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NEC computers at an electronics store in Tokyo. Founded in 1899, NEC focuses on information technology and network communications, biometric recognition, the internet of things and artificial intelligence technologies, according to its website.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 14, 2024

Japan’s NEC weighing $500 million data center sale, sources say

The Tokyo-traded company is looking to hire financial advisers to help prepare a potential sale of the business.
Naomi Osaka in action during her first-round match at Indian Wells earlier this month.
TENNIS
Mar 15, 2024

Men's and women's tennis tours advance talks to merge commercial rights

The move would bring all the commercial ventures into one entity, with the aim of completing a merger in 2025, a source said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks set to start another six-year term with his forces on the offensive for the first time in months as Ukraine’s allies struggle to keep it supplied with ammunition.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2024

Putin digs in to divide world order while he conquers at home

The leader's adversaries are seemingly unable to stifle his ambitions as the war in Ukraine shifts in his favor.
Mary Ann Eduarte at her home in Montalban, Rizal, the Philippines.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 15, 2024

Cancer patients in the Philippines falling for alternative 'cures'

The trend was fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, when health care systems were overwhelmed and many were too scared to visit a hospital.
Pickleball courts in New York's famed Central Park
MORE SPORTS
Mar 15, 2024

Amid boom overseas, when will pickleball land in Japan?

Over the past few years, pickleball has emerged as the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., but it has yet to take off in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 15, 2024

Japan starts clinical trial of familial Alzheimer's treatment

The clinical trial is under way in 16 countries, with four people in their 30s to 50s participating in Japan.
A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Longform
Mar 15, 2024

Akira Toriyama's gift to the world

The artist's impact was such that he should be considered alongside greats such as Walt Disney and Stan Lee when it comes to cultural contributions.
Smoke rises during an Israeli ground operation in Khan Younis, as seen from a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 15, 2024

Hamas issues cease-fire proposal detailing exchange of hostages and prisoners

Hamas said the initial release of Israelis would include women, children, elderly, and ill hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Friday that he had OK'd a plan to attack the Gaza city of Rafah on the southern edge of the shattered Palestinian enclave.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 16, 2024

Israel approves plan to attack Rafah but keeps truce hopes alive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had OK'd a plan to attack the city on the southern edge of the shattered Palestinian enclave.
Gold beans for sale inside a Luk Fook Holdings International jewelry store in Shanghai on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2024

Gold beans all the rage with China’s Gen Z as deflation bites

Weighing as little as 1 gram, the beans — and other forms of gold jewelry — are increasingly viewed as the safest investment bet for young Chinese.
Members of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council stage a "menthol funeral" to draw attention to the annual toll of smoking-related deaths outside the White House in Washington on Jan. 18.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 16, 2024

Smokes and votes: Could menthol cigarette ban sway U.S. election?

A proposed ban from President Joe Biden's administration on the mint-flavored smokes has miffed some Black Americans, a key Democratic Party base.
Rock quartet Chai gained attention from fans and media in the late 2010s for its “neo kawaii” concept, which focused on self-confidence and celebrated individuality.
CULTURE
Mar 17, 2024

Champion of 'neo kawaii' Chai takes a final bow

The upbeat and eclectic rock quartet, which announced it would disband after its Japan tour, redefined what it meant to be cute.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) speaks during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz following their meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

Israeli PM says civilians can leave crowded Rafah before invasion

But the question "where should they go" remain unanswered as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas over five months after Gaza plunged into war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is extending his nearly quarter-century rule into a fifth term at a time when his troops are on the offensive in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

Putin warns Russia won’t be stopped after record election win

Putin is extending his nearly quarter-century rule into a fifth term at a time when his troops are on the offensive in Ukraine.
Fans cheer during a friendly match between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kiwoon Heroes ahead of the Major League Baseball Seoul Series in Seoul on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 18, 2024

MLB brings Shohei Ohtani, season openers and big dreams to Seoul

With a set of stars from the region, 2024 is turning out to be baseball’s moment in Asia.
Mourners at the grave of Alexei Navalny in Moscow on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

'Not alone': Navalny supporters find solace in election gatherings

The death of Putin's top critic, Alexei Navalny — which allies have blamed on the Kremlin — triggered outrage both abroad and at home.
An Yong Hak, a former North Korean soccer player, in Yokohama on Thursday. An played 40 times in midfield for North Korea, and appeared with the team at the 2010 World Cup.
SOCCER
Mar 18, 2024

North Korean World Cup player says Japan game more than just soccer

This week's qualifier is a special occasion for some ethnic Koreans in Japan.
Palestinian Umm Nael Al-Khlout cooks breakfast on the rubble of her house which was destroyed during Israel's military offensive in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on March 13.
WORLD
Mar 18, 2024

The daily hunt for food in Gaza

For 2 million hungry people in the Gaza Strip, most days bring a difficult search for something to eat.
Mercian's vineyard in Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 18, 2024

Major Japanese beverage groups focusing more on sustainability

Initiatives have diversified to include water source preservation as well as winery tours under the theme of the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals.
A group of high schoolers promoting self-liberation from social media and technology meets in New York in December 2022. Young people around the world are switching their smartphones for “dumbphones.”
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024

How switching from a smart to a flip phone saved me

To stop the endless doomscrolling, some people are turning the clock back and switching to "dumbphones."
U.S. President Joe Biden (right) is welcomed to Israel by the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The relationship between the two leaders has since soured.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2024

Biden and Netanyahu are going from frenemies to enemies

President Biden has warned the Israeli prime minister about crossing a red line, but that may cause more trouble than good, as history teaches us.
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during the LDP's 91st party convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024

What is being missed about the funding scandal

In discussions about the LDP funding scandal, certain considerations are missing. Beyond lambasting the party, these must be addressed for a clear vision.
Nigerian naira being counted in Lagos, Nigeria. Cash transfers offer a transformative solution to multidimensional poverty.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2024

A global cash transfer fund could end extreme poverty

Cash transfers offer a transformative solution to multidimensional poverty, and are aided by improvements in internet and phone coverage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the media at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

Five takeaways from Putin’s orchestrated win in Russia

Putin always seeks to project an image of political stability and control, which the carefully choreographed presidential votes are designed to burnish.
"Coffin club" member Kevin Heyward poses next to a coffin he built to resemble a hot rod. It's a task of grave importance, but there's nothing to stop New Zealanders having a laugh as they work on DIY caskets in the country's coffin clubs.
WORLD / Society
Mar 18, 2024

New Zealand's 'coffin clubs' bury taboos about death

The clubs, where people work on DIY caskets, provide a space to open up about death and dying during weekly meetups.
Palestinians gather to receive aid outside an UNRWA warehouse as Gaza residents face crisis levels of hunger on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

'Catastrophic' food shortages make mass death imminent in Gaza, agency warns

The number of people in parts of northern Gaza suffering the most severe food shortages is said to be more than triple the famine threshold.
Displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, shelter in a tent camp in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip this month.
WORLD
Mar 19, 2024

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza face compounding health risks

While the U.N. warns of famine, humanitarian officials say fast-deteriorating sanitation conditions are making people even more vulnerable.
People look at the screens showing views from polling stations across Russia, at the headquarters of Russia's Central Election Commission on the final day of the presidential election in Moscow on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

What Putin’s election win tells us about Russia today

Putin won 87.3%, or 76 million votes, by far the biggest landslide in post-Soviet Russian history.
Lawmakers vote on the new national security law at Hong Kong’s Legislative Council on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

Hong Kong adopts sweeping security laws, bowing to Beijing

The body fast-tracked a major piece of legislation that critics say further threatens the China-ruled city's freedoms.
The annual South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, was held on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2024

Will AI help or hurt workers? At SXSW, that depends on who you ask.

According to a global survey from Slack, 42% of office workers say they’re excited about AI, but some 27% find the prospect concerning.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan