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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 8, 2022

Will the Ukraine invasion ease U.S.-China tensions?

Developments in recent weeks suggest that the Ukraine war may mark a turning point for bilateral U.S.-China relations, at least in the economic domain.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 8, 2022

Death and defiance in a Ukrainian neighborhood that was held by Russian troops

The accounts by at least a dozen residents of a district of Bucha paint a picture of violence and intimidation by the soldiers while they were in the neighborhood.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 7, 2022

Tesla-backed startup made cheap power a debt burden for the world’s poorest

Solar pay-as-you-go plans have been hailed as the answer to bringing clean, affordable electricity to millions, but the system can break down catastrophically.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2022

People urged to stay vigilant as coronavirus infections rebound in Japan — again

The lifting of quasi-emergency measures and the spread of a highly infectious omicron subvariant may be to blame for the quick rebound, experts say.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 6, 2022

How America watches for a nuclear strike

Hundreds of imaging satellites, as well as other private and federal spacecraft, have been looking for signs of heightened activity among Russia's nuclear forces.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Apr 6, 2022

As Japan's politicians call for big spending amid price hikes, some question the timing

With an Upper House election approaching in July, economists have pointed out that the move appears to be politically motivated.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 6, 2022

With Japan still shut to travelers, it is out of sight and out of mind

Once a tourist hot spot before the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan should join Asian neighbors in relaxing its border entry rules, lest it fade even further from global consciousness.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 6, 2022

Elon Musk’s Twitter investment could be bad news for free speech

Musk posted on Twitter, 'Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?”
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 6, 2022

U.S., U.K. and Australia to develop hypersonic weapons after China and Russia advances

The move by the AUKUS alliance also left the door open for other partner nations, such as Japan, to potentially work together on defense issues in the future.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 6, 2022

Why tracking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wealth is so difficult

That many extravagant assets speculated to be Putin's are owned or controlled by the state shows how his private interests have merged with those of his government.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2022

Europe’s Russia coal ban foreshadows higher global energy prices

Prices are already soaring in a market that has been tight for months. European coal jumped 14% to a three-week high after news of the proposed ban.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 6, 2022

G20 wrestles with response if Putin shows up at Bali summit

Multiple officials said kicking Russia out of the group is not an option, even though U.S. President Joe Biden has called for it.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meet at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2024

Kishida and Luxon affirm information security pact

Kishida and Luxon also agreed to discuss a pact for Japan and New Zealand to exchange military supplies, enhancing defense cooperation between the two countries.
SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son says the conglomerate is ready to make its next big move, without fear of whether that’ll be a hit or miss.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 20, 2024

After losses, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son says he's ready for his next big bet

The billionaire has warned that his next big endeavor could be a big hit or a bad flop — but that SoftBank has no choice but to try.
People applaud during a campaign event in Tokyo on Thursday. Those running in the July 7 poll will be battling to govern the sixth-largest city in the world by population.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2024

Tokyo governor poll campaign kicks off with 56 candidates in running

Ideas on how to reverse the capital's declining birth rate and make spending transparent are topping the agenda.
A person walks among the giant columns supporting the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel in Saitama Prefecture.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 20, 2024

Tokyo underground: The city beneath our feet

Join us this week on Deep Dive as we discuss with Alex K.T. Martin the expansive subterranean world of Tokyo’s ever-changing underground.
The Mioya Shuzo brewery was damaged by the 2024 New Year's Day earthquake — but not to the extent that it couldn't serve as a shelter of sorts for the region's many sake breweries.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Jun 22, 2024

To Miho Fujita, ‘rules are meant to be broken in the sake world’

Miho Fujita knows the old songs sung by sake brewers by heart, but she's updated the tradition in her own way, infusing the age-old craft with a modern twist.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toast during a reception at the Mongnangwan Reception House in Pyongyang on Wednesday following summit talks.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 21, 2024

New Kim-Putin pact sparks unease — and talk of more aid for Ukraine

An opaque new treaty signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week could end up bolstering U.S.-allied cooperation.
During the attacks, private data on JAXA employees as well as information on external parties might have leaked, it has been reported.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2024

Japan’s space agency hit by repeated cyberattacks since last year

JAXA has begun a probe to determine the scope of the damage caused and taken measures to shut down the networks that may have been involved.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are both international pariahs, struggling to find ways to shore up their increasingly isolated countries.
EDITORIALS
Jun 21, 2024

Don’t be alarmed by the new Russia-North Korea partnership

Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are both international pariahs, struggling to find ways to shore up their increasingly isolated countries.
Akiteru Nogawa, head of the Kagoshima Prefectural Police Department, speaks at a Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly committee in the city of Kagoshima on June 11.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2024

Kagoshima police whistleblower charged with confidentiality breach

Kagoshima police department has been hit by a series of scandals this year, including three cases in which police officers have been arrested.
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji temple in Tokyo. This year is expected to bring 33 million travelers to Japan, an unprecedented surge and a 30% increase from last year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2024

How an arrival tax could stem the overtourism tide

How can Japan ensure that tourism benefits locals and travelers alike? There's no silver bullet but an arrival tax of around $40 could be a good starting point.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2024

For Kishida, the LDP election means a fraught summer ahead

Attention is turning to what the prime minister will do as potential rivals rally support ahead of September's vote for party president.
A Taiwanese sailor aboard a Taiwan Navy vessel looks toward a Chinese warship while navigating on waters off Taiwan's western coast, in this handout image released last month.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 22, 2024

China threatens death penalty for 'diehard' Taiwan separatists

Even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction on the island, the threat is a ratcheting up of pressure.
Pedestrians cross a road in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai. China has long touted itself as the world’s safest nation, making rare outbursts of public violence stand out.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jun 22, 2024

China’s spate of violence prompts outburst of economic anxiety

The reaction of Chinese social media users to a spate of recent violent attacks has exposed widespread discontent about the nation’s downturn.
The holding lot of the Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation-Volkswagen joint venture in Shanghai in April 2023. As the European Union moves to impose tariffs on Chinese cars, Germany, with an auto industry deeply enmeshed with China, is stuck in the middle.
BUSINESS
Jun 23, 2024

Germany hopes to head off a trade war with China

China’s EV exports threaten European automakers, but companies like Volkswagen have extensive operations in China and fear retaliatory actions by Beijing.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrive at their hotel in London on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 23, 2024

Imperial couple arrive for three-day state visit to U.K.

The highlight will be a state banquet that may include an appearance by Prince William's wife Kate, who is undergoing cancer treatment.

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