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Diane Hawley Nagatomo at her home office in Chiba. Born in the U.K., Diane has called Japan “home” for more than 40 years.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 23, 2023

Diane Hawley Nagatomo: ‘The only way to improve writing is to write’

After retiring from her position as a professor in 2022, Diane Hawley Nagatomo has just released her first novel, “The Butterfly Cafe.”
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's disapproval ratings stood at 59%, according to a recent poll, up from 37% when elected last year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 22, 2023

South Korea's Yoon lambasts critics, calling them ‘communists’

The remarks may rally his conservative base and distract from unease about some of his policies, but it risks fueling division and alienating some voters.
Several factors are pushing up Japan’s land prices: foreign tourism, a return of manufacturing to the country and the change in work practices after the COVID-19 pandemic.
EDITORIALS
Sep 22, 2023

Rising land prices are a cause for celebration and concern

The government said real estate prices across Japan rose 1% from the preceding year, the first such national increase in over three decades.
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez
WORLD / Politics
Sep 23, 2023

Charged with bribery, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez vows not to resign

U.S. prosecutors on Friday charged powerful Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife with taking bribes from three New Jersey businessmen, which could complicate Democrats' efforts to keep their slim majority in the U.S. Senate in next year's elections.
The Biden administration has issued final rules that would prohibit chip companies vying for a new infusion of federal cash from carrying out certain business expansions, partnerships and research in China, in what it described as an effort to protect United States national security.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 23, 2023

U.S. finalizes rules to keep chip funds out of China

The rules, which aim to prevent chip makers from using new U.S. subsidies to benefit China, take into account the industry’s perspective.
The Chinese Navy's nuclear-powered Long March 11 submarine takes part in a naval parade off the eastern port city of Qingdao, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, in April 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 23, 2023

U.S. revives Cold War submarine spy program to counter China

The multibillion-dollar effort, known as the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System, comes as China ramps up activities near Taiwan.
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in 2020
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2023

Human success means evolving with AI, not shunning it

Most future jobs will be hybrid, powered by human and artificial intelligence. The challenge lies in striking the right balance.
Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture — around 90 minutes by express train from Tokyo — has never seen the mercury climb above 35 degrees Celsius, a benchmark the meteorological agency uses to describe “extremely hot” weather, since records began in the city in 1906.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 24, 2023

Japan’s endless summer pushes some toward cooler places

Amid a summerlong heat wave, more people are showing interest in moving to places like Katsuura that are known for their milder temperatures.
The U.S. Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, its flagship medical center in Germany, is seen in 2021. The medical center has quietly started admitting Ukrainian Army soldiers who were wounded in combat, most of them American volunteers.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

U.S. Army hospital in Germany treating Americans hurt fighting in Ukraine

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center has quietly started admitting Ukrainian Army soldiers who were wounded in combat, most of them American volunteers.
A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet during a preview of the Singapore Airshow in Singapore in February 2022
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2023

F-35s are rarely flight-ready and repairs are too slow, GAO says

The Marine Corps’ goal for availability of its F-35B is 85%. Instead, the "mission capable” rate for F-35B training jets in 2022 was about 55%.
The Capcom booth at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba last week
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2023

Capcom sets sights on India's growing game market

Capcom targets selling more than 100 million copies of games a year.
Members of the Writers Guild of America picket outside of Universal Studios in Universal City, California, on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 25, 2023

Striking Hollywood writers reach tentative deal with studios

The WGA settlement, while a milestone, will not return Hollywood to work. The SAG-AFTRA actors' union remains on strike.
China's push to obtain hard power and "meta-power" has seen it lean heavily on its science and technology sectors.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 28, 2023

China looks to science and technology in its push for more power

Further power could give Beijing the ability to restrict other nations by structuring or restructuring systems, rules or frameworks.
People take part in a protest against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's redevelopment project for the Meiji Jingu Gaien district in Tokyo in February.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 25, 2023

Petitioners try to halt razing of thousands of trees in historic Tokyo park

Tokyo's percentage of public green space is far lower than other major cities such as New York, Seoul and London.
The Nikkei stock index on June 1. Japan equity has gained 95% since 2020, the highest rate among G7 nations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2023

Japan shows how to defeat secular stagnation

Outperforming other G7 countries on several economic indicators, Japan is demonstrating how prosperity can grow despite a shrinking population.
Rupert Murdoch in his office in New York in 2007. Murdoch's decision to step down from the boards of News Corp. and Fox Corp. marks the end of a decadeslong media career.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2023

Rupert Murdoch, the last of the press barons

No living person has influenced the media landscape like Rupert Murdoch. Should we view his career in a favorable light, or is his legacy one of darkness?
Nissan Motor is planning to produce only electric vehicles in Europe by 2030.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2023

Nissan to go all-electric in Europe by 2030 despite U.K. delay

Nissan plans to launch 27 electrified vehicles, including 19 fully electric cars, by 2030.
Steve Kerr, who coached Team USA at the recent FIBA Basketball World Cup, is entering the final year of his contract with the Warriors.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Sep 26, 2023

Steve Kerr sees future at Warriors despite expiring contract

Kerr has led the Warriors to four NBA championships since taking over as coach in 2014.
U.S. President Joe Biden poses for a photograph with Pacific Islands Forum leaders on the South Portico of the White House in Washington on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 26, 2023

Biden seeks to reassure Pacific islands in push to counter China

U.S. President Joe Biden sought to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the Pacific islands as he again hosted leaders from the region at the White House.
Anti-war demonstrators mark the 78th anniversary of the United States' 1945 atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima with a march and protest in New York's Times Square on Aug. 6.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 26, 2023

Nuclear specter rises as world marks day for eliminating weapons

The goal of ridding the world of nukes appears more distant than ever as the U.S., Russia and China ramp up activity at their test sites.
Blackberries from Pairwise, a company that uses gene-editing technology to create new breeds of plants, in Durham, North Carolina, on Sept. 13. Pairwise hopes to create a seedless blackberry that grows on compact, thorn-free bushes.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 26, 2023

Meet the climate-defying fruits and vegetables in your future

Breeding new crops that can thrive under these assaults is a long game.
People walk on the bank of the frozen Spree river in Berlin in 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2023

EU forecasts a more comfortable winter ahead without Russian gas

Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Nord Stream 1 pipeline had accounted for 15% of Europe's gas imports in 2021.
Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas and her teammates celebrate their UEFA Women's Nations League win over Switzerland in Cordoba, Spain, on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Sep 27, 2023

Spain celebrates World Cup win with record crowd for Switzerland romp

Spain beat Sweden 3-2 in Gothenburg last Friday and then crushed Switzerland to take a stranglehold on top spot in its Nations League group.
Nissan and Renault's deal to rebalance their troubled alliance has given them more freedom to pursue other partnerships and become more agile.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2023

Renault and Nissan to drop common alliance purchasing organization

The new setup reflects Renault’s efforts to grow more independent from its Japanese partner after years of tensions within the alliance.
Selcuk Bayraktar, chairman of Turkish defense firm Baykar and son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attends the presidential swearing-in ceremony after Erdogan's election win in Ankara on June 3.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Erdogan’s son-in-law makes Turkey a world leader in lethal drones

Baykar's new generation of unmanned combat aircraft will fly faster and farther, while carrying more weapons than its existing models.
Mark Zuckerberg speaks onstage during the Meta Connect Developer Conference in Menlo Park, California, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023

Meta unveils AI assistant and Facebook-streaming glasses

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the products as bringing together the virtual and real worlds while emphasizing lower costs.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leaves a meeting in Jakarta on Sept. 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023

Marcos' challenge of China pressures U.S.

There are questions about how far Manila is willing to go and whether the U.S. would really have its back if the situation escalates.
The higher interest rates that many countries are now experiencing are raising the costs of renewable electricity, the prices of which are dependent on the upfront expenditures needed to build new facilities.
COMMENTARY
Sep 28, 2023

What happens when renewable energy isn’t so cheap?

Renewable prices are determined by the upfront cost of building facilities whereas fossil-fuel energy prices are a mix, including fuel costs.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Sep 28, 2023

What is Japan's so-called 2024 problem?

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is turning his attention to a looming challenge: a shortage of truck drivers.
TikTok can advertise to more than 100 million users in Indonesia, but they now need to go on a different app or site to buy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023

TikTok’s e-commerce ambitions stall as global backlash grows

Complaints about how TikTok is squeezing local players has stalled the Chinese-owned social media platform's e-commerce ambitions

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