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Rapidus, which aims to produce next-generation chips domestically, is building a factory in Hokkaido.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 8, 2024

Japanese banks gear up lending for chip-related industries

Lenders have set up specialized teams and are collaborating with regional rivals to aid sectors that might benefit from the emergence of chip factories.
On Monday, a heatstroke alert was issued in 27 of the nation’s 47 prefectures, including seven in the Kanto region.
JAPAN
Jul 8, 2024

Unseasonal heat in Japan raises prospect of top-level heatstroke alert

The alert is issued when the wet-bulb globe temperature is expected to hit at least 35 degrees Celsius at all monitoring points in a prefecture.
Spain forward Lamine Yamal celebrates his team's win over France in the Euro 2024 semifinals on Tuesday in Munich.
SOCCER
Jul 10, 2024

Spanish teen Lamine Yamal coy over 'dream come true' wonder strike

Sixteen-year-old Yamal eclipsed Brazilian great Pele to become the youngest player to score in a World Cup or Euros with a stunning 21st-minute strike.
In order to emphasize its grandeur, architect Gonkuro Kume designed the entrance hall of Nikko Kanaya Hotel's Annex Building with "karahafu" curved gables.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 10, 2024

Nikko Kanaya Hotel: A gateway to the art of Meiji Japan in the hills of Tochigi

Over 150 years on, the structure stands as a remarkable example of Japanese art and architecture in an era known for rapid modernization.
England's Ollie Watkins (left) celebrates with teammate Marc Guehi after their victory over the Netherlands in their Euro 2024 semifinal in Dortmund, Germany, on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jul 11, 2024

Gareth Southgate says England hungry for more after dramatic semifinal win at Euro 2024

England's overall performance was an emphatic answer to the criticism that has been heaped on the side after languid showings earlier in the tournament.
From a Michelin-star kitchen in Italy to a central-Tokyo gelateria, Masako Minaguchi of Gelato MinNa believes doing what you love should always be a priority.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 11, 2024

Masako Minaguchi: ‘Gelato is full of possibilities’

From a Michelin-star kitchen in Italy to a central-Tokyo gelateria, this foodie believes doing what you love should always be a priority.
Barbora Krejcikova kisses the trophy after winning the Wimbledon women's singles title on Saturday over Jasmine Paolini.
TENNIS
Jul 14, 2024

Inspired Krejcikova emulates mentor Novotna with Wimbledon triumph

The 2021 French Open champion added the Venus Rosewater Dish to her bulging trophy cabinet that also includes 10 Grand Slam doubles prizes.
Passersby holding parasols walk through Tokyo on July 9 amid a heatstroke alert in the capital and other prefectures.
JAPAN / Boiling Point
Jul 19, 2024

Boiling Point

This special series focused on this year’s scorching summer will also lay the groundwork for enhanced heat coverage in future years.
A passerby holding a parasol wipes her face as she walks on the street amid a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures, in Tokyo on July 9.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Boiling Point
Jul 19, 2024

How to prevent and respond to heatstroke in Japan this summer

Staying hydrated and controlling the rise in one's body temperature are the fundamental ways for preventing and alleviating heat-related illnesses.
Misaki Nobata competes at the World University Games in 2023. A hero in her hometown of Oita, Nobata is one of three Japanese shooters who will compete at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Shooting
Jul 19, 2024

‘Sniper from Oita’ sets her sights on Paris Olympics target

In a country with strict anti-gun laws, 20-year-old university student and rifle shooter Misaki Nobata is not your typical Olympian.
Supporters of former president Donald Trump pray during a benediction on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 19, 2024

Unpacking America's puzzling election dynamics

If the Republican Party sacrifices the true interests of the U.S. and its allies in order to win the presidency, it will no longer be the Grand Old Party.
As childish as Ryokan may have been, human suffering wrung his heart. A portrait of the monk and calligraphy by him are shown here. (Ink on paper; early 19th century; replica before 1970)
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Jul 21, 2024

Ryokan and us: 'How wide! How boundless!'

The Edo Period monk could see the world through a child's eyes, maybe even those of a child from our modern era.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media after his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, to stake claim to form the new government at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi on June 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 24, 2024

India's budget reflects new power realities of Modi's fickle coalition

Modi has been forced to rely on allies to run a government for the first time in his career.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 25, 2024

What the ‘extreme’ Project 2025 says and who wrote it

Recent polling shows there has been a dramatic uptick in awareness and negative views of Project 2025 since late June, when U.S. Democrats began emphasizing it.
Novak Djokovic embraces Rafael Nadal at the net following their men's singles match at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
OLYMPICS / Tennis
Jul 30, 2024

Djokovic hopes 'unique' rivalry with Nadal continues

Novak Djokovic said he hoped he would get more chances to play Rafael Nadal after beating his old rival in the second round of the Olympics on Monday.
Ukraine's Olga Kharlan celebrates on the podium after winning Olympic bronze in the women's sabre event at the Paris Games on Monday.
OLYMPICS / Fencing
Jul 30, 2024

Ukrainian fencer dedicates medal to countrymen killed in the war

The war has torn apart old alliances in fencing, and heightened the acrimony between Russia and Ukraine.
Spain's Rafael Nadal waves goodbye after he and Carlos Alcaraz lost their men's doubles match on Wednesday at the Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Tennis
Aug 1, 2024

Nadal says he may not return to Roland Garros after Olympic exit

Rafael Nadal admitted he may have played at Roland Garros for the final time after he and Carlos Alcaraz were dumped out of the Olympics men's doubles on Wednesday.
Hideki Matsuyama in action during the first round of the Olympic men's golf tournament in Guyancourt, France, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Golf
Aug 2, 2024

Matsuyama leads Schauffele as golfers hail Olympic experience

Former Masters champion Matsuyama is looking to making the podium after missing out on a bronze medal in a playoff three years ago at the Tokyo Games.
Founded in the early 2000s, Ichiro's Malt has since become a third pole in Japan's whisky world dominated by beverage giants.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 4, 2024

In sleepy Chichibu, Japan's whisky landscape is quietly shifting

Ichiro’s signature flavor profile of rich, woodsy flavors complemented by a clear fruitiness owes in large part to the tempermental 'mizunara' Japanese oak.
Tigers players, including Ukyo Maegawa (center), celebrate their win over the Giants at Koshien Stadium on Thursday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 2, 2024

Tigers celebrate Koshien's 100th with victory over rival Giants

"Everyone understood the importance of this three-game series," manager Akinobu Okada said. "It's great to win in such a memorable way on this special day."
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attend the Japan-U.S. Extended Deterrence Dialogue in Tokyo on July 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 7, 2024

Japan-U.S. alliance transforms with concrete 'two-plus-two' talks

Despite the long and challenging history of Japan-U.S. two-plus-two meetings, this year's Tokyo meeting was truly groundbreaking.
Children attend a class at a Brazilian school in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, in April 2020.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 9, 2024

Over 8,500 foreign children in Japan may not be in school, ministry says

The number of such children grew by 418 from a year before, according to a ministry survey of education boards of 1,741 municipalities.
A monitor shows an increase in the 225-issue Nikkei average, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 13, 2024

Nikkei surges 3.5% on return from holiday as weak yen supports

The Nikkei average ended the day at the session's peak of 36,232.51, trading higher in the last 40 minutes of trading.
After 80 years, Toshimizu Ishii is speaking out on his experience making balloon bombs during World War II.
JAPAN / History
Aug 14, 2024

96-year-old recounts WWII experience in Fukushima balloon bomb exhibit

"Back then, I didn’t think much about it," Toshimizu Ishii admitted. "But now, I see how senseless it all was."
Health minister Keizo Takemi fields questions from reporters in March after a Cabinet meeting to deal with health problems caused by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's beni kōji red yeast rice supplements.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 14, 2024

Health Minister Keizo Takemi on how to improve Japan's health care system

Digitalization, hiring high-skilled foreign workers and increasing wages are among the steps that Japan could take.
The Shein logo adors the company's first pop-up store in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 2.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2024

Seoul authorities find toxic substances in Shein and Temu products

The explosive growth has led to increased scrutiny of their business practices and safety standards, including in the EU and South Korea.
Japan is divided into many different regions, sometimes distinguishing areas of the country by old borders or climate.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 16, 2024

When it comes to Japan, do you know your 'Kanto' from your 'Kanto-koshin'?

Japanese people tend to travel to their hometowns around this time of year, and asking where they went is an easy conversation starter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov in Moscow on July 30.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

In rare interview, key Putin ally says West risks global war over Ukraine

The head of the Rostec arms maker slams U.S. over moves to "provoke" the Ukraine conflict by allowing Kyiv to attack Russian territory.
Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, has been arrested as part of an investigation of crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 27, 2024

Telegram CEO arrested in probe into child porn, drug trafficking on app

The investigation over suspected complicity in various crimes includes the refusal to communicate information to authorities.
A Couche-Tard convenience store in Montreal. Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard has made a preliminary non-binding proposal to buy 7-Eleven owner Seven & I Holdings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2024

Couche-Tard might finance Seven & I takeover with debt

A leveraged acquisition would be feasible because of the Japanese company's strong cash flow, people familiar with the Canadian retailer’s thinking said.

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