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Blackstone will look to grow original content from Infocom’s network of manga artists, developing more works around themes enjoyed by its reader base of women.
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2024

Blackstone taps steamy romance manga fans in $1.7 billion deal

The deal will allow the world’s largest alternative asset manager to tap into Japan’s digital manga market.
The River Seine near the Eiffel Tower in Paris as a heat wave hits France in August 2022.
OLYMPICS
Jun 19, 2024

New report warns of heat danger at Paris Olympics

The report said conditions in Paris could be worse than the last Games in Tokyo in 2021.
Hjelmer Hammeken, Greenland's greatest polar bear hunter, rides his dog sled to look for seals on the sea ice outside Ittoqqortoormiit, on the frozen Scoresbysund Fjord.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 19, 2024

On thin ice: Greenland's last Inuit polar bear hunters

Climate change and hunting quotas have been threatening the livelihood on which Inuit families have long survived.
Since Koji Sato, 54, became Toyota CEO in April last year, the automaker has announced its biggest share buyback on record.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2024

Influx of new CEOs in Japan brings shift in generational mindset

Many of the new crop of leaders were in junior roles as the nation’s economic miracle unraveled, and they’re now seeking out new ways of doing things.
Netflix is ramping up local production in Southeast Asia, aiming to boost its subscriber base in the region even as U.S. rivals are pulling back.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2024

Netflix uses ‘Squid Game’ playbook for untapped Southeast Asia

Asia Pacific, accounting for just 11% of Netflix's 2023 revenue may offer significant growth potential due to its large, young demographic.
German and Japanese fighter jets take part in an exercise over Japan. Germany's air force plans to send three of the fighters to Japan next month for the first-ever joint aerial exercise between the Luftwaffe and Air Self-Defense Force.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2024

Germany laser-focused on Indo-Pacific despite hurdles, top envoy to Japan says

German Ambassador Clemens von Goetze expects soaring ties with Japan to continue to reach unprecedented heights.
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan celebrates scoring his team's second goal during host Germany's group-stage win over Hungary on Wednesday in Stuttgart.
SOCCER
Jun 20, 2024

Hosts Germany through to last 16 of Euros as Scotland earns draw

Germany followed up its 5-1 demolition of Scotland in the tournament's opening game by seeing off the Hungarians in Stuttgart.
Atarashii Gakko! released its third album, “AG! Calling,” on June 7. The group is currently touring Asia with songs from the new release featured in its set
CULTURE / Music
Jun 21, 2024

Atarashii Gakko! schools crowds overseas on just how bananas J-pop can get

With appearances at major festivals, on U.S. television and new album "AG! Calling," this sailor-suited rapping four-piece is on quite a roll.
Sailors from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower assist distressed mariners rescued from the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier M/V Tutor that was attacked by Houthis in the Red Sea on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2024

Shipping industry urges Red Sea action as Houthis sink second vessel

A Greek-owned coal carrier attacked by Yemen's Houthi militants in the Red Sea last week has sunk, salvagers confirmed.
People applaud during a campaign event in Tokyo on Thursday. Those running in the July 7 poll will be battling to govern the sixth-largest city in the world by population.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2024

Tokyo governor poll campaign kicks off with 56 candidates in running

Ideas on how to reverse the capital's declining birth rate and make spending transparent are topping the agenda.
For hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year, heat is deadly. In the U.S., it takes more lives than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or floods.
COMMENTARY
Jun 20, 2024

Heat waves are deadlier than hurricanes. Make them ‘disasters.’

For hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year, heat is deadly. In the U.S., it takes more lives than hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or floods.
Electric cars are stacked for export at the international container terminal of Taicang Port in Suzhou, China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 20, 2024

Europe’s EV battery plans fade on China price war and U.S. subsidies

As electric-vehicle sales slow, companies including Volkswagen, Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz are scaling back or refocusing battery projects.
Softbank Group CEO Masayoshi Son speaks during the annual general shareholders' meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2024

SoftBank’s Son aims to create ‘super’ AI in new investment drive

He envisions a future when Arm Holdings chips support an ecosystem of technology that can collectively cure cancer, clean houses and play with children.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toast during a reception at the Mongnangwan Reception House in Pyongyang on Wednesday following summit talks.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 21, 2024

New Kim-Putin pact sparks unease — and talk of more aid for Ukraine

An opaque new treaty signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week could end up bolstering U.S.-allied cooperation.
A group of Chinese tourists walks through the Ginza district in Tokyo.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 22, 2024

Japan and Thailand top list of travel destinations for Chinese tourists

The return of Chinese tourists is being closely watched, as their numbers and spending are crucial for the tourism industry’s recovery.
Portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a welcome ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2024

Japan conveys concerns to Russia over closer ties with North Korea

The fact that a meeting was realized between both sides shows that Russia is willing to maintain a certain level of dialogue with Japan.
Daiki Hashimoto trains in Tokyo on Friday.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jun 22, 2024

Olympic gymnastics champ Hashimoto confident of full recovery

Hashimoto damaged a ligament in the middle finger of his right hand while practicing for his final competition before the Games.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vietnam President To Lam during a reception in Hanoi on Thursday
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 23, 2024

Putin came to Asia to disrupt, and he succeeded

After stops in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Hanoi, Vietnam, last week that were draped in communist red, Putin left behind a redrawn map of risk in Asia.
Amid AI chip juggernaut Nvidia's staggering successes, startups seeking the attention of Silicon Valley venture capitalists are being asked to innovate — but without a clear indication of where the next chapter of AI will be written.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jun 23, 2024

Beyond Nvidia: the search for AI's next breakthrough

Startups are being asked to innovate — but without a clear indication of where the next chapter of AI will be written.
Simone Manuel, seen on at the U.S. trials in Indianapolis on June 18, won the 50-meter freestyle on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Jun 24, 2024

Simone Manuel wins 50-meter freestyle race at U.S. trials

Manuel said she's focused on getting faster and having some fun with her U.S. teammates.
Amy Yang holds the trophy after winning the Women's PGA Championship in Sammamish, Washington, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 24, 2024

Amy Yang wins Women's PGA Championship

Amy Yang captured her long-awaited first major title on Sunday, hanging on late for a three-stroke victory at the Women's PGA Championship.
Naoto Ohtake, president-elect of the Institute of Science Tokyo, said it aims to have international students make up 30% of all undergraduate science and engineering majors by 2050.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2024

Institute of Science Tokyo will reapply for grant from ¥10 trillion fund

Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical and Dental University, which will merge to form the new university, had jointly applied before but failed.
LINE, the app at the center of a tug-of-war for control. Line was introduced in Japan in 2011 by Naver, the operator of South Korea’s leading search engine.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 24, 2024

Japan and South Korea are fighting over an app at a tense time

Leaders on both the Japanese and South Korean sides appear determined to prevent the quarrel over Line from escalating.
Turbines at a wind farm in Suttsu, Hokkaido. A renewable energy initiative called on Japan to triple its capacity of clean electricity.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2024

Japan urged to triple renewables capacity by 2035

The world's fourth-largest economy is heavily reliant on fossil fuels
Runners get started in the Tokyo Marathon 2024 in March.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 25, 2024

Nonbinary checkbox to be added to application for Tokyo Marathon

"We aim to create a more inclusive society through Tokyo Marathon 2025," race organizers said.
Chipmaker Nvidia’s stellar growth to become the world’s most valuable company masks growing skepticism about AI’s usefulness as a general purpose tool.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2024

Nvidia’s explosive growth masks AI disillusionment

Businesses shouldn't believe tech companies' pitch that AI can solve all problems, everywhere, all at once. Figuring out its niche applications is the recipe for success.
Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya celebrates after winning gold in the women's Olympic marathon in Sapporo in August 2021.
OLYMPICS
Jun 26, 2024

At Paris Olympics, women athletes finally reach parity

When the event was revived by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, he saw it as a celebration of gentlemanly athleticism "with female applause as its reward."
Container ships are berthed at PSA's Pasir Panjang Terminal in Singapore in July 2019.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jun 26, 2024

Singapore port congestion shows global impact of Red Sea attacks

Global port congestion has reached an 18-month high, with 60% of ships waiting at anchor located in Asia.
Emergency personnel and investigators examine the site of a deadly blaze that tore through a lithium battery factory owned by South Korean battery maker Aricell in Hwaseong on Tuesday, a day after the fire left 23 dead.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 26, 2024

Deadly fire exposes harsh conditions migrant workers face in South Korea

Foreign nationals do dirty, hazardous work, and advocates say the blaze that killed 23 at a battery plant shows that they need better protection.
Shareholders queue to enter a venue for SoftBank Group's annual general meeting in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2024

Activist investing booms in Japan amid corporate governance reforms

International hedge funds and home-grown investors have turned the country into the world’s second-largest market for activists.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo