Search - people

 
 
Ground Self-Defense Force members conduct a military drill next to an anti-ship missile unit on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 29, 2024

Japan defense spending goals hit by inflation, weak yen and political uncertainty

A slew of obstacles are jeopardizing Tokyo's pursuit of raising defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product by fiscal 2027.
High school soccer teams during the opening ceremony for the national championships on Saturday at National Stadium in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Dec 29, 2024

Drama and dreams: Japan's wildly popular school soccer tourney breeds future stars

The annual tournament kicked off on Saturday, with young players dreaming of playing in the final in front of tens of thousands at National Stadium in Tokyo.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the country's ruling party in Pyongyang in this photo released Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 29, 2024

North Korea launches 'toughest' U.S. strategy at key party meeting

In a signal to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, North Korea has used a key party meeting overseen by leader Kim Jong Un to announce its “toughest” ever strategy to counter the United States, Pyongyang's state-run media said Sunday.
Stuttgart's Anrie Chase applauds the fans after a match against Bayer Leverkusen on Nov. 1.
SOCCER
Dec 29, 2024

How Anrie Chase went from a Fukushima high school to playing against Real Madrid

Just three years ago, the Stuttgart defender was still playing for Shoshi High School in Koriyama. Now he's competing against the likes of Kylian Mbappe.
Bashar Assad's fall offers a chance to rebuild Syria, but the history of Middle East stabilization is littered with failure, making the coming months crucial.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2024

Rebuilding Syria after the ouster of the dictator Assad

Hope must be tempered by caution. Across the Middle East, the removal of strongmen has generally produced violent chaos.
Former President Jimmy Carter, furthest right, in a group photo with his successors at the White House in 2009. From his re-election defeat in 1980 until his death on Sunday, he was the odd man out, distant from the Republicans and Democrats who followed him.
WORLD
Dec 30, 2024

In the presidents’ club, Carter was the odd man out

Jimmy Carter’s relationship with his successors in the Oval Office, both Republicans and fellow Democrats, was generally tense because of his outspokenness.
Emperor Naruhito (right) and Empress Masako (center) visit the disaster-hit city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Dec. 17 along with Wajima Mayor Shigeru Sakaguchi.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2024

Emperor and empress eye regional visits to mark 80th war anniversary

The emperor and empress may travel to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa prefectures to meet with people involved in preserving the memory of the war.
U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira share a laugh ahead of talks in Tokyo in June 1979.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 30, 2024

Jimmy Carter's surprising connection to Japan: his Christian faith

The former U.S. president, who died Sunday, bonded with his counterpart, Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira, over their shared faith.
Private detective Marcus Lentz holds his camera as he poses for photos in his office in Hanau, western Germany, on Dec. 20.
BUSINESS
Dec 30, 2024

For German 'sick leave detective,' business is booming

Workers in Germany, on average, took 15.1 days of sick leave last year, up from 11.1 days in 2021.
Midori Kato has been voice acting the character Sazae Fuguta in the TV animation series "Sazae-san" since it started in 1969.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 30, 2024

Still sounding young at 85, Midori Kato is the voice of old Japan

The voice actor is the last original member of the cast of “Sazae-san,” a cartoon series that premiered in 1969 and never quite joined the modern world.
Demonstrators from a labor group take part in a protest calling for the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside City Hall in Seoul on Dec. 12.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 30, 2024

South Korea investigators seek arrest warrant for Yoon over martial law

The application by investigators marks the first attempt in the country's history to forcibly detain a president before the impeachment procedure is complete.
Hisamido set up a return box at its bookstore in Machida, Tokyo, to allow its customers to borrow and return books owned by municipal libraries.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2024

Japanese bookstores collaborate with libraries for survival

A survey found that 493 municipalities had no bookstores as of November 2024.
Thaleon Tremain, chief executive of Pachamama Coffee, holds a cup of coffee beans in Sacramento, California, on Feb. 27. Wholesale coffee prices are trading near a 50-year high because of shortages related to extreme weather and increased global demand.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 30, 2024

Why coffee prices are soaring (again)

The wholesale price of beans has jumped more than 30% just since the start of November.
A customer uses a bank card at a contactless payment terminal on a stall at the Bauveau Market in Paris on Feb. 15, 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 30, 2024

Drama-prone fintechs face mixed regulatory environment in 2025

The incoming U.S. administration has made financial deregulation a policy priority for the next four years while European policymakers continue to take a cautious approach.
Yasushi Dozen, chief investment officer at Kepple
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2025

Japan's ¥10 trillion startup investment target more improbable than ever

Investors and startup supporters say Japan is still in the seed-planting phase of startup development and must address some structural issues.
​SSPP Forum #03
ESG CONSORTIUM
Dec 31, 2024

NTT’s SSPP Forum shares ideas on forming communities of future

NTT’s Sustainable Smart City Partner Program (SSPP) supports the development of communities of the future that maximize residents’ well-being. The SSPP Forum was launched in 2022 to provide an opportunity for sharing SSPP case studies on community formation, and its third session was held recently....
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba must get cooperation from at least one opposition party to ensure passage of the 2025 fiscal year budget. He must also show he is capable of a smooth working relationship with the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 1, 2025

Three tests Ishiba must pass to survive in 2025

Overcoming the challenges that lay ahead will require the prime minister to make the best use of his political and diplomatic negotiating skills.
A stack of ¥10,000 bills equivalent to the year-end balance of banknotes in circulation would be 1,240 kilometers high, or about 328 times higher than the 3,776-meter Mount Fuji.
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2024

Japan's year-end banknote balance down for second straight year

The drop resulted from people increasingly opting for cashless payments.
An Air Self-Defense Force airman sets up a drone during a bilateral live fire exercise at Draughon Range, near Misawa Air Base, in Aomori Prefecture in July 2023.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 5, 2025

Taking a page from Ukraine war, SDF carves out growing role for drones

Whether for use in the air, on land or at sea, the SDF is gradually integrating these increasingly capable and often autonomous systems into their units.
Volunteers prepare food at a soup kitchen in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 31, 2024

In quake-hit Noto region, residents get ready to welcome the new year

A series of events, including a karaoke competition and the pounding of rice cakes, are being held on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Students perform a play they produced during a Liberal Arts Japanese class at Aichi Prefectural Kariyahigashi High School, as teacher Tomohiko Hyodo (left) watches.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 13, 2025

Aichi school uses theater to foster communication skills

Liberal Arts Japanese, designed to supplement conventional Japanese language studies, emphasizes practical skills in listening and speaking, the school says.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands for the national anthem during an award ceremony in Kyiv on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 1, 2025

Zelenskyy vows Ukraine will do everything in 2025 to stop Russia

The Ukrainian leader's address caps a difficult year for the war-battered country, which has been fending off a better-resourced Russian army.
Japanese architect and Expo Site Design Producer Sou Fujimoto stands on the construction site of his Grand Ring.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jan 1, 2025

Architect Sou Fujimoto says his 'Grand Ring' will be a symbol of unity at the Osaka Expo

Traditional techniques for joining wooden pillars were used and inspired by the raised platform at Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto.
Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces keep watch during a security operation in Jenin in the Israel-occupied West Bank on Dec. 16.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 2, 2025

Anticipating Trump, Palestinian Authority eager to crush militants

Analysts say that the PA is trying to prove it can control the violence and demonstrate that it could bring stability to Gaza once the war is over.
People offer silent prayers in the Asaichi-dori morning market area in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, at 4:10 p.m. on Wednesday, the time a huge earthquake hit the prefecture on Jan. 1, 2024.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2025

Remembering the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake

The death toll from the New Year's Day quake came to 504, including those who died during evacuation or from other indirect causes.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said forming a grand coalition of major ruling and opposition parties to stabilize his administration will likely be an option.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 2, 2025

Grand coalition of ruling and opposition parties likely an option, Ishiba says

The prime minster said forming a grand coalition of major ruling and opposition parties may be an option to stabilize his administration.
With the continued wage and price hikes, the Japanese economy will likely grow steadily in fiscal 2025 that will start in April, according to some private think tanks.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jan 2, 2025

Economists see continued rise in Japan's wages and prices in fiscal '25

Uncertainty surrounding the impact of policies under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump are seen as a key risk factor.
Broncos coach Sean Payton says the Chiefs earned the right to rest their players on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 2, 2025

Broncos coach Sean Payton says Chiefs earned right to rest players

The Chiefs will hold out quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other starters in the regular-season finale to keep the squad healthy for a run at a third consecutive Super Bowl title.
After a dramatic 2024, where Japan saw political upheaval, a record stock market, a major quake and a plane crash and dramatic escape, 2025, with events like major anime sequels, the Osaka World Expo, rising foreign acquisitions, we should expect a transformative year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 2, 2025

Anime, M&A and the expo: What to watch for in Japan’s 2025

No doubt 2025 has more surprises in store for Japan after an unusually intense 12 months.
Populist and far-right parties globally are gaining working-class support as center-left parties fail to address their economic concerns and cultural disconnects.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 10, 2024

The working class and the rise of populism

Talking about creating good jobs in the industries of the future is not the same as doing it. Workers want bold, effective leaders who will take concrete action.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear