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The weak yen continues to attract visitors from abroad, while travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2024

Weak yen slows overseas summer travel recovery

While the currency's weakness continues to attract visitors from abroad, travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
Bill Gates delivers a speech at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin in May. He and his ex-wife Melinda Gates started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has had a far-reaching impact on global health and sustainability.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2024

The economics of philanthropy

Philanthropy can help bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots. But wealthy people need more of an incentive to give than just being altruistic.
Starting from September, foreign employees on a work visa must abide by a new points-based system to keep working in Singapore.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2024

Singapore is making life tougher for global talent

The city-state could lose its position as a global business hub if it keeps tightening the rules for overseas employees in a political bid to appease local residents.
Although air travel in Asia has picked up since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still below 2019 levels, with many passengers preferring to travel shorter distances.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2024

Asian airlines face a cold summer

Despite seemingly positive results, air travel in Asia hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, with many of the continent's travelers preferring to stay closer to home.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during the closing ceremony of the Asia Business Summit in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 6, 2024

Kishida keen to leverage diplomacy to buoy his administration

Diplomacy is one of Kishida's strengths, but it remains unclear if his strategy will pay off.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 6, 2024

Crisis? What crisis? Biden rejects Democratic pessimism.

After last week’s devastating debate performance, the president’s prime-time interview with ABC News was an exercise in not just damage control but reality control.
Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, the reformist presidential candidate, waves after casting his vote in the country's presidential runoff election at a mosque in Tehran on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2024

Iran reformist Masoud Pezeshkian wins presidential election

Pezeshkian has pledged to open Iran to the world and deliver freedoms its people have yearned for.
Japan has finally scrapped every regulation requiring the use of floppy disks for administrative purposes.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2024

Japan finally phases out floppy disks

One of the world’s most technologically advanced nations has held on to some of the most outmoded devices.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Historic Greenbrier Farms in Chesapeake, Virginia, on June 28.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2024

Trump distances bid from second-term agenda pushed by allies

Project 2025 is an effort proposing a sweeping shake-up of government and a slew of conservative policies if Trump defeats President Joe Biden in the November election.
"Shogun" features Hiroyuki Sanada as the warlord Toranaga. The series is generating major buzz ahead of the announcement of Emmy nominations on July 17.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 6, 2024

All hail the era of Japan-themed prestige TV

With shows like "Shogun" and "Tokyo Vice" vying for Emmy nominations this month, it's safe to say the streamers are having a bit of a "Japan moment."
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview at The Hague, in the Netherlands, in February.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 6, 2024

ICC prosecutor opted for warrants over visit to Gaza

The sudden cancellation of a planned visit to the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and Ramallah has angered Washington and London.
England forward Bukayo Saka celebrates after scoring during the penalty shootout at the end of his team's win over Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.
SOCCER
Jul 7, 2024

England's savior Bukayo Saka finds Euros penalty redemption

Arsenal forward Saka was England's savior on Saturday, four years after a crucial miss against Italy.
France forward Kylian Mbappe during his team's quarterfinal win over Portugal on Friday.
SOCCER
Jul 7, 2024

Winning is all that matters at Euro 2024 for Mbappe's minimalist France

Mbappe is surrounded by other world-class attackers, but his penalty in a group-stage match is the only goal scored by a French player at Euro 2024.
People take shelter under parasols set up in Tokyo's Ginza district amid soaring temperatures Sunday.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2024

Shizuoka hits 40 C as temperatures soar nationwide

Japan on Sunday recorded high temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius across a broad swath of the country from Tohoku to Kyushu.
A voter picks up ballot papers at a polling station in Noumea in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 7, 2024

Far right bids for power as France holds parliamentary election

Marine Le Pen's RN scored historic gains to win last Sunday's first-round vote, raising the specter of France's first far-right government since World War II.
One analyst argues that the billions of dollars flowing from Japan to the likes of Apple, Amazon and Microsoft might be more a positive than a negative in that more companies and individuals are using digital services.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2024

Japan’s digital deficit might be a good thing

The digital deficit indicates that digitalization has accelerated in the country, says Mitsubishi Research Institute researcher Kengo Wataya.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer
WORLD / Politics
Jul 7, 2024

Untested Starmer is suddenly the West’s last man standing tall

Keir Starmer — who’s spent the last six weeks campaigning under the one-word banner of ‘change’ — is about to discover how in politics, it can come at you fast.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen talks to journalists after partial results in the second round of the early French parliamentary elections, at the French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party venue in Paris on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2024

Bubble bursts for France's far-right as voters bar it from power

Marine Le Pen's National Rally was on course to come in third, behind a left-wing alliance and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist bloc.
Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture. The mayor of Himeji has suggested that foreign tourists pay four times more to enter the castle than the current ¥1,000 entrance fee.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024

Japan really should charge tourists four times more

The suggestion by a Kansai mayor that foreign visitors pay more for tourist attractions doesn't go far enough. The government should establish a nationwide policy.
The Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee typically meets seven times in its five-year tenure, with the third of these plenums being particularly important as it represents the first chance for the new leadership to properly introduce its broad thinking on economic and political issues.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 8, 2024

Why China’s third plenum matters for global investors

The typically once-in-five-years conclave of top officials usually deals with major economic and political policy changes.
Emma Raducanu serves against Lulu Sun during their match at Wimbledon on Sunday in London.
TENNIS
Jul 8, 2024

Emma Raducanu 'stands by decision' to withdraw from mixed doubles with Andy Murray

Raducanu was scheduled to play with Murray, a former Wimbledon champion, on Saturday, but opted to pull out of the tie due to a stiff wrist.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban (center right) talks to China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying (third left) after arriving in Beijing.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2024

Hungary's prime minister is in Beijing on a 'peace mission 3.0'

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's unannounced visit to China comes a day before NATO is due to hold a summit to mark its 75th anniversary.
U.S. President Donald Trump stands among other leaders as he attends a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Plenary Session at the NATO summit in Watford, near London on Dec. 4, 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2024

Elephant in room at NATO: Would Trump blow it up?

This week's Washington summit aims to "Trump-proof" NATO by expanding its role, especially in supporting Ukraine.
Samsung workers chant slogans during a walkout outside the company’s semiconductor plant in Hwaseong, South Korea, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 8, 2024

Samsung union steps up pressure over pay with three-day strike

The union has spent weeks preparing for the walkout, after negotiations over pay and vacation time collapsed last month.
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the company’s plant in Renton, Washington, on June 25.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 8, 2024

Boeing to plead guilty to fraud in U.S. probe of fatal 737 MAX crashes

Boeing will plead guilty to lying to the FAA about a software feature on the MAX, which saved money by reducing pilot training requirements.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2024

Koike eases to victory but Ishimaru's performance signals shift in Tokyo

Koike saw off a tougher challenge than in previous votes, with Ishimaru pointing to a path forward for lesser-known candidates.
On Monday, a heatstroke alert was issued in 27 of the nation’s 47 prefectures, including seven in the Kanto region.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2024

Unseasonal heat in Japan raises prospect of top-level heatstroke alert

The alert is issued when the wet-bulb globe temperature is expected to hit at least 35 degrees Celsius at all monitoring points in a prefecture.
The government aims to increase the number of foreign students in Japan to 400,000 by 2033, despite a recent Justice Ministry ordinance that puts in place tougher rules on accepting overseas applicants.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024

Can Japan boost its foreign student count to 400,000?

The government recently tightened rules for accepting overseas applicants, though it hasn't lost sight of its lofty goal of increasing foreign student numbers.
Japanese troops during an amphibious landing exercise on Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan is letting go of old assumptions about the reliability of the rules-based international order and is making efforts to boost its military capabilities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024

As militaries are rebuilt, are we turning American?

Some countries stopped investing in their militaries and defense under the illusion that the rules-based order would prevail. Now, they're facing tough, new realities.
A sign warning about the frequent appearance of bears in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, in April 2021
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2024

Japan moves to permit use of rifles to hunt bears in residential areas

Under a proposed legal revision, hunters would be allowed to fire rifles if there is a risk of human injury or a bear has entered a building.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan