Search - 2022

 
 
Identifying a sustainable product can involve evaluating claims about emissions, plastic use, water waste and packaging recyclability.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 19, 2023

Regulators are trying to stop greenwashing before it gets worse

The range of agencies tackling dubious sustainability claims is indicative of its ambiguity and breadth.
Couples prepare to have their photo taken during a wedding photography shoot on a in Shanghai on Sept. 6.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2023

Fewer 'I dos' ruin the party for China's $500 billion wedding industry

The trend is worrying officials trying to revive marriage rates and birth rates, which dropped to record lows last year.
A tanker used for shipping liquefied natural gas sits near the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, in Sabetta, Russia.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2023

Japan to ensure stable energy supply despite U.S. sanctions

The latest sanctions on the Arctic LNG 2 project are part of several economic measures the U.S., Europe and their allies have taken against Russia.
A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. Japan will roll out an updated version targeting the XBB variant on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Sep 19, 2023

Japan to begin COVID vaccine drive targeting XBB subvariant

The free shots will be offered until March next year to prepare residents for an expected uptick in infections during the winter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2023

In first court hearing, ex-lawmaker GaaSyy apologizes for defamation

Yoshikazu Higashitani admitted in court Tuesday to making defamatory remarks toward celebrities in videos he posted on social media.
The U.S. Federal Reserve building in Washington
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 19, 2023

A strike, a shutdown and student loans may cool spending for Fed

Some economists say the resumption of student loan repayments for tens of millions of borrowers may already be reshaping behavior.
North Korea's Ri Jo Guk (center) celebrates his goal against Taiwan in the men's soccer competition of the Asian Games in Jinhua, China, on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Sep 20, 2023

North Korea wins in international return as rival South hits nine

North Koreans are competing at the Hangzhou-hosted Asian Games in sports including athletics, gymnastics, basketball, football, boxing and weightlifting.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2023

Zelenskyy tells U.N. it has stake against Russia 'genocide'

The Ukrainian president renewed an invitation for world leaders to join a "peace summit" to end the war on Kyiv's terms.
Urawa's notoriously fervent supporters are known for packing stands, as well as for repeated off-the-pitch incidents that have impacted the club's reputation.
SOCCER / J. League / From the Spot
Sep 20, 2023

Urawa pays price for hooliganism after years of looking the other way

The J. League club has been banned from playing in Japan's top club tournament after more than a hundred supporters took part in an August pitch invasion.
A liquefied natural gas tanker is tugged toward a thermal power station in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, in November 2017
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2023

Japan’s dwindling LNG inventories could prompt new purchases

Storage held by Japan’s power suppliers fell to 1.62 million tons as of Sept. 17, according to data compiled by the trade ministry.
Cinema staff prepare servings of popcorn during an "all you can eat popcorn for 199 baht" campaign in front of a cinema inside a department store in Bangkok in November 2022.
BUSINESS
Sep 21, 2023

Southeast Asia cinema chains thrive as other markets struggle

Local box office records are being set, filmmaking grants are being unveiled and large cinema chains are shifting into expansion mode.
Preliminary data suggests that updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to a previous variant known as XBB, could still offer protection against the new edition.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023

New Pirola COVID-19 variant shows value of booster shots

Data suggests the updated COVID-19 boosters, which are matched to the XBB variant, could still offer decent protection against the new edition.
Characters from the Super Mario Bros. franchise adorn the front of Super Potato, a well-known retro game shop in Akihabara.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 20, 2023

Let the gaming begin: A guide to Tokyo's video game landmarks

Whether it's arcades, retro finds or chip-tune nightclubs, Japan's capital won't disappoint gamers wanting to geek out.
A Chinese flag flutters near a Huawei store in Shanghai on Sept. 8.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2023

German proposal for Huawei curbs triggers telecom operator backlash

Telecom operators swiftly criticized the proposals, while Huawei Germany rejected what it called the "politicization" of cybersecurity in the country.
Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2023

Poor nations have 'every right to be angry' on climate: Guterres

The U.N. chief said that poorer countries had done the least to cause global warming but were bearing the brunt of its impacts.
China's Xi Jinping (left) will attend the Asian Games opening ceremony in host city Hangzhou and meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad along with other visiting leaders there, state media said Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2023

Syria's Bashar Assad to visit China seeking financial support

With his trip to the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Assad also becomes the latest in a string of leaders ostracized by the West to be feted by Beijing.
Toshiba said the Japan Industrial Partners-led consortium had gained 78.65% of Toshiba’s outstanding shares through the bid, which began Aug. 8, paying ¥4,620 per share.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2023

Toshiba to go private after success of ¥2 trillion takeover bid

The Japan Industrial Partners-led consortium has gained 78.65% of outstanding shares, paying ¥4,620 per share.
Oil pump jacks in Tatarstan, Russia, on June 4
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2023

Oil companies cautious about drilling as energy transition looms

Instead of spending big to boost output, oil companies are boosting dividends or buying back shares to reward investors.
For all the scrutiny at home, many of China’s richest new grads are turning their backs on their lives abroad. Sometimes, they’re responding to the lure of China’s potential. Other times, it’s the alienation they feel overseas.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 22, 2023

China’s wealthy youth flock home as tensions with U.S. rise

For all the scrutiny at home, many of China’s richest new grads are turning their backs on their lives abroad.
Former Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel (left) helps Lewis Hamilton prepare the Mercedes team's "bee hotel" at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 22, 2023

Sebastian Vettel creates a buzz in Japan amid biodiversity crisis

The retired former champion invited current F1 drivers to make a small contribution to nature by building "bee hotels" next to the Suzuka Circuit track.
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk-min speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2023

South Korea seeks revived China-Japan summit to shore up ties

Senior officials from the three Asian nations are set to meet in Seoul on Sept. 26.
John Williams (right) and Seiji Ozawa (center) have been friends for decades. Their long-awaited reunion in Japan comes courtesy of a musical collaboration between Williams and the Saito Kinen Orchestra for the 31st edition of Ozawa’s annual music festival.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2023

Music legends John Williams and Seiji Ozawa reunite at Matsumoto festival

The American composer and conductor led a special program featuring his famous film scores at his long-time friend's annual event in Nagano Prefecture.
European Union trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis speaks at the Bund Summit in Shanghai on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 23, 2023

EU trade chief rules out China decoupling, but vows to protect bloc

The bloc posted record bilateral trade with China last year, but it is "very unbalanced," EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said.
Players compete against one another during the Just Dance event at the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in June.
MORE SPORTS / FOCUS
Sep 24, 2023

China hosts esports’ biggest moment with Tencent at the wheel

The once-in-four-years Asian Games, effectively a regional Olympics, is the first time that competitive video games will be eligible for medals.
Ayrton Senna (center) of Brazil talks with his McLaren team member during the final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circut in Mie Prefecture on Oct. 29, 1988.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 24, 2023

The Japanese GP: Often the scene of title deciders — and controversy

For an event often defined by drama, the stakes won’t be quite as high starting next year as the race settles into its spring date.
The U.S. Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, its flagship medical center in Germany, is seen in 2021. The medical center has quietly started admitting Ukrainian Army soldiers who were wounded in combat, most of them American volunteers.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

U.S. Army hospital in Germany treating Americans hurt fighting in Ukraine

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center has quietly started admitting Ukrainian Army soldiers who were wounded in combat, most of them American volunteers.
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet during a preview of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore in February 2022
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

F-35s are rarely flight-ready and repairs are too slow, GAO says

The Marine Corps’ goal for availability of its F-35B is 85%. Instead, the "mission capable” rate for F-35B training jets in 2022 was about 55%.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023

Syphilis cases in Japan top 10,000 for second year in 2023

It is unclear why new cases have shot up, reaching 10,000 two months earlier than last year.
An exterior view of MGM Grand hotel and casino, after MGM Resorts shut down some computer systems due to a cyberattack earlier this month, in Las Vegas, Nevada
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 25, 2023

'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars

Experts say they appear to be more sophisticated, disciplined and organized than many cybercriminal actors, and probably between 17 and 22 years old.
Amgen's office in South San Francisco, California
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 25, 2023

Big Pharma bets on AI to speed up clinical trials

AI is playing a sizeable and growing role in human drug trials.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building