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Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a commemorative ceremony at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on July 3, the day new yen notes went into circulation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

Japan needs tighter monetary policy to restore balance

Japan’s economy undoubtedly suffers when the yen is too strong; that is why some advocate for a more expansionary monetary policy.
Yasushi Itagaki, head of MUFG’s global commercial banking business, says the banking group aims to push up its buyouts and investment in India, and increase annual returns from them to 20% in 10 years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2024

MUFG seeks acquisitions in India to drive growth, targeting 20% returns

Japan's largest lender is competing with a slew of global peers to expand in the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
Matt Groening (right), creator of the show "The Simpsons," attends the premiere of the "The Simpsons Movie" along with characters from the series in Springfield, Vermont, in July 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

‘The Simpsons’ has become a parody of itself. That’s a good thing.

With the "The Simpsons" viewership down to just 10% of its peak, the show is often in the news for controversies rather than content.
Dating apps like Bumble and Hinge, with their reliance on basic algorithms, often lead to superficial connections, but AI could improve this by analyzing deeper data for more meaningful matches.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024

AI dating might actually not be so bad

While still in development, these AI-driven match-making tools aim to reduce the fatigue of online dating and foster more genuine connections.
Roki Sasaki waves to fans after the Marines' final home game of the 2024 season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Nov 11, 2024

Posting ace Roki Sasaki will leave Marines in awkward position

The Marines ace is expected to move to an MLB organization this winter.
People walk along Wall Street in New York.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 11, 2024

Wall Street math wizards are decoding private-market returns

Decoding such illiquid investments is fraught with pitfalls, however, as many modeling mortgage bonds and derivatives before the financial crisis would testify.
People farm in the Punakha valley, Bhutan, in 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 11, 2024

Buddhist Bhutan to build 'mindfulness city' to create jobs and woo investment

The Gelephu Mindfulness City will lie in a special administrative region with separate rules and laws.
A Toyota Motor Lexus LF-ZC electric concept vehicle at the Beijing Auto Show in April
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2024

Toyota aims to ramp up China production in a strategy pivot

The plan represents a strategic pivot by the world's top selling automaker in the world's largest car market.
Pocky Day has grown into an informal annual tradition since its introduction in 1999, with stores across Japan offering special edition flavors and creative packaging to mark the occasion on Nov. 11.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2024

Pocky Day: Japan’s sweetest occasion

Since 1999, Nov. 11 has marked Pocky Day, the date being a nod to the stick-like shape of the beloved treat.
Mark Cavendish celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Tour de France Singapore Criterium race on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Nov 11, 2024

Cycling great Mark Cavendish wins final race in Singapore

Cavendish ended speculation about his cycling future when he announced his retirement from the sport on Saturday.
Australia's Travis Bazzana will make his senior national team debut at the Premier12.
BASEBALL
Nov 11, 2024

No. 1 MLB draft pick Travis Bazzana eager to hit field for Australia at Premier12

The infielder was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
People leave the venue during the United Nations climate change conference, known as COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 12, 2024

COP29: U.S. climate envoy says work will continue despite Trump's return

"For those of us dedicated to climate action, last week's outcome in the United States is obviously bitterly disappointing," Podesta said at the summit.
Roki Sasaki in action for Japan against the Czech Republic in the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo in March 2023
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 12, 2024

Roki Sasaki and MLB: How effective would his pitching arsenal be?

Every team should be interested in Sasaki, who has been putting up some huge numbers in Japan.
This year is expected to be the hottest year on record, and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service predicts it will also be the first year ever to breach 1.5 C of warming.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 12, 2024

Global warming is already on the cusp of 1.5 C, new research finds

While there is nothing symbolic about the number 1.5 in particular, every extra increment of heat risks worsening climate impacts like powerful storms and drought.
Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani during game four of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs against the Mets in New York on Oct. 17
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 12, 2024

Ohtani nominated for MVP after historic campaign

Ohtani is bidding for back-to-back MVP honors after winning the award last season with the Los Angeles Angels.
KitKat packets manufactured by Nestle in London
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2024

Nestle's KitKat signs Formula 1 deal as CEO Freixe seeks broader appeal

The aim of the deal was to improve KitKat's global reach and appeal to shoppers under 30 years old.
Andrew Harper, climate advisor for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), looks on during a visit to a neighborhood partially destroyed by the floods that hit Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on June 23.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 12, 2024

Climate crisis worsening 'hellish' conditions for displaced people, U.N. reports

Weather-related causes have displaced approximately 60,000 people per day over the past decade, data shows, adding to those uprooted by other disasters.
A person grabs official tennis balls during the ATP Finals tennis tournament in Turin, Italy, on Monday. The quality of balls and the use of different brands have attracted ire from top players.
TENNIS
Nov 13, 2024

'New balls, please,' plead top men's tennis players

At the ATP finals in Turin, there has not been a news conference at which the subject has not popped up.
The Democrats focused on issues like racial and gender inequality and overlooked the economic and social struggles of the working class, allowing Donald Trump to tap into this resentment.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 12, 2024

Voters to elites: Ignore the working class at your own peril

The redistribution of respect saw those who climbed the academic ladder celebrated with accolades, while those who didn’t were rendered invisible.
Perth Rectangular Stadium is one of several venues in Australia chosen to host the 2026 Women's Asian Cup.
SOCCER
Nov 13, 2024

Sydney and Perth to host bulk of 2026 Women's Asian Cup

The 12-team championship is Australia's biggest soccer tournament since co-hosting the Women's World Cup with New Zealand in 2023.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other Cabinet members and lawmakers attend a session of the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 13, 2024

Trump return leaves Japan’s leader with no time to snooze

The prime minister drew headlines for a moment after he was caught napping in parliament during proceedings for his own nomination as Japanese leader.
As the weather gets colder, we are seeing an uptick in cases of influenza as well as COVID-19.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 13, 2024

The Japanese you need to get vaccinated before winter comes

With strains of both COVID-19 and the flu circulating, learn the words that will help you navigate a visit to the clinic.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. He, 69, is a Politburo member and Beijing’s point person for U.S.-China economic and trade affairs.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Xi’s key players to lead China in another Trump trade fight

Donald Trump’s return to power makes Beijing’s potential negotiators some of the most important people in Xi Jinping’s government.
Carlos Alcaraz hits a return against Andrey Rublev during their match at the ATP Finals in Turin on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Nov 14, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz rolls past Andrey Rublev to breathe life into ATP Finals bid

The Spanish four-time Grand Slam champion has been suffering with respiratory issues in Turin and wore pink nasal tape during his win over Rublev.
In the past two weeks, developer DeNA has raked in over $50 million for the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket app, a free-to-play game that charges for premium features.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 14, 2024

Gotta collect 'em all: New Pokemon trading card game becomes big hit

The novel yet nostalgic app has amassed over 30 million downloads worldwide in the first two weeks of its release.
Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2024

Trump is right: Expat taxes are too complicated

Taxes on U.S. citizens working abroad aren’t excessive so much as excessively complicated.
Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi’s novel “Taiwan Travelogue” provides a portal to the past and allows the reader to explore a bygone world with their eyes, ears and stomach.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 15, 2024

The sentimental gastronomies of ‘Taiwan Travelogue’

Yang Shuang-zi’s layered tale of female companionship takes readers on an epicurean frolic through Taiwan's colonial era.
Japan's Shuko Aoyama (left) and Eri Hozumi celebrate after defeating the Romanian pair of Monica Niculescu and Elena Ruse during the Billie Jean Cup in Malaga, Spain, on Thursday.
TENNIS
Nov 15, 2024

Japan advances to Billie Jean Cup quarterfinals for first time in 11 years

Japan got off to the worst possible start in its first-round clash with the Romanians before rallying to win.
France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont runs with the ball during his team's game against Japan at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Nov. 9.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 15, 2024

All Blacks hope to nullify 'freakish' Antoine Dupont during clash against France

New Zealand center Anton Lienert-Brown described France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont as a "freakish player."
Japanese companies lack the agility needed for the digital transformation, a new report says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 15, 2024

Japan ranked 31st in digital competitiveness, 92nd for English skills

In the 2024 EF English Proficiency Index, Japan was ranked 92nd, down from 87 the previous year. It was its worst showing yet.

Longform

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