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JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2022

LDP targets ‘counterstrike capability’ for first time in campaign platform

The shift comes amid growing concerns related to Moscow, Beijing and Pyongyang, but critics say it deviates from Japan's traditional defense-oriented policy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 16, 2022

Toiling to complete a gun bill, U.S. parties part ways on its reach

The contrast between how Democratic and Republican proponents are describing the proposal — monumental versus limited in scope — reflects the tricky politics surrounding the issue.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2022

Jerome Powell took Ben Bernanke's advice a bit too far

The former Fed chief Bernanke had a famous recipe for setting monetary policy that relied heavily on communication. Officials today would do well to scale it back.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 16, 2022

Flooding chaos in Yellowstone, a sign of crises to come

Scientists are raising the alarm that in the coming years, destruction related to climate change will reach nearly all 423 U.S. national parks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2022

U.S. stocks' bear market growl could beckon recession

Nine of 12 bear markets that have occurred since 1948 have been accompanied by recessions.
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2022

Weak yen and hawkish Fed put BOJ chief in tough spot

While the consensus view is that the central bank will stick with all its main policy settings this week, Kuroda risks accelerating a slide in the yen.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2022

Fruitful parliament session for Kishida ends with some grumbles at the margins

Kishida's first session as prime minister saw a popular stance on Ukraine and a 100% record on bills passed, but inflation and a re-emerging reputation for indecision present some worries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 15, 2022

World’s central banks got it wrong, and economies pay the price

The blunders by monetary mavens tarnish a reputation of ensuring price stability and preventing the kind of inflationary spiral that hammered middle-class incomes in the 1970s.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 15, 2022

Costa Rica books place at 2022 World Cup finals after playoff win

Costa Rica qualified for a sixth World Cup in total and will compete in Group E at the finals against Germany, Japan and Spain.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2022

Japan's core machinery orders post surprise double-digit growth

Monthly growth was far stronger than economists' median forecast for a 1.5% dip and followed a 7.1% jump in March.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 14, 2022

Europe's plan to quit Russian fuel plunges Pakistan into darkness

Parts of Pakistan are experiencing planned blackouts of more than 12 hours, limiting the effectiveness of air conditioning to offer relief during the ongoing heatwave.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 14, 2022

Murder-suicides by pilots are vexing airlines as deaths mount

Preliminary evidence suggests the crash of a China Eastern Airlines jet in March may be the latest such tragedy.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2022

As China rattles sabers, Taiwan asks: Are we ready for war?

Ukraine's stubborn resistance to invasion, and the help that has poured in as a result, has both inspired Taiwan and made it rethink its own military strategy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 14, 2022

BOJ ramps up bond buying to defend yield cap, undermining statements

The BOJ expanded bond buying on Tuesday, and offered to increase a round of purchases across the curve on Wednesday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2022

Food export bans in Asia prompt fears of more protectionism

The bans risk hurting farmers and producers, and one concern is that the current cycle of protectionism could lead to restrictions on other food exports — including rice
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 14, 2022

Rewritten schoolbooks state Hong Kong was never a British colony

The four sets of textbooks for a class on citizenship say the Chinese government never recognized the 19th-century treaties that handed Britain control of Hong Kong.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2024

As Iran tensions ease, Israel turns sights back on Hamas and Rafah

The Israeli prime minister has pledged to "increase the military and diplomatic pressure” on Hamas, aiming to free hostages and declare victory.
U.K. Prime Minster Rishi Sunak speaks during a news conference on his flagship Rwanda migration policy in London on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2024

Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill to become law after long fight

The U.K. is set to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda in around July after Parliament approved the prime minister's plan.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2024

Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further

Comments by Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki came after the dollar rose to ¥154.85, its strongest levels against the Japanese currency since 1990.
Digital platforms have been flooded with disinformation, allowing foreign countries to conduct influence operations and leading to widened social divides.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 28, 2024

How democratic states are regulating digital platforms

Some platforms have been flooded with disinformation, allowing foreign countries to conduct influence operations.
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi visits the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 23, 2024

Japanese minister Takaichi visits Yasukuni Shrine

She signed a visitors' book as a minister and made a ritual offering at her own expense.
World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka speaks during a symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March.
OLYMPICS
Apr 24, 2024

USADA calls for WADA overhaul and probe into China swimmers

WADA has continued to rebut accusations that the organization covered up the revelation that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance.
Sanrio is marking Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary this year. The character's rise mirrors that of kawaii culture globally, and her longevity offers important clues as to the future of cute culture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 22, 2024

Hello Kitty turns 50. What will the next cat's meow be?

The global rise of Hello Kitty, who turns 50 this year, tracks that of Japanese culture. What, then, does the next half-century of kawaii have in store?
Taylor Swift's new album "The Tortured Poets Department" was released on Friday. The rush for immediate reviews in this digital age is undermining the listening experience.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2024

Taylor Swift is proof that how we critique music is broken

In the age of half-baked hot takes on online forums, anyone with a smartphone can word-vomit their thoughts into the ether.
With U.S. protectionism hindering Chinese electric vehicle makers' overseas expansions, Japanese giants like Honda are poised to capitalize.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 24, 2024

Japan is poised to fill an EV gap left by China

A new Honda facility in Canada shows that Asia’s auto industry is ready to meet North American needs.
The rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar is displayed in the trading room at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.com in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 25, 2024

Yen inches closer to intervention point as BOJ meeting starts

For the first time in over 30 years, the yen weakened beyond ¥155 per dollar, sending traders on the alert for possible intervention.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic