki Lounge

The pageant, dance competition and party is a thriving safe space for Japan's queer community.
The rural economy has been hurt by a drop in the output of some key crops, such as wheat, in the past three years due to a rise in temperatures, patchy monsoon rains and falling reservoir levels.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 1, 2024

World-beating growth? Not for India's rural majority

For many in rural India, which is home to 60% of its 1.4 billion people, the country's so-called spectacular economic growth is nowhere in sight.
Police officers escort Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan (center) upon his arrival at the high court in Islamabad on May 12, 2023. Khan and his wife have been sentenced to 14 years' jail after being convicted of illegally selling gifts he received while he was premier.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2024

Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan gets another 14-year jail sentence

His conviction for illegally selling state gifts follows a separate charge of leaking state secrets, for which he was jailed 10 years a day earlier.
Activists hold placards during a rally ahead of environment day in Jakarta on June 4, 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 1, 2024

Green pledges lack ambition, say Indonesian youth ahead of vote

While candidates have spoken during campaigns about the urgent risks posed by climate change, in a new development, detail is missing from policies.
Tractors block the A6 highway during a protest by French farmers in the Chilly-Mazarin district of Paris on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2024

Farmers angry with green policy rebel against EU ahead of vote

Blockades and pickets by farmers are exposing a clash between the EU's drive to cut carbon dioxide emissions and its aim of becoming more self-sufficient.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was quick to play down the tensions, saying that the coalition was still intact.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 2, 2024

'Open warfare': Philippines' Marcos-Duterte alliance crumbles

The alliance between the two was always expected to collapse, but analysts are surprised by how soon the gloves have come off.
Yuma Kagiyama competes in the men's free skate at the Four Continents figure skating championships in Shanghai on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Feb 4, 2024

Japan's Kagiyama smashes competition to take Four Continents title

Kagiyama made an error early in the free skating but his expressive, lightning-quick performance still earned him 200.76 points for a total of 307.58.
Prolonged factory deflation is threatening the survival of smaller Chinese exporters, who are locked in relentless price wars for shrinking business as higher interest rates abroad and rising trade protectionism squeeze demand.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Feb 5, 2024

China's small exporters threatened amid price wars and low demand

Producer prices have been falling for 15 straight months, crushing profit margins to the point where industrial output and jobs are now at risk.
Military vehicles carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles during a military parade in Beijing in 2019
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

Fear and ambition propel Xi’s nuclear acceleration

As China’s arsenal grows, its military looks to warheads as both defensive shield and potential sword — to intimidate and subjugate adversaries.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

New Kyoto mayor aims to tackle over-tourism with higher fares

Koji Matsui faces many hurdles, and he takes over at a time when the demerits of over-tourism have become a particular topic of concern for residents.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits a frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

Zelenskyy hints at major shake-up of Ukraine’s government

The Ukrainian president said that a broad overhaul of Ukraine’s military and civilian leadership was needed to reboot the country’s war effort.
Pills move through a sorting machine at a pharmaceutical plant in Visakhapatnam, India. A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2024

U.S. taps Indian pharma, but supply chains still lead back to China

A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
Flags fly at Union Station in Washington on June 27. With the U.S. presidential election approaching, caution is being urged over the widespread proliferation of propaganda.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 13, 2024

The battle to tackle U.S. election propaganda heats up

The race is set to become more and more intense amid increased political polarization and pluralistic values.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Danielle Collins during her first round loss at the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Feb 7, 2024

Osaka trying not to 'feel like a failure' after early Abu Dhabi exit

Despite a close opening set that witnessed supreme serving from both players, Osaka struggled in her service games in the second set.
Opening up to foreign workers may ultimately be Japan’s best hope for stemming a rapid population decline.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 7, 2024

Record 2 million foreign workers are changing the face of Japan

Opening up to job seekers from abroad may ultimately be the country's best hope of stemming a rapid population decline.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2024

Kishida vows to conclude peace pact with Russia

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday vowed to conclude a peace treaty with Russia after resolving a territorial row over four northwestern Pacific islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan.
Women workers demand equal pay during a protest in Melbourne.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 7, 2024

Asia is fighting off the diversity backlash

Gender equality is at a crossroads amid a corporate backlash that is threatening progress in in workplace diversity.
Japan is the only country with a law requiring married couples to adopt the same surname. In 95% of cases, it is women who take their husband's name.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2024

The land where single surnames are the only option

The business lobby recently joined calls for Japan to accept separate surnames after marriage. What, then, is standing in the way of change? Politics.
A Chinese J-10 jet fighter in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China, in November 2014. Relations between Saudi Arabia and China have become closer in the energy industry and beyond. The two countries are working to expand cooperation in fields including aircraft, artificial intelligence and infrastructure.
WORLD
Feb 8, 2024

China grabs spotlight with major presence at Saudi weapons show

Exhibiting for the first time under a single brand, state companies displayed a range of weaponry, from drones to anti-aircraft and ballistic missiles.
England's Jess Carter in action with Spain's Salma Paralluelo during the Women's World Cup final in Sydney in August 2023
SPORTS
Feb 8, 2024

Women's sports draw record viewership in U.K. in 2023, research shows

The FIFA Women's World Cup final, which England lost 1-0 to Spain, was 2023's most-watched women's sports event on TV with 38.4 million viewing hours.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an interview with U.S. television host Tucker Carlson in Moscow on Tuesday. This is the first time the Russian leader has given an interview to a Western media figure since he ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Vladimir Putin takes hard line on Ukraine in Tucker Carlson interview

Russian president said he would consider negotiations if the U.S. stops supplying weapons to Kyiv.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Feb 9, 2024

Roki Sasaki gets back to business after weeks of speculation about future

After weeks of rampant rumors, the "Monster of the Reiwa Era" is back to the business of baseball, and the MLB questions are back on the shelf for now.
Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum wins the 2023 London Marathon on April 23, 2023. Kiptum and his coach were killed in a car accident on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Feb 12, 2024

World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum dies in traffic accident

World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died in a traffic accident on Sunday.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, who is currently imprisoned, speaks with foreign journalists at his residence in Islamabad on April 9, 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

The rise, and fall, and rise again of Imran Khan

When Pakistan’s government censored the media, former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party posted campaign videos on TikTok. When the police barred his supporters from holding rallies, they hosted virtual gatherings online.
Experimentation seemed to be a driving force throughout conductor Seiji Ozawa’s life as he pushed the boundaries of what a Japanese artist could achieve with classical music to magnificent heights.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2024

Seiji Ozawa’s boundless experiment

The influential conductor was not only a man of extraordinary talent, his warm character had the power to unite people as one.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan