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An employee checks on items at a Komehyo store in Nagoya.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 16, 2024

Thrift store operator Komehyo pushing to expand business overseas

The company hopes to become the world's top retailer of secondhand luxury brand items by tripling its overseas sales in four years.
U.S. pressure to slow Beijing’s advances in making semiconductors led the Netherlands to ban exports to China of ASML’s second-most advanced category of machinery at the start of the year. But ASML continues to service machines that were bought before the restrictions were in place.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2024

ASML falls as outlook clouded by risk of U.S. export curbs

ASML shares plunged 11% in Amsterdam on Wednesday to €870.90 ($952), wiping out €42.7 billion of market value — its biggest decline since March 2020.
People walk along a flooded street in Manila on Wednesday amid heavy rainfall from Typhoon Gaemi.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 24, 2024

Deadly Typhoon Gaemi floods Philippines, shuts Taiwan

The Philippines is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events, which have cost the nation about $1.2 billion annually between 2000 and 2016.
Rim Nakamura, who is attempting to win Japan's first Olympic gold medal in cycling, will be one of the top Japanese athletes to watch at the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS
Jul 26, 2024

The Japanese Olympians looking to shine in Paris

Team Japan is looking to build on the momentum from three years ago in Tokyo, where the nation earned a record medal haul.
Gold medalist Natsumi Tsunoda celebrates on the podium after she won the women's under 48-kg division at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 27, 2024

Dominant Natsumi Tsunoda delivers Japan's first gold medal at Paris Olympics

Tsunoda is the first Japanese woman to win gold in the under 48-kg division since Ryoko Tani at the 2004 Athens Games.
Christa Deguchi of Canada (right) battles South Korea’s Huh Mi-mi in the finals of the women's under-57 kg judo competition at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 30, 2024

Japan-born Christa Deguchi claims Olympic gold for Canada in women's judo

Born and raised in Nagano Prefecture to a Canadian father and Japanese mother, Deguchi excelled for Japan before switching her representation to Canada.
Georgia's Lasha Bekauri (top) and Japan's Sanshiro Murao battle in the men's gold medal bout in the under-90 kg judo event at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Aug 1, 2024

Georgian Bekauri retains judo title over Japan's Murao

Bekauri won a controversial bout over Murao in the gold-medal match to secure the victory.
Algeria's Imane Khelif (left) punches Italy's Angela Carini in the women's 66-kg last 16 bout at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 2, 2024

Italian boxer quits bout, sparking furor over gender at Olympics

The issue has become the latest flashpoint in the politically charged debate over gender and fair play in sports.
Founded in the early 2000s, Ichiro's Malt has since become a third pole in Japan's whisky world dominated by beverage giants.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 4, 2024

In sleepy Chichibu, Japan's whisky landscape is quietly shifting

Ichiro’s signature flavor profile of rich, woodsy flavors complemented by a clear fruitiness owes in large part to the tempermental 'mizunara' Japanese oak.
Algeria's Imane Khelif walks to the ring for her bout against Italy's Angela Carini during the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 2, 2024

IOC addresses boxing controversy at Paris Olympics

The IOC says boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting will remain in the competition at the Paris Olympics.
Japan's Tatsuru Saito (above) is dismayed after losing to France's Teddy Riner in the gold-medal bout of the judo mixed team event on Saturday at the Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Aug 4, 2024

Judo legend Riner leads France to team title over Japan for fifth gold medal

Three years after leading France to victory over Japan at the Budokan in Tokyo, Riner again led the way as France fought back from 3-1 down to retain the title.
The International Boxing Association holds a news conference in Paris on Monday, with the association's president, Umar Kremlev, appearing on a video feed from Moscow.
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2024

A chaotic news conference offers little clarity on an Olympic boxing dispute

The International Boxing Association’s Russian president delivered wild accusations, personal attacks and used questionable language when detailing the two women's cases.
U.S. President Joe Biden escorts Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to their trilateral summit at the White House in Washington in April.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 6, 2024

As U.S. ‘minilateral’ diplomacy grows, Japan emerges as key actor

As geopolitical tensions in the region rise, the breakout of any conflict would put Tokyo on the front lines alongside Washington.
Kenichiro Fumita celebrates after his win over China's Cao Liguo in their men's Greco-roman 60 kg wrestling final match at the Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS
Aug 7, 2024

Japan's Kenichiro Fumita wins Greco-Roman gold in 60 kg

Fumita claimed the first wrestling gold of the Paris Olympics by beating Cao Liguo of China, who settled for silver.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the U.S. Democratic vice presidential candidate, speaks as Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris looks on at Temple University in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 7, 2024

New Democratic VP pick Walz adds deep China experience to ticket

The Minnesota governor’s focus on China issues include a foray there as a teacher and a role on a key human rights panel as a congressman.
Cindy Ngamba (left) throws a punch at Panama's Atheyna Bylon during their semifinal bout of the women's 75-kg category at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 9, 2024

Boxer Ngamba settles for bronze as Refugee Olympic Team celebrates first medal

Ngamba, who was born in Cameroon but sought safe haven in Britain at age 11, was beaten by split decision in the semifinals of the women's 75-kg category.
A man makes his way along an earthquake-damaged street in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in January. With last week's tremors in Kyushu and the nature of the Nankai Trough, some experts believe that the omens of a disaster can be seen.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 11, 2024

Japan is living in the shadow of the megaquake

People tend to view the quake threat in the abstract. It’s kind of like thinking about death — I know I’ll die someday, but I hope it won’t be today.
Kotaro Kiyooka celebrates after winning gold in his 65-kg match against Rahman Amouzadkhalili of Iran at Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris on Sunday.
OLYMPICS / Wrestling
Aug 12, 2024

'Lion' king Kiyooka and Kagami underline Japan's mat mastery in Paris

Japan finished its campaign with eight wrestling golds — three more than at Tokyo 2020 — with Iran, Bulgaria and the U.S. all trailing far behind with two apiece.
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2024

Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates

Tropical Storm Ampil is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon — a level on par with a Category 1 hurricane — and near eastern Japan this weekend.
Designed by Bob Foundation in collaboration with Sugita Ace, the Sonaete series of disaster preparedness kits are packaged in bags, boxes and pouches that look attractive in homes.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 13, 2024

Stylish emergency goods can save precious seconds when disaster strikes

Eye-catching go bags, canary-inspired whistles and more aesthetically pleasing emergency preparedness items you'll want to keep within arm's reach.
A Bank of Japan report said input prices for firms gained 3.0% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 13, 2024

Japan’s producer inflation quickens for sixth straight month

The increase reflected rising prices of materials due to a weaker yen and the suspension of subsidies to ease the impact of higher electricity and gas prices.
Former Kobayashi Pharmaceutical President Akihiro Kobayashi (second from right) speaks during a news conference in Osaka on Aug. 8 along with President Satoshi Yamane (third from right).
JAPAN / Society
Aug 14, 2024

Kobayashi Pharma fails to report 11 more suspected deaths

The 11 cases had been classified into a wrong category in the process of sorting out the inquiries made to its call center.
A satellite image shows Typhoon Ampil south of Japan on Thursday afternoon.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2024

‘Very strong’ Typhoon Ampil set to approach eastern Japan on Friday

While the storm is not likely to make landfall, the Izu Islands and the Kanto and Tohoku regions will see its impacts from Thursday to Saturday.
Japan is divided into many different regions, sometimes distinguishing areas of the country by old borders or climate.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 16, 2024

When it comes to Japan, do you know your 'Kanto' from your 'Kanto-koshin'?

Japanese people tend to travel to their hometowns around this time of year, and asking where they went is an easy conversation starter.
An employee pulls a trolley containing boxes of LD Ultra-Slim cigarettes ready for shipping at the Japan Tobacco cigarette plant in the town of Senta in Serbia. JT Group is buying U.S. discount cigarette-maker Vector Group.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2024

JT Group plans to buy U.S. cigarette-maker Vector for ¥348.6 billion

The move will address a loss of anticipated growth due to Russia's war in Ukraine, and will boost Japan Tobacco's U.S. market share from 2.3% to about 8%.
Rescue personnel with the body of British entrepreneur Mike Lynch, who died when a yacht owned by his family sank off the coast of Porticello, near the Sicilian city of Palermo, Italy, on Thursday
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 23, 2024

Body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch retrieved from yacht

Lynch's 18-year-old daughter Hannah is still unaccounted for, an interior ministry official said.
Launched in 2012 in collaboration with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nadeshiko Brand recognition aims to spotlight companies that not only prioritize gender diversity but also maintain solid financial performance.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 26, 2024

METI to expand Nadeshiko Brand criteria for women-friendly listed firms

Companies that offer support for women’s health in a bid to foster corporate awareness and encourage long-term career development for women will be eligible.
Black Myth: Wukong has sold over 10 million copies in less than a week — by far the best launch of a Chinese-developed single-player game in history.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 27, 2024

With Black Myth: Wukong, China is now a force to reckon with in AAA games

Can China’s first AAA gaming hit bear the weight of the cultural baggage it’s being burdened with?
Zakia Khudadadi celebrates after earning a bronze medal in taekwondo in the K44 47-kg category at the Paris Paralympics on Thursday.
PARALYMPICS
Aug 30, 2024

Zakia Khudadadi becomes first member of refugee team to claim Paralympic medal

Khudadadi, who fled Afghanistan, earned bronze in taekwondo.
A remote-controlled BurnBot RX1 prototype produces a containment line during a prescribed burn operation in Paicines, California, on Aug. 12.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 30, 2024

Robots are starting (good) fires in California

BurnBot's robot keeps combustion within its burning chamber, where propane torches and air blowers bring flame temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius.

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