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As China slips into deflation, one word is popping up more and more to describe the gloomy atmospherics: "Japanification."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

'Japanification' for China? It should be so lucky.

China is not on the path to global dominance nor set for collapse, and observers should consider the various shades of gray in analyzing these countries.
A sign reading "suspend the sale of all fish products imported from Japan" in an area of Japanese restaurants in Beijing
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2023

China’s actions on Japan and religion are cut from the same cloth

Beijing’s stoking of anti-Japanese sentiment based on unscientific accusations mirrors its suppression of religious freedom in Xinjiang.
A Toyota factory in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, in 2015. A computer system processing orders for vehicle parts for the company broke down Tuesday, forcing the closure of 14 assembly plants in Japan.
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Aug 30, 2023

What happened to shut down Toyota's production in Japan?

Disruption shut down a system at the core of Toyota's lean manufacturing process.
The trend of people getting married later could be causing a vicious cycle of fewer children begetting fewer children, says Takuya Hoshino, senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2023

Third of Japan's 18-year-old women may never have children: study

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has promised to tackle the country's population crisis with "unprecedented" measures.
People celebrate in support of a military coup, in a street in Port-Gentil, Gabon, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 30, 2023

President Ali Bongo detained as military coup declared in Gabon

Officers declared on television that election results had been canceled, borders were closed and state institutions were dissolved.
North Korean leader Kim Jong visits a command training center of the Korean People's Army General Staff at an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

North Korea holds 'nuclear strike drill' targeting South

The drills were intended to "send a message" to the North's enemies, as large-scale military exercises between Washington and Seoul were set to conclude.
A Ukrainian serviceman walks near a destroyed Ukrainian tank, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD
Aug 31, 2023

Ukraine says gains on southern front pave way to Crimea

Progress has been costly and staggered, but Ukrainian forces announced they had pushed through key Russian defensive lines this week.
Esquel Enterprises Chairman Marjorie Yang has been named to the board of food delivery company Meituan, the most recent high-profile firm to name its first ever female director.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023

More mainland China holdouts add women to their all-male boards

Major Chinese firms are appointing female directors, or setting targets for diversity, ahead of a deadline set by the Hong Kong stock exchange
Manufacturing machinery and electronic components were among the biggest drags on Japan's industrial output in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 31, 2023

Japan output drops in July as global slowdown reverberates

Factory output declined 2% from June, the industry ministry said Thursday.
Protesters applaud during a demonstration called by feminist associations in support of Spain's midfielder Jenni Hermoso in Madrid on Monday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 31, 2023

Spain must break 'pact of silence' over sexism, equality minister says

The minister said she hoped the backlash created by Spanish Football Association chief Luis Rubiales' kiss will serve as a point of inflection.
Suntory Beverage & Food's chief executive Makiko Ono sees Australia as a model for integrating canned alcoholic drinks into offerings in other global markets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023

Suntory Beverage sees Australia as model for can cocktail growth

The company is considering building a factory in Australia's northeastern city of Brisbane to produce canned drinks.
Bank of Japan board member Toyoaki Nakamura says it is uncertain whether smaller companies can earn enough profits to keep hiking wages next year and beyond.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 31, 2023

BOJ policymaker warns against premature monetary tightening

Tightening monetary policy before rising prices are accompanied by higher wages would hurt domestic demand and corporate profits, Toyoaki Nakamura said.
Taliban security personnel in Kabul on Aug. 15. So far, U.S. President Joe Biden has not decided to restore any U.S. support to Afghanistan, despite the country's worsening humanitarian crisis.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Two years after exit, Biden resists calls for more Taliban contact

Some analysts and U.S. officials had clung to the hope that the Taliban had moderated since they last controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s.
Demonstrators in Warsaw protest against Vladimir Putin and the war on Aug. 24, Ukraine’s official Independence Day.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2023

It would be wise to not personally humiliate Putin

Defeating autocrats like Vladimir Putin in an aggressive war requires progress on the battlefield, and rhetoric alone is unlikely to achieve the goal.
Singaporean presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian gives speech on Aug. 22 in the lead-up to Friday's election.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2023

Singaporeans should vote in their imperfect elections

While the selection process for presidential candidates and the behavior of some of them may not be perfect, Singaporeans should vote on Friday.
National Forest and Wild Fauna Service personnel check on a sea lion, amidst rising cases bird flu infections in Peru in February 2023.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 31, 2023

After racing across continents, bird flu threatens Antarctica

Unlike earlier versions of bird flu, H5N1 has also spread widely in wild birds and routinely spilled over into wild mammals.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Japan announces new fishing industry aid after China ban

The new aid follows a ¥30 billion fund aimed at countering reputational damage. Another ¥50 billion had been earmarked to support the fishing industry.
Rough guidelines on gifting cash at a Japanese wedding recommended between ¥10,000 and ¥50,000, depending on your own financial standing and your relationship to the married couple.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 2, 2023

The unwritten rules around cash at Asian weddings

Should a gift reflect the cost of your banquet meal? How do you put a numerical value on a friendship?
Gigi Chao, vice chair of Cheuk Nang Holdings, in Hong Kong on July 19
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023

More LGBTQ rights could help Asian financial hubs draw global talent

In Japan, the only Group of Seven nation without legal protection for same-sex unions, corporations are seen as a key driver for change.
Bogdan Marynenko, 19-year-old construction worker, at Lazienki Park in Warsaw, Poland, on Aug. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 1, 2023

'Don't belong there': the Ukrainians dodging the frontlines

Since the beginning of the war, authorities have detained 13,600 people trying to cross the border outside of checkpoints, a border guard spokesman said.
Investors in Japan have filed a lawsuit against Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group’s joint venture brokerage with Morgan Stanley, seeking to recover losses from Credit Suisse's riskiest debt.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 1, 2023

MUFG joint-venture brokerage sued over Credit Suisse AT1 sales

Investors are demanding ¥5.2 billion ($36 million) in compensation from Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after defeating Lloyd Harris during their match at the U.S. Open in New York on Thursday.
TENNIS
Sep 1, 2023

No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz cruises into third round at U.S. Open

Alcaraz moved one step closer to setting up a rematch of his epic showdown against Jannik Sinner in last year's U.S. Open quarterfinals.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2023

Tohoku University named as first recipient in state subsidy program

The education ministry says that a number of universities will be chosen for the program.
Of the five nations in Southern Africa where elephants live, a survey has found that Botswana has the largest elephant population with 131,909.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 1, 2023

More elephants in Southern Africa than previously thought: survey

The aerial survey done using seven fixed-wing aircraft covered Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 1, 2023

Fisheries minister under fire for ‘contaminated water’ gaffe

“Contaminated water” is the expression used by China, and Japan has been extremely critical of Beijing's labeling.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 1, 2023

Extended gasoline subsidy risks harming Japan's net-zero efforts

The politically tricky decision on ending the program could hamper the shift to EVs and efforts to reach climate change goals.
From June to August, Japan's weather agency recorded "considerably higher" average summer temperatures in "northern, eastern, and western Japan."
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2023

Record shattered as Japan sees hottest summer ever

From June to August, the weather agency recorded "considerably higher" average summer temperatures in "northern, eastern, and western Japan."
Chinese tech giant Baidu's ERNIE Bot is seen on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 2, 2023

'Talk about something else': Chinese AI chatbot toes party line

Chinese tech giant Baidu's ERNIE Bot is highly censored, offering state-approved answers to taboo questions.
Ukrainian soldiers with the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade after firing a DANA, a wheeled 152 mm self-propelled artillery gun, at a Russian target in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, on Aug. 26.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2023

As Ukraine fight grinds on, talk of negotiations becomes taboo

Discussion of a Plan B, should Ukraine fail to win a total victory, has become more fraught than ever, say those who have tried.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is seen on a screen during a video address for the Global Trade in Services Summit, at the media center for the China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 2, 2023

The U.S., allies see opportunity and risk in slowing China economy

The U.S. and other G7 nations increasingly see evidence of deep-seated structural problems that ultimately will strengthen the West’s hand.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight