Search - 2021

 
 
A friendly between England and the United States drew a crowd of 78,000 at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 7, 2022.
SPORTS
Jul 20, 2023

Women's sports experiencing steady growth in popularity and value

Women's sports are growing in popularity and value. Better yet, that growth is no longer dependent upon quadrennial events like the Olympics or World Cups.
Max Verstappen leaves the podium with his broken trophy after the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix in Mogyorod, Hungary, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jul 24, 2023

Max Verstappen dominates field to win Hungarian Grand Prix by wide margin

Verstappen's 44th career win was the ninth in 11 races so far this season for the Dutchman and his seventh in a row.
Jonas Vingegaard celebrates with his bike after winning the Tour de France in Paris on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 24, 2023

Jonas Vingegaard secures second straight Tour de France title

Runner-up Tadej Pogacar, the 2020 and 2021 Tour champion, won the white jersey as the best under-25 rider for the fourth year in a row.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 26, 2023

A tale of two Fujis: Bullet climbs, crowds and Lizzo

With the borders fully open, Mount Fuji is all booked up and Fuji Rock is back in full force. Drew Damron and Patrick St. Michel join us on the podcast to discuss Japan’s two favorite Fujis.
Members of the media take photos of lawyers Hsu Sung Po (left) and Aiko Ohbuchi (center) and Taiwanese table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 27, 2023

Table tennis star Ai Fukuhara accused by ex-husband of abducting their son

The ex-husband, Taiwanese table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh, has said that a court in Japan ruled that Fukuhara was required to hand over their son.
From left: Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hold a news conference in Brisbane on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 29, 2023

U.S. to expand military footprint in Australia

Changes include frequent visits of U.S. submarines to Australia, rotation of U.S. Army watercraft and collaborating on guided missile production.
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.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 31, 2023

Tokyo ‘Joker’ train attacker sentenced to 23-year prison term

The Tokyo District Court ruled that Kyota Hattori stabbed a 72-year-old man and intended to murder 12 passengers by lighting a fire.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 1, 2023

Taichi Yamano finally lives dream after nightmare debut

Yamano threw seven scoreless innings for his first career win.
Simon Humphries, head of design at Toyota, speaks during the world premier of the new Land Cruiser in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2023

Toyota’s iconic Land Cruiser returns to North America

The world’s biggest carmaker has unveiled three variations of one of its most enduring models, starting at around $50,000.
An S-400 surface-to-air missile system outside the town of Gvardeysk, near Kaliningrad, Russia, in March 2019. The S-400 is one of the defense items India has procured from Russia.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 15, 2023

A new tide of weapons imports, production and development

Some countries are beginning to diversify when looking for partners for their arms needs.
Hitachi CEO Keiji Kojima. The company’s metamorphosis belies the argument that the bastions of Japan Inc. are set forever in their ways.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2023

Hitachi reinvents itself in sign of hope for Japan

The old-school conglomerate revamped its governance, shrank its empire to focus on growth and evolved into a more global enterprise.
An installation for The North Face Moon Parka, which uses a Spiber-produced protein material
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Aug 6, 2023

A Japanese startup is using biotech to ‘brew’ greener fashion

Fashion has a huge environmental impact, and Spiber thinks its products can help curb the industry's footprint.
Japanese lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto visits a high-speed rail project site in Ahmedabad, India, in May 2018.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2023

Scandal-tainted Japanese lawmaker sought money to buy horse

Japanese lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto is suspected of receiving ¥30 million from the president of a company between 2021 and this year.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump at an event in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Aug 7, 2023

Trump targets judge in 2020 election case

The former president has said he plans to seek U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan's recusal as well as a change of venue outside of Washington.
A camp of informal gold miners in Los Amigos, in the Madre de Dios region, Peru. The Peruvian government estimates that illegal miners dump about 180 metric tons of mercury in Madre de Dios annually.
WORLD
Aug 7, 2023

Gold mining in the Amazon poisoning scores of threatened species

Miners in southeast Peru use mercury to find gold — inadvertently contaminating hundreds of species native to the area.
Even as some countries have moved to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on the drug, prohibiting its possession or sale.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Aug 7, 2023

Navigating Japan's maze of cannabis-related laws

Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on cannabis, but the legality of other products on the market, including ones sold as CBD, is murkier.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visit an exhibition of military equipment on July 27.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 8, 2023

North Korean hackers breached top Russian missile-maker

Experts say the incident shows how the isolated country will even target its allies in a bid to acquire critical technologies.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 8, 2023

Nihon University chairwoman apologizes for student drug scandal

Mariko Hayashi denied reports that she was kept in the dark about facts surrounding the case, which involves the university's American football team.
A shopper at a Beijing grocery store in 2022. China's consumer and producer prices have both declined from 12 months ago, indicating that the world’s second-largest economy may be weakening.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 9, 2023

China shows signs of deflation as consumer and factory prices fall

A prolonged property market slump, plunging demand for exports and subdued consumer spending are weighing on China's economic recovery.
The Alibaba Group Holding offices in Beijing on Tuesday. Alibaba is scheduled to release earnings results on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 9, 2023

Alibaba and Tencent’s big gains may not signal inflection point

Chinese policymakers have stopped short of providing significant policy support, consumer spending is muted and profit margins remain thin.
A WeWork co-working office space in San Francisco on Wednesday. WeWork has said there's 'substantial doubt' about its ability to continue operating, citing sustained losses and canceled memberships to its office spaces.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2023

WeWork’s ‘substantial doubt’ about its future marks a stunning fall

The New York-based company is bleeding cash, and customers of its office rentals are canceling their memberships in droves.
Japan midfielder Yui Hasegawa controls the ball during a training session in Auckland on Tuesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 11, 2023

Rejuvenated Nadeshiko Japan 'ready to fight against anyone'

Japan, a sagging power suddenly revived, might be the most impressive contender remaining in the Women's World Cup.
Ksenia Sobchak, one of the best-known media figures still based in Russia
WORLD / Politics
Aug 15, 2023

Ksenia Sobchak's advice to anti-war Russians: Find ways to cope

At once Putin insider and critic, Russia-based media figure Ksenia Sobchak opposes the war. But she wants those like her to accept it, rather than resist.
Elizabeth Kutschke at the park with her son Ben, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 15, 2023

When a $2 million gene therapy is not enough

Ben is one of a growing number of patients with spinal muscular atrophy whose doctors are turning to additional drugs in addition to gene therapy.
Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 15, 2023

African Union holds Niger talks as regime sends mixed signals

On Monday, the military-appointed prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, declared Niger would thwart a sanctions threat.
Thousands of Afghan women run microenterprises from their homes.
WORLD / Society
Aug 15, 2023

Afghan women set up secret businesses to escape Taliban bans

The administration has banned women from most jobs, barred girls from secondary and higher education, and restricted their movement.
Chinese leaders seem to believe the country has a narrow window of opportunity to achieve global preeminence before unfavorable demographic and geopolitical trends catch up with it.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 15, 2023

China’s dangerous secrets

China's secretive approach to projects and activities, including its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, should be a significant concern.
Both Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Securities USA are currently before the courts regarding discrimination lawsuits from former employees.
BUSINESS
Aug 9, 2023

Ex-Mizuho VP sues bank alleging bias against non-Japanese staff

According to the suit, much of the discrimination surfaced in response to a request for extended paternity leave.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, in Atlanta in 2022. For Donald Trump, the possibility of a second criminal indictment in Georgia underscores the blizzard of legal challenges he is facing.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 16, 2023

In Trump case, Georgia prosecutor aims to ‘tell the whole story’

Another potential pitfall for a big RICO case is that it may become too complex for jurors to follow the actions of 19 defendants.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji