Search - 2022

 
 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a news conference during a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12.
COMMENTARY / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 27, 2023

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: From a weak anti-war leader to a symbol of the fight for liberation

Shifting away from direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine's leader has called for weapons and galvanized national unity in the face of war.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Dec. 29. Meloni is expected to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden this week.
WORLD
Jul 27, 2023

Meloni to tell Biden privately Italy plans break with China

The Italian prime minister is not planning to go public on her decision to break with China during her short trip to Washington.
A building under construction in Osaka. Singapore investors are snapping up Japanese real estate, particularly in Osaka where a large casino resort is set to open.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 27, 2023

Singapore property investors bet on Osaka casino

International property agent FM Investment said it has seen a fivefold increase in inquiries since Japan opened its borders in October.
Sara Khadem poses for a photo in Spain on Feb. 14. Khadem was granted Spanish nationality on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 27, 2023

Iranian chess star who competed without hijab gains Spanish nationality

Khadem, a 26-year-old chess grandmaster, participated in a World Cup event in Kazakhstan in December 2022 without wearing the Islamic veil, which is compulsory for women in Iran.
Contrary to some news reports, the movie "Oppenheimer," starring (left to right) Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh, has not been banned in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 27, 2023

'Oppenheimer' spurs debate on the atomic bombings

Christopher Nolan’s biopic has triggered a debate on the rights and wrongs of dropping the bomb. It could lead to a more useful discussion in Japan — assuming it’s ever released here.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 27, 2023

Repair fraud scandal spotlights cozy ties between Bigmotor and insurers

Japanese used car dealer Bigmotor's scandal over fraudulent auto insurance claims has spotlighted its cozy relations with major insurers.
A screen displays Chinese leader Xi Jinping, at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing last October.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2023

China eyes accelerated plan for ‘world-class military,’ Japan says

An annual defense white paper said the world was facing its greatest test since World War II amid China's military buildup and the Ukraine war.
People gather in the center of the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, in December 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 28, 2023

Bhutan's employment woes drive exodus to Australia

Student migration to Australia from Bhutan has soared, with over 12,000 long-term arrivals moving there in the 11 months to May alone.
Donald Trump tours construction of the southern border wall near Alamo, Texas, in January 2021.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 28, 2023

U.S. says Trump ordered video deleted as second employee charged

A maintenance worker at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, with accusations of helping to hide documents.
A truck transports new Tesla cars at its factory in Shanghai in May 2021.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jul 28, 2023

Global automakers scramble to reset China strategies as sales slow

Some German brands and General Motors are betting on new electric vehicles, while Toyota and others have shifted to cost-cutting mode.
Australia's Cameron McEvoy (right) and France's Florent Manaudou compete in the men's 50-meter freestyle heats during the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on Friday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 28, 2023

Cameron McEvoy hails dawning of new golden era of Australian swimming

McEvoy said this year's "exceptional" vintage was on par with the best the country had ever produced.
While certain professions necessitate advanced degrees, for others, it's essential to weigh the potential benefits against the cost and debt burden.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2023

Grad school is not the escape you are looking for

Layoffs across technology and finance along with the threat from AI may make a higher degree seem a sensible bet. Don’t be fooled.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 28, 2023

Transport ministry conducts on-site probe of Bigmotor amid scandal

The surprise inspection, which covered dealerships in 24 prefectures, came after the ministry interviewed Bigmotor executives including newly appointed President Shinji Izumi on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jul 28, 2023

Atsuki Taneichi set to step into spotlight in Roki Sasaki's absence

Taneichi is often overlooked because he pitches in the same rotation as Roki Sasaki, but the 24-year-old righty is a solid pitcher in his own right.
Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Friday. The Japanese yen is on a bumpy path toward strengthening after Friday's central bank policy change, threatening to upend the carry trade, one of this year's most popular strategies, as the currency inevitably becomes more expensive.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jul 29, 2023

Bank of Japan's opaque policy shift means stronger and wilder yen

The Japanese yen is on a bumpy path toward strengthening after Friday's central bank policy change, threatening to upend the carry trade.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters following the Senate Republicans weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington in April.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 29, 2023

After McConnell freezes midsentence, U.S. Senate GOP stands by him

Senate Republicans are standing by their longtime leader, brushing off questions about his health after he froze midsentence at the start of his weekly news conference Wednesday.
Pan Gongsheng
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 29, 2023

China’s central bank chief is taskmaster Xi couldn’t let retire

Pan Gongsheng is expected to turn around growth slowdown for the world's second largest economy and safeguard the $60 trillion domestic financial system.
New Zealand head coach Ian Foster (left) celebrates with Damian McKenzie (center) and Rieko Ioane after clinching the Rugby Championship with a win over Australia in Melbourne on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 30, 2023

Ian Foster: Ominous All Blacks still not the finished product

New Zealand crushed a disjointed Wallabies 38-7 in Melbourne on Saturday in another statement performance.
A firefighter walks among papers and broken glass Sunday outside a damaged office block of the Moscow International Business Center following a reported drone attack.
WORLD
Jul 30, 2023

Three Ukrainian drones downed over Moscow, Russia says

While one of the drones was shot down, two others were "suppressed by electronic warfare" and smashed into an office complex. No one was injured.
Pedestrians passing anti-tank obstacles in Odesa, Ukraine, on Thursday
WORLD
Jul 30, 2023

U.S. pressures Russia war smugglers after army’s run on chips

A chip ban is aimed at curbing Russia’s production of drones and precision missiles that rely on components that are largely manufactured in Taiwan.
As artificial intelligence grows more sophisticated, transparency has taken a back seat and could harm its quality and safety.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2023

Secretive chatbot developers are making a big mistake

Before we can ponder existential threats of the new technology, Silicon Valley must be forced to disclose more about how their tools are created.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023

Tokyo trials ferries to ease congestion on roads and rail

After conducting two pilot programs in recent years, the city's government aims to launch commuter ferry operations in the current fiscal year.
The towers of Canary Wharf, in London, occupied by several major international banks, seen from Greenwich Park in the city
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Banks voted to limit accounting of capital market emissions

The plan to keep carbon emissions linked to bond and stock sales out of banks' footprints came after wrangling over the issue delayed new standards.
Ukrainian soldiers take up positions on the front line near Bakhmut, in Ukraine's Donetsk region in this still image obtained from video released Wednesday.
WORLD
Jul 31, 2023

Ukraine reports fierce fighting in northeast

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Sunday as "a good day, a powerful day" at the front.
Many of the entrepreneurs who’ve become superwealthy are now seeking to manage and transfer riches to their descendants in Asia. That’s resulting in a surge in family office demand.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 31, 2023

Asia’s richest families fuel race for lucrative finance jobs

Many of Asia's superwealthy are now seeking help managing their estates just as old-money families in the West have done for decades.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2023

Bigmotor suspected of fabricating insurance contracts

The news came on top of an investigation report that showed employees padded maintenance fee claims to insurance firms by deliberately damaging cars.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 31, 2023

First foreign pavilion application fails to calm Osaka Expo nerves

Officials worry that unless other countries move to set up their pavilions soon, some who have agreed to build them could reverse course.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Jul 31, 2023

Naoki Yoshikawa and Makoto Kadowaki play starring roles for Giants in field

The Yomiuri infielders are turning heads with their play.
Chinese drone maker DJI holds a demonstration to display an app that tracks a drone's registration and owner, in Montreal in November 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 1, 2023

China curbs exports of drone equipment amid U.S. tech tensions

Beijing said it hopes to safeguard "national security and interests" amid escalating tension with the United States over access to technology.
Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk gets in a Tesla car as he leaves a hotel in Beijing in May.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 1, 2023

Elon Musk’s unmatched power in the stars

The tech billionaire has become the dominant power in satellite internet technology. The ways he is wielding that influence are raising global alarms.

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