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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 16, 2023

In China, no easy way to get Pfizer's COVID drug Paxlovid

Beijing has acknowledged that supplies are still insufficient to meet demand, even as millions of courses of the treatment were shipped to the country recently.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 12, 2023

Japan faces difficulties clamping down on handmade guns

The government is asking pharmacies and other sellers to strengthen the management of 11 chemical substances that can be used as materials for bombs and gunpowder.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2023

Classes in the metaverse: Program aims to help children who refuse to attend school

Some municipalities have begun to recognize online learning as an alternative to going to school.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 28, 2022

How China’s ‘zero-COVID’ reversal is playing out on the ground

The change has brought an explosive surge of infections, drug shortages, and confusion and frustration among the population.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 18, 2022

Japan confronts problem of video game addiction

While nations like China and South Korea have imposed drastic restrictions on youth gaming in recent years, some in Japan feel they are being left to deal with the issue on their own.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Dec 17, 2022

In suspending journalists on Twitter, Musk flexes his media muscle

Elon Musk's decision to abruptly suspend several journalists underscored the role of a simpler, more enduring element of American life: the press baron.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 26, 2022

Deadly Xinjiang fire stirs anger at China's 'COVID-zero' policy

A deadly fire in China's Xinjiang region has spurred an outpouring of anger at the country's hard-line approach to containing the coronavirus.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 25, 2022

In a challenge to Beijing, unrest over COVID lockdowns spreads

Protests have broken out in Guangzhou and at an iPhone factory in central China, while online many have raged at authorities after the death of a girl was blamed on COVID-19 restrictions.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 24, 2022

Is Japan the model for Elon Musk's Twitter?

Elizabeth Beattie explains how the social media platform's Japan team has been affected since Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2022

Cyber criminals hold Asian tech workers captive in scam factories

Thousands of people, many with tech skills, have been lured by social media advertisements promising well-paid jobs in Southeast Asia only to find themselves forced to defraud strangers.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 13, 2022

Johnny's departures signal growing pains

Though netizens speculated wildly after Johnny & Associates announced the departure of notable figures, the likely explanation is simply that the talent agency is in a moment of transition.
Police officers on Bourbon Street, hours after a man drove a pickup truck into people in the French Quarter of New Orleans, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2025

How the Islamic State radicalizes people today

On New Year’s Day, a man with an Islamic State group flag killed at least 14 people when he drove into a crowd in New Orleans.
Mark Zuckerberg, then chief executive of Facebook, appears at a joint U.S. Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in April 2018.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2025

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s sprint to remake Meta for the Trump era

The highly unusual overhaul of the firm's speech policies came after the Meta CEO visited U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in November.
Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani says the company sees an opportunity in Japan, which has been a laggard in the adoption of digital and artificial intelligence-powered technologies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2025

Rakuten founder defends costly mobile foray with big AI bet

Rakuten Mobile and its 8 million-plus users help train an AI poised to expand the conglomerate’s business, according to billionaire founder Hiroshi Mikitani.
A woman uses her phone next to a logo of the WhatsApp application during Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai, India, on Sept. 20, 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 19, 2025

WhatsApp faces tougher EU rules as open channel users top 45 million

The messaging app's open channels are feeds affiliated with news outlets or public figures that under the European Union's Digital Services Act are comparable to social networks.
Alleged scam center workers and victims from China, who were handed over from Myanmar, board a plane at Mae Sot Airport in Mae Sot in Thailand's Tak province on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 21, 2025

China flies home first nationals from Myanmar ‘scam centers’

The repatriation is part of a multinational effort to stamp out the centers, a transnational criminal industry that has found havens in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.
The online safety regulator for Australia fined messaging app Telegram for its delay in answering questions regarding preventing the spread of child abuse and violent extremist material on its platform.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 24, 2025

Australia fines Telegram for delay to answers on child abuse and terrorism

The messaging platform has been under growing scrutiny around the world.
While Japan's luxury goods market remains strong, its seconhand resale market is proving just as much a draw for tourists searching for great bargains — as long as they can manage to get their hands on the real deal.
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 1, 2025

Not even Japan is safe from counterfeit luxury goods

Despite a reliable reputation, Japan’s secondhand luxury market is still vulnerable to fakes and counterfeits.
Qianmen street, Beijing, in March 2023. Though the immediate shock has passed, COVID-19's legacy continues to reshape global economies and markets.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 8, 2025

Five years on, the economic impact of COVID-19 lingers

Though the immediate shock has passed, COVID-19's legacy continues to reshape global economies and markets.
Motoaki Tanigo, whom fans affectionately refer to as “Yagoo,” is the CEO and founder of tech company Cover Corporation, which runs Hololive, an industry-leading virtual YouTuber talent agency.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 21, 2025

Virtual idols, real fans: Hololive’s bet on the future of pop

Hololive CEO Motoaki Tanigo, whom fans affectionately refer to as “Yagoo,” has global ambitions for his virtual YouTuber sensations.
Nintendo’s Switch 2 presentation amazed with unexpected game reveals, impressive hardware upgrades and a surprising price announcement, but its two-tier pricing strategy and higher cost left fans both excited and confused.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2025

Nintendo's Switch 2 reveal had a big surprise: The price

An hourlong presentation finally lifted the lid on the Switch 2, which will go on sale June 5 for $450 — though less if you speak Japanese.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, his partner Jodie Haydon and chairman and Board President of Tennis Australia, Jayne Hrdlicka, in the stands before the Australian Open final on Jan, 28, 2024
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025

Australian politicians gifted sports tickets while weighing betting ban

Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had promised a crackdown on gambling advertising following a 2023 report by his government.
A video circulating on Chinese social media depicting a "U.S. sweatshop"
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2025

Chinese vent anger at Trump's trade war with memes and mockery

Chinese online warriors have taken advantage of the massive strides in AI to create memes highlighting that many of the goods bought by Americans are made in their country.
Not only is the drawing of each frame an important part of the manga-making process, translation has increasingly demanded more attention as the art form gains popularity overseas.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 23, 2025

Manga translators walk a fine line between meaning and mayhem

Manga translators face linguistic puzzles, cultural minefields and online backlash — all for the love of a perfectly written speech bubble.
India is experiencing a worrying rise in digital payment scams fueled by rapid growth in instant payment systems.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2025

India’s bank fraud needs a sensible response

It’s time to allow new payment networks. Let them charge fees to offer institutional-grade security to retail customers. 
A clip of fans getting rowdy to see J-pop outfit Fruits Zipper prompted criticism about the idol fandom’s dark side.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 26, 2025

Why are idol fans throwing hands at the racetrack?

A recent Fruits Zipper fan frenzy stirred online criticism, raising questions about the line between passion and obsession in J-pop idol culture.
Investigators say the group chat members were using pseudonyms to hide their identities, suggesting they were largely unaware of each other’s true backgrounds.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 27, 2025

Teachers sharing indecent photos of girls in a group chat elicits outrage in Japan

The coordinated voyeurism of the teachers came as a strong shock, undermining people's confidence in those in the role.
A Beijing store selling merchandise based on the "boys’ love" genre of graphic novels on June 16
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2025

China detains female writers of 'boys' love' content in porn crackdown

The detentions since March have triggered debate on social media about the limits of free speech and the apparent sexist nature of the crackdown.
England's Jess Carter attends a news conference in June.
SOCCER
Jul 21, 2025

England's Jess Carter receives racist abuse during Euro 2025

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted his support for Carter on X.
A police officer walks past posters of Liberal Democratic Party candidates, as well as one showing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, outside the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday. As Japan’s foreign population continues to rise, one of the talking points during Sunday’s election was how the country should deal with the increase of international residents.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 21, 2025

Foreign residents closely follow Japan's election and party pledges

As electoral results could impact their lives, The Japan Times asked several foreign residents to weigh in.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan