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Japan's economic output ran above full capacity in April-June for the first time in nearly four years, a government estimate showed, suggesting that conditions for ending its policy of ultralow interest rates could be falling into place.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 2, 2023

Japan's economic output runs above capacity in signal for BOJ

The data suggests that conditions for Japan to end its policy of ultralow interest rates could be falling into place.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 3, 2023

'Ferrari' Kotaro Matsushima looking to drive Japan to World Cup glory

Matsushima was one of the stars of the tournament four years ago, scoring five tries as Japan stunned Ireland and Scotland.
Japan's Michael Leitch attempts to break free during a match against Italy in Treviso, Italy, on Aug. 26.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 4, 2023

Japan's veterans prepare to scale Everest again at Rugby World Cup

The Brave Blossoms will start their World Cup campaign against Chile in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 10.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 5, 2023

Why Tohoku University was picked as first beneficiary of new university fund

The fact it was picked as the sole recipient, and over two prestigious universities seen as front-runners, has shocked Japan's academic community.
Personnel from the Self-Defense Forces take part in a nuclear, biological and chemical weapons exercise at New Chitose airport in Hokkaido in July 2012.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 7, 2023

Japan has plenty to offer in the field of detecting threats

With the spread of chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, the time is right to put domestic tech to good use.
Tourists drive rental go-karts while dressed up as game characters through the streets of Shibuya and other areas of Tokyo in December 2018.
COMMENTARY
Sep 6, 2023

A 10-year tourist boom and all I got was this lousy 'Mario Kart'

Like cockroaches in a nuclear apocalypse, seemingly nothing can destroy the "Mario Karts": not legal action, not the government and not even the pandemic.
An All Nippon Airways employee escorts a group of Chinese tourists through Haneda Airport in Tokyo last month.
BUSINESS
Sep 7, 2023

Fukushima water release won’t deter Chinese tourists: ANA CEO

The number of inbound visitors from China was about 300,000 in July, he said, compared with 30,000 in January, says Koji Shibata.
An activist in Seoul protests Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 7, 2023

Anger at Fukushima’s wastewater; hope in its renewables

Good news and bad news out of Fukushima.
Japan center Ryoto Nakamura (left) breaks through to score the team's fifth try during its 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D opener against Chile in Toulouse, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023

Japan opens Rugby World Cup campaign with bonus-point win over Chile

The South American debutant put on a strong showing, but was undone by errors and eventually overwhelmed by the 2019 quarterfinalist.
Shuhei Abe, founder of Sparx Group, is seeking to put his ideas into action with a so-called engagement fund to invest in well-run but undervalued Japanese businesses.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2023

Buffett spurs Japan activist pioneer to seek $2 billion for fund

Shuhei Abe is seeking to put his ideas into action with a so-called engagement fund to invest in well-run but undervalued Japanese businesses.
Rapidus CEO Atsuyoshi Koike says his ambition is to realize a "Hokkaido Valley" that can compete against Silicon Valley in size.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2023

Japan's Rapidus aims to create a chipmaking 'Hokkaido Valley'

The startup, backed with billions of dollars in taxpayer funds, is plotting a course to mass-produce 2-nanometer logic chips by 2027.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

TSMC prizes Japan's chips skills after U.S. stumbles

The chipmaker is taking an increasingly optimistic view of Japan as a production base, as problems persist at its new factory in Arizona.
New Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa is seen in formal attire to attend an attestation ceremony after a Cabinet reshuffle in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

In Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle, two changes stand out

It will be the first time in 20 years that a woman has been foreign minister, while the new defense chief arrives amid dramatic shifts in defense posture.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a news conference during the trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2023

South Korea’s political bifurcation will stifle any trilateral agreement

The South Korean left, which is currently out of power, has a foreign policy agenda that is incompatible with the Camp David Principles.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a payload of 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 27.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 21, 2023

Satellite constellations taking on greater role in Japan's security

As Japan fine-tunes its national security strategy, the importance and future of satellite constellations is being examined.
Japan's Asaeli Ai Valu (left) and Atsushi Sakate celebrate with a Japanese flag after defeating Chile in their opening game of the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 10.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 16, 2023

Giant-slaying Japan turns attention to England at Rugby World Cup

Japan will have another chance to take down a rugby powerhouse when it meets England at the World Cup.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 17, 2023

Climate litigation remains a tough sell in Japan despite wins overseas

So far, Japan has seen just four climate lawsuits, all concerning the construction and operation of coal-fired power plants.
England's Ellis Genge (center) is tackled by Japan's Craig Millar (left) and Tomoki Osada during their match at the Rugby World Cup in Nice, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 18, 2023

Japan fails to keep up with England at Rugby World Cup

Japan fell to its first loss of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Sunday, going down 34-12 to England in Pool D in front of 30,500 at Stade de Nice.
Japan needs to win its remaining two Pool D games in order to progress to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 19, 2023

Error-strewn loss to England leaves Japan facing uphill battle

The kick-heavy encounter in Nice left discouraged Brave Blossoms fans knowing their team will need a major turnaround to match its 2019 quarterfinal run.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2023

The Bank of Japan faces a monetary policy conundrum

The BOJ may need to interpret the 2% price stability target more flexibly.
Many of the wealthy in Japan are becoming more keen to park their cash in private assets like equity, credit and real estate that aren't traded in public markets.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2023

Brokers tap demand for private assets among Japan's wealthy

Private assets are booming globally after decades-high inflation and rapid interest-rate hikes weighed on both shares and bonds.
BYD's Dolphin electric car during a test drive in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2023

BYD takes aim at Japan's EV market with new Dolphin hatchback

The base model Dolphin starts from ¥3.63 million and is equipped with a 70 kilowatt hour battery that offers 400 kilometers of range.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2023

In speech, Kishida seeks to maintain momentum for U.N. reform

Kishida stressed the importance of human security and alluded to the increasing dysfunction of the U.N. Security Council caused by Moscow's vetoing power.
A surgical center designed by Shigeru Ban Architects for a hospital in Lviv, Ukraine
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Shigeru Ban’s humanitarian architecture reaches Ukraine

Architect Shigeru Ban is working with the mayor of Lviv, in Ukraine, to expand a hospital and serve the growing number of people displaced by the war.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2023

Rapid military buildup a worry for Okinawans, governor says

"We must never allow people in Okinawa to go through the same horrible experience that we went through" in World War Two, said Denny Tamaki.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly meets with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in October.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 21, 2023

It's time for Canada to implement a foreign policy reset

Canada should strengthen partnerships with like-minded democratic allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore.
Sogo & Seibu’s flagship store in Ikebukuro is closed due to a strike on Aug. 31. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2023

As goes the Sogo department store, so goes Japan

The number of department stores located outside Japan's 10 biggest cities has dropped by 30% in the past decade.
Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture — around 90 minutes by express train from Tokyo — has never seen the mercury climb above 35 degrees Celsius, a benchmark the meteorological agency uses to describe “extremely hot” weather, since records began in the city in 1906.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 24, 2023

Japan’s endless summer pushes some toward cooler places

Amid a summerlong heat wave, more people are showing interest in moving to places like Katsuura that are known for their milder temperatures.
Women with portable electric fans in the Yurakucho district of Tokyo on Sept. 12. In Japan, Cool Biz became especially popular with women, who tended to wear lighter clothes and often complained about the cold temperatures needed to make business suits comfortable for their male colleagues.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023

Where did all the dark-suited Japanese businessmen go?

Under Cool Biz, salarymen and government workers don short-sleeved shirts in the summer as offices are kept above 28 degrees Celsius to save energy.
The Nikkei stock index on June 1. Japan equity has gained 95% since 2020, the highest rate among G7 nations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2023

Japan shows how to defeat secular stagnation

Outperforming other G7 countries on several economic indicators, Japan is demonstrating how prosperity can grow despite a shrinking population.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo