Search - 2022

 
 
Nobuko Nishizawa, the younger sister of Kotaro Nishizawa, director of a mental health clinic in Osaka who died in an arson attack three years ago, prays outside the site on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2024

Three years on, mourners remember those lost in Osaka arson attack

“My life completely changed," said one woman who lost her son in the attack on a mental health clinic in Osaka’s Kita Ward that left 26 dead.
Russian and North Korean flags are attached to a car during a ceremony welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin at an airport in Pyongyang on June 19.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 17, 2024

U.S. hits North Korea and Russia with new sanctions, Treasury says

The sanctions are the latest U.S. measure aimed at disrupting North Korea's support to Russia's war in Ukraine.
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 17, 2024

With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability

“The Indo-Pacific is the world’s new center of gravity," Rear Adm. Guillaume Pinget told The Japan Times during a visit to Tokyo.
The scene of an explosion where Russian chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov and his assistant were killed in Moscow on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2024

Ukraine kills Russian chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov in Moscow

The lieutenant general was killed outside an apartment building when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter went off.
An Apple logo is seen in Brussels, Belgium, in 2016.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 17, 2024

Congo files criminal complaints against Apple over conflict minerals

International lawyers representing Congo argue that Apple uses minerals pillaged from the country and laundered through international supply chains.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Australia's Nick Kyrgios pose for a photograph after an exhibition match in Melbourne in January 2023.
TENNIS
Dec 17, 2024

Kyrgios to team up with Djokovic for Brisbane International doubles

The pair have developed a friendship after once being at loggerheads.
The three Cambodian women are seeking compensation for damages over alleged sexual abuse and unpaid overtime wages.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2024

Cambodian interns accuse farmer of sexual abuse and wage theft

One woman was raped nearly every day and endured conditions “akin to sexual slavery,” the three women's lawyer said in a statement.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami reviews military equipment during an IRGC ground forces military drill in the Aras area, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, on Oct. 17, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2024

Iran's Revolutionary Guards extend control of oil exports, sources say

All aspects of the oil business have come under the growing influence of the Guards.
A man eats his lunch inside his shop near Moscow on Nov. 21. Under the impact of the explosion of military orders, Russian inflation is expected to approach 9% at the end of the year.
WORLD
Dec 19, 2024

Economic woes mount for Russia's war machine

Russian media, usually reluctant to report on any sign of social discontent, are turning increasing attention to hard-pressed families.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a news conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

India's Modi faces test of resilience in 2025 after year of setbacks

Having secured a third term, the prime minister faces a slowing economy with his political standing decidedly weakened.
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 20, 2024

Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024

This year’s health and wellness fads point to a Japan that desires more wholesome lifestyles but doesn’t have the time or resources to go about it in traditional ways.
Ukrainian servicemen attach an anti-tank mine to a Vampire combat drone before flying over Russian troop positions, in the town of Chasiv Yar, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, in June.
WORLD
Dec 21, 2024

Ukraine collects vast war data trove to train AI models

AI has been deployed by both sides on the battlefield during Russia's invasion of Ukraine to identify targets, scanning images far quicker than a human can.
Elbridge Colby (center) speaks at the Threat and the Strategy panel during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, in September 2019.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 23, 2024

Trump's Pentagon policy pick pushed for Japan to spend 3% of GDP on defense

Elbridge Colby said in an interview earlier this year that Japan is moving at a leisurely pace on defense despite being under threat from China and North Korea.
As the march of AI accelerates, a new requirement has become apparent: The next breakthroughs will consume colossal quantities of energy.
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Jan 3, 2025

We need energy for AI, and AI for energy

AI guzzles electricity — a single ChatGPT query requires 10 times as much as a conventional web search.
The Finnish Border Guard's ship Turva and oil tanker Eagle S sail on the sea outside the Porkkalanniemi, Finland on Thursday
WORLD
Dec 27, 2024

Finland boards vessel possibly behind power cable and internet outages

"From our side, we are investigating grave sabotage," said the director of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation.
Storage tanks at the BP Cherry Point Refinery near Blaine, Washington
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 27, 2024

Big Oil backtracks on renewables push as climate agenda falters

The likes of BP and Shell this year sharply slowed their plans to spend billions on wind and solar power projects.
Russia said it had foiled several Ukrainian plots to kill high-ranking Russian officers and their families in Moscow using bombs disguised as power banks or document folders.
WORLD
Dec 27, 2024

Russia says it foiled Ukrainian plots to kill senior officers with disguised bombs

Russian state TV showed what it said was footage of suspects who admitted to being recruited by Ukraine intelligence for bombings.
Ground Self-Defense Force members conduct a military drill next to an anti-ship missile unit on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 29, 2024

Japan defense spending goals hit by inflation, weak yen and political uncertainty

A slew of obstacles are jeopardizing Tokyo's pursuit of raising defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by fiscal 2027.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during a meeting in Moscow on Dec. 22.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 30, 2024

Ukraine-Russia gas transit deal faces critical moment of truth

As its year-end expiry looms, Slovakia and a group of central European companies are putting pressure on Ukraine to keep Russian gas flowing.
An Air Self-Defense Force airman sets up a drone during a bilateral live fire exercise at Draughon Range, near Misawa Air Base, in Aomori Prefecture in July 2023.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 5, 2025

Taking a page from Ukraine war, SDF carves out growing role for drones

Whether for use in the air, on land or at sea, the SDF is gradually integrating these increasingly capable and often autonomous systems into their units.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to Brendan Carr, his intended pick for Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as he attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 31, 2024

Social media companies face global tug-of-war over free speech

Trump’s return to the White House is expected to widen the free speech divide that has long existed between the United States and Europe.
Tonoike Sake Brewery has been gearing their brewery toward tourism since the late 1980s, attempting to lure tourists to the town of Mashiko.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 3, 2025

Traveling for sake's sake: The emergence of brewery tourism in Japan

While sake consumption has declined in Japan, breweries across the nation are taking advantage of a rise in overseas interest to promote themselves as tourist destinations.
A maintenance worker inspects solar panels at a power plant in southern India.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 6, 2025

Where the smart climate tech venture money is going in 2025

The prospect of more trade wars is scrambling the economy in ways that will determine which climate tech sectors to bet on.
A Tesla showroom in Beijing in January 2024. In today's world, the car isn’t the biggest moneymaker for automakers; instead, it is the services attached to the connected vehicle.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 7, 2025

China’s EVs may change the world in unimaginable ways

China has about 100 EV brands and they claim about 80% of the new electric vehicle market.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange wants companies to improve governance and performance.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 8, 2025

As standards rise, Tokyo Stock Exchange delistings hit decade high

A total of 94 companies were delisted from the Tokyo exchange in 2024, the highest number since it merged with the Osaka Securities Exchange in 2013.
The myth that the West provoked Russian aggression in Ukraine overlooks Russia's expansionist history, the complex dynamics of NATO expansion and the true nature of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2025

What you think you know about Ukraine is probably wrong

It’s more important than ever to fact check the Kremlin's claims and excuses for the war
An official participates in the investigation at the site where a Jeju Air aircraft crashed and burst into flames, at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Jan 2.
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jan 10, 2025

South Korea jet crash puts fast-growing Jeju Air's safety under scrutiny

Jeju Air flies its planes more than any other major airline in South Korea, and also outpaces most global peers such as Ireland's Ryanair and Malaysia's AirAsia.
Police investigate the scene after eight people were injured by a hammer-wielding woman on Hosei University's Tama campus in Tokyo on Friday afternoon.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 11, 2025

Eight students recovering after hammer attack at university in Tokyo

The suspect, who said she is a South Korean national and student at the university, claimed to have lashed out after being bullied.
Yuzuru Hanyu smiles during an interview in his hometown of Sendai in between performances of his latest tour, Ice Story.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Jan 11, 2025

30 minutes with Yuzuru Hanyu

The two-time Olympic champion exited the competitive arena in 2022. His overall career goal — to make spectators say "wow" — has not changed.
Palestinians pass through an Israeli checkpoint as they make their way to Jerusalem's al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in the West Bank, in March 2024. Israeli forces have frequently used disguises to infiltrate Gaza and target Hamas operatives.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 12, 2025

In the art of war, mimicry runs the gambit from disguises to deepfakes

Impersonation is one of the oldest tactics in war, because it exploits our social nature and persists because humans are dependent on identities for cooperation.

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