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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng meet for talks in Beijing on Aug. 29.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 12, 2023

The Washington-Beijing tech war is just getting started

U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo emphasizes the need to prevent China from accessing cutting-edge technology, citing national defense concerns.
The development of AI worries many, including Sam Altman, who testified in Congress in May that he was "nervous" about the technology's ability to compromise election integrity.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 12, 2023

A look at the world's first AI-powered political campaign caller

Ashley is one of the first examples of how generative AI is ushering in a new era of political campaigning.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 13, 2023

Dodgers, Red Sox and Jays to meet with Yoshinobu Yamamoto

While only one MLB pitcher has ever signed for over $300 million, speculation has Yamamoto potentially landing a deal that would approach that figure.
A pollution pod designed to mimic the air quality in New Delhi sits during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai on Tuesday
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 13, 2023

Without fairness, fossil fuel phase-out flounders at COP28

Developing countries emphasized that they could not embark on the journey toward renewables in the absence of clear guarantees of international support.
Mena Kato, Microsoft's new director of Japan partnerships for Xbox, during an interview in Tokyo on Nov. 29
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 13, 2023

Microsoft taps PlayStation veteran to champion Xbox in Japan

Mena Kato is counting on her dealmaking skills, Microsoft’s global reach and local connections to make the Xbox a relevant player.
Since starting out as a venue for short, silly lip-syncing videos, TikTok has emerged as an incubator for consumer trends, with millions of people trying on clothes and reviewing products.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 13, 2023

TikTok Shop sees early success, taking aim at giant Amazon

In a sign of how seriously Amazon is taking TikTok, the company cut deals with Pinterest, Meta and Snapchat to let users shop without leaving those apps.
A semifinal match at the WTA Finals in Cancun in November
TENNIS
Dec 13, 2023

WTA boss Steve Simon to leave role as CEO but stay on as exec

Simon has been chairman and chief executive of the WTA for eight years but has come under increasing fire from the players recently.
The construction of TSMC’s new plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, has seen companies anticipating expanded collaborations with the semiconductor firm grow keen to establish footholds in the area.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2023

Semiconductor projects in Japan whip up local optimism

Companies anticipating expanded collaborations with TSMC are keen to establish footholds in the area around its new plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kumamoto Prefecture. New chipmaking plants in Japan are raising questions about securing workers and adequate water supplies.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2023

Kumamoto and Hokkaido face common tasks of securing water and talent

With ambitious projects advancing, the two prefectural governments forged an agreement in August, aiming to facilitate exchanges of information.
Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, at a meeting in Atlanta on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Dec 14, 2023

NFL expands overseas games and books Brazil contest in 2024

NFL team owners voted Wednesday to stage a 2024 regular-season game in Brazil and approved an increase in the number of international contests from four to eight starting in 2025.
Sareee holds Konami by the limbs during a Sukeban event in Miami on Dec. 6. A unique form of Japanese wrestling that mixes fashion and theatrics has arrived in the United States.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 14, 2023

Can Sukeban make Japan-style female wrestling fashionable with Americans?

In Japanese women’s wrestling, athletes perform theatrical, hard-hitting punches and clever defenses while telling a story with their moves and costumes.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones celebrates after the team's victory over the U.S. at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 14, 2023

Make friends, start winning again: Eddie Jones' to-do list

Here are five challenges facing 63-year-old Eddie Jones as he returns to the Brave Blossoms.
A still from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2023

Big in Japan 2023: Anime, Murakami and The Legend of Zelda

Our guests tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 14, 2023

Japan’s next-gen fighter project with U.K. and Italy hits milestone

The three countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental organization, divide up work share and set out the roles of each partner.
What makes a good gift guide? The answers are as varied as they are complex.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 16, 2023

The naughty and nice of creating holiday gift guides

The most shoppable gift guides, some say, suggest products that are novel but useful, surprising but thoughtful, affordable but not cheap.
Firefighters tackle a fire in a field in San Buenaventura in the Bolivian Amazon in November.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Dec 15, 2023

Despite COP28 deal on fossil fuels, 1.5 C goal likely out of reach

The "UAE Consensus" does not commit the world to phasing out oil and gas, nor to near-term timelines for transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Mori Building CEO Shingo Tsuji speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Nov. 30.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2023

Mori’s CEO eyeing the next Roppongi Hills, casino resort in Tokyo

The real estate developer behind the towers that have reshaped central Tokyo’s skyline isn’t done yet.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 15, 2023

Hokkaido to face issues around Rapidus, seafood and '2024 problem'

An influx of foreign residents is expected in Chitose, while China's ban on marine products continues to hurt the region.
If you're having a Christmas potluck with your friends, you'll want to make sure your dishes look as good as they taste.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 21, 2023

A few linguistic palate cleansers for your holiday potlucks

With the pandemic-era norms subsiding, it looks like home parties may be back and bigger than ever.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pays his respects at the graves of Ukrainian soldiers in Lviv on Friday.
WORLD
Dec 16, 2023

Zelenskyy returns to Ukraine with little aid and a raft of needs

Political infighting in Washington and the European Union has blocked further aid to Ukraine.
A New South Wales firetruck at a hazard reduction burn site in Sydney in September
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2023

Australia swelters through heat wave amid 'extreme' fire danger

Heat wave alerts were in place for parts of Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
A group of 79 soldiers at the U.S. Army’s jungle training school prepare to enter a river on the Hawaiian island of Oahu on Nov. 29. Far from the deserts of the Middle East, the Army is instructing troops in Hawaii on the skills needed for a potential clash with China.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 16, 2023

U.S. military returns to the jungle, training for future threats

Far from the deserts of the Middle East, the Army is instructing troops in Hawaii on the skills needed for a potential clash with China.
Relatives and supporters hold signs as they rally for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas, in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
WORLD
Dec 17, 2023

Netanyahu, under pressure over hostage deaths, vows to press on

The premier is also taking heat for what’s been termed inaction on securing a new prisoner exchange deal, two weeks after a brief cease-fire ended.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2018
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Dec 17, 2023

A made-in-Japan solution for space junk that goes against the grain

As space junk clogs Earth's orbit, a Kyoto University team has a new solution: wooden satellites.
A contingency in the event that China invades Taiwan is emerging as a key focus in Japan’s new defense policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 17, 2023

Will Japan intervene in a Taiwan contingency? It depends.

If Taiwan puts up a fight against a Chinese invasion, it would likely engender a U.S. intervention that would not be possible without Japan’s assistance.
A woman walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at the main railway station in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 18, 2023

North Korea launches long-range ballistic missile for fifth time in 2023

Japan said the missile was estimated to have a range of 15,000 kilometers, putting the entire U.S. within striking distance.
Smoke rises from damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip on Friday. Washington has appealed to Jordan, Egypt and Gulf states to persuade Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to pursue institutional reforms with urgency to prepare for post-war Gaza.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2023

U.S. wants overhauled Palestinian Authority to run Gaza after Hamas

Washington considers the Mahmoud Abbas-led administration as the the only realistic post-war solution despite its unpopularity.
A woman who is against the proposed new constitution holds up a banner as she reacts to results of the referendum on a new Chilean constitution, in Santiago on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2023

Weary Chileans reject second proposed constitution

With 99% of votes counted in the referendum, 56% rejected the text while 44% backed the document.
A view of the city of Ayodhya, India
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 18, 2023

Temple promised by BJP transforming Indian city but some miss out

Laborers are finalizing a $6 billion infrastructure facelift in Ayodhya that is igniting an economic boom and driving up land prices.
F-16s will help Kyiv address a problem that has persisted from the start of the invasion in February 2022: Russia’s more modern combat aircraft have been difficult for Ukraine’s military to counter with its own aging fighters.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2023

How F-16 fighter jets could reshape Ukraine's aerial battlefield

Russia’s more modern combat aircraft have been difficult for Ukraine’s military to counter with its own aging fighters.

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