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Gyaru Daijin poses in the city of Oita. Now a staffer at CGO.com, she has worked at Tenjin Core, a recently closed commercial complex in the city of Fukuoka that features gyaru fashion.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 24, 2024

‘Gyaru’ culture makes comeback as businesses aim to loosen up meetings

The subculture is attracting attention as a way to make unproductive meetings and boring presentations more interactive and flexible.
Recently, Japan designated Hokkaido Prefecture (including its capital, Sapporo), Fukuoka, Tokyo and Osaka as special zones for financial and asset management businesses. Kumamoto Prefecture was also named a national strategic zone for semiconductors.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 14, 2024

International social infrastructure key to Japan’s high-tech future

Across the globe there is an ongoing search for talent, especially in high-tech sectors, and Japan is no different.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum dunks during Boston's Game 3 win in the NBA Finals on Wednesday.
BASKETBALL
Jun 14, 2024

'Not done yet': Celtics eye 18th title as Mavs vow to regroup

NBA teams have gone 156-0 when taking a 3-0 lead in any best-of-seven series, and there's no reason to think that streak is in jeopardy.
The iAEON app allows users to view their shopping history and save e-receipts on their smartphones to facilitate returns and act as proof of purchases.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2024

Aeon to roll out e-receipts nationwide

Customers can opt for e-receipts instead of paper ones when shopping by using the group’s iAEON app at participating stores.
Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," visited Japan last month shortly after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Jun 14, 2024

U.S. civil rights icon Opal Lee brings her Juneteenth walk to Tokyo

Juneteenth, held on the 19th of the month, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. Opal Lee sees it as more than an American holiday.
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett attends the opening ceremony of Tungaloy's new plant in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in  November 2011. Buffett says Tokyo executives are good value for money amid a widening pay gap between local and foreign business leaders.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 14, 2024

The pay gap in Japan’s boardrooms is unacceptable

The job market in Japan is, at all levels, much less liquid and executives are less likely to need incentives to avoid jumping ship to rivals.
NBA legend Ray Allen high-fives children during a basketball clinic in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Saturday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 15, 2024

Former Celtics great Ray Allen says 'distractions' played role in Game 4 blowout

The two-time NBA champion, who ran a basketball clinic for children in Tokyo on Saturday, also stressed that learning defense is key for developing young players.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G7 summit in Italy's Apulia region on Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2024

Indian PM Modi may visit Japan this year

Modi's possible visit would come as part of the two countries' program in which their leaders visit each other's country alternately.
"Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window," received an award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France on Saturday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 16, 2024

'Totto-Chan' anime wins award at prestigious Annecy film festival

"Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window," directed by Japan's Shinnosuke Yakuwa, won at one of the largest animation film festivals in the world.
Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after making a putt on No. 18 to win the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 17, 2024

Bryson DeChambeau outduels Rory McIlroy in final round to win U.S. Open

DeChambeau parred the final three holes to complete a 1-over-par 71, and that was enough for a one-shot victory.
England's Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring against Serbia during their Group C match at Euro 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jun 17, 2024

Jude Bellingham helps England get off to winning start at Euro 2024

England has been hyped as one of the tournament favorites, as Gareth Southgate aims to finally steer a richly talented generation to glory
Temperatures in Paris could exceed 30 degrees on many days during the 2024 Games.
OLYMPICS
Jun 17, 2024

Japanese Olympians to beat heat with own AC despite Paris' plans for green Games

The Japanese Olympic Committee announced last December that it plans to pay for its athletes to have air conditioning in their rooms for “safety and security” reasons.
A protest accusing Deutsche Bank of greenwashing. Its subsidiary DWS was fined $25 million last year for misstating its environmental, social and governance activities.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2024

Too many companies make false claims about their social impact

Exaggerated claims about companies' positive social and environmental impact ruin our chances of achieving a sustainable future. An entirely new system is needed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 8.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 18, 2024

Israel's Netanyahu disbands war cabinet as tensions rise over Lebanon

There have been weeks of increasing exchanges of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur region last September.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 18, 2024

Putin pledges to take Russia-North Korea ties to 'a higher level'

The Russian leader is expected to ask for even more weapons, while Kim will seek continued military tech support and cash to keep his regime afloat.
Richard Katz argues in his new book that the key to Japan emerging from decades of economic sluggishness depends on stimulating companies with high energy and dynamism, over the lumbering, older firms.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 20, 2024

Hope for Japan, if the elephants get out of the way

Protecting older companies, the jobs they have produced and the political and financial relationships they have nurtured, starves newer, more innovative businesses.
Sena Ishikawa and Saki Anan, master’s students studying giant salamanders, wash off one that was caught before taking a DNA sample and implanting a tracking chip, at Kyoto University.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 18, 2024

A tale of two nearly extinct giant salamanders

While trying to save large amphibians native to Japan, herpetologists in the country unexpectedly found a way to potentially save an even bigger species in China.
Celtics forward Jayson Tatum walks off the court with the NBA championship trophy after Boston clinched the title on Monday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jun 20, 2024

Celtics celebrate as confidence grows that winning run is just beginning

The Celtics sealed the NBA title earlier this week, but Boston had actually been waiting for this moment for over a decade.
Tiger Woods leaves the tee box during the first round of the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on June 13.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 20, 2024

PGA Tour gives Tiger Woods 'lifetime achievement' exemption

The move will give Woods access to the tour's eight signature tournaments, all of which award large prize money and extra points in the FedEx Cup standings.
Founder and owner Kazunori Otowa (left) in the kitchen of his eponymous restaurant together with his two sons, head chef Hajime Otowa (center) and restaurant manager Sou Otowa.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Jun 22, 2024

Kazunori Otowa: Tochigi’s patriarch of French fine dining

Superb cuisine, family values and deep regional roots have elevated Restaurant Otowa to its lofty position.
The Mioya Shuzo brewery was damaged by the 2024 New Year's Day earthquake — but not to the extent that it couldn't serve as a shelter of sorts for the region's many sake breweries.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Jun 22, 2024

To Miho Fujita, ‘rules are meant to be broken in the sake world’

Miho Fujita knows the old songs sung by sake brewers by heart, but she's updated the tradition in her own way, infusing the age-old craft with a modern twist.
Ruby might be shy at first, but as long as you have some treats, she'll warm up to you in no time.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jun 24, 2024

When Ruby warms up to you, you've got it made

Once this tricolor girl finds that special person who will adopt her, Ruby is sure to settle in, breathe easy and make a gentle, precious and very pretty companion.
A tribute to Willie Mays behind home plate at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 21, 2024

In Alabama, Willie Mays is the star of the show, one more time

Willie Mays' death added poignancy to MLB’s celebration of the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field — the nation’s oldest professional ballpark.
People participate in a hustings event focused on the Hong Kong community, in Sutton, London, earlier this month.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 22, 2024

Hong Kongers embrace politics in U.K., but some still fear Beijing

Since 2021, more than 180,0000 Hong Kongers have moved to Britain under a special visa program set up in response to a crackdown in their homeland.
Britain's Reform U.K. party leader Nigel Farage attends an interview in London.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 22, 2024

U.K.'s Nigel Farage says the West provoked Putin's invasion of Ukraine

The remarks, made in an interview with the BBC aired late on Friday, drew strong criticism across the British political spectrum.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrive at their hotel in London on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 23, 2024

Imperial couple arrive for three-day state visit to U.K.

The highlight will be a state banquet that may include an appearance by Prince William's wife Kate, who is undergoing cancer treatment.
Caeleb Dressel dives into the pool during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Jun 23, 2024

Resurgent Caeleb Dressel has new take on young swimming rivals

Dressel's five golds at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games included individual triumphs in the 50 and 100 free and the 100 butterfly.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin take part in a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2024

Playing a risky 21st-century game of ‘Russian roulette’

The U.S. and its allies should reinforce the rule of law and resist the destabilizing efforts of Russia, North Korea, China and Iran.
An Afghan woman carries empty containers to fetch water in Balkh province, Afghanistan, in August 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2024

U.N.-led Doha meeting with Taliban sparks outcry over women's rights

The U.N. has been seeking a unified, international approach to dealing with the Taliban, who have cracked down on women's rights since returning to power.
Kyosuke Matsuyama (right) competes against France's Erwann Le Pechoux during the men's team foil semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021.
OLYMPICS
Jun 24, 2024

Japanese fencers heading to Paris Games with plenty of confidence

The men's national team is aiming to secure its first medal in three Olympics in the foil event, a category considered by many to be a Japanese specialty.

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