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Workers picket outside the Boeing Co. manufacturing facility during a strike in Renton, Washington, on Oct. 3.
COMMENTARY
Oct 20, 2024

Time for unions to join the 21st-century economy

Automation stands to make U.S. ports and transportation of goods cheaper and more efficient. And it is easy to see why unions oppose it.
A battery charge technology display at the Engie pavilion at the Paris Motor Show on Tuesday. Japan's EV market share remains significantly lower than in other countries, with only 2.2% of cars sold being battery EVs, compared to 18% in France and 25% in China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 18, 2024

Japan hopes electric cars are just a bad dream

Automakers face many setbacks in electrification, but Japan uniquely argues that the shift is not only logistically challenging but fundamentally misconceived.
“The Secret Lives of Numbers” co-author Kate Kitagawa discovered the power of storytelling as a research assistant for a professor in Japanese history. Since then, Kitagawa has been dedicated to using storytelling to show that humans are able to unlock the greater secrets of the universe through collaboration, not competition.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 21, 2024

'The Secret Lives of Numbers' reveals the unsung figures of mathematics

The book’s core message of creative collaboration leading to great discoveries is the brainchild of co-author Kate Kitagawa, a leading expert on the history of math.
Gantry cranes at the Yantian International Container Terminals in Shenzhen, China, on April 15
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2024

World economy fault lines shift from prices to politics and debt

The U.S. presidential election, soaring government debt and the escalating conflict in the Middle East all hang over the global economic outlook.
Ilia Malinin performs his free skate program during Skate America in Allen, Texas, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 21, 2024

Ilia Malinin captures third straight Skate America crown

Malinin became the first three-time Skate America champion since Nathan Chen won four straight from 2017 through 2020.
An electric stock board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, operated by Japan Exchange Group, in Tokyo on April 19
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 21, 2024

Asian IPOs set for blockbuster week as ‘animal spirits’ return

Asian markets are seeing a return of "animal spirits," or changes in market behavior often driven by emotions.
A collage made of undated handout pictures released by the Yamagata University Institute of Nasca shows 10 of 303 new geoglyphs discovered by scientists at the university in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Oct 21, 2024

The Japanese researcher uncovering the mystery of Peru’s Nazca Lines

Masato Sakai has dedicated his career to the collection of desert etchings. AI is starting to make his work much easier.
Less than a week after China conducted a new round of war games around the island, warships from the U.S. and Canada sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait together on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 21, 2024

U.S. and Canadian navies sail through Taiwan Strait week after war games

The transit demonstrated the United States' and Canada's commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all countries, the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said.
An airplane specially painted with the theme of Tokyo DisneySea's Fantasy Springs area
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 21, 2024

JAL unveils plane themed on Tokyo DisneySea's new area

The plane, which features characters from the Disney movies "Frozen," "Tangled" and "Peter Pan," will mainly fly on domestic routes until November next year.
The Zeekr Mix at the Beijing Auto Show
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 21, 2024

Mixing hotpot with horsepower. Have Chinese car gimmicks gone too far?

A recent Zeekr campaign underscores the lengths Chinese EV makers will go to to stand out in an ultracompetitive market.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Fall meetings signage outside the IMF headquarters in Washington on Sunday
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2024

As poor nations' default wave peaks, a cash shortage could replace it

The issue, and what to do about it when Western countries are increasingly loath to send money overseas, is a key topic at the IMF World Bank autumn meetings this week.
Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii shakes hands with a voter in his district in Saitama Prefecture on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 21, 2024

Komeito's new leader faces trial by fire in general election

Once local allies, Komeito and Nippon Ishin no Kai are going head-to-head for the first time ever, adding to the challenge facing Keiichi Ishii.
The emotional impact of constant news about wars and disasters is weighing heavily on many in the younger generations, causing them to seek ways to cope with their distress and anxiety.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2024

Is the apocalypse making you too anxious to work?

A poll reveals that a significant portion of the Gen Z and millennial generations feel unable to function at work due to distress over current events.
Having learned from the experience of losing in the last election and from actions taken by similar movements elsewhere, another Trump administration would be far more effective at wielding — and maintaining — power.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2024

Why another Trump term would be worse than the first

A political movement with autocratic tendencies often becomes more ruthless and effective after experiencing electoral defeat.
ASEAN leaders pose for a group photo during the 21st ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane on Oct. 10. U.S. President Joe Biden was notably absent once again from this years ASEAN gathering.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 21, 2024

The U.S. risks irrelevance in Asia

While the Biden administration has boosted U.S. influence in the short term, the long-term outlook for Washington is one of increasing irrelevance in Asia.
The members of Mareo! (Francisca Silva, Ernesto Duboy and Camila Sanchez) are on their second tour of Japan. And among the performances this time around was a gig at an Osaka high school.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 21, 2024

Chilean trio Mareo! is on a lengthy tour to help grow its Latin-inspired sound in Japan

Latin sounds are taking off in the world's biggest music markets, but this indie group thinks you need to be a bit more present in order to grab opportunities.
Indian soldiers disembark from a military transport plane at a forward airbase in Leh, in the Ladakh region, on Sept. 15, 2020.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

China and India end border impasse ahead of likely Xi-Modi meet

Relations between China and India have been frozen since June 2020 following clashes between soldiers along the disputed Himalayan border.
Tiger Woods acknowledges the crowd at the 18th green during the 152nd Open Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland, on July 19.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Oct 22, 2024

Woods expected to make TGL debut on Jan. 14

The 15-time major champion's first potential match will come in the second week of the season inside a venue that fits 1,500 fans.
Debt-laden companies in Japan are rapidly growing in number, in some measures even faster than in 1992 after the collapse of its asset price bubble.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024

Zombie companies may finally succumb to bankruptcy on BOJ hikes

Bankruptcies topped 5,000 cases for the first time in a decade between April and September, a report by Tokyo Shoko Research showed earlier this month.
The addition of an area in Pacific waters east of Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands saw Japan's continental shelf expanded by 120,000 square kilometers in July.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2024

Japan expands its continental shelf by 120,000 square kilometers

The expansion has sparked optimism for potential resource development.
Antony Blinken boards a plane at Joint Base Andrews on Mondat as he departs for the Middle East.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Blinken takes off in 11th attempt to reach a Middle East cease-fire

Blinken is pursuing a cease-fire in Gaza and, even more ambitiously, a "day-after” plan for future governance of the strip.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with the heads of leading media outlets from BRICS member countries in the Moscow region on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Shadow of Ukraine war hangs over Putin's BRICS summit in Russia

Partners from Brazil, India, China, and the Arab world are urging the Russian president to find a way to end the war in Ukraine.
James Gorman, who was named to the Disney board this year and later put in charge of succession planning, will become Disney’s chairman on Jan. 2, 2025, the company said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024

Disney taps Morgan Stanley's Gorman as chair and will name CEO Iger's replacement in 2026

Morgan Stanley veteran James Gorman will become chairman of Disney's board on Jan. 2, and will lend a helping hand in the decision-making process.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani runs to first after hitting a single in the first inning against the Mets during Game 6 of the NLCS in the MLB playoffs in Los Angeles on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB / Sac Bunts
Oct 22, 2024

Shohei Ohtani closer than ever on World Series mission

The star stands four wins away from capping off a storybook first season with the Dodgers by achieving his dream of winning the World Series.
New Zealand's Cam Roigard in action with Namibia's Damian Stevens during the Rugby World Cup 2023 in Toulouse, France, in September 2023
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 22, 2024

Roigard returns as Lakai and Love set for All Blacks debuts against Japan

"The energy in the group as we kick off this tour is exciting to see," coach Scott Robertson said in a news release.
The Hobart-class destroyer HMAS Sydney fires an SM-6 missile during Exercise Pacific Dragon 2024 in August.
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 22, 2024

Australia to buy advanced U.S. long-range missiles to boost deterrence

The SM-2 IIIC and SM-6 missiles, similar to those being procured by Japan, will be progressively rolled out across the Royal Australian Navy’s warships.
The Palletrone, an aerial transportation platform developed by Mobile Robotics Lab at Seoul National University of Science and Technology (Seoul Tech)
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 22, 2024

South Korea team showcases drone that serves as 'flying shopping cart'

The broader focus is on applications that would use a drone with reliable horizontal stability without pitching and rolling.
A poster for the Voting Rewards program outlines the steps voters need to take to claim the perks on offer.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

Young Japanese encouraged to vote with deals and discounts

A return of the Voting Rewards program will allow voters to claim various perks — at restaurants, cafes and even matchmaking agencies — by submitting proof of voting,
Japan's first 'Zombie Shinkansen' terrified and delighted passengers on the way from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 22, 2024

‘Zombie Shinkansen’ delivers high-speed thrills and chills

Some laughed, some gasped, but aboard the first train ferrying the undead from Tokyo to Kansai, a good time was had by all.
North Korean special forces troops take part in training at a base in an undisclosed location in the country in this image released on Oct. 4.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 22, 2024

U.S. warns against North Korean troops in Ukraine as Seoul eyes arms to Kyiv

South Korea, Japan and the U.S. are rushing to address the high possibility of Pyongyang sending combat troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.

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