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A pharmacist displays boxes of Ozempic in Provo, Utah.
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2024

Obesity drug maker Novo Nordisk posts strong profit

Europe's most valuable company and the main driver of the Danish economy said it expected its 2024 full-year sales to be up by 23% to 27% from a year earlier.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, China's president, shake hands during a news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 7, 2024

Xi is better prepared for Trump even as 60% tariffs risk chaos

Xi would much prefer to avoid a tariff battle that risks proving much more devastating than the first round.
Onlookers watch a broadcast of Republican candidate Donald Trump addressing his election night watch party, in Times Square, New York, on Wednesday. Trump has been elected the 47th president of the United States, pulling off a stunning political comeback in one of the most polarized contests for the White House in U.S. history.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 7, 2024

U.S. allies and partners gird for return of ‘transactional’ Trump

Trump is expected to raise his demands at every turn, a scenario that could very well play out with Japan, especially if Tokyo remains mired in political turmoil.
The outcome of the U.S. election may mark the beginning of the end of the era of “American exceptionalism” and should concern its allies such as Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 7, 2024

What does Trump's victory mean for Japan?

The outcome of the U.S. presidential race is a reflection of the democratic will of the American people and the countries allies must adapt to this new reality.
Sanwa Koutsu's Kuroko Taxi service has drivers dressed in traditional stagehand garb communicate with passengers only through gestures and written messages.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024

The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services

“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” one customer says. "I think it’s a pretty smart business move."
Tomoki Arai, head of markets at Bank of Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2024

Bank of Yokohama weighs Japan bond comeback with more rate hikes to come

More financial institutions are weighing a return to local debt after years of investing abroad.
It is difficult to know what Donald Trump will do in a second presidency. His campaign was filled with bold promises, but so too was his first.
EDITORIALS
Nov 8, 2024

Prepare for a bumpy ride in a second Trump term

It is difficult to know what Donald Trump will do in a second presidency. His campaign was filled with bold promises, but so too was his first.
Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
BUSINESS / Longform
Nov 11, 2024

A boom for business tourism in Japan?

Japan’s MICE sector is expanding rapidly, adapting with tech upgrades, flexible venues and sustainable initiatives as the Osaka Expo approaches.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."

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