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Japan's household spending dropped 2.7% in July from the previous month, as persistent inflation continued to erode purchasing power.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2023

Japan’s households cut back spending as Kishida considers measures

Weak data indicate an economy struggling to build momentum as inflation outpaces wage gains and consumer spending remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Packs of raw fish at a Japanese food store in Beijing prior to China's ban on Japan's seafood products
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 6, 2023

China takes its anti-science disinformation campaign to a new level

Japan can counter China's disinformation on the safety of the Fukushima water release, and gain people's trust, by sharing the data.
Indians celebrate the successful lunar landing of the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the moon at a rally in the city of Ahmedabad on Aug. 24.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2023

India has every right to be proud of its space program and lunar triumph

In 2014, after the Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan, made India the first Asian country to reach Mars' orbit and the first country ever to do so in its maiden attempt,
Part of the deserted Legend of Sea project developed by Country Garden
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

China’s credit wreck exposes governance failings to the world

"Foreign money managers still have willingness to invest in China, but how much we invest is in flux.”
Julie Keiko Fujishima (right), who stepped down as Johnny & Associates president on Tuesday, and new President Noriyuki Higashiyama give a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 7, 2023

Johnny's replaces president as it admits to abuse by late founder

The replacement comes on the heels of a scathing third-party report, which recommended that Julie Keiko Fujishima resign as president.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2023

Taiwan’s ‘silicon shield’ against China is an illusion

China may be reliant on Taiwanese semiconductors, but that doesn't stop Beijing from harboring a military takeover.
A joint study by consultant McKinsey and data firm NielsenIQ earlier this year found that 78% of U.S. consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 8, 2023

Shoppers say they want sustainable goods, but won't pay more

When push comes to shove, manufacturers sometimes find consumers aren't buying their sustainable products.
More cooks are pursuing careers in cooking for wealthy clients, but the glitz that makes it into viral TikTok videos isn’t always the whole picture.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 10, 2023

Private chefs toe the line between occupation and isolation

A new chapter in the age of food celebrity is unfolding online as more cooks take up careers as private chefs and go public with the perks of the job.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 8, 2023

Kauan Okamoto finds some closure after recognition of Kitagawa abuse

“I felt a bit better. There’s nothing more I want to say to Johnny & Associates,” Okamoto said.
Prime Minster Fumio Kishida talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, as they arrive at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Jakarta on Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 8, 2023

The ASEAN Summit gives us just more of the same

ASEAN needs to address problems internal divisions and maintain its role in the region.
Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima (second from right) acknowledged that company founder Johnny Kitagawa had sexually abused agency employees for decades during a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 7.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Sep 9, 2023

What’s in a name? A lot of baggage and trauma, unfortunately.

Johnny and Associates' recognition of abuse is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to move forward.
Residents watch the McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, last month.
WORLD / Society / FOCUS
Sep 9, 2023

Conspiracy theories falsely link wildfires to 'smart cities'

Disinformation about deadly wildfires in the United States and Canada has run rampant across social media.
Indian leader Narendra Modi shakes hand with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of the Group of 20 leaders' summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2023

G20 leaders paper over divisions on Ukraine and climate

Amid deep divisions, the grouping avoided direct criticism of Moscow and any concrete pledge to phase out polluting fossil fuels.
Coco Gauff celebrates next to former tennis champion Billie Jean King after winning the U.S. Open against Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday.
TENNIS
Sep 10, 2023

U.S. teen Coco Gauff fights back to win U.S. Open

Coco Gauff, 19, clinches her first Grand Slam title, overpowering Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final to become the first American win since 2017.
A ceremony is held in March 2016 in Markowa, Poland, at the grave of the Ulma family who were killed by the Nazis for hiding Jews during WWII.
WORLD
Sep 10, 2023

Polish family killed by Nazis to be beatified in Catholic first

The Ulma family will be the first ever to be beatified, a key step on a possible path to sainthood in the Catholic Church.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet ahead of the Group of 20 leaders' summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2023

Will India’s name go the way of Turkey?

If India changes its name to Bharat, it will stumble on the same hurdles that Turkey has faced in getting its new appellation, Turkiye, to stick.
Get a taste of Hokkaido’s playfully named chan-chan yaki — or griddle-cooked salmon.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Sep 11, 2023

Recipe: Hokkaido-style griddle-cooked salmon

This dish reflects a combination of Ainu food traditions from Hokkaido.
A Russian rescuer speaks on his mobile phone next to a wall bearing an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a polling station during local elections organized by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 11, 2023

As war rages, Kremlin sends Russians, and Ukrainians, to vote

Along with local voting, Russian authorities also held elections in the four Ukrainian regions Moscow annexed a year ago in illegal referendums.
An impromptu memorial for Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group who died in a plane crash in Russia, in Moscow on Aug. 27. A shadowy fight is playing out on three continents for control of Prigozhin's sprawling interests as head of Wagner.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 11, 2023

After Prigozhin’s death, a high-stakes scramble for his empire

African leaders once allied with the Wagner chief hear a new message from the Kremlin: Russia’s African operations are under new management.
Soldiers transport an injured person to a temporary military hospital following an earthquake in Asni, Morocco, on Monday.
WORLD
Sep 12, 2023

Morocco medics face flow of quake victims with limited resources

Three days after Morocco's quake, the strongest ever to hit the North African country, relief workers are struggling to cope in the aftermath.
U.S. President Joe Biden raises a toast in Hanoi on Monday. While the U.S. may have successfully bolstered strategic ties with India and Vietnam to counter China, rights advocates were disappointed, given Biden's vow to prioritize the issue when taking office in 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2023

Biden accused of sidelining rights issues in Vietnam and India

For rights advocates, Biden's travels were a disappointment, given his administration's vow to prioritize the issue when taking office in 2021.
Bottles of whisky sit on display behind the bar at the Door XXV private club in the Golden Equator Group office in Singapore.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

Asia takes over the world’s whisky market

Yearslong efforts by Pernod, Diageo and other major whiskey producers to get Asian drinkers to spend more on their premium spirits are finally paying off.
Arm U.S. headquarters in San Jose, California
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

Arm’s CEO is pitching a made-for-you chip strategy ahead of IPO

The company is shifting its strategy, now focusing on doing complex design work on specific products, tailored for what it sees as key areas of growth.
Sofia Coppola (right), Bill Murray (center) and Scarlett Johansson attend the Venice Film Festival to present their movie “Lost in Translation” in August 2003.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2023

The complex legacy of ‘Lost in Translation,’ 20 years on

Sofia Coppola's acclaimed film relaunched Tokyo's global fame, but along the way it forgot to show its Japanese characters some love.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023

Johnny's says it will work for free as firms cut ties over scandal

The talent agency says it will not receive management fees for advertisements and television appearances by performers for a year.
Fumitaka Nakahama, Head of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's global corporate and investment banking business, speaks in an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 7.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

MUFG battles private equity and startups to hire U.S. bankers

MUFG is plowing more resources into the American market in a bid to grow alongside established powerhouses.
In a city known for sparse youth accommodation, investors are buying up hotels and converting them into student housing or rental units.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 14, 2023

Investors scour Hong Kong hotels for student dorms and rentals

Hong Kong’s government has launched a slew of initiatives that fuel the demand for student housing and rental properties.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses with his new Cabinet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2023

Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle is about keeping friends and rivals close

The Cabinet reshuffle and Liberal Democratic Party senior leadership changes reflect a leader concerned with factional politics and potential rivals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in South Africa on Aug. 23
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2023

What does Xi really mean? Chinese diplomacy’s true intentions

Decoding the true meaning behind Xi Jinping's words, and his silences, reveals an increasingly isolated China.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks Tuesday during a press briefing outside his office on Capitol Hill in which he announces an impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden with regard to his role in the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.
COMMENTARY
Sep 15, 2023

Republican impeachment inquiry marks low point in U.S. history

If any president can be impeached without reason, it is likely that every president will be impeached so long as the opposing party controls the House.

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