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Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attend a New Year ceremony at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 2, 2025

Emperor wishes for peaceful year for those affected by disaster

Emperor Naruhito expressed his wish on Thursday for a peaceful year for people affected by disasters, following a strong earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula a year ago.
BYD electric vehicles outside one of the company's dealerships in Beijing
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 2, 2025

BYD chalks up new record as it narrows EV sales gap with Tesla

China’s BYD enjoyed a year-end surge to push total sales to 4.25 million passenger cars last year, as the two seek to be the top-selling electric-vehicle maker of 2024.
New Orleans' French Quarter following an early-morning attack on Jan. 1
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2025

‘No terrorist to me’: Relatives and friends saw few signs before attack

The violence appeared to explode out of nowhere to those who had known Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar as a quiet and caring person. But there were also signs of growing instability.
Incorporating modern technologies into your Japanese classes might be a way to connect with younger students.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 3, 2025

Start the new year with a fresh approach to teaching Japanese

It’s important for language instructors to update their methods to best appeal to their younger students.
A brewer stirs the mix for making sake at a brewery in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 3, 2025

Brooklyn brewers take on sake, America's new hip tipple

The ancient Japanese drink, which has been exported to the United States for at least a century, is being increasingly localized.
A 2024 Toyota Prius Prime during the 2024 New York International Auto Show in New York last March
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 4, 2025

U.S. new car sales rose to five-year high in 2024, helped by hybrids

Sales continued to rise from their pandemic lows, bolstered by replenished inventories, higher incentives and surging demand for hybrid vehicles.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision will further burnish his climate credentials, deepening his record of fostering conservation and zero-emission energy.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2025

Biden to ban new oil drilling over vast stretch of U.S. Atlantic and Pacific waters

The move represents a sweeping effort to permanently protect coastal waters from fossil fuel development and the risk of oil spills.
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a meeting held at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Nov. 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2025

Japan's LDP lawmakers seen actively forming new groups

Moves to create fresh groups and hold gatherings may be seen as a revival of the factional politics at the core of the money scandal.
Analysts believe the strength of the Japanese economy will help to push up domestic stocks, despite pressure from likely interest rate hikes from the Bank of Japan and uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s presidency in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 6, 2025

Japan stocks look set for new highs in 2025 on earnings and reforms

Analysts see better corporate earnings as the country transitions to a growth economy from a deflationary one.
A missile flies during what North Korea said was a test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile at an undisclosed location on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 7, 2025

North Korea's Kim says new hypersonic missile can deter Pacific 'rivals'

In a worrying sign for Japan, Pyongyang claimed the new hypersonic intermediate-range weapon is effective at "breaking any dense defensive barrier.”
Security personnel walk on the road with buses blocking an entrance gate to protect impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from a possible second arrest attempt by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 7, 2025

South Korea investigators get new warrant to arrest President Yoon

The former star prosecutor has refused questioning three times after his bungled Dec. 3 martial law decree plunged South Korea into political chaos.
Terunofuji performs during a ceremony at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 8, 2025

Questions linger over Terunofuji's health ahead of year's first tournament

During the Yokozuna Deliberation Council's practice session on Monday, Terunofuji’s latent power, but also his physical decline, were on full display.
People shop at a market in New Delhi on Nov. 4. On Tuesday, India forecast annual growth of 6.4% for its fiscal year ending March, the slowest in four years and below the government's initial projections.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 8, 2025

India looks to new economic playbook as risks mount

Disappointing economic indicators and a slowdown in corporate earnings in the second half of 2024 have forced investors to rethink the country's earlier outperformance.
Japan aims for nuclear power to make up 20% of its energy mix by 2040. However, the restart of the country's reactors is complicated by issues such as local opposition, as is the case for the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 10, 2025

Robust new nuclear target for Japan is shrouded in uncertainty

A new plan envisions nuclear power making up 20% of Japan's energy mix by 2040. But hurdles to reactor restarts and rising electricity demand cast a shadow on such ambitions.
On Dec. 31, rock duo B’z appeared on NHK's year-end "Kohaku Uta Gassen" music extravaganza for the first time in a career spanning more than three decades.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jan 10, 2025

An explosive B’z set on ‘Kohaku’ hints at a strategy to win over viewers

Japan’s best selling act delivered one of the biggest moments of the year-end music blowout and reinforced the importance of catering to a more middle-aged market.
U.S. Army soldiers with the NATO multinational battle group on the territory of Bulgaria stand in formation with a U.S. flag and an armored vehicle during a visit by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the Novo Selo military ground near Mokren, Bulgaria, on Dec. 19.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 11, 2025

NATO won't back Trump's new defense spending target but will raise its sights

A new target is likely to be agreed at a NATO summit in June, but the key questions are what that new target will be and whether it will be enough to satisfy Trump.
Palm trees burned by the Palisades Fire along the shore in Malibu, California, at sunrise on Friday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 11, 2025

‘We’re in a new era’: How climate change is supercharging disasters

Extreme weather events — deadly heat waves, floods, fires and hurricanes — are the consequences of a warming planet, scientists say.
It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jan 13, 2025

Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?

Amid a push to digitalize, some experts believe citizens should have the right to stay offline.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump meets with then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Group of 20 leaders summit in Osaka in June 2019.  Though Trump's first term in office was not as earth-shattering for Japanese companies as many feared, it would be a mistake to assume his second will be the same.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 13, 2025

Trump 2.0 presents new challenges for Japanese companies

Another challenge for Japanese firms will be that Trump, his Cabinet by and large and many key advisers are China hawks.
The Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 14, 2025

White House unveils new curbs on exporting Nvidia AI chips

The rules, which are set to take effect in one year, establish caps on the amount of computing power that can be sold to most countries.
Shinji Ishimaru announces details of his new regional party at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2025

With new regional party, Shinji Ishimaru touts rebirth

The former mayor of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture aims to field candidates in July's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.
It's taken Takuma Watanabe little time to establish himself as one of New York's hottest bartenders.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 16, 2025

From Tokyo to Manhattan, Takuma Watanabe stirs up a stiff drink

Tokyo native Takuma Watanabe offers a formidable addition to New York’s pantheon of cocktail bars.
The new Switch is a tablet-style device with detachable controllers that can be played in handheld mode or hooked up to a TV, like its predecessor.
LIFE / Digital
Jan 17, 2025

Nintendo announces Switch 2, its first new console in eight years

Japan residents can apply via lottery for a hands-on demo of the Switch 2 on April 26 and 27 at Chiba’s Makuhari Messe convention center.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian leader Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2025

Russia and Iran draw closer with new pact before Trump returns

The comprehensive strategic partnership agreement seeks to deepen political and economic ties as the two countries grapple with sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.
Mizuho Bank is the first to have stopped accepting new safe deposit box customers among the country's three megabanks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 19, 2025

Mizuho stops accepting new safe deposit box applications

The major Japanese bank took the step at all outlets around the country.
Lewis Hamilton in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 10
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jan 21, 2025

Hamilton begins 'new chapter' at Ferrari

The 40-year-old announced last February that, after 12 successful years with Mercedes, he was moving on.
As Donald Trump begins his second term, the U.S. holds a strong position in the Indo-Pacific. However, missteps, economic policies and shifting alliances could undermine the Biden administration's progress in strengthening partnerships and countering China.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2025

Will Trump sustain or squander Biden's Indo-Pacific gains?

The legacy of the Joe Biden administration could prove fleeting, however, the result of missteps by Washington or developments in allied states.
Ichiro Suzuki finished his career with 3,089 MLB hits and is one of 33 players in the 3,000-hit club.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 22, 2025

Iconic Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Ichiro, who rose to global superstardom with the Mariners, was elected in his first year on the ballot, but fell one vote short of becoming the second player voted in unanimously.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2025

Top diplomats agree to take U.S.-Japan alliance to 'new heights'

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also agreed on the importance of trilateral cooperation with South Korea and others.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko take part in the New Year's poetry reading ceremony at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2025

Princess Aiko attends New Year poetry event for first time

Poems written by imperial family members and guests were recited in a traditional style at the ceremony in the palace's Matsu-no-Ma state room.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo