Search - people

 
 
SoftBank explored a potential takeover of U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology earlier this year, in what would have been the semiconductor industry's largest-ever deal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2025

SoftBank is said to have explored potential takeover of Marvell

SoftBank explored a potential takeover of U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology earlier this year, people familiar with the matter said, in what would have been the semiconductor industry’s largest-ever deal.
On Oct. 29, teams from 33 qualifying countries scoured the streets of Shibuya for all manners of trash as part of the Spogomi litter-picking competition.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2025

Cleanliness gets competitive at Tokyo’s Spogomi world cup

On Oct. 29, teams from 33 countries scoured Tokyo’s streets for discarded wrappers, crushed cans and cigarette butts.
Only about half as many people in the Noto Peninsula chose to repair their homes that were damaged by last year's earthquake and heavy rain as those who decided to demolish them, sources said Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 7, 2025

More choosing demolition over repair for Noto homes damaged by disasters

Many applied for publicly funded demolition because fixing the houses on their own would have been much costlier.
A worker cleans broken glass at a hotel close to Quy Nhon beach as Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall in Gia Lai province in central Vietnam Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 7, 2025

Typhoon Kalmaegi brings destruction to Vietnam as Philippines death toll rises

The storm hit central Vietnam late on Thursday, uprooting trees, damaging homes and triggering power outages, before weakening as it moved inland.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen meet in Belem, Para State, Brazil, on Wednesday. Belem will host the COP30 U.N. climate summit from Monday through Nov. 21.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2025

Make COP30 about human welfare

In poor countries, parents are not kept awake by concern about achieving a 0.1 degrees Celsius temperature reduction in a century.
Nomura Holdings decided to fold its fledgling proprietary trading desk in London into other parts of the markets business, ditching an effort to restart the contentious practice.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 9, 2025

Nomura abandons effort to restart prop trading desk in London

The short-lived effort shows how Japan’s biggest brokerage continued high-risk bets even as executives say they’ve overhauled to focused on serving customers.
An attendee at a longevity and anti-aging conference exits a cryotherapy chamber in Shanghai on Sept. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 9, 2025

In China, the dream of outrunning time

The search for the elixir of life, embraced with gusto in recent years by American tech billionaires like Peter Thiel, has been under way in China for more than two millenniums.
A Bedouin man who left Sweida governorate as part of an agreement between the Syrian government and Druze militants sleeps in a school that is used as a shelter on July 22.
WORLD
Nov 10, 2025

In Syria’s south, Bedouins uprooted by sectarian clashes see little hope of return

Fear, hostility and grievances on both sides leave little hope of displaced Bedouins returning soon to Sweida, a Druze-majority province.
A sign-language lesson is held for staff involved in the upcoming Deaflympics events in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2025

Tokyo government conducts sign language lessons ahead of Deaflympics

Some 3,000 athletes from over 70 countries and regions are slated to compete in the first Japan-held Deaflympics.
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses a plenary session at the COP30 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Belem, Brazil, on Thursday. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is skipping the event to focus on domestic political issues.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2025

Want to fight climate change? Fight ‘climate fatigue’

The public is concerned but disengaged in the lead up to this week’s U.N. climate meeting.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto gives a plaque to Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, daughter of the former Indonesian president Suharto, as he receives the title of national hero during National Heroes' Day at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 10, 2025

Indonesia grants national hero status to late strongman President Suharto

Indonesia awarded the title of national hero on Monday to late President Suharto, who was forced out of office in 1998 by violent protests that ended a three-decade rule marred by accusations of mass human rights violations, corruption and nepotism.
Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild take part in a picket line outside Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California, on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023

AI shines a spotlight on Hollywood hypocrisy

Studios haven’t informed or paid background actors properly for being digitally scanned, yet they want the same courtesy from AI companies.
An extreme heat warning in Death Valley, California, on July 15
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023

Our civilization was built for a climate that’s vanishing

Weather disasters linked to climate change like those unfolding across the northern hemisphere will affect more and more of us.
The community pool is a great place for exercise and meeting your neighbors.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jul 31, 2023

Figuring out the rules at a Japanese community pool can be an ongoing education

If you’re headed for the community pool, be prepared: Japanese pool rules are an ongoing education.
An X90 Plus crossover — produced by Chinese automaker Jetour — sits ready for sale at a dealership in the Moscow Region on July 12.
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

Made in Russia? Chinese cars drive a revival of Russia's auto factories

The rebirth of the Moskvich is a sign of China's growing sway over an important sector of Russia's economy.
Director Hirobumi Watanabe (second from left) stars alongside his brother Yuji (far right), who has served as composer on all of his films, in his new feature “Techno Brothers,” which follows a sibling trio on the road to Tokyo to find success in the music business.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 21, 2023

Foolish Piggies Films keeps humor at its heart

Indie director Hirobumi Watanabe looks back on 10 years of making distinctive, micro-budget films with his brother and seeking out new challenges on and off screen.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12. The leader's efforts to conduct diplomacy in the face of conflict have drawn comparisons with British wartime leader Winston Churchill.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 20, 2023

Why Zelenskyy's diplomacy is a key factor in Ukraine's efforts to win war

The leader's counteroffensive came at a critical time, sandwiched between two summits — the Group of Seven summit in May and a NATO summit earlier this month.
Beyond Meat plant-based burger patties for sale at a plant-based grocery store in Hong Kong in June 2019.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023

The coming disruption of animal production

It will be easier to persuade people to avoid meat from animals if they can eat meat and other animal products that taste like those they know, but do not require raising animals.
Unlike other social media platforms, including Threads, Twitter has a way of pushing you out of your comfort zone.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Can Threads dethrone Twitter in Japan?

Netizens in Japan jumped onto the Threads bandwagon soon after its launch, but the honeymoon phase is beginning to end, experts say, with many Japanese users remaining on Twitter.
Icons of Google's Artificial Intelligence app BardAI (or ChatBot), OpenAI's app ChatGPT and other AI apps are displayed on a smartphone screen.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 20, 2023

Google tests AI tool that is able to write news articles

Some executives who saw Google’s pitch described it as unsettling, and two people said it seemed to take for granted the effort that went into producing accurate and artful news stories.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2023

CDP's Ichiro Ozawa bracing for 'final battle' in next election

The veteran politician still hopes the country will achieve a genuine two-party parliamentary democracy.
Support for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet dropped to 30.8% in July, a survey shows.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2023

Poll shows Kishida Cabinet approval down to 30.8%

The slide in support may have reflected the string of problems related to My Number personal identification cards.
An accommodation center for refugees from Ukraine in Berlin in May
WORLD / Society
Jul 21, 2023

Europe struggles to convert Ukraine migration into labor boon

Obstacles ranging from lack of child care facilities to reluctance to recognize non-European academic and vocational qualifications has left vacancies unfilled.
Hou Yu-ih, mayor of New Taipei City, during a protest against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei, on July 16. Taiwanese voters are preparing to choose their next president in January, in a vote that will define cross-strait and U.S.-China relations for years to come.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 21, 2023

Popular Taiwan mayor stumbles in bid to lead in U.S.-China hotspot

His failure to articulate a critical policy at the bedrock of Taiwan’s international status drew widespread criticism online.
A photograph by Joel Pulliam provides a hint at what is on offer at VoidTokyo's "Sharaku" exhibition at HikoHiko Gallery.
CULTURE
Jul 19, 2023

Street photography by VoidTokyo on full display in Ginza

With the goal of capturing the city of Tokyo in physical form and not just on social media, VoidTokyo celebrates its members at “Sharaku.”
On July 17, Jiyugaoka in western Tokyo held its summer Bon Odori Festival for the first time in four years. While the pandemic spelled the end of the road for some longstanding local events, others weathered the storm.
CULTURE / Longform
Jul 24, 2023

Fate of the fete: Japan’s matsuri fight to survive

While COVID-19 was the final nail in the coffin for many of the country's smaller festivals, others have clung on and are making a determined comeback this year.
A satellite image showing an overview of Rhodes wildfires, Greece, on Sunday.
WORLD
Jul 24, 2023

Tourists flee wildfires on Greek island of Rhodes

Thousands spent the night on beaches and streets during what Greece said was its biggest safe transport of residents and tourists in emergency conditions.
A "No Kids Zone" sign written in Korean hangs on the glass door of a cafe in Gimpo, South Korea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 24, 2023

Lawmaker on crusade against South Korea's 'no-kid zones'

Seoul spends billions to encourage citizens to have more babies, offering subsidies, babysitting services and infertility treatment, but fertility rates continue to drop.
Haruki Hirao, second grader at Torikai Elementary School in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, attends a mathematics class in May as nurse Yoshimi Yoshiyama looks on from the back of the classroom.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 24, 2023

More children who need daily medical care attend regular schools since 2021 law

Since 2021, more children who require daily medical care have been able to attend regular schools, broadening their horizons and raising awareness of diversity in classroom.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) speaks with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger during a meeting in Beijing last week.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 24, 2023

China enlists old friends to translate as U.S. talks hit brick wall

Beijing is struggling to find a common diplomatic language to talk productively with Washington.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years