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Economic security has evolved to include offensive measures, such as industrial policy. Countries like Japan are increasingly on-shoring strategic industries such as semiconductors, regardless of the cost.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 7, 2024

The shift from economic security to geoeconomics

Economic security started out as a defensive concept, but it has now been weaponized to include an offensive element, morphing into a geoeconomic tool.
Andy Summers’  exhibition “A Series of Glances,” currently on view in Tokyo and Kyoto simultaneously, features photographs taken in a wide range of locations around the world, including “Centaur,” which was snapped in Montserrat in July 1981.
CULTURE / Art
May 9, 2024

Andy Summers captures life on and off stage in moody monochrome

The guitarist for The Police, who cites Akira Kurosawa as an important influence, puts his passion for photography on display in Japan.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference after a two-day monetary policy meeting at the BOJ headquarters in Tokyo on April 26.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2024

Many BOJ board members saw need for steady rate hikes in April, records show

Some saw the chance of a faster-than-expected pace of interest rate hikes on prospects of inflation durably staying or exceeding the bank's 2% target.
China is likely around two years behind the United States in developing its own AI software.
WORLD / Politics
May 9, 2024

U.S. eyes curbs on China's access to AI software behind apps like ChatGPT

Preliminary plans the Biden administration has include placing guardrails around the most advanced AI Models, the core software of AI systems like ChatGPT.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol held a news conference on Thursday, his first in about two years as he tried to set a new course for his conservative government after suffering a stinging defeat in parliamentary elections last month.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 9, 2024

South Korea’s Yoon tries to reset agenda with rare news conference

The leader used the event to lay out his priorities for his remaining three years in office.
The Mogami-class frigate, which features stealth capabilities and is operated by Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force, falls within the very broad guidelines of what is being sought by Canberra.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 9, 2024

Will Australia’s next frigates come from Japan?

While the competition is stiff, analysts say Japan's Mogami-class warships — or co-developed Australian variants — stand a fair chance in any bidding war.
The growing divide between U.S.-led and China-aligned blocs is taking a toll on the global economy as trade and investment flows are redirected along geopolitical lines in ways not seen since the Cold War.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024

Cold War-type divide puts trade and investment at risk, top IMF official warns

After years of shocks, countries are reevaluating their trading partners, an IMF official has said.
Rice is responsible for about 10% of global methane emissions, due to the way it’s grown.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
May 9, 2024

Rice has a methane problem that a startup is promising to fix

Rice is responsible for about 10% of global methane emissions, due to the way it’s grown.
Former Shizuoka Vice Gov. Shinichi Omura announces he is running for the gubernatorial election, on April 12.
JAPAN / Politics
May 9, 2024

Campaigning for Shizuoka's next governor kicks off with all eyes on maglev line

A record six candidates are running for the post after the previous governor resigned over controversial remarks.
Cars are pictured with Mount Fuji from a secondhand car dealer in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN
May 9, 2024

Barrier to block view of Mount Fuji delayed

Fujikawaguchiko town is building the screen to deter people from taking pictures of the landmark.
An education ministry survey has shown that the English proficiency of public junior and senior high school students in Japan is continuing to improve.
JAPAN
May 9, 2024

Japanese students' English proficiency is improving

The levels of English skills greatly varied depending on the region, according to the education ministry.
SoftBank is in talks with South Korea's Naver over control of LY, which operates the popular messaging app Line, the telecommunications firm's CEO has said.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2024

SoftBank in talks with Naver over control of Line operator LY

LY is majority owned by a joint venture between SoftBank and Naver.
A Palestinian man leaves a house hit by an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
WORLD / Society
May 10, 2024

Gaza's sick and injured search for help amid Rafah assault

Fighting has directly shut some of the main medical facilities that had served people sheltering in Rafah.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo helicopter carrier is docked in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN
May 10, 2024

Japan says viral video of MSDF ship likely real, not fabricated

The Defense Ministry said it has determined that the footage was not AI-generated because details matched that of the actual Izumo helicopter carrier.
McLaren's Landon Norris celebrates with his team after winning the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
May 10, 2024

Lando Norris confident McLaren can compete for Formula One title in 2025

Norris topped the podium at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday to earn the first win of his career.
People in a shopping district in Tokyo in March
BUSINESS / Economy
May 10, 2024

Japan’s households cut outlays as inflation remains sticky

Real outlays decreased 1.2% in March from a year before, falling for the 13th consecutive month.
Rafael Nadal celebrates after his win over Zizou Bergs at the Italian Open in Rome on Thursday.
TENNIS
May 10, 2024

Rafael Nadal hopes to shed 'fear' before French Open

Nadal bounced back from a set down to beat qualifier Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
People walk near the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on April 26.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 10, 2024

BOJ must avoid raising rates to combat weak yen, says ex-official

Higher borrowing costs would hit consumption and services inflation, said Tsutomu Watanabe, an expert on price trends.
Genkai Mayor Shintaro Wakiyama speaks during a news conference on Friday in the town of Genkai in Saga Prefecture.
JAPAN
May 10, 2024

Genkai Mayor decides to accept nuclear waste site survey

The mayor announced the decision at a news conference after a closed-door meeting of the town's assembly.
Former Manchester United star David Beckham arrives at the world premier of a documentary about the team in Manchester, England, on Thursday.
SOCCER
May 10, 2024

David Beckham urges Manchester United players to show more spirit

David Beckham has urged Manchester United's players to prove they are motivated to play for the troubled club.
A customer uses a mobile phone at a contactless payment terminal in a pub in London. As with so many other industries, technology has been a primary driver of the change.
WORLD / Society
May 10, 2024

American-style tipping is testing British pub culture

Restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars, account for more than 90% of tipping across the country.
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024

Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage

Japan Post and Seino Transportation have reached a basic agreement to work together on joint long-haul truck operations.
Onosato (right) defeats Abi during their bout at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka in March.
SUMO
May 10, 2024

Onosato in position to use Summer Basho as springboard to stardom

The race for glory in the upcoming meet appears destined to be led by two men who have yet to win the Emperor’s Cup.
A view of Matazo Kayama’s folding screen paintings reproduced on ceramic panels by Otsuka Ohmi Ceramics, displayed at Simose Art Museum.
CULTURE / Art
May 11, 2024

Art and architecture come together at Simose Art Museum

Tradition and innovation converge at Shimose Art Museum. For it first anniversary, the venue is spotlighting trailblazer nihonga artist Matazo Kayama.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 11, 2024

Israel may have violated international law, U.S. report says

The Biden administration said Israel may have violated international law, but it won’t stop the flow of weapons and bombs to a key ally.
Firefighters work at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, in Kharkiv on Friday.
WORLD
May 11, 2024

Russian forces attack Ukraine's Kharkiv region, striking on new front

Moscow's latest attack in the northeast opens up a new front in a war that has long been waged in the east and south.
The transport ministry will begin talks this summer with expressway operators on details of a system aimed at controlling traffic volumes by flexibly setting highway tolls nationwide, depending on sections and the time of day.
JAPAN
May 11, 2024

Japan to introduce variable expressway tolls nationwide

The government is considering including the plan in its basic economic and fiscal management guidelines to be compiled in June, sources said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow on April 11.
WORLD
May 11, 2024

Satellite images reveal where Russian nukes could be stored in Belarus

A New York Times analysis shows security upgrades unique to Russian nuclear storage facilities at a Cold War-era munitions depot.
Princess Aiko visits an exhibition featuring Japanese literature from the Heian period held at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
May 12, 2024

Princess Aiko visits Heian literature exhibition

It was the first time for the 22-year-old princess, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, to perform official duties alone.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visits a child care support facility in Hiezu, Tottori Prefecture, in July.
JAPAN / Society
May 12, 2024

Government plans nationwide database to enhance child care support

Child care support measures and ways to apply for them differ according to each municipality.

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