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COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 3, 2022

Japan's energy dilemma: How to achieve security alongside decarbonization

Tokyo, in its bid to go green, needs to depend on nuclear energy for the time being to achieve its aims, and now is the time for the government to face this issue.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 24, 2021

Massive Webb telescope may see close to the beginning of time

When it begins its work in mid-2022, the telescope will help scientists study some of the earliest light in the universe and peer more closely at planets in other galaxies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Women at Work
Dec 21, 2021

Standing out above the old boys: Forging a path as a woman in corporate Japan

Ryoko Nagata of Japan Tobacco was adamant she didn't want to work with cigarettes, and went on to prove her worth to the firm in other sectors.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Dec 18, 2021

Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm to win Beijing's favor

Amazon's compliance with a Chinese government edict is part of a deeper, decadelong effort by the company to protect and grow its business in one of the world's largest marketplaces.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2021

For those watching the Bank of Japan, actions speak louder than words

By taking a stealthier approach than its peers, Japan's central bank has been able to wind back pandemic stimulus without rattling markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2021

What could possibly go wrong? These are the biggest economic risks for 2022

Governments spent heavily to support workers and businesses in the pandemic. Many now want to tighten their belts.
Ikeda Suisan's saury fishing boat is also being used for tuna fishing.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024

To stay afloat, some Japanese saury fishers turn to tuna and squid

Saury fishers in Japan are also trying to secure enough income by working during the saury fishing offseason.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores for Portugal during a Nations League match against Scotland in Lisbon, Portugal, on Sunday.
SOCCER
Sep 12, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo labels Erik ten Hag's attitude as too negative for United

The Portugal star, who now plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, fell out with Ten Hag before his second spell at Old Trafford ended late in 2022.
United manager Erik ten Hag directs his team during a match against Liverpool on Sept. 1.
SOCCER
Sep 13, 2024

United manager Erik Ten Hag responds to criticism from Cristiano Ronaldo

Ten Hag has said he is "quite confident" of claiming more silverware this campaign after lifting the League Cup and FA Cup over the past two seasons.
Cyclists participate in the Tour de Tohoku 2024 on Sunday in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2024

1,300 cyclists participate in Tour de Tohoku 2024

The event is designed to support reconstruction efforts in the affected areas, and participants do not compete for time or rankings but aim to complete the race.
Campaign spending in the U.S. has surged, with dark money and Super PACs dominating elections.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2024

Dark money is a cancer on U.S. lawmakers — but it’s curable

Nearly three-fourths of Americans voters say lobbyists and special interests wield too much influence compared to constituents.
Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma (left) in action with Arsenal's Ben White at Emirates Stadium in London on Aug. 31
SOCCER
Sep 17, 2024

Japanese players in vogue as British clubs widen horizons

"It feels like there is more interest in Japanese players from around the world," says Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo.
Women in managerial positions at Japanese firms has topped 10%, but the figure still lags far behind those in European countries and the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2024

Women in managerial posts top 10% for first time in Japan

Women in managerial roles are slowly increasing in Japan, but the country remains far from the government's 30% target for this decade.
In China, discussing feminism is apparently forbidden, as seen with the controversy over the maker of Black Myth: Wukong censoring feminist topics during streaming, despite its global success and praise for visuals and gameplay. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2024

Wukong makes equal rights for women a taboo topic

Women are increasingly active consumers in the gaming industry: The growth rate of new female gamers in Asia is nearly double that of males.
The Liberal Democratic Party's suspected ties with the Unification Church have been little discussed in the ongoing leadership race campaign.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2024

Unification Church issue continues to haunt LDP amid leadership race

The Asahi Shimbun daily has published a photo purporting to show a meeting between then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a senior official of the religious group in 2013.
A group of older women performs during a midautumn festival at a mall in Jinan, in eastern China, on Sept. 6. China’s shrinking population poses threats to growth but has opened opportunities for businesses that serve older adults.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 18, 2024

China’s ‘silver economy’ is thriving as birthrate plunges

Births in China fell to 9 million in 2023, down about 6% from the previous year, with the number of preschool children plummeting nearly 12%.
Attendees to the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at National Convention Center in Vientiane take a group photo on July 26. Southeast Asian nations are concerned about nuclear weapons but are more focused on regional security and stability.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2024

Southeast Asia untroubled by China’s nuclear modernization efforts

Southeast Asian nations are concerned about nuclear weapons but are more focused on regional security and stability.
The percentage of South Korean respondents with a good impression of Japan jumped from the previous year to 41.7%, the highest level since the survey began in 2013.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2024

Survey shows record number of South Koreans view Japan positively

Nearly 42% of South Koreans have a favorable impression of Japan, according to the East Asia Institute.
Arisa Trew competes in the women's skateboard park competition at X Games Chiba on Sunday. Trew went on to win the event to back up her gold from the Paris Olympics.
MORE SPORTS / Action sports
Sep 22, 2024

Arisa Trew's golden run continues with win in skateboard park at X Games Chiba

Japan’s men had a big day in the skateboard street competition, with Sora Shirai grabbing the title ahead of two of his compatriots.
A view of the RSS Invincible during a commissioning ceremony of the Republic of Singapore Navy’s first and second Invincible-class submarines Invincible and Impeccable, at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 25, 2024

Singapore commissions new submarines as Asia's undersea rivalry grows

The new submarines represent a technological step forward for Singapore's fleet, allowing the nation to operate farther from shore.
Residential buildings in the Toyosu area in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 11, 2023. If rising rates on real estate investment loans are seen as a burden, people may become more cautious about acquiring properties for leasing, experts warn.
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2024

Tokyo home prices are seen to largely withstand BOJ rate hikes

The days of making large profits from property in Tokyo may be over
Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a campaign meeting on Sept. 12 in Tokyo in the lead-up to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election scheduled for Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2024

Japan’s next leader will be different — and flawed

While nine LDP lawmakers are contesting the race to become the country’s next leader, the field has narrowed to just three.
Italian former prime minister and economist Mario Draghi (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen take part in a joint news conference about the future of European competitiveness at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Sept. 9.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2024

Draghi warns Europe — and Japan — about the failure to innovate

The warning could not be clearer. Europe faces “an existential crisis.” “Over time, we will inexorably become less prosperous, less equal, less secure and, as a result, less free to choose our destiny.” Moreover, “without action, we will have to either compromise our welfare, our environment...
Travis Kelce has eight catches in the Chiefs' first three games this season.
SPORTS / Football
Sep 26, 2024

Chiefs star Travis Kelce more worried about wins than catches

Kelce has just eight catches for 69 yards in three games this season.
Myanmar's then-state counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi, meets with Fumio Kishida, Japan's then-foreign minister, for talks in Tokyo in November 2016.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 27, 2024

Kishida’s failure to support democracy in Myanmar

Kishida's lack of engagement with Myanmar's pro-democracy movement shows he prioritized economic relations over democratic values.
Japan's declining population has made it more difficult for convenience store operators to grow.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Oct 1, 2024

Some 7-Eleven owners in Japan welcome foreign bid, hoping for change

Some franchisees are concerned about competition from rivals and say they are struggling with rising costs.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani on deck in the ninth inning against the Rockies in Denver on Sept. 28.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 1, 2024

How far will Japanese players go in this year’s MLB playoffs?

The 2024 postseason begins on Tuesday, when another group of players will have the chance to join the ranks of Japanese World Series champions.
A police officer from the Narcotics Control Board stands guard in front of boxes of confiscated drugs during the 50th Destruction of Confiscated Narcotics ceremony in Ayutthaya province, Thailand, on June 26, 2020.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Oct 2, 2024

Myanmar's civil war is driving the drug trade, Thailand official says

The political unrest in Myanmar has led to an expansion of synthetic drugs production and trafficking.
Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers march in the Victory Day Parade in Moscow in 2020. China and Russia are working together to undermine the liberal international order through military means.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 2, 2024

Tackling an international order in disarray

The liberal international order is fraying at the edges. A more assertive stance against leaders trying to undermine the status quo, Putin and Xi most notably, is needed.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear