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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 1, 2022

North Korea's Kim talks food — not nukes — for 2022

The domestic focus of the speech underscored the economic crises Kim faces at home, where self-imposed anti-pandemic border lockdowns have left North Korea more isolated than ever before.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 31, 2021

China punishes people trying to flee COVID-19 controls in Xian

Local police have had to track down people attempting to duck the tight controls, with quarantine and other, unspecified, penalties being handed out.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 31, 2021

South Korean ex-president Park freed after nearly 5 years in prison

President Moon Jae-in granted a special pardon to Park last week, citing her deteriorating health.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 31, 2021

Experts and governors warn of U.S. omicron 'blizzard' in weeks ahead

The warning came as the U.S. reached a record high in COVID-19 cases, while federal officials issued more travel warnings and prepared to authorize booster shots for 12- to 15-year-olds.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 31, 2021

Dubai can’t shake off the stain of smuggled African gold

The U.N. has found a discrepancy of at least $4 billion between the United Arab Emirates' declared gold imports from Africa and what African countries say they exported to the UAE.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA
Dec 30, 2021

‘Every hooper’s dream’: NBA hopefuls get their chance during crisis

A 10-day contract has typically been like a tryout for players, with several signees getting longer deals to stay with their teams for the rest of the season and beyond.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 30, 2021

New Xinjiang chief expected to maintain policies while boosting economic focus

Ma Xingrui's stewardship of Guangdong, China's largest provincial economy, may point to why he was chosen to replace Chen Quanguo, who oversaw a heavy handed security campaign.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 30, 2021

This college bowl season, the toughest opponent is COVID-19

On Tuesday, hours before the scheduled kickoff in San Diego, UCLA announced that it would not be able to play North Carolina State in the Holiday Bowl.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 30, 2021

How will China change under Xi Jinping’s 'common prosperity?' Citizens respond.

Comments from up-and-coming voices in some key areas of the economy were broadly optimistic, but many Chinese people feel much less upbeat about the future.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 30, 2021

The winners and losers in Japan's stock market, and what to watch in 2022

Shipping stocks topped advancers on the Nikkei 225 Stock Average this year, and commodities-related groups were among the best performers on the Topix.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 29, 2021

So long, 2021

We hear from listeners about their high points in 2021.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2021

America would be much happier with more people

Even measured in absolute terms, the increase in U.S. population growth was smaller than during the confluence of World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2021

A diplomatic way out in Ukraine

With Russia facing such clear downsides if it opts for war, diplomacy has a reasonable chance of averting conflict.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2021

Mercedes-Benz swept up in latest China internet furor over model’s eyes

The episode, reported by a state media outlet, has made the maker of luxury cars the latest target of consumer nationalism in China.
Swallows star Norichika Aoki announced his plan to retire on Friday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 13, 2024

Swallows great Norichika Aoki to retire

Veteran Tokyo Yakult Swallows outfielder Norichika Aoki, one of the best hitters Japan has ever seen, plans to retire at the end of this season, he announced on Friday.
A supermarket in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, operated by Aeon. Shares of Aeon have extended their gains to 25% this year and reached a record high this week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2024

Seven & I proposal fuels rally in Japanese retailers like Aeon

An increase in Japan’s consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of Asia’s second-biggest gross economy, is also supporting retailers.
An attendee wears an Apple Vision Pro while holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro during an event at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday. Apple introduced the latest version of its flagship device, the iPhone 16.
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2024

The genie is out of the bottle and headed for your phone

The touchscreen smartphone is now humankind's ubiquitous companion, and with each new product release, phone makers unveil new innovations.
(From left) Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, digital minister Taro Kono, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi pose for photographs at the ruling party's headquarters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 13, 2024

LDP presidential candidates field questions on political reform and economy

At their first joint news conference after the start of campaigning, they gave their views on party and political reform and argued for a strong economic strategy.
Looming interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and a new hawkishness on the part of the Bank of Japan can make a claim for the yens recent movements.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2024

Epic yen rally is a lesson in the lost art of FX intervention

Japan's own proactive currency interventions have played a crucial role in the yen's recent recovery.
Activists hold up symbolic eye masks during a protest against deepfake porn in Seoul on Aug. 30.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2024

South Korea is facing deepfake porn crisis

The industry creating AI technology must develop safeguards to address this epidemic.
Oasis band members Liam and Noel Gallagher are the subjects of a mural by artist Pic.One.Art in the Burnage area of Manchester, England.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Sep 14, 2024

A potential reunited Oasis gig in Japan should have promoters salivating

The British rock act has a huge Japanese following, one that could provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the country's summer festivals.
The Baden-Württemberg frigate and a support vessel sailed through the strait on Friday, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a news conference in Berlin.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 14, 2024

Germany sails first warship through Taiwan Strait in 22 years

The move defied Chinese warnings as relations between the two sides fray over trade and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy as he arrives at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in London on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 14, 2024

Diplomacy over Ukraine war is about weapons more than peace talks

For both Ukraine and Russia, battlefield gains now might provide an upper hand in any negotiations later. That’s reflected in their discussions over arms with allies.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, a candidate in the LDP presidential election, speaks during a televised debate in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 15, 2024

LDP presidential front-runners Koizumi and Ishiba split on snap election

While the two front-runners vie to be Japan’s next prime minister, conservative firebrand Sanae Takaichi gains momentum in the polls.
China's water resources ministry on Saturday launched a level-four emergency response — the lowest in a tiered system — for flooding in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 15, 2024

Flights grounded in Shanghai as China prepares for typhoon

Typhoon Bebinca's expected landfall will come during the Mid-Autumn Festival public holiday.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni meet on Monday and plan to discuss a proposal for Ukraine to use British long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles on Russian territory.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 16, 2024

U.K.’s Starmer seeks Italy’s support for missiles to Ukraine

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to Rome comes days after he met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington.
LDP presidential race candidates give campaign speeches in Nagoya on Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2024

Ishiba and Takaichi struggle to widen support among LDP lawmakers

The situation is still uncertain, as about 100 LDP lawmakers have not decided whom to support in the Sept. 27 party leadership election.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past