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A fight over Benefit One is the latest in a growing number of takeover deals in Japan, spurred in part by the Tokyo Stock Exchange pushing for improved corporate governance.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 8, 2024

Dai-ichi Life gets Pasona's nod on Benefit One acquisition

The agreement with Pasona Group, which owns 51.16% of Benefit One, is crucial for Dai-ichi to win the battle against digital health care provider M3.
Seoul may be a cosmetic surgery mecca, but Tokyo has its fair share of high-quality clinics as well.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Feb 12, 2024

A wrinkles-and-all guide to cosmetic surgery in Japan

Japan is uniquely positioned between two opposing hot spots of the beauty industry: Seoul and Tokyo.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Ukrainian commander who defended Kyiv early in war takes top job

Oleksandr Syrskyi succeeds Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, who was replaced following speculation about a rift with the president.
An image from the Justice Department that was included in a report by Special Counsel Robert Hur shows a damaged box where classified documents were found in U.S. President Joe Biden's garage in Wilmington, Delaware, during a search by the FBI in December 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Biden will not face criminal charges over classified papers

Special Counsel Robert Hur described the president as a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking a broad ruling that would end the push around the country to kick him off state ballots.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Supreme Court casts doubt on efforts to bar Trump from ballot

The high court is handling the case on an expedited basis, meaning a ruling could come in weeks.
Officials count ballots at a polling station in Lahore, Pakistan, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Pakistan vote counts drags on after election marred by attacks and outages

No results for its national parliament seats have been announced even 12 hours after polls closed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an interview with U.S. television host Tucker Carlson in Moscow on Tuesday. This is the first time the Russian leader has given an interview to a Western media figure since he ordered the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Vladimir Putin takes hard line on Ukraine in Tucker Carlson interview

Russian president said he would consider negotiations if the U.S. stops supplying weapons to Kyiv.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2024

Japanese firms boosting pay for young workers is good news for Bank of Japan

If wage gain momentum carries over into this year, the BOJ is expected to end the world’s last negative interest rate regime by April.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (left), South Korea's then-Foreign Minister Park Jin (center) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrive for a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Busan, South Korea, in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Japan, China and South Korea still out of step over summit

Despite their foreign ministers agreeing to convene a meeting of top leaders promptly, no concrete scheduling has emerged.
A Banei Keiba horse race takes place at the Obihiro racecourse in Hokkaido on Dec. 9. The unpredictable stop-and-start drama of the world's slowest horse race has drawn new fans.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2024

'Suspense' of slowest horse race wins new fans in Japan

At the Banei Keiba races in Hokkaido, spectators cheer on workhorses moving at the pace of a brisk human walk.
A Uniqlo store in Shanghai, China. The clothing chain's operator Fast Retailing announced last year that it expected to open 80 stores in China and roughly 60 new stores each year in Southeast Asia, India and the Australian region.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2024

Fast Retailing’s peer-beating 48% jump may extend on global push

Uniqlo owner has become one of the top performers among 10 other clothing companies worldwide that have a market value exceeding $10 billion.
Kotaro on Sunday, found more than a month after going missing following a New Year's Day earthquake in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Feb 9, 2024

Missing cat reunited with owner over one month after Noto quake

"I thought I'd never see him again. I can't believe it," said Eriko Matsuda, the cat's owner.
German band Kraftwerk performs at a music festival in Wiesen in May 2009.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 9, 2024

German techno pioneers Kraftwerk set to headline Fuji Rock 2024

The popular festival's first line-up announcement also boasts girl in red, Ride and The Last Dinner Party.
An advertisement for the new Nippon Individual Savings Account in Tokyo in January
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2024

Revamp of tax-free investments in Japan spurs jump in accounts

The creation of the new savings accounts is one of a slew of measures to lure more buyers to the Japanese market.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 9, 2024

Football fans embrace 'Taylor Swift effect' before Super Bowl

Pop superstar Taylor Swift is no distraction to the upcoming Super Bowl — she's an enhancement, excited fans in Las Vegas said Wednesday.
The Japanese government forecast that number of digital workers in 2026 will fall short of projected needs by 2.3 million.
EDITORIALS
Feb 9, 2024

Japan struggles with digital transformation

Japan's general tendency toward risk aversion reduces the readiness to adopt new policies, procedures and technologies.
Volunteers for former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf watch election results on TV in Islamabad on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 10, 2024

Pakistan coalition talks loom after strong vote showing for jailed Khan

Pakistan faces days of political horse-trading after the final few election results released early Saturday showed no clear majority.
Seiji Ozawa shows his humorous side during a photo shoot with The Japan Times in 2017. The influential conductor died Feb. 6.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 10, 2024

The story behind my favorite photo of Seiji Ozawa

A lot of photography comes down to luck and reflexes. Once you get that magic shot, though, it can stay with you forever.
A firefighter extinguishes a burning car hit by an Israeli strike in Rafah on Saturday.
WORLD
Feb 11, 2024

Terrified Palestinians await an advance in the city where they fled

Israeli officials have declared that the next phase in their effort to destroy Hamas will be in Rafah.
Supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party hold a portrait of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Karachi, Pakistan, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2024

Imran Khan’s candidates defy odds to thrive in Pakistan election

The party's strong performance points to Khan’s enduring popularity among the nation’s 129 million registered voters.
Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party block the Peshawar to Islambad highway on Sunday in protest against the alleged skewing of election results in Pakistan's national election.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2024

Pakistan police threaten crackdown after Khan party calls protests

PTI leaders claim they would have won even more seats if not for vote rigging.
Taylor Swift attends Super Bowl LVIII between the Chiefs and 49ers in Las Vegas on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 12, 2024

Superstar Taylor Swift attends Super Bowl to cheer on Chiefs' Travis Kelce

The Super Bowl got an early jolt of excitement on Sunday when enormous TV screens around the stadium showed Swift arriving about two hours before kickoff.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland (right) and Everton's James Tarkowski vie for the ball during their match in Manchester on Saturday.
SOCCER
Feb 12, 2024

Manchester City gets stars back as club eyes more Champions League glory

Pep Guardiola's men head to FC Copenhagen for the first leg of their last 16 tie on Tuesday on the back of 10 consecutive wins in all competitions.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Danielle Collins during their match at the Abu Dhabi Open on Feb. 6.
TENNIS
Feb 12, 2024

Naomi Osaka remains optimistic despite string of losses after return

Osaka will face Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Qatar Open on Monday.
Indonesian Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto salutes supporters during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Feb. 2.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

How could Indonesia’s presidential vote affect foreign relations?

While all three candidates portend continuity with their predecessor, only the front-runner vows more visible leadership in the region.
Jordan's King Abdullah II looks on as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks following a meeting in Washington on Monday. Biden said he's pushing for a six-week pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow for the release of hostages, saying those conditions could lay the groundwork for a broader peace.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2024

Biden pushes for six-week pause in Israel-Hamas hostage deal

Biden’s comments were his most detailed yet about the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which the U.S. is helping to facilitate.
Zashikibina, an exhibit by a group organizing hina doll displays in Fukuoka Prefecture, depicts the era of "The Tale of Genji," in the Gyosho room at Hyakudan Kaidan in Tokyo.
CULTURE
Feb 18, 2024

Hina doll exhibition in Tokyo highlights Girls' Day tradition

The event is being held for the first time in four years, after it was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kubota Spears players watch the Chiefs perform the haka during a Cross Border Rugby game on Saturday at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Feb 13, 2024

Cross Border Rugby sets stage for exciting possibilities

Many of those involved saw the nascent venture as an important stepping stone towards greater international collaboration.
Domino's Pizza Japan has apologized for a video of its employee pretending to pick his nose and wipe it on pizza dough.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 13, 2024

Domino's apologizes over online video of employee's pizza antics

The pizza delivery giant's move came after a video surfaced online Monday of an employee pretending to pick his nose and wipe it on pizza dough.
Japan is eyeing a system that would make it easier for rental housing owners to lease their properties to elderly people.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 13, 2024

Certification system eyed for rental housing with elderly watch services

For certified rental housing, watch services would be provided mainly by local social welfare corporations and nonprofit organizations.

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