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Artificial intelligence may well enable the automation of many tasks and the replacement of some workers. But AI tools are still fallible and are unlikely to replace humans any time soon.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2023

AI and the productivity imperative

The global economic outlook for the next decade appears grim. But a surge in productivity — fueled by artificial intelligence — could change that picture.
Union workers of Sogo & Seibu hold banners which read 'on strike' in front of the company's flagship Seibu Ikebukuro store in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023

Sogo & Seibu labor union begins strike at flagship Ikebukuro store

While the labor union made a strong effort to prevent Seven & I from proceeding with the deal, a decision was made to sell the department store unit.
A customer browses iPhone cases at an Apple store in India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023

Apple trials making devices with 3D printers

The move could reduce the time it takes to build devices while also helping the environment by using less material, according to the sources.
Japan center Dylan Riley (left) escapes from Italy's center Luca Morisi during a match on Aug. 26.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 31, 2023

Japan ready to shake off COVID-19 legacy at Rugby World Cup

The Brave Blossoms beat Ireland and Scotland to reach the quarterfinals for the first time four years ago, sparking rugby-mania across the nation.
Steam rises from the Roosevelt Hot Springs, near the FORGE and Fervo geothermal sites outside of Milford, Utah, on July 31. FORGE and Fervo are drilling a few miles from the Roosevelt Hot Springs, which are created by underground heated rocks relatively near the Earth's surface.
WORLD
Aug 31, 2023

The race is on to tap a source of clean energy beneath our feet

The growing interest in geothermal is driven by the fact that the United States has gotten extraordinarily good at drilling since the 2000s.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2023

Hokuriku Shinkansen to link Kanazawa with Tsuruga from next March

The fastest travel time between Tokyo and Fukui will be two hours and 51 minutes — down 36 minutes from the time required on the current shortest route.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force disembark from a V-22 Osprey aircraft during a live-fire exercise in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 5, 2023

Why building an effective Japan-U.S. kill chain will enhance defense

The conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated that modern warfare necessitates advanced coordination of operations.
A supporter of the main opposition Kuomintang party shows their fingernails painted with the Taiwan flag, during the party's annual conference in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on July 23.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Taiwan parties spar for young vote as high-stakes elections loom

The outcome of the closely watched January 2024 vote will set the tone for Taipei's tumultuous relationship with Beijing.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2023

Century since Kanto quake, expert warns of 'blind faith' in disaster resilience

For many, grasping the potential devastation of a future major quake remains as elusive as it was 100 years ago.
Veteran broadcaster and DJ Peter Barakan has been a fixture in Japanese music media for decades. He is now in his third year as curator and namesake of Peter Barakan’s Music Film Festival, which kicks off in Tokyo today.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 1, 2023

Peter Barakan's Music Film Festival celebrates cinema and song

The three-week event kicks off its third edition with 31 films including documentaries, concert films and narrative films centered on music.
At Auberge Tokito, in the far western suburbs of Tokyo, executive chef-producer Yoshinori Ishii draws not only on his background in kaiseki (Japan’s multicourse traditional cuisine) but also his skills as a potter and artist.
LIFE / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Sep 3, 2023

Auberge Tokito raises the bar for this year’s new Tokyo openings

The crown for the most outstanding new opening so far this year goes to Auberge Tokito in Tokyo’s far western suburbs.
A bit of parchment paper, a few strips of kelp and an overnight cure takes a simple fish filet to new heights.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 3, 2023

Recipe: Crispy kelp-cured salmon

This recipe can work with any skin-on fish, from luxurious golden-eyed snapper to ubiquitous salmon or trout.
Mizuki Yoneyama is the Kodo taiko troupe's first female odaiko (large-scale drum) player, an indication that things are changing in the traditional community.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 2, 2023

For these women, taiko drumming is no longer a man's art

Ensemble taiko shows were developed in the 1950s, primarily by male leaders. Women taking part in Kodo’s early recitals only performed dance routines.
A view of the moon as viewed by the Chandrayaan-3 lander during Lunar Orbit Insertion on Aug. 5
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 1, 2023

India seeks to top its moon landing with spacecraft to study sun

India aims higher with its first solar observation mission, which will journey 1.5 million km to study the sun from a unique "parking spot" in space.
Japanese companies raised spending on plants and equipment in the April-June quarter but the pace of annual gains slowed to the lowest in five quarters, reflecting global recession worries amid China's slowing growth.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 1, 2023

Japan firms cut capital spending over global growth concerns

The latest figures feed into a picture of Japan’s growth being overly reliant on overseas demand.
Load and haul operations at Thungela's thermal coal mining operation, Isibonelo Colliery (formerly Anglo American), in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, in March 2019
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 1, 2023

Coal miners forced to insure themselves amid climate concerns

Dozens of insurers have announced restrictions on their cover for the coal industry, particularly for new projects
Lewis Hamilton, 39, will continuing racing for Mercedes in 2024 and 2025.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 1, 2023

Lewis Hamilton looks to Tom Brady as role model for longevity

Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton pointed to seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady as a role model for longevity in sports after signing a deal to continue racing into his 40s.
CULTURE / Books
Sep 2, 2023

Saou Ichikawa’s 'Hunchback': A darkly funny portrait of disability

The winner of the second 2023 Akutagawa Prize is a sardonic commentary on the utility of bodies, both abled and disabled.
A couple with a young daughter move into their dream house but soon realize there is something sinister afoot in “Home Sweet Home.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 2, 2023

‘Home Sweet Home’: Horror house is light on frights

While the main cast delivers strong performances, Takumi Saitoh’s film about a dream home with spooky secrets offers chills rather than true terror.
At Beijing’s Jingshen Seafood Market, sales of Japanese maritime products are now banned — just as they are elsewhere in the country.
EDITORIALS
Sep 1, 2023

China is about to get a lesson in the limits of economic coercion

Most governments in Asia are relying on science to guide their responses to the Fukushima water release.
Construction workers repair a street during a heat wave in Corpus Christi, Texas, in July.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2023

Startups are inventing cooling clothes for a hotter future

With 2023 on track to be the hottest year on record, a number of startups are exploring new technologies and textiles for keeping people cool.
Japan's economic output ran above full capacity in April-June for the first time in nearly four years, a government estimate showed, suggesting that conditions for ending its policy of ultralow interest rates could be falling into place.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 2, 2023

Japan's economic output runs above capacity in signal for BOJ

The data suggests that conditions for Japan to end its policy of ultralow interest rates could be falling into place.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife, Olena Zelenska, attend a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial wall outside of Orthodox Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery during Ukraine's Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv on Aug. 24.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2023

U.S. to send controversial depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine

The Biden administration will for the first time send the controversial armor-piercing munitions to Ukraine, U.S. officials said.
Susan Barber, an AP English teacher at Atlanta's Midtown High School, in class Tuesday. Barber said using AI chatbots could make students' college essays too generic.
WORLD / Society
Sep 2, 2023

Ban or embrace? Colleges wrestle with AI-generated admissions essays.

A.I. chatbots could facilitate plagiarism on college applications or democratize student access to writing help. Or maybe both.
Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a test launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile at Plesetsk cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk region, via video link in Moscow, Russia, in April last year.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 2, 2023

Russia claims its Sarmat ICBM is on ‘combat duty'

Russian military analysts said the announcement meant that the missile had been deployed in a silo and was ready to be used.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland (right) scored three goals during his team's over Fulham in Manchester, England, on Saturday.
SOCCER
Sep 3, 2023

Erling Haaland scores hat trick to power Manchester City

Manchester City's Erling Haaland has scored six goals in five games to start the Premier League season.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 3, 2023

Tokyo lacks places for stranded people just after quake

With transportation networks severely disrupted, experts ponder how to care for those who wouldn't be able to go home.
A woman stands under surveillance cameras on a riverside, during the National People's Congress in Shanghai on March 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 3, 2023

China to its people: Spies are everywhere, help us catch them

China’s ruling Communist Party is enlisting ordinary people to guard against perceived threats to the country.
Emperor penguin chicks perished at multiple breeding grounds in Antarctica last year, drowning or freezing to death when sea ice was eroded by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023

Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing baby penguins

Global warming is decimating sea ice and, with it, baby penguins. But why should we care about this and other species dying off?
The Port of Los Angeles. AI tools are helping many organizations simplify trade-data analysis in ways that may help smooth cross-border commerce.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 3, 2023

AI fused with trade data may smooth clunky supply chains

Technology may soon sort through hundreds of millions of shipment records and error-prone datasets in a fraction of the time it takes today.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past