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JAPAN
Jan 26, 2024

Number of foreign workers in Japan surpasses 2 million for first time

Tokyo has the largest population of foreign workers, followed by Aichi and Osaka prefectures.
Sensoji Temple, a popular tourist location, in Tokyo on Jan. 18
JAPAN / Society
Jan 26, 2024

Japan aims to direct Asian tourists to places less traveled

The tourism body is attempting to direct visitors to places outside Tokyo in order to prevent over-tourism, specifically by appealing to “light repeaters.”
This year was set to be a tumultuous one for global markets, with unpredictable swings as economic fortunes diverge and voters in more than 50 countries go to the polls. But there’s one unforeseen reversal already underway: a change in perception among investors about China and Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 26, 2024

As China’s markets stumble, Japan soars toward record highs

China has not struggled for economic growth like Japan, but a protracted property market collapse has shredded consumer and investor confidence.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2024

LDP faction shake-up damages prospects of Kishida rivals

Numerous LDP lawmakers have announced they will leave their factions, weakening faction leaders who had been seen as possible Kishida successors.
Uber Japan has started discussions with partner taxi companies aiming to introduce ride-sharing services.
BUSINESS
Jan 26, 2024

Uber Japan to launch limited ride-sharing services in April

Uber Japan's new services will only be available in areas and during times of the day deemed to face a shortage of taxis.
An arm of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence is tapping companies and colleges to help harness rapidly developing AI technology that could provide an edge against global competitors like China. The challenge is ensuring it doesn’t open a backdoor into the nation’s top secrets or generate fake data.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 27, 2024

U.S. spies want AI as tool against China if tech can be trusted

The challenge is ensuring the rapidly developing tech doesn’t open a backdoor into the nation’s top secrets or generate fake data.
The U.S. government on Friday approved the sale of F-16 warplanes to Turkey, after Ankara ratified Sweden's NATO membership.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 27, 2024

Washington approves $23 billion sale of F-16 warplanes to Turkey

Ankara will get 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of the jets in its existing fleet, the U.S. State Department said in a news release.
A man watches a news broadcast showing a fighter jet during joint military operations near Taiwan by the Chinese People's Liberation Army, at a shopping center in Beijing in August 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 27, 2024

Taiwan detects most Chinese military aircraft around island since election

China sent 33 military aircraft around Taiwan over a 24-hour period, Taipei said, the most since its Jan. 13 presidential poll.
At Crypto HK, a popular crypto store in Hong Kong, customers can buy cryptocurrencies with a minimum 500 Hong Kong dollars ($64) and are not required to provide any identity documents.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 28, 2024

Bruised by stock market, China rushes into banned bitcoin

More and more Chinese investors are using creative ways to own crypto assets they believe are safer than investing in stock and property markets at home.
Workers assemble electric vehicles at the Lucid Motors plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, in September 2021.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 28, 2024

Riyadh's multi-billion EV dream risks crashing into reality

Riyadh has spent billions to try to turn itself into a hub for electric vehicles and overcome obstacles including a lack of infrastructure and talent.
Aissam Dam, 11, the first person to receive gene therapy in the U.S. for congenital deafness, signs to an interpreter during an interview at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Jan. 16.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 28, 2024

'Game changer': Gene therapy offers hope for children born deaf

The treatment focuses on a rare genetic mutation that affects only a small number of the 26 million people with congenital deafness globally.
Environment groups gather to oppose a key LNG terminal that threatened a delicate algal reef, in Taipei in December 2021. If Taipower can’t make sufficient progress on clean-energy generation, the island could potentially lose some of its allure as a destination for chip manufacturing.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 28, 2024

Taiwan’s troubled utility poses risk to chipmakers’ green goals

Political pressures have prevented the state-owned Taipower from passing on costs to customers, while bets on offshore wind have been marred by obstacles.
Aryna Sabalenka with the winner's trophy on Sunday, a day after she defended her Australian Open title.
TENNIS
Jan 28, 2024

Sabalenka hails team for adding madness to her method after Melbourne triumph

The Belarusian became the first woman since her compatriot Victoria Azarenka in 2013 to retain the Australian Open title.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shakes hands with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during a joint news conference in Moscow in December.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 28, 2024

India pivots away from Russian arms, but will retain strong ties

Russia supplied 65% of India's weapons purchases during the last two decades but the Ukraine war hastened New Delhi's impetus to diversify.
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released Nov. 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 28, 2024

U.S.-China talks fall short in nudging Beijing toward Red Sea breakthrough

Top officials wrapped up two days of meetings on managing the rivals' relationship, but saw little progress on addressing the crisis in the waterway.
International rules governing the ethical conduct of war prohibit the direct targeting of civilians but permit striking military targets, even when it is known that the strikes will kill some civilians.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2024

The killing of innocents in the Israel-Gaza conflict

Unmasking the true horrors in Hamas' raid into Southern Israel and the Israeli response in Gaza.
An Israeli tank near the Israel-Gaza border on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Jan 28, 2024

Negotiators close to hostage deal halting Gaza fighting for weeks

Negotiators have a draft agreement that merges Israel and Hamas proposals into a basic framework for talks in Paris on Sunday.
The drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan presents U.S. President Joe Biden with a decision that will be one of the most consequential of his presidency.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 29, 2024

Biden faces pressure to confront Iran after U.S. troops killed

One possibility is covert action that would see the U.S. strike Iran without claiming credit for it but sending a clear message regardless.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 29, 2024

Japan likely experiencing 10th wave of COVID-19

The spread is being driven by the highly contagious new JN.1 variant.
Evergrande, the world's most indebted developer with more than $300 billion of total liabilities, sent a struggling property sector into a tailspin when it defaulted on its debt in 2021.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 29, 2024

Embattled China Evergrande ordered to liquidate by Hong Kong court

A liquidation ruling of the developer which has $240 billion of assets will likely jolt already fragile Chinese capital and property markets.
Ireland's Johnny Sexton retired after the team's loss against New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup in Oct. 2023.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Jan 29, 2024

Former Irish player Hugo MacNeill says it will be tough to replace Johnny Sexton

The Irish have big shoes to fill as they attempt to defend the Six Nations title.
Toyota's Land Cruiser 300 SUV is among models subject to a halt in shipments after irregularities were found during certification tests for diesel engines.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 29, 2024

Toyota halts shipment of some vehicles over certification issues

A special investigative committee found irregularities during horsepower output testing for the certification of three diesel engine models.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Jan. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 29, 2024

Threats from Trump and China stoke a very European leadership fight

As a new term as European Commission president hangs in the balance, Ursula von der Leyen's future is intertwined with wider dilemmas.
Masanao Saito harvests his mikan tangerines with his grandson, Akihito Oyama, at his farm in Yamamoto, Miyagi Prefecture, on Dec. 8. Behind them are apple trees full of fruit.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Feb 5, 2024

How fruit farmers in Tohoku are coping with climate change

Last year, extreme heat dubbed the "boiling Earth" phenomenon hit the region’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries hard.
Singer Taylor Swift walks off the field after the AFC title game in Baltimore, Maryland, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 29, 2024

Taylor Swift may race back to U.S. from Tokyo to watch Travis Kelce in Super Bowl

Taylor Swift has an Eras Tour performance in Tokyo the night before the Super Bowl.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, in May 2023
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2024

Can Japan again master semiconductors to relive its glory days?

Competition in the sector is fierce, with many countries pushing to develop their own capabilities and insulate supply chains from geopolitical tensions.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has increasingly focused on hacking from China, Russia and elsewhere.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2024

U.S. disabled Chinese hackers targeting infrastructure: sources

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has increasingly focused on hacking from China, Russia and elsewhere.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest shareholders in all five of Japan's biggest trading companies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2024

Buffett reversal risk pushes Japan firms to diversify investors

Berkshire is one of the largest shareholders in all five of Japan’s biggest trading companies.
F1 veteran Alan Permane has taken the role of racing director for the Visa Cash App RB team with immediate effect.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jan 30, 2024

Goss and Permane join Red Bull's renamed RB team

Goss will join in October as chief technical officer while F1 veteran Permane takes the role of racing director with immediate effect.
A Palestinian girl sits on bags of flour distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 30, 2024

In dossier, Israel accuses 190 U.N. staff of being 'hardened killers'

Over 10 countries, including major donors the United States and Germany, have halted their funding to the agency, which employs 13,000 people in Gaza.

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