Search - 2021

 
 
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol waves as he and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, arrive in London on Monday for a state visit to the U.K.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 21, 2023

South Korea’s Yoon to talk AI in U.K. as trade negotiations begin

South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol and British leader Rishi Sunak will try to burnish their international credentials ahead of respective general elections.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a family photo during Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco on Nov. 16
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2023

Less than 30% of Japanese firms plan China expansion: survey

Many Japanese businesses have been put off by economic slowdown, increasing competition and geopolitical tension.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. The central bank has yet to step into the real estate investment trusts market this year, after purchases every year since 2010 to help lower risks in the property market.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2023

BOJ pulls back from risk asset buying in sign of normalization

The lack of buying comes amid simmering speculation that the Bank of Japan will scrap its negative interest rate and control of government bond yields.
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation's new exhibition lets people experience life with robots.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 22, 2023

Miraikan science museum debuts new permanent exhibition on aging

Visitors will be able to experience various age-related challenges such as blurry vision and heaviness in the legs.
Afghan refugees sit with their belongings near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on Nov. 20.
WORLD
Nov 22, 2023

Afghans driven from Pakistan rebuilding lives from 'zero'

Many have lived decades, if not their whole lives, outside their country, with no one left in their homeland to return to.
A Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released Monday.
WORLD / Politics / EXPLAINER
Nov 22, 2023

Houthi ship hijacking stokes fears of escalating Israel-Hamas war

The group warned they would continue to target vessels linked to Israelis until the end of the military campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza.
Shareholders arrive to attend Toshiba's extraordinary shareholders meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2023

Toshiba shareholders approve plan to go private next month

The decision will allow a consortium led by JIP to buy all of Toshiba's remaining shares, marking the end of its decadeslong history as a public firm.
Hamas fighters take part in a military parade in Gaza in July to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2023

Israel's historical role in the rise of Hamas

The complicated relationship between Israel and Hamas with the the "Frankenstein" Jewish state help create
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

LDP faces scrutiny in parliament over underreporting of funds

Sizable omissions in political funding reports by the ruling party took center stage in parliamentary debate as the opposition questioned the government.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is exploring more investments in mid- and late-stage tech startups, seeing room for expansion into a field that historically was shunned by relatively conservative giant lenders.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2023

Top Japanese bank builds startup fund as policy push lures lenders

Mars Growth Capital, co-run by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, now has around 40 to 50 potential investment deals for its recently launched equity fund.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo speaks during a news conference in Helsinki on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 23, 2023

Finland to close all but northernmost border crossing with Russia

Since the beginning of the month, more than 600 people without valid travel documents to the European Union have come to Finland via Russia.
Mizuho Financial Group is seeking to establish a securities company in China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2023

Japan's Mizuho applies to set up securities company in China

The application comes as the bank is hoping to tap China's lucrative capital markets fee pool, the largest after the United States and Europe.
Children and their parents wait at a hospital in Beijing on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 23, 2023

WHO asks China for more data on respiratory illness outbreak

Northern China has reported an increase in "influenza-like illness" since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years.
The European Union finds itself at a crossroads of balancing national borders, economic autonomy and liberal values.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 23, 2023

The geopolitics of EU enlargement

The European bloc appears to be moving toward radical reinvention.
A pyrotechnic display takes place at Lusail Stadium on Dec. 18, 2022.
SOCCER
Nov 23, 2023

Qatar still reaping benefits of World Cup one year later

The World Cup has raised Qatar's profile in the Middle East.
Core consumer prices in Japan rose 2.9% in October from a year earlier, staying above the Bank of Japan's 2% target for the 19th straight month as products seeing price hikes continued to broaden.
BUSINESS
Nov 24, 2023

Japan inflation quickens, clouding price outlook for BOJ

A weak yen has been a key driver behind high import costs, as it has stayed near a 33-year low against the dollar in recent months.
Finnish Border Guards escort migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Finland pushing back 'weaponized migration' on Russia border

Finnish PM described Russia's move to allow a growing number of migrants without papers to reach the border as "a systematic and organized action."
A survey found that the number of children newly hospitalized for anorexia nervosa in Japan came to 183 in fiscal 2022, up around 60% from fiscal 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 24, 2023

Anorexia in children remained an issue three years into pandemic

Cases in fiscal 2022 were 40% higher than the level in fiscal 2019, before the pandemic.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Nov 24, 2023

Domestic horses look to continue home dominance

It’s the weekend of the Group 1 Japan Cup in association with Longines, when one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan, if not the world, will be run at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday. Having grown in stature over the past 40 years or so, the race has made a real name for itself over that time in...
NATO forces have to navigate a variety of national regulations before ammunition can be shipped.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

NATO urges members to get their logistics homework done

Red tape hindering troop movements across Europe could cause major delays if a conflict with Russia erupts, logistics chief says
Analysts say that the election of brash Argentine upstart Javier Milei shows that an anti-incumbent trend over the past decade is becoming a fixture.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Fed-up voters put Latin American leaders on thin ice

From Chile to Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, voters have simply opted to boot out the government of the day in favor of someone new.
Pro-Palestinian supporters gather in a show of solidarity at the National Monument in Jakarta on Nov. 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2023

Asia’s Muslims grow weary of the West’s double standards

Indonesia and Malaysia have long taken a strong pro-Palestinian stance and neither has diplomatic ties with Israel.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen (right) celebrates with engineer Gianpiero Lambiase after winning the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, Qatar, on Oct. 8.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 25, 2023

Gianpiero Lambiase embraces role as man in Max Verstappen’s ear

Lambiase has helped Verstappen win 53 Grand Prix titles and three Formula One drivers’ championships in their time together.
The number of syphilis cases in Japan totaled 13,251 this year as of Sunday, hitting a record high for the third consecutive year, national data showed Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2023

Syphilis cases hit record high for third straight year in Japan

The total exceeded the previous annual record of 13,228 cases reported in the entire year of 2022.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin addresses his sentencing hearing and the judge after being convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in June 2021 in a still image taken from video.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 25, 2023

Police officer who killed George Floyd stabbed in U.S. prison

The former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of murdering Floyd during a 2020 arrest, survived the attack.
Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the X social media platform, pauses during an event with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Nov. 2.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 25, 2023

X may lose up to $75 million in revenue as advertisers pull out

Scores of brands have pulled their ads after owner Elon Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh on Dec. 8, 2022.
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2023

Mideast wealth funds draw greater U.S. scrutiny over China ties

A U.S. committee is reviewing several multibillion dollar deals this year on concerns they could pose national security risks.
JAPAN
Nov 26, 2023

Japan to tighten Pacific bluefin tuna catch management

Under the plan, operators will have to report the weight and number of Pacific bluefin tuna weighing at least 30 kilograms.
A supporter of the Kuomintang, Taiwan's main opposition party, waves the island's flag outside the Central Election Commission office in Taipei on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 26, 2023

Taiwan draws clear U.S.-versus-China battle lines in key election

The collapse of the opposition alliance makes Chinese President Xi Jinping’s stated goal of voluntary unification with Taiwan more remote.
In Japan on a scholarship he fought hard for, Oscar Ruto found himself needing to take a break and headed into Tokyo for a weekend of partying.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 27, 2023

'I wasn't always an alcoholic … and then I was'

As the party season draws near, it's important to deal with yearend stress in healthier ways.

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