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A toy gun is assembled at an Aequs toy manufacturing facility in the city of Belgaum in India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024

Infrastructure hurdles hinder toy manufacturers' shift from China

That other countries struggle to match China for efficiency is limiting firms' efforts to shift to lower cost bases and raising the risk of higher toy prices in the future.
The "wolf warrior" metaphor is used for Chinese diplomats who are known for aggressively making their country’s case on the world stage.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 16, 2024

Doves, pandas and dragons: Decoding the global political zoo

Animal metaphors help us reflect on the rich and varied landscape of foreign policy discourse.
Volkswagen is casting its net wider in pursuit of a potentially game-changing technology: a "solid-state" electric car battery
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024

Volkswagen and rivals plug away at solid-state battery puzzle

An array of technical hurdles are holding back wider development of solid-state technology, seen by its backers as the "holy grail" of EV batteries.
Naomi Osaka waves to the Australian Open crowd after losing her first round match on Monday in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 17, 2024

Osaka vows not to mope after 'bittersweet' Australian Open exit

"I remember last year I wished I had an opportunity to play again on Rod Laver Arena and this year that happened, so one of my dreams already came true," she said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2024

Musk's warning about Tesla stake raises governance questions

CEOs and directors are prohibited from taking any business opportunity for themselves that belongs to the firm.
Li Qiang at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 17, 2024

In Davos, Chinese premier takes aim at trade 'barriers'

Li's remarks came as the World Economic Forum's 54th annual conference is preoccupied with a slew of global risks, including wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Houthi supporters rally to denounce air strikes launched by the U.S. and Britain, in Sanaa, Yemen on Jan. 12.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 17, 2024

U.S. strikes Houthi missiles as Greek vessel hit in Red Sea

Attacks by the Iran-allied militia on ships in the region since November have affected companies and alarmed major powers.
Ryotaro Nakashima, the eighth-generation owner and tōji master brewer of Nakashima Shuzoten in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, speaks on Friday about how his brewery was devastated by the New Year's Day earthquake.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 17, 2024

Future unclear for 150-year-old sake brewery after Noto earthquake

After key facilities were badly damaged in the quake, eighth-generation owner and tōji master brewer Ryotaro Nakashima is struggling to see a way ahead.
Collapsed houses in Misaki in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 11 following an earthquake and tsunami on New Year's Day
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2024

Evacuation drills paid off in tsunami-hit Noto area in Japan

As soon as the temblor struck, residents prepared themselves for a tsunami wave. "It wasn't a miracle. The drills paid off," one resident said.
Residents receive water in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2024

Japan struggling to make water pipes quake-proof

In Ishikawa Prefecture, where a massive quake struck on New Year's Day, over 50,000 homes are still without water.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2024

Daihatsu may lose production rights for three models in safety scandal

An inspection by the transport ministry found that air bags had been set to inflate automatically in tests rather than when a crash was detected.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 17, 2024

Nikkei retraces after setting new 34-year high above 36,200

A weaker yen buoyed the outlook for corporate profits, overshadowing the impact from overnight Wall Street declines and disappointing Chinese economic data.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2024

Dissolving factions becomes focus of LDP funding scandal task force

The discussions have led to divisions between lawmakers, and at the moment the outcome of the debate remains hard to predict.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2024

Japan’s economy gets boost from 25 million visitors in 2023

A weak yen has helped boost tourists’ spending power, making Japan a much more affordable and attractive destination.
A Chinese warship takes part in a military drill across from the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands in April 2023.  The Taiwanese defense ministry reported the presence of 24 Chinese air force planes carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" with Chinese warships near the island  on Wednesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Taiwan reports first major Chinese military activity after polls

Warplanes and warships carried out "joint combat readiness patrols" near the island on Wednesday, the Taiwanese defense ministry said.
The University of Toronto campus. International students are a cash cow for Canadian universities and a slowdown will be a blow to the institutions.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Canadian study permits for Indian students drop due to dispute

Fewer Indian students applied due to a diplomatic dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.
Noriyuki Sato, head of asset management at Mizuho Financial Group, says the bank plans to ramp up its expansion into private markets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 18, 2024

Mizuho considers U.S. deal to supercharge private markets growth

The lender’s $460 billion money-management arm is considering buying a stake in a U.S. or European firm specializing in alternative investments.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will require all companies listed on its prime section to publish key information simultaneously in English and Japanese.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 18, 2024

Tokyo bourse to make simultaneous English disclosure mandatory for top firms

A reform panel has cited foreign investors as saying that a lack of English disclosure is one of the reasons for staying away from Japan's stock market.
A large billboard depicting an Iranian missile with a phrase in Persian that reads "prepare your coffins" on the side of a building in Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

Iran says missile strikes show it will be ‘tough and decisive’

Supporters of Iran’s authoritarian clerical regime have been incensed by recent attacks on Iran that made it appear vulnerable, demanding a powerful response.
Patrick Mahomes will try to win a playoff game on the road for the first time in his career when the Chiefs meet the Bills in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 18, 2024

Patrick Mahomes braces for raucous environment in first road playoff game

Mahomes has played 12 playoff games at home during his career, but has never had to board a plane prior to the Super Bowl.
Japan's core machinery orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as a leading indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, fell more than expected in November.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 18, 2024

Japan's core machinery orders fell more than forecast in November

Capital spending is one of the key drivers for Japan's economy and a major indicator of business confidence.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel speaks during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

U.S. envoy to Japan vows to continue calling out Chinese ‘hypocrisy’

Emanuel also gave a speech on what he described as Japan’s “groundbreaking accomplishments” in fields such as defense, economic growth and diplomacy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 18, 2024

Taiwan's TSMC to launch Kumamoto chipmaking plant in February

TSMC — whose clients include Apple and Nvidia — controls more than half the world's output of silicon wafers, used in everything from smartphones to cars to missiles.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 18, 2024

Anticipation soars as Japan’s SLIM readies for moon landing

The mission puts the agency's pinpoint landing technology to the test and could accelerate international space exploration.
A member of the Ground Self-Defense Force stands on the flight deck on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's amphibious transport ship JS Osumi in waters close to Okinawa in November 2023.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2024

Japan inks deal to buy 400 long-range missiles from U.S.

Faced with growing Chinese military clout and a nuclear-armed North Korea, the Japanese government plans to double its defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027.
Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones dives for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in a 2024 NFC wild card game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 14.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 19, 2024

The rise of the NFL’s 2-point conversion

The NFL playoffs have already delivered high-stakes moments around a simple decision: After a touchdown, should your team kick for 1 point, or go for 2?
In August 2019, Toru Takamatsu became the youngest master sommelier in history at just 24 years old.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 21, 2024

Japan’s first master sommelier dreams of Hokkaido wine glory

Why would a master sommelier go from Michelin-starred restaurants to the hands-on life of an apprentice winemaker in Hokkaido?
Sudki Mansour is the 40-year-old owner of Bisan, one of Tokyo’s only Palestinian-style restaurants.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 22, 2024

From restaurant roots, expat dreams up a Palestine in Yamanashi

Sudki Mansour is the owner of Bisan, one of Tokyo’s only Palestinian-style restaurants, and a Palestinian-influenced campsite in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Skilled workers walk to a building for a skill test at a Haryana state government recruitment drive to send workers to Israel, at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, India, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 19, 2024

Undeterred by conflict, Indian workers seek jobs in Israel

Masons, painters, electricians, plumbers and farmers say they could make five times more money in a year than they would at home.
Children make handicrafts on Jan. 15 at a local community center on the island of Notojima, part of the city of Nanao in Ishikawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2024

Mental care needed for quake-affected children in central Japan

"When I'm at home, I end up playing games alone all the time."

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years