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A My Number card reader at a pediatric clinic in Tokyo. While the government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Monday, most people will remain unaffected by the move in the short term as existing health insurance cards can still be used for another year.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 1, 2024

Don’t worry, you can still use your Japan health insurance card — for now

While the government will stop issuing new health insurance cards on Monday, there is a one-year grace period for their integration with My Number cards.
Sharp's plant in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, that has ceased production of large liquid crystal display panels for television, a symbolic end to the company's signature business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 1, 2024

Sharp marks end of era with halt to large LCD panel production

Now owned by a Taiwanese investor, Sharp has also scaled back production of small and medium-sized LCD panels used in smartphones and personal computers.
A resident walks past destruction caused by Israeli bombardment in a neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2024

The Lebanon ceasefire can be leveraged for a broader deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said he sees the ceasefire as a pause in which to increase pressure on Hamas in Gaza and to rearm.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte holds a news conference in Quezon City, in Metro Manila, on Tuesday. She denied she was plotting to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying recent comments that sparked a government probe only reflected "consternation" with her one-time ally.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2024

Philippines politics is often mad. It just got crazier.

Manila cannot afford to be distracted by the latest round of clan rivalry and violent threats.
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Dec 2, 2024

Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?

Shrinking funding and limited support spark fears for the country's scientific prowess moving forward.
Member of French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) Marine Le Pen (center) talks to the media next to party member Louis Aliot after a hearing in her trial on suspicion of embezzlement of European public funds, in Paris on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2024

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has never been so powerful in France

Marine Le Pen is now the ultimate power broker in Paris.
INC-5 Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso (on screen) speaks during an open plenary session during the fifth session of the U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2024

Countries fail to reach agreement in U.N. plastic talks

Countries remained far apart on the basic scope of a treaty and could agree only to postpone key decisions and resume talks at a later date.
Carlos Tavares, Chief Executive Officer of Stellantis, speaks at the Paris Automotive Summit during the Paris Auto Show on Oct. 15.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2024

Stellantis CEO Tavares quits and hands over to interim committee

The company said in a statement that a new CEO will be named in the first half of 2025, with an interim committee headed by Chairman John Elkann taking the reins for now.
Makoto Nakae, a researcher of swallowtail butterflies
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 9, 2024

New museum set to bring butterflies of the world to Fukushima

The collection includes Japan’s only display of an extinct butterfly species native to South America.
A sign at the entrance to the Vauxhall van factory in Luton, England, on Nov. 27. Stellantis plans to close the factory, and has made efforts to pin the blame on the government's mandate for more electric vehicle sales.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 2, 2024

The EV transition is leaving the U.K. auto industry behind

The country wants to be a leader in EVs but has lagged others in establishing the necessary plants and battery factories.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah takes a shot against Manchester City during their Premier League match in Liverpool, England, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Dec 2, 2024

Arne Slot says Liverpool came 'close to perfection' in win over Man City

The Reds beat Pep Guardiola's side 2-0 to take a nine-point lead in the Premier League.
Employees at SunSource Energy inspect solar panels installed at a food processing plant in Greater Noida, India, on Nov. 21.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 2, 2024

Glittering dreams: India's big push for solar power

India is building what it boasts will be the world's largest renewable power plant, an emblem of a determined push to boost solar energy.
The PlayStation 5 on display during the annual Tokyo Game Show in September. PlayStation was Sony's first foray into the world of video games when it hit the shelves in Japan on Dec. 3, 1994.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 2, 2024

PlayStation at 30: How Sony's gray box conquered gaming

The PlayStation became a legend, selling more than 102 million units and positioning Sony as a heavyweight in a hugely lucrative sector.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem talks with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen before the Qatar Grand Prix in Doha on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Dec 2, 2024

FIA president tells drivers to stick to racing amid questions about organization

In an interview ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, the Emirati suggested the drivers should stick to what they know best.
A displaced woman packs up her family's belongings at a school turned into a shelter in Beirut on Nov. 27.
WORLD / Society
Dec 2, 2024

'We have a lost generation': Lebanon's education crisis

At least 500 public schools in Lebanon, roughly one in two in what is a badly underfunded sector, were converted into shelters in recent months to house people.
A serviceman with the Ukrainian Army's 24th mechanized brigade fires a machine gun during an exercise, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the country's Donetsk region on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 2, 2024

Europe eyes 'boots on the ground' in Ukraine as possible peace deal option

The troop presence is among security guarantees being considered as the possibility grows of a deal requiring Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow.
Novak Djokovic hits a return against Juan Martin del Potro during an exhibition in Buenos Aires on Sunday.
TENNIS
Dec 2, 2024

Novak Djokovic eager to challenge tennis' new stars for Grand Slam titles

After winning three of the four Grand Slams last year, the 37-year-old endured a dry spell in 2024.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks by phone with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, during his visit to Honolulu on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 2, 2024

Taiwan's Lai talks 'China threats' with ex-U.S. House Speaker Pelosi

The pair discussed among other things "China's military threats toward Taiwan," a presidential spokesperson said, describing the 20-minute call as "warm and amicable."
Armored vehicles from the Self-Defense Forces parade in formation at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Camp Asaka on Nov. 9.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2024

Top Japan defense industry firms saw sales boom in 2023

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Fujitsu, NEC and Mitsubishi Electric saw their combined revenues from arms rise by 35% to $10 billion.
A 40-year-old house in the city of Fukuoka that has been renovated by Katitas, a company that buys up secondhand houses for resale. The company retained the house's original wooden ceilings and window frames to preserve the property's vintage look.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Dec 9, 2024

As demand rises for abandoned houses, so do cases of hidden defects

Industry experts recommend prospective buyers conduct thorough inspections before concluding transactions for akiya.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura is elected as Nippon Ishin no Kai's leader in the city of Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 2, 2024

New Nippon Ishin leader vows to keep distance from other parties

Hirofumi Yoshimura says the party’s strategy is to not take sides with parties in the ruling or the opposition camps.
Rakuten Group is considering the sale of hybrid perpetual notes that can be called after five years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2024

Rakuten plans return to dollar bond market with hybrid notes

Rakuten’s liquidity has improved but an increased reliance on the dollar bond market may indicate weakened domestic funding access.
Students give a presentation at a competition in London on Friday for revitalization strategies in the Hokuriku region
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2024

London students compete on ideas to promote Hokuriku region

The presentations set out unique tourism strategies, such as "sake passports" to encourage tourists to visit local breweries, and "health tourism" to promote local foods.
Sadao Abe, who played the role of a time-traveling Showa Era teacher transported to present day in a popular TV drama, receives the 2024 buzzword of the year award for the word "futehodo," the nickname of the series.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 2, 2024

Japan’s 2024 buzzword of the year urges a reevaluation of past norms

“Futehodo” — a nickname for a TV drama that depicts the generational gap between the Showa and Reiwa eras — has been crowned the most trending word of 2024.
Resona's loan balance for SMEs was up 4.9% by the end of September from a year earlier, compared with just 1.1% growth in the 12 months through September 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2024

Resona says inflation is boosting SME loan demand and pay hikes

SMEs make up the bulk of Resona's client base, giving the bank insight into the state of firms that account for most of the employment in Japan.
Nomura’s reputation has taken a hit after it admitted to a bond market manipulation in October and following charges brought against a former employee in November on suspicion of robbery, arson and attempted murder of an elderly couple during a customer visit.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 2, 2024

Nomura’s Japan corporate bond market rank slips after probe

Japan’s biggest brokerage saw its position fall to sixth place in November and its market share shrink to 2.1%, the latest data shows.
Hunter Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, depart the First Street U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles on Sept. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2024

Biden's surprise pardon of son sparked by fears of new persecution

The president's move was panned by his Republican political opposition, but also by Democrats who say it threatens to undermine public trust in the rule of law.
Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store in New in 2018.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2024

Apple accused of silencing workers, spying on personal devices

Apple is also facing at least three complaints from a U.S. labor board
A Ukrainian serviceman holds a Stinger anti-aircraft missile as he takes part in joint military drills near the border with Belarus, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the country's Rivne region in February 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 3, 2024

U.S. to send Ukraine with $725 million weapons package ahead of Trump return

President Joe Biden's outgoing administration is seeking to bolster Kyiv in its war with Russian invaders before leaving office in January.
Generative artificial intelligence search technology is proving valuable for searching corporate databases.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 3, 2024

Japanese firms begin adopting generative AI for information searches

AI technology is proving valuable for searching corporate databases and providing concise, natural-sounding answers.

Longform

"Shake hands with Lima-chan," a statue that shares the name of the Peruvian capital looks in the direction of Peru, where a sister statue, "Sakura-chan," is located. Erected in Yokohama's Rinko Park in 1999, it commemorates Peruvian-Japanese friendship.
The journey of Peru’s Nikkei: Finding identity in Japan