Search - 2021

 
 
Protesters shout slogans and raise banners reading "Don't throw polluted water into the sea! Keep your promises" during a rally against Japan's plan to discharge treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima plant into the ocean, in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 18, 2023

Fukushima water release poses test for Japan-South Korea unity

The dumping of radioactive water may happen days after a summit in which the U.S. wants Japan and South Korea to lock in friendly ties.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a payload of 21 Starlink satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 27.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 18, 2023

Starlink lifts off in Asia as satellite internet race heats up

Elon Musk's company has carved out a niche and an opportunity through the region's natural disasters and the vast sweep of its archipelagoes and islands.
In 1990, there were five times as many men who had alcohol use disorder than women — now it’s two times, according to the director of a research institute on alcoholism and alcohol abuse.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 18, 2023

Women are drinking more alcohol and it’s killing them

Analysis of data from the CDC found that alcohol-related deaths among women increased by nearly 15% per year between 2018 and 2020.
Relatives and friends touch the coffin of a man who was killed fighting Russian troops in Ukraine's Donetsk region, during a funeral ceremony in Kyiv on Thursday.
WORLD
Aug 19, 2023

Troop deaths and injuries in Ukraine war near 500,000

Ukraine and Russia have lost a staggering number of troops as Kyiv’s counteroffensive drags on. A lack of rapid medical care has added to the toll.
A jade pig from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) at the shop of jade trader Lee in Taipei. Taiwan's jade trading sector is flagging post-COVID.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 19, 2023

Taiwan's antique jade dealers see trade losing luster

With the global economy in tatters, buyers are more cautious about taking a chance on expensive items, especially with the market awash with counterfeits.
It is still unclear whether BA.2.86 will be able to out-compete other strains of the virus that causes COVID-19, or have any advantage in escaping immune responses from prior infection or vaccination.
WORLD / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Aug 21, 2023

What you need to know about BA.2.86, the new COVID variant

Scientists are keeping an eye on the new lineage because it has 36 mutations that distinguish it from the currently dominant XBB.1.5 variant.
While most players in the field of neurotechnology are exclusively concerned with medical uses, Elon Musk is touting the possibility of telepathy, using the technology to store memories or to enable humans to continue their existence without their bodies.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 21, 2023

The race to link our brains to computers is heating up

Brain implants have long been trapped in the realm of science fiction, but medical trials suggest the devices could play a big part in humanity's future.
The U.S. has 8,000 km of carbon dioxide pipelines, but will need at least 50,000 to hit climate goals, according to a carbon transport engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 21, 2023

U.S. Midwest is ground zero in the fight over carbon capture

The U.S. wants to greatly expand carbon capture and storage infrastructure, including pipelines, but many projects face opposition in the Midwest.
A couple enjoy the sunset in Seoul. The proportion of people getting married has declined worldwide, but it has plummeted especially far in South Korea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 21, 2023

Seeking love, with help from the city government

Singles are signing up for city-hosted blind-dating events in South Korea, but some point to their inability to address real issues with family planning.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 22, 2023

Japan to begin releasing treated Fukushima water Thursday

Despite fishing cooperatives' lingering worries of reputational damage, the government will go ahead with its plan.
The initial public offering for Arm Holdings is set to be the biggest in the United States this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 22, 2023

SoftBank’s planned IPO for Arm set to be biggest of 2023

Arm didn’t disclose proposed terms for the share sale in the document, but it’s expected to seek a valuation of $60 billion to $70 billion.
U.S. President Joe Biden (second from rigt), U.S. first lady Jill Biden (right), Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (second from left) and Jaime Green, first lady of Hawaii, visit an area devastated by wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Monday.
WORLD / Society
Aug 22, 2023

Biden vows to help Maui rebuild after ‘unimaginable tragedy’

"Whatever you need, you’re going to get,” Biden said in the historic town of Lahaina, which was ravaged by the fires, vowing to help residents rebuild.
Cloning a person’s voice is increasingly easy. Once a scammer downloads a short sample from an audio clip they can use AI voice-synthesizing tools to create the content they need.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 22, 2023

Powered by technology, imposter scams drive new wave of fraud

Scammers methods sound like the stuff of science fiction, but advanced techniques are already available to criminals preying on everyday consumers.
A construction site in Dubai, where workers often face temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 23, 2023

As temperatures climb, millions more people face food insecurity

A recent study shows that extreme heat leads to an impossible conundrum for many workers: Risk your health to earn a living, or go hungry.
Artificial intelligence is likely to help Big Tech companies cement their industry dominance as they are the ones with the resources to develop and maintain the most powerful AI models.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2023

Unlocking AI’s potential for everyone

The tech industry’s dominant players are now deploying artificial-intelligence models to reinforce their positions in the market.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2023

Japan begins controversial release of treated Fukushima water

The discharge is a major step in the decommissioning process for the reactors hit by meltdowns following the March 2011 tsunami.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (left), former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (center) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the first debate between Republican candidates on Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 24, 2023

Absent Trump still steals show at raucous Republican debate

Trump's snubbing of the event deprived a chasing pack of rivals, whom he leads in polls, of the opportunity to direct shots at him live on stage.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 24, 2023

El Nino could doom Indonesia's rare tropical glaciers by 2026

Indonesia expects the dry season could run until October as El Nino increases the risk of forest fires and threatens supplies of clean water.
A woman stands on one side of the wall texting in front of a nightclub while, on the other side of the wall, a man works in an izakaya.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 24, 2023

One night out in Tokyo

As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps.
Wagner mercenaries guard the president and other high-ranking attendees at an event in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, in May 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 25, 2023

Wagner’s empire in Africa will live on after Prigozhin

Prigozhin built a business empire on the continent over the past five years, becoming an iconoclastic celebrity in places like Mali.
People attend a job fair in China's southwestern city of Chongqing on April 11. China on Aug. 15 said it would suspend the release of youth unemployment data, fueling data transparency concerns and heightening worries about the country’s economic slowdown.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2023

China braces for wider youth unemployment problems

Last week, Beijing decided to halt the release of urban youth unemployment data, which has been soaring in recent years.
Koenji-based dance troupe Tengu-ren performs at an Awa odori event in Tokyo's Kagurazaka neighborhood a month before the Koenji Awa Odori.
CULTURE / Longform
Aug 26, 2023

The party returns to Koenji

While the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary pause to one of Tokyo’s biggest festivals, its dancers never stopped practicing their steps.
Walter F. Hatch sheds light on how Japan's actions during World War II continue to haunt the country in "Ghosts in the Neighborhood."
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2023

‘Ghosts in the Neighborhood’ illuminates a path to reconciliation

Asian politics expert Walter F. Hatch sheds light on the role multilateral institutions can play in Japan coming to terms with its World War II past.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Aug 25, 2023

Japan's Yuka Saso grabs first round lead at CPKC Women's Open

The U.S. Women's Open in 2021, came alive with four straight birdies and added two more to ensure a one-stroke lead over Sweden's Linn Grant.
Designed by Sadamaranai Obake, Kumomonaka is a wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) kit that encourages those in mourning to talk about the past while creating sweets in colors that remind them of their deceased loved ones.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Aug 26, 2023

Japan-made novelties with deeper purpose

The easiest way to understand Japanese cultural concepts might be through these smartly designed products.
Investors stand in front of an electronic board showing stock information on the first trading day after the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday at a brokerage house in Shanghai.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Aug 26, 2023

China’s market rescue is failing as Xi holds back on stimulus

China’s regulators face a losing battle convincing global funds to invest in the nation’s stocks without stronger stimulus packages.
A woman carries food to customers at a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 27, 2023

Hong Kong turns to tycoons to get party scene back on track

The government is urging major property groups to help boost the nighttime economy via drink coupons, free events and later shopping hours.
Carlos Alcaraz serves during his match against Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Aug. 20.
TENNIS
Aug 27, 2023

Djokovic and Alcaraz on collision course at U.S. Open

A little more than six weeks after an enthralling Wimbledon final, the two men could meet again at Flushing Meadows
One big challenge public health officials now face is how to restore trust so that people listen to future guidance on everything from flu shots to childhood vaccines.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2023

Not all COVID-19 ‘misinformation’ is equal — nor misinformation

Public health scientists have to figure out how to get back to the kind of nuanced, thoughtful discussions that were the pre-pandemic norm.
Members of the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and U.S. armed forces carry national flags during the opening ceremony of joint military exercises in Taguig, Philippines, in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 27, 2023

How Japan can make the most of its latest diplomatic tool

Japan recently decided to establish a policy of Official Security Assistance. But how can it ensure its success?

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami