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Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 24, 2022

Vaccine passports likely to become unnecessary, Star Alliance CEO says

Airlines and governments also use many different technology platforms, making it difficult to find a common standard, said Jeffrey Goh.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2022

Hong Kong’s financial sector faces talent crunch as expats head for the exit

Hong Kong's draconian 'COVID zero' policies, in line with China's, is prompting many expats to think about leaving in favor of places with less restrictions.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 22, 2021

Vaccine tourists urged to read the fine print on trips overseas

Travel agent associations in India and Thailand have warned the public against operators advertising overseas tours to get vaccinated, saying there can be hidden costs.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2021

With emergency extension for Tokyo area likely, Japan expands border control measures

Arrivals from 13 more countries and regions will now be required to self-isolate for their first three days in Japan at facilities designated by the government.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Dec 29, 2020

Athletes head into 2021 uncertain over Olympic qualification outlook

Many Olympic sports are still working to schedule events that will give athletes a fair opportunity to earn a place in the postponed Tokyo Games.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 10, 2020

COVID-19 scare on cruise ship shows perils of resuming tourism

Singapore's ill-fated attempts to enliven tourism underscore the difficulties of getting any sort of travel up and running — even in a nation with few community cases.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2020

In COVID-19 era, United and American Airlines pull out more tricks to fill seats

Airline executives are having to innovate to get people traveling again to stave off the worst consequences for the industry, including massive job losses.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jul 30, 2020

Good time for a 'workation' but is Japan Inc. ready?

Are the nation's employers ready to let workers telecommute from hotels, resorts and other destinations where they can escape the mundane reality of life?
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te attends a graduation ceremony of military academies in Taipei on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

China to step up detentions to squeeze Lai, Taiwan officials say

Beijing has also pressured Taipei by peeling off one of its last diplomatic allies, Nauru, and holding expansive military drills just days after Lai took office in May.
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS
Jul 14, 2024

She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics

While news sites have suggested that being a volunteer is a way to attend the Games for “free,” that doesn’t apply to international volunteers like Mai Tarumi.
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2024

Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore

Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018.
While traditional hybrid vehicles use gas to turn the wheels, a new crop of cars are burning it exclusively to charge a large onboard battery.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 28, 2024

A new wave of electric vehicles are ready to charge at 70 mph

But while fossil fuels may be a curious catalyst for sparking EV sales, the strategy is arguably far greener than it looks.
South Korea's Lim Si-hyeon has three gold medals from the 2024 Paris Games. Archers from the country have all been given cars by team sponsor Hyundai.
OLYMPICS
Aug 4, 2024

Diamonds, meatballs and motors: How Olympians can win more than medals

Many rewards are financial, but they can also be more eclectic.
Capsule hotels were created as a way to deal with the amount of overwork employees tend to do in Japan. Can't commute home? Then spend the night in an tiny, affordable sleeping space.
BUSINESS / Tech / Longform
Oct 12, 2024

Japan wakes up to the market for a proper sleep

After years of sleep deficits and drowsy mornings, a growing number of products and services are being developed to help us rest easier.
The Hong Kong skyline on Jan. 3, 2022. In 2018, Hong Kong received a record 65 million tourists. In 2023, it welcomed a little more than half that.
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2024

Tourism has rebounded worldwide but not in Hong Kong.

The rebound of international travel to the city continues to lag far behind the tourist activity reported at most other Asian destinations.
Alongside foreign students, some Japanese students attend a special lecture held entirely in English at Nagoya University in early October.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Nov 11, 2024

Amid rising costs, universities try to help students study abroad

The cost of studying abroad, including travel and living expenses, is much higher now compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Family members hug each other in front of the bus to Minsk, Belarus, at the Warsaw West bus station on Oct. 30.
WORLD / Society
Nov 20, 2024

Ukrainians brave arduous journeys to Russian-occupied homeland

For a year now, Russia has only been letting Ukrainian citizens travel to occupied zones through a special checkpoint set up in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.
A delegation from Nihon Hidankyo poses for a photo before this year's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo on Dec. 10.
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2024

Nihon Hidankyo raises ¥44.7 million in crowdfunding campaign

The campaign achieved its goal of ¥10 million on the first day after Nihon Hidankyo members held a news conference to seek donations.
Checkpoint officers at the border between Romania and Bulgaria man their stations on Dec. 31, moments before both countries join the Schengen zone.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 2, 2025

Romania and Bulgaria become full members of EU's Schengen zone

The two countries join an expanded bloc whose residents can travel without passport checks.
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 13, 2025

Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms

With adventure tourism on the rise in Hokkaido, a new generation of foreign-born guides is eager to greet travelers.
For some time away from Tokyo's suffocating urban sameness, Yamagata Prefecture is home to a soothing array of natural abundance.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 18, 2025

For tourists in search of seasonal sights, Yamagata makes its case

Japan’s much-lauded four seasons aren’t felt as much in Tokyo as they are in the full, rural vistas of Yamagata Prefecture.
Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani says the company sees an opportunity in Japan, which has been a laggard in the adoption of digital and artificial intelligence-powered technologies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2025

Rakuten founder defends costly mobile foray with big AI bet

Rakuten Mobile and its 8 million-plus users help train an AI poised to expand the conglomerate’s business, according to billionaire founder Hiroshi Mikitani.
Sara Saito competes at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in October last year.
TENNIS
Jan 24, 2025

Sara Saito’s journey from tennis courts in Gunma to promising WTA pro

The 18-year-old Saito, who has steadily risen up the WTA rankings, is the only teenager among the eight Japanese players in the top 200.
Russians queue to apply for visas at the Japanese Embassy in Moscow on March 4.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2025

Cherry blossoms and free visas draw Russians to Japan

The number of Russians holidaying in Japan is set to double this year from around 100,000 in 2024, helped by a strengthening ruble.
Firefighters douse the flames of a fire that broke out at a substation supplying power to Heathrow Airport in Hayes, England, on Friday.
WORLD
Mar 21, 2025

Heathrow closed after huge fire at power station, disrupting global flights

Travel experts say the disruption would extend far beyond Heathrow, the world's fifth-busiest airport.
Rescue personnel and a search dog work at the site of a building that collapsed in Bangkok following a strong earthquake
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 30, 2025

Massive quake is latest blow to Thai tourism hit by safety woes

Any impact on tourism will hurt an economy where the industry employs one in five of the country’s workforce and accounts for about 13% of GDP.
While Unzen Onsen's "hells" can be visually striking, locals describe them and their effects as "a source of emotional healing."
LIFE / Travel
Apr 12, 2025

Heaven from hells: The sulfuric pleasure of Unzen Onsen

Located deep within Kyushu’s Shimabara Peninsula, this hot spring town offers dramatic scenery worth the effort it takes to get there.

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