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Teacher Tarna Andrews at the local school grounds, ahead of a nationwide referendum on Indigenous issues, in Areyonga, Australia
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 5, 2023

In Australia's outback, Indigenous proposal struggles to inspire

In just over a week, Australians will vote on a referendum on Indigenous issues. However, the very people it is designed to help know little about it.
The charges against a former U.S. Army soldier underscore the volume of national security secrets flowing to China, which has made aggressive efforts to recruit spies and steal technology.
WORLD
Oct 7, 2023

Ex-U.S. soldier accused of trying to give classified info to China

The underscore the volume of U.S. security secrets flowing to China, which has made aggressive efforts to recruit spies and steal technology.
Alma Zadic, Austria's justice minister, during an interview in Vienna on Sept. 26
WORLD / Politics
Oct 11, 2023

In Europe's politics, disinformation and hate pose growing threat

Austrian Justice Minister Alma Zadic believes public institutions simply don’t have the resources to match the output of bad actors.
Chinese civil servants and employees of state-linked enterprises are facing tighter constraints on private travel abroad and scrutiny of their foreign connections.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 17, 2023

China tightens curbs on foreign travel by bankers and state workers

Individuals' accounts varied but were consistent in describing heightened scrutiny of overseas travel even after China reopened borders in January.
Small-cap shares listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange are undervalued because many don’t have enough information in English, according to a top-performing Japanese small-cap fund.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2023

Top Japan fund bets on English disclosure to lift small-cap shares

An improvement in transparency may help revive foreign demand that drove Japan’s stock market to multi-decade highs earlier this year.
A growing number of local governments in Japan have adopted digital technology for over-the-counter services to allow residents to carry out procedures without having to fill out application forms.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2023

More local governments in Japan go digital for counter services

The measure has helped reducing waiting times and burden on visitors.
Samples of The Japan Times winning news coverage, recognized by the World Association of News Publishers Asian Media Awards.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2023

Japan Times wins awards for breaking news and feature reporting

The Japan Times receives gold awards for breaking news coverage and feature writing at the World Association of News Publishers Asian Media Awards.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Oct. 3
WORLD / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

China-linked 'spamouflage' targeted Canadian PM and lawmakers

The campaign, using networks of new and hijacked social media accounts to post bulk messages, took place in August and September.
A Ukrainian soldier in a trench in a front-line position near Lyman in the Donetsk Region of eastern Ukraine on Friday.
WORLD
Oct 28, 2023

Surging falsehoods seek to dent Western aid to Ukraine

The falsehoods, experts say, are aimed at provoking anti-Ukraine sentiment in Western countries.
Rapid improvements in image generation have spurred artists to push back on generative AI startups, which ingest vast troves of internet data in order to generate content like pictures or text.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 6, 2023

Dall-E 3 is so good it’s stoking a revolt against AI scraping

It hasn’t helped much that OpenAI’s new process for artists who want to exclude their data from the system is time-consuming and complex.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla, discusses artificial intelligence in London on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 7, 2023

Elon Musk's X curtails disinformation research, spurring legal fears

Restrictions on critical methods of gathering data on the platform have suppressed the ability to untangle the origin and spread of false information.
New Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (left) and and his predecessor, Wen Jiabao (center), attend the 12th National People's Congress where Chinese President Xi Jinping was first elected in Beijing in March 2013.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2023

China's opaque politics and the Li Keqiang mystery

Li reportedly had bypass surgery and was taking drugs after a liver transplant, both of which would have increased the risk of a heart attack.
AOG, an obscure London-based company, has been accused by aviation regulators of falsifying paperwork and supplying unauthorized components for turbines that power aircraft such as Boeing and Airbus.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 15, 2023

U.S. DOJ joins probe of fake-parts scandal gripping aviation industry

The U.S. Justice Department's involvement marks the first indication of scrutiny by law enforcement into the issue.
Sam Altman participates in an event at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders week in San Francisco on Nov. 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 20, 2023

OpenAI appoints ex-Twitch boss as CEO, while Altman joins Microsoft

The decision not to reinstate Altman as CEO has confounded efforts by investors and employees of the firm to steady the ship by bringing him back.
Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto Prefecture hands out "blindfold" stickers that visitors can use to cover up their wishes written on wooden plaques.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2023

Privacy concerns prompt people to cover up Shinto prayer plaques

The plaques have been used to express wishes for centuries, and now some shrines are allowing them to be covered with stickers for privacy reasons.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) waves to supporters during a road show as a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election campaign ahead of the Telangana state assembly elections, in the city of Hyderabad on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 28, 2023

Hindu-Muslim tensions stoked online as India prepares to vote

During the BJP's rule over the past decade, party members and allies have been accused of inflammatory speech against Muslims.
Yoko Huijs-Watanuki poses in the city of Fukuoka during a visit to Japan in October.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Dec 4, 2023

Oita woman helps Japanese Dutch, born in WWII, trace their roots

During the Pacific War the Japanese military occupied the Dutch East Indies, after taking the land from Dutch forces in 1942.
A representative for Morgan Stanley, which in August said it was 70% of the way toward reaching the $1 trillion in sustainable financing it’s told investors it will achieve by 2030, declined to comment beyond referring to the bank’s latest ESG report.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 5, 2023

What banks really mean when they put trillions into ESG

With each bank announcing a different target, investors are left with little insight into the ways in which banks are defining what’s sustainable.
Users often do not realize that almost all app notifications travel over Google and Apple's servers, giving the two companies unique insight into the traffic flowing from those apps to their users.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 8, 2023

Smartphone users' push notifications spied on, U.S. senator warns

Users often do not realize that almost all notifications for incoming messages, breaking news and other updates travel over Google and Apple's servers.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his wife, F1 Academy chief Suzie Wolff, at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in March 2022
MORE SPORTS
Dec 8, 2023

FIA drops compliance probe into Toto and Susie Wolff

FIA had caused a stir when it announced it was looking into media speculation about a potential conflict of interest.
A Ground Self-Defense Force V-22 Osprey aircraft takes part in a live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

U.S. and Japan defense chiefs call Osprey safety 'top priority'

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara asked that the U.S. military not resume Osprey flights until the aircraft's safety could be ensured.
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.
French police evict migrants from a squat in a disused industrial building not far from the Paris 2024 Olympic Village in Ile-Saint-Denis, near Paris, in April.
WORLD / Society
Dec 25, 2023

Asylum-seekers and Roma evicted from Paris squats ahead of Olympics

Advocates and some officials say the evictions appear to be a policy aimed at beautifying the area for the sporting event.
People's Liberation Army forces walk near the Sagaing Region in Myanmar on Nov. 23.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 2, 2024

Myanmar's 'watermelons': Soldier on the outside, rebel inside

Opposition groups say it is difficult to determine how many members of the security forces supplied information to the resistance, but they play a crucial role.
Yuki Kondo-Shah beside the U.S. Embassy where she works in London on Dec. 22. As U.S.-China tensions rise, national security employees with ties to Asia say U.S. counterintelligence officers wrongly regard them as potential spies and unfairly ban them from jobs.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 2, 2024

Asian American officials cite unfair treatment in China tensions

Federal employees say they are being blocked from jobs for security reasons because of their ties to Asia, even distant ones.
Firefighters inspect collapsed wooden houses in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Tuesday, a day after a major 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto region in the prefecture.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2024

Ishikawa quake rescue efforts ramp up as crucial time window narrows

Over 33,000 people are staying in evacuation centers with limited access to electricity and water.
Tourists fill Kiyomizuzaka street near Kiyomizu Temple in the city of Kyoto in November.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2024

Kyoto becoming more proactive in tackling overtourism

Threatening social and cultural conflicts, issues arising from overtourism include public transportation congestion.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Tokyo in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2024

A critical year for the Japan-U.S. alliance

The foundation of the Japan-U.S. partnership is a belief in the need to support and maintain the rules-based global order.
A Ground Self-Defense Force AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter fires ammunition during a live-fire exercise in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 25, 2024

Will drones replace helicopter pilots in the Self-Defense Forces?

Japan has already begun to make a major shift to transfer the functions of traditional defense aircraft to unmanned aerial vehicles.
Cars drive past a damaged road, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 18, 2024

Japan rings in 2024 with an unwelcome disaster

Join us for the first episode of 2024 as we recap the massive New Year’s Day earthquake and its impact on the people of Ishikawa Prefecture.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji