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Tokyo’s skyline keeps evolving, but the country’s drab, outdated government district, long hours, low pay and poor work conditions are driving young bureaucratic talent away just when it needs them most.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 11, 2025

Tokyo is missing 'Blade Runner' where it needs it most

Until the 1960s, Japan had strict prohibitions on developments higher than 31 meters (around 100 feet), a provision that kept cities dense but low.
As crypto adoption grows and Bitcoin hits new highs, a surge in violent attacks, kidnappings and hacks targeting holders underscores the steep and often overlooked cost of being your own bank in a cashless world.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2025

Crypto crime is the future. Bank heists are history.

Banks are no longer easy or juicy targets for robbers, with heists down more than 80% since the 1990s as branches close and piles of cash hoarded in safes become a rarity.
A breakthrough HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir, offers hope to end the epidemic, but U.S. President Donald Trump’s cuts to global health funding threaten access and rollout, especially in Africa where prevention efforts are already strained.  
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2025

When an HIV scientific breakthrough isn’t enough

Trump administration funding cuts and dismantling of USAID force a shift from HIV elimination back to treatment.
A woman looks on as Palestinians inspect destroyed tents at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Friday.
WORLD
Jul 12, 2025

U.N. says hundreds killed in recent weeks while seeking aid in Gaza

The violence came as negotiators from Israel and Hamas were locked in indirect talks in Qatar to try to agree on a temporary ceasefire.
Co-leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla sit at the plenary hall as the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, in Berlin, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 12, 2025

Isolated and fearing a ban, Germany's far-right tones down the rhetoric

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is hoping to go more mainstream and translate popularity into power.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yosuke Tsuruho speaks during a news conference at the Wakayama Prefectural Government office in the city of Wakayama on Wednesday
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2025

LDP lawmaker to quit as parliamentary committee chief over Noto quake gaffe

According to a senior official of the ruling LDP, Yosuke Tsuruho is poised to step down as chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of Councillors.
Wales' wing Josh Adams tries to catch the ball during a match against Japan in Kobe on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jul 12, 2025

Wales look to future after ending 18-game losing run with Japan win

The Welsh survived another second-half comeback from Eddie Jones' side in Kobe to pick up their first victory since the 2023 World Cup.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 13, 2025

Trump intensifies trade war with threat of 30% tariffs on EU and Mexico

The EU and Mexico, both among the largest U.S. trading partners, responded by calling the tariffs unfair and disruptive while pledging to continue to negotiate.
A woman sitting amid debris looks on as Palestinians inspect destroyed tents at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Younis in the northern Gaza strip on Friday.
WORLD
Jul 14, 2025

Israeli plan to move Gazans into closed zone triggers backlash

The plan envisions building from scratch a closed zone in southern Gaza during a potential 60-day ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas, currently under negotiation in Qatar.
Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer lifts the trophy with players during the award ceremony for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 champion in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jul 14, 2025

Palmer stars as Chelsea stuns PSG to win Club World Cup final

PSG had been the favorite after heading to the United States fresh from winning the Champions League.
While shareholders in general still support company management, the notable break from their passive stance is seen as a boon for funds looking to invest in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 14, 2025

Corporate Japan’s shareholders show more clout this AGM season

The notable break from a passive stance is seen as a boon for funds looking to invest in Japan.
Britain’s abolition of the "nondom" tax regime has triggered an exodus of wealthy residents to tax-friendlier countries like Italy, sparking warnings of lost revenue, diminished appeal and a missed chance to reform the system more effectively.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2025

The ultrarich move in herds. Just ask London.

The beneficiaries are countries such as Italy, which is attracting wealthy foreign residents with an annual flat fee of €200,000.
Lawrence Lau arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building, ahead of hearing appeals from 13 jailed pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 14, 2025

Twelve Hong Kong activists appeal convictions in landmark '47 democrats' case

The court found 45 of defendants guilty of organizing an unofficial primary election in in 2020 after massive pro-democracy protests brought the city to a standstill.
In a report Friday, Goldman Sachs economists noted that it’s reasonable to expect the Bank of Japan to start gradually selling ETFs in fiscal 2026 to minimize its loss and the impact on the stock market.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2025

BOJ finishes offloading bank stocks, bringing attention to ETFs

The BOJ’s holdings of the shares purchased from banks hit zero as of July 10, falling from ¥2.5 billion ($17.4 million) 10 days ago, according to its balance sheet report.
People demonstrate outside the Ministry of Health to demand the right to a safe and free abortion as Non Una di Meno (Not One Less) movement and feminist collectives take part in a protest to mark the International Safe Abortion Day, in Rome on Sept. 28, 2024.
WORLD / Society
Jul 15, 2025

Italy's abortion taboos challenged by new law in Sicily

More than 80% of gynecologists in Sicily refuse to perform abortions for moral or religious reasons, though the procedure has been a legal right for women in Italy since 1978.
AI-created images of Holocaust-related subjects displayed on a laptop and a smartphone screens
WORLD / Society
Jul 15, 2025

Holocaust AI fakes spark alarm

Critics say that AI-generated images, text and videos are offensive and contribute to Holocaust distortion by conjuring up a "fantasy-land Auschwitz."
Mizuho CEO Masahiro Kihara is interviewed in London on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2025

Mizuho CEO confident of meeting ¥1 trillion profit target

Japan’s third-largest lender forecast in May that net income will likely climb 6.1% to ¥940 billion in the fiscal year started in April.
A high school student uses social media applications in November 2024.
WORLD / Society
Jul 15, 2025

EU states to test age-check app to limit children's access to online services

The European Commission has unveiled a prototype of the app that Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Spain will customize and launch within several months.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (center) meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 15, 2025

'Dialogue' must be at heart of China-Australia ties, PM tells Xi

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on his second visit to China as PM, seeking to bolster recently stabilized trade ties even as geopolitical tensions remain high.
The Nissan Motor Oppama Plant in Yokosuka. The company will wind down production at the plant and transfer assembly of vehicles to a factory in Kyushu.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2025

Nissan to close Oppama plant as part of wider restructuring push

Oppama, which has been in operation since 1961 and employs roughly 2,400 workers, will cease production by March 2028.
Tokyo stocks are underperforming shares in other large markets globally.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 15, 2025

Tokyo stocks hit by a perfect storm of tariffs, politics and budget worries

The Nikkei 225 is down about 6% from its peak, hit in July 2024.
John Healey, Britain's defense minister, apologized for the 2022 leak that included details about members of Parliament and senior military officers who supported applications to help Afghan soldiers who worked with the British military and their families relocate to the U.K.
WORLD
Jul 16, 2025

Thousands of Afghans secretly moved to Britain after data leak

The data leak ranks among the worst security breaches in modern British history because of the cost and risk posed to the lives of thousands of people.
Dan Serafini pitches for the Pirates during a game in September 2000.
BASEBALL
Jul 16, 2025

Former MLB and NPB pitcher Dan Serafini found guilty of murdering father-in-law

Prosecutors said the fatal incident involved a $1.3 million ranch renovation project and presented text message evidence of the escalation of the disagreement.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends a meeting during the the Shanghai Cooperation Organization forum in Beijing on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2025

China’s growth momentum offers Xi rare window to fight deflation

Gross domestic product beat expectations to grow 5.2% between April and June, bringing the official 5% expansion goal for the year within reach.
Soldiers stand during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to a military training area to find out about the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, in Germany in June last year.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2025

Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details'

U.S. President Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements.
Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, at a conference earlier this month.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jul 16, 2025

Silver says NBA to study possible expansion beyond 30 teams

The NBA Board of Governors meeting in Las Vegas on Tuesday marked the first time team owners officially discussed expanding the league beyond 30 teams.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets veterans involved in the Ukraine war, at the Kremlin on June 12. Europe should tap Russia’s frozen central bank assets to fund Ukraine’s defense, given Donald Trump’s conditions on U.S. aid.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2025

Russia’s frozen $245 billion can pay for Ukraine’s arms

Replacing the U.S. military and financial aid provided by President Joe Biden’s administration would cost about $45 billion a year for the duration of the war.
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, apparently reflecting the impact from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025

Japan’s exports fall as U.S. tariffs stoke recession risks

Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported.
Shohei Ohtani prepares to bat during the first inning of the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 17, 2025

MLB All-Star Game ratings dip despite dramatic finish

MLB's All-Star event still draws far better than its counterparts.
A guilty ruling on a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma in China for a spying charge has shocked Japanese firms operating in China.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2025

Japanese firms in China wary after Astellas employee spy conviction

"We don't know what actions (by the Astellas employee) were considered a problem" by Chinese authorities, a senior official of a Japanese manufacturer stationed in Beijing said.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan