Search - 2020

 
 
Advertisements for the Dholera Smart City project, which is in the early stages of development, in Dholera, India, on Aug. 25. India’s government, seizing on the world’s desire to reduce reliance on China, is offering billions to build an entire semiconductor ecosystem on vast empty plots.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

Modi wants to make India a chipmaking superpower. Can he succeed?

The prime minister betting he can lure private companies to a future semiconductor city from not only across India but also the world.
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.
The sudden resignation of BP CEO Bernard Looney may mark a crossroads clean energy, as Looney was seen as pushing for a transition more aggressively than his industry peers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

BP chief’s surprise exit leaves questions over green strategy

BP said Tuesday that the 53-year-old CEO was departing after failing to fully disclose to the company board past relationships with colleagues.
Arata Oshima follows the events of Sept. 27, 2022 — the day of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s funeral — to capture the state of the nation in the documentary, “The Day of the State Funeral.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 14, 2023

‘The Day of the State Funeral’ bears witness to the end of the Abe era

Arata Oshima’s documentary about the official send-off for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a portrait of a nation adrift.
To the chagrin of many U.S. voters, the 2024 presidential election is likely to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2023

America faces a critical moment in its history

To the chagrin of most voters, the 2024 U.S. presidential election is likely to be a rematch between Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Passengers wait to board a shinkansen at Kyoto Station.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023

Nozomi shinkansen to halt nonreserved seats during peak periods

The restriction will apply between Dec. 28 this year and Jan. 4 as well as the Golden Week and Bon holiday periods.
The rubble of a home in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, on Aug. 16
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 14, 2023

China sows disinformation about Hawaii fires using new techniques

False posts carrying images apparently made using artificial intelligence put China among the first to have used these tools in such a campaign.
The incoming and outgoing presidents of Johnny & Associates, Noriyuki Higashiyama and Julie Keiko Fujishima, bow at a press conference on Sept. 7.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 14, 2023

Johnny’s talent agency has admitted to a past of abuse. What next?

Karin Kaneko joins the show to update us on how the story is unfolding.
People look on at what remains of Derna, Libya, on Thursday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 15, 2023

Libyans come together for flood aid effort despite conflict

Inside Derna, where a torrent washed away whole districts, volunteers from Misrata, Tripoli and Benghazi were distributing clothes and food packages.
Arm CEO Rene Haas rings the opening bell, as Softbank's Arm, a chip design firm, holds an initial public offering at Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2023

Chip designer Arm soars 25% in IPO win for owner SoftBank

Shares in the chip designer, still 90% owned by SoftBank, closed at $63.59 in New York trading Thursday, giving it a market value of over $65 billion.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Sep 15, 2023

Hunter Biden indicted on gun charges

Any charges against Biden are almost certain to be weaponized by Donald Trump and conservatives in his bid to regain the White House.
Philippine journalist and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa speaks during an interview in Manila on Tuesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 15, 2023

'It's up to us': Philippines' Maria Ressa fights for press freedom

Ressa and Rappler had faced five charges of tax evasion — they were acquitted of four in January and were cleared of the final charge on Tuesday.
Kabul is diverse and culturally rich, like the rest of Afghanistan. Yet the country has struggled with political inclusivity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 15, 2023

Japan can help pave the way for an inclusive Afghanistan

A new generation of Afghan leaders wants to be included in the country's future. Japan is well-positioned to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban.
Weightlifter Rim Un Sim is among the North Korean athletes scheduled to take part in this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 15, 2023

North Korea set to end sporting isolation at Asian Games in China

North Korea has 191 athletes signed up for the Asian Games, according to organizers.
A woman walks past a showroom for Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng in Beijing in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2023

Chinese EV makers pin hopes on Europe’s fading auto dealers

At the heart of their strategy is the traditional dealership model that European carmakers have been exiting in favor of direct sales.
On average, women spend more time on housework than men.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 18, 2023

It’s time for women to quit housework (again)

Women of the world unite in dedicating more time to yourselves and less to housework. Men might learn something along the way, too.
Sebastian Coe greets Mitsugi Ogata, president of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, during the closing ceremony of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Aug. 27.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 18, 2023

Sebastian Coe looks forward to full stadiums in Tokyo for worlds

Sebastian Coe says athletics will still be dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 in 2028.
Farmers harvest rice in a field in Chai Nat province, Thailand.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 18, 2023

Soaring rice prices sow hope and trouble for Thai farmers

Thailand's centuries-old rice cultivation system is under severe stress from climate change and unsustainable farm debts.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023

Debate grows in Japan over proposed background checks for teachers

The Children and Families Agency is proposing to make screening for criminal convictions mandatory for people looking to work in schools or nurseries.
Mia Lee Sorensen with her Danish mother, Lilian Hansen, 72, and father, Bent Hansen, 74, on the coast of Korsor, Denmark, on July 13. South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt and predatory adoption system.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 18, 2023

World’s largest ‘baby exporter’ confronts its painful past

South Korean adoptees have been returning to the country to hold the government accountable for what they call a corrupt adoption system.
Banking on strong investor appetite for emerging market growth in the absence of Chinese stock offerings, some Southeast Asian companies are considering listing in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2023

More Southeast Asian firms consider U.S. IPOs

Senior executives at some firms have said they were looking into New York as one of their initial public offering venues.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 19, 2023

CDP and DPP face growing rift three years after merger failure

While the DPP has taken a cooperative line with the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition, the CDP has taken a confrontational stance toward the LDP.
Couples prepare to have their photo taken during a wedding photography shoot on a in Shanghai on Sept. 6.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2023

Fewer 'I dos' ruin the party for China's $500 billion wedding industry

The trend is worrying officials trying to revive marriage rates and birth rates, which dropped to record lows last year.
China with its government subsidies has become a dominant player in the EV market, causing concern in Europe and the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2023

EV leadership means more than just sales figures

EV dominance matters because electric vehicles are the future.
Shohei Ohtani had surgery on his right elbow in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 20, 2023

Shohei Ohtani not expected to pitch in 2024 after elbow surgery

Shohei Ohtani underwent a procedure on his elbow on Tuesday.
North Korea's Ri Jo Guk (center) celebrates his goal against Taiwan in the men's soccer competition of the Asian Games in Jinhua, China, on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Sep 20, 2023

North Korea wins in international return as rival South hits nine

North Koreans are competing at the Hangzhou-hosted Asian Games in sports including athletics, gymnastics, basketball, football, boxing and weightlifting.
An image of Jathedar Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded that India treat Canada's allegations of Nijjar's killing with "utmost seriousness."
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2023

Canada worked closely with U.S. on India's possible link to killing: source

U.S. authorities, earlier on Tuesday, said they supported Canada's investigation.
Migrants arrive in the harbor of the Italian island of Lampedusa. On Monday, Italy extended its detention periods for illegal migrants to deter arrivals after record boat crossings from North Africa.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2023

Italy changes tack on EU naval mission, repurposed as blockade

Critics say pushing back boats would violate international asylum rules and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The decision by Johnny & Associates during a news conference on Sept. 7 to retain the company name — despite its association with an alleged sexual predator — drew a lot of public criticism.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 20, 2023

Johnny & Associates considers changing name as criticism mounts

On its website, the agency said it was “discussing the future of the company, taking into consideration opinions and criticisms.”
Fans watch the F1 Tokyo Festival outside Kabukicho Tower in Shinjuku Ward on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 20, 2023

Formula One fans fill up Tokyo festival ahead of Japanese Grand Prix

Thousands skipped work and school to get a glimpse of two-time champion Max Verstappen, hometown hero Yuki Tsunoda and other drivers.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami