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Hideo Shimoju points to a possible site that his fellow neighbors may relocate to. Such relocations have happened before, but not preemptively.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / Longform
Feb 24, 2024

In disaster-prone Japan, some communities consider major moves

Rural communities are considering collective relocation as a means to deal with worsening climate disasters.
The International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington. The IMF sees downside risks in the Japanese economy, which unexpectedly slipped into a recession at the end of last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 23, 2024

IMF sees downside risks for Japan in 2024

Japan unexpectedly slipped into a recession at the end of last year, losing its title as the world's third-biggest economy to Germany.
Demonstrators protest the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin on Feb. 16.
EDITORIALS
Feb 23, 2024

Vladimir Putin must be shown the limits of his power

Navalny’s death deprives Russia of its most thoughtful and powerful opposition to President Vladimir Putin and his criminal clique.
When Fighters interpreter Shinju Sakuma set her mind on becoming a language liaison in sports, she picked a sport she enjoyed watching and an employer who thinks outside the box.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 26, 2024

Rookie female interpreter provides voice for foreign baseball stars in Japan

Shinju Sakuma, who will graduate from Rikkyo University in Tokyo this spring, is believed to be the first female interpreter in NPB history.
Customers shop at the GU store in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. The brand's operator Fast Retailing hopes to expand its share in markets in the United States and Europe.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 26, 2024

Uniqlo’s sister brand GU takes aim at market in U.S. and Europe

International sales made up more than half of Uniqlo’s revenue in the latest fiscal year, GU has mostly only flourished domestically.
The Tokyo High Court ruled that there was a causal relationship between Kazuo Ishibashi’s driving and the fatal crash that followed, upholding the Yokohama District Court’s findings and 18-year prison term.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 26, 2024

Tokyo court upholds 18-year prison term for driver over 2017 road rage

Kazuho Ishibashi had deliberately slowed down his vehicle in front of the victim’s car on an expressway, resulting in its rear-ending by a truck.
People take pictures of the city skyline lit up by drones during a performance to welcome the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, at Marina Bay in Singapore on Feb. 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 26, 2024

Singapore embraces AI to solve everyday problems

Ranked the fifth most innovative country by the GII last year, Singapore was an early adopter of AI, releasing its first national strategy in 2019.
A Sustainable Smart City Partner Program forum in Kitajima
ESG CONSORTIUM
Feb 27, 2024

NTT tool Sugatami reflects cities’ extensive possibilities

With the use of digital technology to solve rural social problems now promoted as a national policy, some places have begun trying to use data to analyze their current situation, identify problems and find solutions.
A Boeing Co. 737 Max airplane on the production line at the company's manufacturing facility in Renton, Washington, in March 2019
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2024

Boeing's safety culture slammed by FAA after 737 Max midair door loss

An expert report shows the work still to be done at Boeing despite efforts to overhaul its culture after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Oct. 17, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

Serbian leader says ‘Taiwan is China’ as Xi plans Balkan trip

The Serbian leader’s wading into rising tensions over the Taiwan Strait sends a signal of allegiance to Beijing.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 28, 2024

Japan issues urgent notice to schools after boy chokes to death

The first grader in the city of Miyama, Fukuoka Prefecture, is believed to have choked on a boiled quail egg contained in a stew served for school lunch.
Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada attends the red carpet event for FX's "Shogun" at the Academy theater in Los Angeles on Feb. 13.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 27, 2024

Disney’s ‘Shogun’ has a lot to teach the West

Walt Disney returns "Shogun" to the screen and reinvents an epic tale for a new generation.
Japan's factory output in January fell at the fastest pace since May 2020 due to a drop in automobile-related production.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 29, 2024

Japan factory output falls at the fastest pace in nearly four years

A production downturn in motor vehicles is also adding to concerns about the fragility of an economy that slipped into recession late last year.
Starbucks workers hold a rally in New York City in 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 29, 2024

Starbucks' pivot on union may shape labor relations beyond its stores

The iconic coffee chain has been locked in a bitter, high-profile and multifront battle with the union across the U.S. since its first win in 2021.
Red Bull's Christian Horner was cleared following an investigation into complaints of inappropriate behavior made against him by a female team member.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 29, 2024

Red Bull boss Christian Horner cleared of inappropriate behavior

A statement from Austrian energy drink brand Red Bull, the parent company of the world champion Formula One team, said the "grievance has been dismissed."
Hideo Kojima (right), mayor of Ginan, Gifu Prefecture, hands his letter of resignation to the head of the town's assembly at the town hall on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

Gifu town mayor resigns amid sexual harassment allegations

Hideo Kojima, 74, a former town assembly member, was first elected mayor in November 2020 and was serving his first term.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

Talks on easing Japan defense export rules pushed back to March

The Liberal Democratic Party and junior coalition partner Komeito failed to reach an agreement on revisions to existing restrictions on Wednesday.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone stands on the runway at Naval Base Ventura County Sea Range, Point Mugu, near Oxnard, California. The Defense Ministry is considering purchasing the Reaper for intercepting foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 1, 2024

New drone tech in spotlight as Japan eyes boosted capabilities

As Tokyo seeks to beef up its unmanned systems, inspiration could come from the latest tech displayed at this year's Singapore Airshow.
Execs at four major Japanese insurers, including Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, will take pay cuts over price fixing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2024

Four general insurance firms punish 132 people over price-fixing

The four general insurers, including Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, also submitted business improvement plans to the Financial Services Agency.
Business is booming for Japan's top airlines as the weak yen spurs the arrival of more foreign visitors, while local demand for international trips and domestic routes remains high.
BUSINESS
Mar 1, 2024

Japan’s top airlines to hire 3,700 workers in the next year

Business for the airlines is booming as the weak yen spurs the arrival of more foreign visitors.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 2, 2024

Japanese fighter jets and U.S. bombers train over Sea of Japan and East China Sea

The joint exercises over the two waterways were seen as a show of deterrence to both Beijing and Pyongyang.
An earthquake measuring a shindo 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale that hit southern Chiba Prefecture was among several that have shaken the area in recent days.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 3, 2024

Japan warns of more strong quakes as 'slow slip' phenomena hits Chiba

Three earthquakes measuring a shindo 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, as well as four measuring a shindo 3, have occurred since Thursday.
Alexei Navalny delivers remarks during his election campaign in Moscow on Aug. 1, 2013. Russian authorities vilified the opposition leader with a viciousness that suggested he was more influential than Moscow would admit. Little has changed since he died.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

Kremlin seeks to suppress Navalny’s influence, in death as in life

Russian authorities have vilified late opposition leader Alexei Navalny with a viciousness that suggested he was more influential than Moscow would admit.
Six months have passed since Japan started releasing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2024

Fukushima water release still vexing China-Japan ties

China-bound exports of Japanese fishery products in 2023 plunged by some 30% from the previous year in value terms.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

China scraps premier's briefing, breaking years of convention

The decision removes a rare platform for investors to learn more about the nation’s policy direction under President Xi Jinping.
Nikolai Nozdrev, who arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, succeeds Mikhail Galuzin as Russia's ambassador to Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

Russia’s new ambassador arrives in Japan after more than yearlong absence

Moscow had left the post unfilled for over a year amid strained ties with Tokyo.
PFAS does not break down easily and remains in the body and the environment for a number of years, and is thus called “forever chemicals.”
JAPAN / Explainer
Mar 4, 2024

Japan’s food safety panel drafts intake limit for 'forever chemicals'

The report spells out the “tolerable daily intake” of PFAS through food for the first time. Here's what you need to know.
The EU hit Apple with a €1.8 billion fine ($1.9 billion) on Monday for violating the bloc's laws by preventing music streaming services from informing users about subscription options outside of its App Store.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024

EU fines Apple €1.8 billion over curbs on music streaming services

The European Union found Apple had violated law by preventing music streaming services from telling users about subscription options outside its App Store.
Rescuers clear debris from a multistory building heavily damaged following a Russian drone strike in Odessa on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 6, 2024

ICC issues warrants over Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid

The court has previously targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin with an international arrest warrant over the deportation of Ukrainian children.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 7, 2024

Osaka weighs 'entry fee' for foreign tourists in bid to combat overtourism

The proposed fee is separate from the lodging tax already in place for all tourists.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji