Search - 2020

 
 
U.S. President Joe Biden (second from rigt), U.S. first lady Jill Biden (right), Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (second from left) and Jaime Green, first lady of Hawaii, visit an area devastated by wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Monday.
WORLD / Society
Aug 22, 2023

Biden vows to help Maui rebuild after ‘unimaginable tragedy’

"Whatever you need, you’re going to get,” Biden said in the historic town of Lahaina, which was ravaged by the fires, vowing to help residents rebuild.
A COVID-19 test swab is placed into a tube in Hilversum, the Netherlands, in November 2020.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 22, 2023

Two years after catching COVID, patients still risk getting sick

People who were not hospitalized for acute COVID-19 still had a higher risk than uninfected people of developing long COVID-related disorders.
A bulk carrier at the Panama Canal on April 19
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2023

Historic drought and hot seas slow Panama Canal shipping

Restrictions already are sending China-U.S. spot shipping prices up as much as 36% amid soaring sea temperatures.
An Air Koryo plane is reflected in a glass structure of the airport in Pyongyang in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 22, 2023

North Korea sees first passenger flight in three years

An Air Koryo flight from Pyongyang landed in Beijing early Tuesday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns began in 2020.
Shinobu Yamanaka, a mom of three sons and director of a day care facility in Konan, Kochi Prefecture, serves up to eight "members" six days a week.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2023

Kochi dementia care center aims to set new paradigm in Japan

A new generation of people with Alzheimer’s in Japan are trying to change not only dementia care but also social attitudes toward patients.
An office worker in London. A new report found that 36% of so-called workpoints — cubicles and desks — are never occupied, "indicating a general oversupply.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 23, 2023

More than one-third of desks globally sit empty all week long

The dearth of desk usage could prompt employers to rethink their real estate needs.
Former U.S. President and 2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump walks off stage after speaking at an event in Las Vegas on July 8.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 23, 2023

Trump set to upstage Republican rivals despite debate no-show

Five months ahead of the start of primary elections to choose the party's flag-bearer, the runaway front-runner's grassroots support is as strong as ever.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Aug 23, 2023

A closer look at sumo's 'hot hand' after Hokutofuji's Nagoya run

Hokutofuji’s career best 12-win outing in July not only came out of the blue, but was his first winning record of any kind since the previous September.
A transfer student (Yuta Kishi, bottom center) hoping to find romance at his new school gets more than he bargained for in Toichiro Ruto’s manga adaptation, “G-Men.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 24, 2023

‘G-Men’: Pop heartthrobs surprise in silly smackdown

Toichiro Ruto’s film about a class of delinquent high-school brawlers scrapes by with a passing grade.
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 24, 2023

A closer look at the Fukushima water discharge plan

The IAEA, the Japanese government and many nuclear experts say this process is safe and consistent with what other countries are doing.
New Zealand coach Ian Foster is not concerned about former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen helping Australia prepare for the Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Aug 24, 2023

All Blacks coach Ian Foster has no issues with Steve Hansen helping Australia

New Zealand head coach Ian Foster insisted Wednesday he had known for a month that predecessor Steve Hansen had agreed to help rival Australia prepare for the Rugby World Cup.
Locals protest the release of tritium-laced water from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant on Thursday in the town of Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 24, 2023

Fukushima locals worry about the 'what ifs' from water release

Towns and villages around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant were buzzing with the “what ifs” from the plant’s tritium-laced water release on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 25, 2023

Japan's top court takes steps to ensure preservation of case records

The Supreme Court plans to work hard to change the mentality of court officials and prevent any recurrence of document destruction.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2023

Japan to reduce number of COVID-19 panel members

Those who will leave the panel will include Shigeru Omi, 74, its chairman, who has played an important role as an expert on public health.
The Netherlands' Femke Bol (left) and Shamier Little of the U.S. compete during the women's 400-meter hurdles at the world championships in Budapest on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Aug 25, 2023

Femke Bol captures long-awaited gold in 400-meter hurdles at worlds

Bol's win helped her put last week's crushing relay heartbreak behind her.
T-shirts and hats with an image depicting the mug shot of former President Donald Trump are pictured at the Y-Que printing store in Los Angeles on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 26, 2023

Owning it: Trump embraces historic mug shot

T-shirts, mugs and stickers bearing the first mug shot of a serving or former U.S. president were put out within hours of the photo's release.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump stands on the green during the Official Pro-Am Tournament ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Series event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 10.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 26, 2023

Tilting the scales of justice: Trump height and weight raise eyebrows

Does Donald Trump truly weigh 215 pounds, as stated by authorities after his arrest? Many Americans are not buying it.
Materials derived from cabbage (left), iyokan (center) and onion by Tokyo-based startup Fabula, which is working to develop new materials that can replace concrete.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Aug 27, 2023

Japan’s scrap-and-rebuild culture faces an environmental reckoning

The nation's tendency toward new construction — rather than renovation — is coming under renewed scrutiny amid concerns over sustainability.
A woman carries food to customers at a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 27, 2023

Hong Kong turns to tycoons to get party scene back on track

The government is urging major property groups to help boost the nighttime economy via drink coupons, free events and later shopping hours.
U.S. President Joe Biden has so far not commented on 91 felony counts in four indictments leveled at Donald Trump this year.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 28, 2023

Trump trials: A challenge and opportunity for Biden

So far, Biden hasn't weighed in on Trump's legal woes, which could boost the Republican's campaign while also shedding light on his alleged crimes.
Pham Minh Chinh, Vietnam's prime minister, at a summit in Brussels in December 2022
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 28, 2023

Flagging growth fuels tensions clouding Vietnam premier’s future

Despite some successes, failure to hit the country's ambitious growth target could be career-damaging for PM Pham Minh Chinh.
Paris, where self-service electric scooters will be banned from Sept. 1, is about to join the few cities in the world that have opted for a ban, with many other municipalities opting for more or less strict restrictions.
WORLD / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Boon or blight? E-scooters around the world

While users hail them as eco-friendly ways to avoid gridlock, detractors consider them as an unsightly menace with the power to maim and kill.
Noah Lyles of the United States celebrates after winning the men's 200m final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Friday.
BASKETBALL
Aug 29, 2023

Sprint king Lyles draws NBA players' ire over 'world champion' claims

Lyles said he is offended when teams declare themselves "world champions" for winning an NBA crown.
In its quake damage estimates updated last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government expects that 4.53 million people will be unable to return home in the aftermath of a massive quake hitting the capital.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2023

Over-concentration in Tokyo raising risks from possible quake

The government estimate that up to 23,000 people would be killed if a massive quake hits the capital.
Just 17.4% of small and midsize companies in Tokyo have developed business continuity plans to prepare for emergencies including natural disasters, according to a recent survey.
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2023

Only 23% of Tokyo companies have business continuity plans, survey shows

Efforts to create such plans did not spread widely among companies although many had their operations disrupted due to the March 2011 quake and tsunami.
Then Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and U.S. President Donald Trump meet during their final debate ahead of the 2020 election, in Nashville, Tennessee, in October of that year.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2023

Trump vs. Biden: Do American voters want either?

Confidence among the American public in their leaders and in their political system continues to erode.
As China slips into deflation, one word is popping up more and more to describe the gloomy atmospherics: "Japanification."
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 30, 2023

'Japanification' for China? It should be so lucky.

China is not on the path to global dominance nor set for collapse, and observers should consider the various shades of gray in analyzing these countries.
People celebrate in support of a military coup, in a street in Port-Gentil, Gabon, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 30, 2023

President Ali Bongo detained as military coup declared in Gabon

Officers declared on television that election results had been canceled, borders were closed and state institutions were dissolved.
Police and security personnel stand outside the entrance of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Tuesday. Japan said that harassment being faced by its citizens in China after the Fukushima water release was "extremely regrettable," confirming that a brick was thrown at the country's embassy in Beijing.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Fukushima water release dampens chances of Japan-China detente

Japan is now bracing for a new period of wide-ranging tensions with its neighbor as the strained ties look likely to continue into the months ahead.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's Hyuga destroyer leads the MSDF fleet during the International Fleet Review to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the MSDF's foundation, in Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, last November.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 31, 2023

Japan seeks record ¥7.7 trillion defense budget as buildup continues

The budget request signals that Tokyo remains committed to following through on historic defense reforms instituted in December.

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