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The Tokyo District Court has ordered advertising agency Hakuhodo to pay ¥200 million in fines for violating the antimonopoly law in a bid-rigging case linked to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 11, 2024

Hakuhodo ordered to pay ¥200 million over Tokyo Games bid-rigging

The firm is the first to receive a court ruling over a high-profile series of cases linked to the Olympics and Paralympics.
When Microsoft took a non-voting, observer position on OpenAI's board in November, it triggered unease among antitrust watchdogs in the European Union, Britain and the United States over how much control it exerts over the artificial intelligence startup.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 11, 2024

Microsoft ditches OpenAI board observer seat to avert antitrust scrutiny

The move comes amid concerns among British and U.S. antitrust watchdogs over Microsoft's influence over OpenAI and the latter's independence.
Tokyo police have arrested four people for allegedly luring their targets into multilevel marketing, using dating apps, last year, despite orders for the suspension of network marketing-related business.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2024

Four arrested in Japan over multilevel marketing using dating apps

The police believe that the four collected a total of some ¥850 million from about 2,000 people in 42 prefectures, including university students.
The members of Glay — (from left) Jiro, Teru, Takuro and Hisashi — are celebrating 30 years of rocking out as a band.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 12, 2024

Glay celebrates three decades of rock greatness

The band's 12-month-long Glay Expo takes the idea of a concert tour to the next level for the anniversary of its major label debut.
Bean might be 5 years old, but he still has the energy and personality of a puppy.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Jul 15, 2024

Bean has all the potential for a magical companion

If you need someone to perk you up throughout your days together, Bean may be the perfect pup for you.
Renderings of Saudi Arabia's Neom project in the window of a pop-up store
WORLD / Politics
Jul 12, 2024

Saudi prince’s trillion-dollar makeover faces funding cutbacks

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, is close to completing a sweeping review of megaprojects.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference at the NATO Summit in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 12, 2024

At high-stakes news conference, Biden vows to ‘finish the job’

The U.S. president conceded for the first time that polls show "other people can beat Mr. Trump in the fall” but added that, "it’s hard to start from scratch.”
A down jacket that uses recycled feathers. An Environment Ministry survey has shown that around 60% of newly supplied clothing in Japan is expected to be discarded without being reused.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 12, 2024

Japan aims to recycle 50,000 metric tons of discarded clothing

Large amounts of clothes are being thrown away as a result of massive production amid the spread of fast fashion.
Durian Lollobrigida and his co-hosts — actors Megumi and Chiaki Horan, singer Thelma Aoyama and former “Terrace House” panelist Yoshimi Tokui — offer in-studio commentary on the contestants’ footage in Netflix’s new reality dating show, “The Boyfriend.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 13, 2024

'The Boyfriend' host Durian Lollobrigida puts a face to queer joy

Involvement in Netflix's new reality dating show is just the latest success in the Japanese drag queen's rise.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speak to reporters in Berlin on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 13, 2024

Japanese and German leaders deepen ties with new economic security framework

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and German Chancellor Olaz Scholz agreed on the new mechanism during the Japanese leader's first visit to the country as PM.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 is pictured in space after it lifted off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, in this screenshot from video released on Friday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 13, 2024

SpaceX's Falcon 9 grounded after failure dooms batch of Starlink satellites

The incident marks the first failure in more than seven years of a rocket relied upon by the global space industry.
Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai says during a news conference Friday that he will step down on July 19 to take responsibility for a string of scandals involving MSDF members.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 14, 2024

Crisis grips Japanese government over Defense Ministry scandals

Some believe such scandals may influence the debate over tax hikes that were proposed to finance the five-year defense spending boost through fiscal 2027.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in Ottawa in April. Trudeau has faced accusations of not responding swiftly enough to foreign interference.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2024

Canada said to have mapped out secret Chinese police operations

Concern has grown over whether or not Beijing monitors and intimidates members of the Chinese diaspora living in Western democracies.
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
OLYMPICS
Jul 14, 2024

She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics

While news sites have suggested that being a volunteer is a way to attend the Games for “free,” that doesn’t apply to international volunteers like Mai Tarumi.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is rushed into a waiting vehicle after a shooting at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2024

An attempt to kill an ex-president, caught in real time, stuns America

In the era of social media, it was not introspection that followed the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, but rather rage, blame, even comedy.
The child care program under discussion is aimed at addressing the issue of isolation of parents raising young children and fostering their growth through interactions with other kids.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2024

Japan discussing details of day care for all infants

Under the program, set to launch by fiscal 2025, day care services will be available for all children aged 6 months to 2 years.
Secret Service agents surround former U.S. President Donald Trump after shots were fired during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 15, 2024

U.S. Secret Service faces intense scrutiny after attempt on Trump

Blame is already being trained on the agency's director, Kimberly Cheatle, with Republican lawmakers demanding answers from her even as the FBI investigates the shooting.
An Air Force CV-22 Osprey at U.S. military's Yokota base in Tokyo in May. U.S. forces in Japan plan to deploy the Navy's CMV-22 Osprey at Yamaguchi Prefecture's Iwakuni base.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2024

U.S. to deploy Navy Ospreys at Iwakuni base

The CMV-22 Ospreys will replace C-2 transport planes that are currently stationed at the base in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The production plant of GCL Technology in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China, on July 2
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2024

Xi Jinping’s great economic rewiring is cushioning China’s slowdown

Tech advances and a resulting export boom have helped to keep economic growth within reach of its targeted pace of around 5%.
ASML's headquarters and factory in Veldhoven, Netherlands
WORLD
Jul 16, 2024

ASML-backed university is caught in the middle of U.S.-China chip war

The Netherlands is facing increasing pressure from Washington to stem Beijing’s chip-making efforts.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump campaigns for president in Racine, Wisconsin, on June 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 17, 2024

Trump security was tightened on Iran plot intel; no link to shooting

There has been a broad pattern of threats against former Trump administration officials after the 2020 killing of the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Sanyo Shokai sells custom-ordered T-shirts from Spanish clothing brand Ecoalf using digital printing technology.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2024

Digital printing of clothes drawing attention in Japan

The process allows for small-quantity production and caters to customers' tastes more precisely.
Ukrainians walk past the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee to protest the organization's plan to have Russian athletes compete in Paris under a neutral flag.
OLYMPICS
Jul 18, 2024

Russian athletes headed to Paris break IOC’s rules, NGO says

A total of 33 out of 59 athletes were in violation of the IOC’s guidelines on participation, a report from The Hague-based Global Rights Compliance concluded.
Indian Ambassador Sibi George says one of his main tasks in his post is to boost Japanese public and private investments the South Asian powerhouse.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2024

India’s envoy in Japan calls for boosted supply chain and defense cooperation

The ambassador’s remarks come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to continue prioritizing ties with Japan.
More Japanese firms have gone bankrupt in the first half of this year due to soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related support.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2024

Triple whammy takes Japan bankruptcies to decade high

Soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related financial support are taking a heavy toll on smaller businesses.
Myanmar's military marks the 72nd Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar on March 27, 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 18, 2024

Thai government to meet banks over alleged transactions for Myanmar arms

Thailand's central bank may collaborate with international and local agencies to create a database on companies linked to Myanmar's junta.
Tools at an exploration site run by KoBold Metals in Chililabombwe, Zambia, on June 11. A complex AI-driven technology that data crunchers at KoBold Metals painstakingly built over years helped identify a copper bonanza deep below a site in Zambia, and the company’s process could radically transform the discovery of metal and mineral deposits critical not only to the tech industry but to the fight against climate change.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 18, 2024

AI joins search for needed metals just in time

KoBold’s find comes as the United States and China are increasingly clashing over global access to minerals.
The police reported two sexual crime cases to the U.S. military, but the prefectural government was not aware of the incidents.
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2024

U.S. forces-linked sex crimes in Kanagawa went unreported to prefectural government

The police reported both cases to the U.S. military, but the prefectural government was not aware of the incidents.
Musician Yuka Noda’s 1989 album “Karibu no Yume: Light Fusion Fantasy” has developed a cult following among jazz fusion fans, and the album is set to be reissued as a CD and record next week.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 19, 2024

Yuka Noda's sonic escape to a balmy yesteryear

The reissue of Noda's 1989 album “Karibu no Yume: Light Fusion Fantasy" underlines a growing interest in bubble-era nostalgia and Japan's jazz and fusion works.
Apple’s nature is as gentle as her coloring despite having survived some very horrid conditions.
COMMUNITY / ADOPT ME!
Jul 29, 2024

Shy but sweet, Apple is a treat looking for a home

Despite her wariness, Apple is prone to bouts of talkativeness with a meow that is just the cutest.

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