Search - 2021

 
 
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani on deck against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Aug. 28
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 5, 2023

Shohei Ohtani decision expected 'within the week,' reports say

The free agent two-way star is projected to receive a record-setting contract worth more than $500 million.
A field study by elementary school students takes place in the Izawa River basin in Shiso, Hyogo Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 24, 2023

Unveiling Shiso, a hidden gem of nature and coexistence

With 90% of its area covered by forest, the Hyogo city boasts picturesque streams and a bounty of access points to refreshing natural spring water.
Traffic along a highway amid heavy smog and pollution in New Delhi in November
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 7, 2023

As China enjoys cleaner air, India's pollution struggle continues

Huge swaths of northern India choke on clouds of polluted air during winter as temperatures drop, winds disappear and farmers set fields ablaze.
Beet carpaccio served with fresh cream and caviar, the signature dish of three-Michelin-star chef Mauro Colagreco, features at Cycle, his much-anticipated new restaurant in Otemachi.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 9, 2023

Tokyo dining finally kicked the pandemic blues in 2023

The further we got into 2023, the more it really started to feel like COVID-19 had finally dissipated like a malodorous mist.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during an event in Pyongyang. Smuggling efforts could be directly linked to the North's military ambitions, analysts have said.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 8, 2023

North Korean smugglers disguised under Pacific island flags

With strict sanctions limiting Pyongyang's ability to import fuel, smugglers have adopted increasingly creative methods.
Naomi Osaka in action during the 2022 U.S. Open in one of her final tournaments before her pregnancy leave
TENNIS
Dec 8, 2023

Returning Osaka targets Paris Olympics and more Grand Slam titles

The 26-year-old former world No. 1 is set to return to competition at the Brisbane International starting at the end of the month.
Yokohama F. Marinos manager Kevin Muscat during an exhibition match against Manchester United at National Stadium in Tokyo in July
SOCCER
Dec 8, 2023

Kewell a possibility after Muscat steps down from Marinos

Tough-tackling former international Muscat has been in charge since July 2021 and won the J. League top division last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 11, 2023

Kishida likely to shake up Cabinet in wake of political funds scandal

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is reportedly considering removing all members of the faction once led by his late predecessor Shinzo Abe.
Nio workers inspect a vehicle on an assembly line at the automaker’s factory in Hefei, China. China misjudged the rapid expansion of its electric vehicle sector, leaving a shortfall of skilled technicians as young people shun manufacturing careers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2023

China’s electric car factories can’t hire fast enough

A frenzy of construction and expansion of factories has made electricians and robotics specialists a hot commodity.
A man harvests opium as he works in an opium field outside Loikaw, Myanmar.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2023

Myanmar overtakes Afghanistan as world's biggest opium producer

Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tons of opium this year, according to the latest report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime.
An attendee plays Fortnite, made by Epic Games, during the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in 2019.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2023

Legal defeat for Google threatens $200 billion app store industry

Until now, Google and Apple have charged commissions of as much as 30% to software developers who typically have had few other options.
The Palace of Westminster in London. Russia's intelligence service has carried out a yearslong cyberattack campaign against high-profile politicians, public service staff members, journalists and others, the British government said on Dec. 7.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

U.K. government at high risk of ‘catastrophic’ cyberattack

Departments responsible for national infrastructure across the government are running outdated systems that put them in danger of a breach.
The problems afflicting Afghan society today, such as the repression of women’s rights and conflict, are also global issues.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2023

Neglecting Afghanistan could have global repercussions

The problems afflicting Afghan society today, such as the repression of women's rights and conflict, are a reflection of those facing the wider world.
Shohei Ohtani puts on a Dodgers cap and uniform during his introductory news conference at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 15, 2023

Shohei Ohtani says shared commitment to winning led him to Dodgers

The one-of-a-kind talent received a Hollywood intro Thursday as he began his new chapter with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Media mogul Jimmy Lai, the founder of now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and one of the most prominent Hong Kong critics of China's Communist Party leadership, has faced a salvo of litigation since a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2023

China crackdown on Hong Kong in focus as Jimmy Lai goes on trial

Media tycoon faces possible life imprisonment on charges he colluded with foreign forces, including the U.S.
A member of the insurgent Karenni Nationalities Defence Force rescues civilians trapped amid airstrikes, during a battle to take over Loikaw in Kayah State, Myanmar, in November.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2023

Rebel fire and China's ire: Inside Myanmar's anti-junta offensive

Operation 1027 has become the most significant threat to the regime since it seized power in a 2021 coup.
Nobuko, younger sister of Kotaro Nishizawa, who died at his clinic in Osaka during an arson attack, hugs one of the audience members following a memorial concert for the victims held in the city on Dec. 3.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 17, 2023

Deadly arson attack in Osaka remembered two years on

A piano concert was organized as an opportunity for bereaved relatives to connect and heal.
A worker inspects semiconductor chips at a chip-packaging plant in Ipoh, Malaysia, in 2021. Malaysia currently accounts for 13% of the global market for semiconductor packaging, assembly and testing.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 18, 2023

Chinese firms look to Malaysia to assemble high-end chips

Dearth of advanced chip-packaging services in China leads firms to venture abroad amid U.S. sanctions.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2023

Diplomats gird for 'doomsday' as prospect of Trump presidency looms

If he were to win a second term, Trump is likely to install loyalists — meaning his whims and isolationist policies would be easier to enact than before.
While non-Japanese readers have in recent years been spoiled for choice when it comes to Japanese literature in translation, there is still a wealth of notable works that translators would love to see rendered into English.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2023

A wish list of hidden gems for Japanese literature lovers

Eight translators reveal their top Japanese books that English readers have yet to enjoy.
Desi Permatasari, 32, comforts her daughter, Sheena Almaera Maryam, 5, who was prescribed contaminated cough syrup last year in their home in Bogor, Indonesia.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 24, 2023

When children take toxic cough syrup — and live

In Indonesia, one of the places most impacted by the contamination, families struggle to care for survivors while taking action against those responsible.
Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 28, 2023

Vietnam's 'bamboo diplomacy' shifts into higher gear

After a string of deals this year and last, the Southeast Asian country's top partners include the United States, China, India, South Korea and Russia.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump
WORLD / Politics
Dec 29, 2023

Maine elections official disqualifies Trump from presidential primary ballot

Maine became the second state to bar the former U.S. president for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Workers walk past an underconstruction area with completed office towers in the background in Shenzhen's Qianhai new district on Aug. 25, 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 1, 2024

China's strained economy casts shadow over 2024

Last year, the economy was roiled by a real estate crisis, falling consumer confidence, deflation and the disappearance of foreign investment.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Newton, Iowa, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2024

Trump, in Iowa, skirts Jan. 6 talk on attack's anniversary

The lack of mention reflects the degree to which Republican voters have absolved him of responsibility for that day's events.
Voters cast ballots for the U.S. presidential election at a polling station in Portland, Maine, on Nov. 3, 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2024

Trump ballot removals reflect efforts of liberal-funded groups

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Free Speech for People have been catalysts for the yearslong campaign.
The Yeouido financial district in Seoul
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 8, 2024

South Korea watchdog intensifies crackdown on China-linked notes

Authorities will investigate 12 institutions over the sale of equity-linked securities that are tied to the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.
Sony plans to file the termination notice before a Jan. 20 extended deadline for closing the deal with Zee.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2024

Sony plans to call off $10 billion merger with India’s Zee

The plan to cancel the deal is due to a standoff over whether Zee CEO Punit Goenka would lead the merged entity amid a regulatory probe.
The yen's exchange rate against the dollar on Wednesday. The yen declined from ¥103 against the dollar in 2020 to as little as ¥151 in late 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2024

Is a weak yen good for Japan’s economy?

The yen's fast depreciation is boosting overseas investment and sectors like tourism, but could also trigger inflation. In response, the BOJ should raise interest rates.
Naomi Osaka practices in Melbourne on Sunday ahead of her first-round clash against Caroline Garcia at the Australian Open on Monday.
TENNIS
Jan 15, 2024

Naomi Osaka's return set to headline Day 2 at Australian Open

"I have a much more positive mindset and a much more grateful mindset," Osaka said.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past