Search - category

 
 
Mao Geping, chairman of Mao Geping Cosmetics Co., gestures during the company's listing ceremony at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2024

China makeup mogul is a billionaire after hot Hong Kong debut

Mao Geping's namesake skincare and cosmetics firm, which listed Tuesday, raised HK$2.3 billion ($300 million) in its initial public offering.
The silhouettes of Mount Fuji, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building and Shinjuku skyscrapers are seen during sunset in Tokyo in November.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2024

Tokyo remains third in global city index for ninth consecutive year

While Tokyo notched improvements in research and development, cultural interaction, livability, and accessibility, its score declined in the economy category.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
CULTURE / Film / 2024 in Review
Dec 20, 2024

A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity

International collaborations and indie risk-takers steered the film industry in a fresh direction in 2024.
When chef Yoshihiro Kitagawa returned to his hometown of Matsusaka to open Shibousai Kitagawa in 2015, he chose a tranquil location on the rural fringe of the city.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Dec 22, 2024

Shibousai Kitagawa: Creative Chinese in the home of Matsusaka wagyu

Alongside the superlative array of vegetable appetizers, a focal point at Shibousai Kitagawa is the revered local Matsusaka wagyu.
Political reform bills clear the Upper House plenary session in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2024

Parliament wraps up, showing minority government's lack of control

Several concessions had to be made to the opposition before the ruling coalition could garner the support it needed to get its bills passed.
Rescuers work at a site of a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, in October 2022.
WORLD
Dec 24, 2024

How one man became a Ukrainian traitor and Russian spy

Before the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian nationals were mainly recruited during trips to Russia, but approaches are more often made online now using social networks.
A full house at Dolphins Arena takes in a bout featuring Takarafuji during the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in July.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 25, 2024

New Nagoya arena won't ease sumo's ticket crunch

A shiny new arena in Nagoya will seat 17,000 but capacity won't be nearly that high for sumo, meaning there's no relief on the horizon for ticket-hungry fans.
A member of the medical staff treats a woman with COVID-19 next to her four-day-old baby at a hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, in November 2021.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 27, 2024

COVID pregnancies may have boosted autism risk, study shows

"There’s something really going on,” pediatric infectious diseases physician Karin Nielsen says. "We don’t want to alarm the world, but that’s what our data are showing.”
Although meat consumption has been dropping, it's not happening quickly enough to meet climate targets, something to keep in mind over the holidays.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2024

Why are my vegan friends going back to meat?

Helping people eat healthier diets with more fruit, vegetables and fiber would have enormous benefits for human well-being and the planet.
Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, lights a protective face mask on fire during a rally in support of President Donald Trump in Atlanta, in 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2025

On anniversary of U.S. Capitol attack, Proud Boys ex-leader asks Trump for pardon

1,583 people have been charged with a crime connected to the siege of the Capitol, with about 1,100 of those cases fully adjudicated, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Hiroyuki Sanada's overlooked Golden Globe and Emmy wins and the media's differing reactions to "Shogun" mirror the contrasting political and media responses to Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel, highlighting how local interests shape public perception in both cases.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 8, 2025

Media coverage and political tensions color reactions to Nippon Steel's U.S. acquisition

If the U.S. Steel issue continues to be exacerbated, it might yield short-term benefits for U.S. domestic politics, but it will ultimately hand a windfall to foreign competitors.
Palm trees burned by the Palisades Fire along the shore in Malibu, California, at sunrise on Friday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 11, 2025

‘We’re in a new era’: How climate change is supercharging disasters

Extreme weather events — deadly heat waves, floods, fires and hurricanes — are the consequences of a warming planet, scientists say.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a statement after meeting with the National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 13, 2025

Canada has counter-tariffs ready if Trump launches trade war, Trudeau says

Canada buys more U.S.-made goods than any other country, according to U.S. Commerce Department export data — about $320 billion in the first 11 months of last year.
The producer price index in 2024 rose 2.3% from the previous year to 122.6, against 100 for the base year of 2020, a Bank of Japan report showed Thursday. The index was up for the fourth year in a row.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 16, 2025

Japan's producer price index hit record high in 2024

The producer price index, which measures the costs of goods traded between companies, rose 2.3% from the previous year to 122.6.
One of the brighest spots of Japan's indie gaming landscape in 2024 was Sonokuni, and with more incubators and other avenues of support springing up, there may be more games like it in the future.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jan 21, 2025

Japan-made games part of a rising tide of indie greatness

With games developed by lone individuals rivaling the quality of major studios, it's time to reconsider what makes an indie game indie.
Fuji TV President Koichi Minato speaks at a news conference on Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Media
Jan 20, 2025

What went wrong at Fuji TV's news conference on allegations against Nakai?

The broadcaster, which imposed various restrictions for the event that included denying access to many media agencies, ended up worsening the scandal.
Items produced under agriculture-welfare partnerships are displayed at an event in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Dec. 2.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2025

Farm-welfare links for disabled employment expand in Japan

Such partnership initiatives, launched by agricultural corporations and employment facilities, reached about 7,100 by fiscal 2023.
Asia is home to several sustainable investment taxonomies. Among them, the Singapore-Asia taxonomy is a regional framework for classifying sustainable investments across eight sectors that represent 90% of the continent's greenhouse gas emissions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 22, 2025

Sustainable finance taxonomies light up Asia’s net-zero path

With its burgeoning economies and population, Asia is key to decarbonizing the planet. The continent's sustainable taxonomies are helping direct finance toward climate solutions.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 23, 2025

As Trump threatens tariffs, his orders kick off more extensive trade overhaul

The U.S. president's executive order on trade touched on sweeping changes to rules that have governed U.S. trade policy for decades.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels scrambles during Washington's wild-card playoff game against Tampa Bay earlier this month.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 24, 2025

Washington's 'Terminator' Jayden Daniels one win away from NFL history

The 24-year-old Californian, taken with the second overall pick in last year's draft, has electrified the NFL this season.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as reporters ask questions aboard Air Force One during a flight from Las Vegas to Miami on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2025

Trump, at zenith of power, moves quickly to 'take over' Washington

Trump's agenda faces roadblocks going forward, and the opening weeks of his administration may represent the height of his power, some supporters acknowledge.
A U.S. district judge did little to hide that he was highly skeptical of Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2025

Judge scoffs at legality of Trump’s bid to limit birthright citizenship

"This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” the judge said of Donald Trump's executive order.
Vehicles drive over a road made using recycled plastic waste in Pokhara, Nepal, on Dec. 26.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jan 27, 2025

Rubbish roads: Nepal explores paving with plastic

Studies show that roads paved with plastic waste can be twice as durable as normal roads.
Workers construct an array of solar panels for a floating photovoltaic solar energy farm near Cottbus, Germany, in August 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2025

Red tape and rare earths: EU 'compass' charts economic future

The publication of the "competitiveness compass" aims to mark a change of tack toward a more business-friendly Brussels.
Tokyo’s notoriously crowded trains and train stations can be stressful for many. Unfortunately, the ぶつかり男 (butsukari otoko, bumping man) takes his stress out on others through shoving, elbowing and shoulder checks.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 31, 2025

Mind the gap — and the shoulder checking: Dealing with pushy people in Japan's crowded spaces

Knowing what to say in the moment is good, knowing how to report it to the authorities is even better.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a briefing on Thursday about the midair crash in Washington.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 31, 2025

From anguish to aggression: Trump goes on offense after midair collision

In the wake of this week’s midair collision near Washington, Trump was more than happy to jump to conclusions and pull the United States apart rather than together.
U.K. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper appears on the BBC's "Sunday Morning" political television show with journalist Laura Kuenssberg.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 3, 2025

U.K. to become first country to criminalize AI child abuse tools

The government will make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate sexualized images of children, punishable by up to five years in prison.
After a long wait, Beyonce proudly holds the one prize that has alluded her for many years: the Album of the Year award. "Cowboy Carter" also garnered the Best Country Album award.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 3, 2025

Beyonce finally wins top album, as Kendrick Lamar sweeps Grammys' rap category

Beyonce made history at the Grammys as she became the annual event's most decorated artist while the night paid tribute to the community of fire-ravaged Los Angeles.
Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto, South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Indian American vocalist Chandrika Tandon won a Grammy on Sunday for their album “Triveni.”
CULTURE / Music
Feb 5, 2025

Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto awarded Grammy for best new age album

Alongside South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Indian American vocalist Chandrika Tandon, Matsumoto took home the accolade for the trio’s album “Triveni.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes takes off his helmet after defeating the Bills during the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium on Jan. 26.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 6, 2025

NFL heralds helmet technology for reduction in concussions

Concussions fell to a record low this season, down 17% from the previous campaign, with improvements to helmet technology and after the league changed rules governing kickoffs.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.