Search - 2020

 
 
Cybersecurity is a growing concern in Taiwan as the island sits at the center of U.S.-China tensions and has a critical presidential election in January.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 12, 2023

Taiwan taps experts and U.S. to prepare banks for cyberattacks

Officials in Taipei are consulting security experts from the U.S. Treasury Department and American cybersecurity specialists to simulate attacks.
Former Self-Defense Forces member Rina Gonoi arrives Tuesday at the Fukushima District Court, which found three ex-soldiers guilty of sexually assaulting her.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2023

Guilty verdicts in SDF sexual assault case

Rina Gonoi, 24, took to YouTube last year to share her account after an internal military probe was dropped for lack of evidence.
An attendee plays Fortnite, made by Epic Games, during the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in 2019.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 12, 2023

Legal defeat for Google threatens $200 billion app store industry

Until now, Google and Apple have charged commissions of as much as 30% to software developers who typically have had few other options.
Naoya Maekawa, an associate professor at Fukushima University, speaks of the importance of passing on lessons from Japan's 2011 disasters.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 18, 2023

Knowledge of 2011 disaster declining among young, survey shows

An academic behind the survey says memories of the disaster are fading.
The development of AI worries many, including Sam Altman, who testified in Congress in May that he was "nervous" about the technology's ability to compromise election integrity.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 12, 2023

A look at the world's first AI-powered political campaign caller

Ashley is one of the first examples of how generative AI is ushering in a new era of political campaigning.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 13, 2023

Dodgers, Red Sox and Jays to meet with Yoshinobu Yamamoto

While only one MLB pitcher has ever signed for over $300 million, speculation has Yamamoto potentially landing a deal that would approach that figure.
Shingo Takashima, a 26-year-old doctor, killed himself three months into his specialty doctor training at a general hospital in Kobe.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Dec 13, 2023

Young doctor’s suicide highlights overwork culture at Japan hospitals

The issue is coming into sharper focus ahead of the April implementation of a legal cap on doctors’ overtime.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 13, 2023

Sumo's big ticketing problem

Securing tickets for sumo's biggest matches can be a headache, particularly for sumo's many foreign fans, partially due to outdated information online.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda (center) attends a party hosted by his faction, which was previously led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in May in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

Focus turns to replacements as scandal-hit LDP ministers face ax

In a news conference Wednesday evening, Fumio Kishida said he would make replacements the following day but declined to comment on the details.
JAPAN
Dec 13, 2023

Sapporo to stop efforts to pursue Winter Games

Sapporo initially worked toward hosting the 2030 Games but abandoned this plan because of a lack of public support.
Shohei Ohtani is joining a franchise that has long been a trailblazer in an increasingly diverse and global game.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 13, 2023

In a land of stars, Los Angeles can’t stop talking about Ohtani

Dodgers fans were still beside themselves days after Ohtani agreed to the most lucrative contract in sports history.
An epidemic-prevention worker in a protective suit stands guard at the gate of a residential compound in Beijing in November last year.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 14, 2023

Scientists see lost opportunities for long COVID research in China

While China's unique experiences could provide valuable insights, there is little to suggest that the country is interested in conducting such studies.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones celebrates after the team's victory over the U.S. at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 14, 2023

Make friends, start winning again: Eddie Jones' to-do list

Here are five challenges facing 63-year-old Eddie Jones as he returns to the Brave Blossoms.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 14, 2023

Former Tokyo Games executive pleads not guilty over bribery

Haruyuki Takahashi is accused of accepting about ¥200 million in bribes to help firms be selected as sponsors and marketing agents for the Games.
Shohei Ohtani puts on a Dodgers cap and uniform during his introductory news conference at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 15, 2023

Shohei Ohtani says shared commitment to winning led him to Dodgers

The one-of-a-kind talent received a Hollywood intro Thursday as he began his new chapter with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The image of activist Frances Hui is displayed during a news conference to issue arrest warrants in Hong Kong on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 15, 2023

Hong Kong police expand dragnet on overseas pro-democracy activists

The move, which adds to a list of eight overseas activists deemed fugitives by authorities in July, triggered criticism from the U.S. and U.K.
Visitors in the last gallery of “Yves Saint Laurent, Across the Style” at the National Art Center, Tokyo, view designs inspired by fine art.
CULTURE / Art / 2023 in Review
Dec 16, 2023

Eager crowds congested Tokyo’s biggest art museums in 2023

Art fans came with wallets ready for a lineup of blockbuster exhibitions, creating bottlenecks at photo-friendly masterpieces and gift shops.
An exhibition on marine life at COP28 in Dubai. The conversation around oceans and climate change was not the main focus of the conference, despite the key role oceans play in absorbing carbon.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 15, 2023

COP28, didn't the oceans deserve more attention?

Oceans are key to mitigating climate change and severely impacted by it. Yet they didn't take center stage at COP28 — though some progress was made.
A New South Wales firetruck at a hazard reduction burn site in Sydney in September
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 16, 2023

Australia swelters through heat wave amid 'extreme' fire danger

Heat wave alerts were in place for parts of Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
South Korea's Jung Hoo Lee bats during a World Baseball Classic pool game against Australia at Tokyo Dome on March 9.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 16, 2023

South Korea's Lee promises to impress San Francisco Giants fans

The 25-year-old left-handed slugger won five Golden Gloves as best overall KBO League player at his position over his seven seasons for the Kiwoom Heroes.
F-16s will help Kyiv address a problem that has persisted from the start of the invasion in February 2022: Russia’s more modern combat aircraft have been difficult for Ukraine’s military to counter with its own aging fighters.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 18, 2023

How F-16 fighter jets could reshape Ukraine's aerial battlefield

Russia’s more modern combat aircraft have been difficult for Ukraine’s military to counter with its own aging fighters.
Rescue workers conduct search and rescue operations in the village of Kangdiao, following the earthquake in Jishishan county, Gansu province, China, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 19, 2023

Earthquake kills at least 116 in northwestern China

Rescuers were searching for survivors after the quake, which jolted Jishishan County in Gansu province late Monday.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 devices displayed in Los Angeles. Apple said on Dec. 18 it will stop selling some of its smartwatch models in the United States while it fights a patent battle over technology for detecting blood oxygen levels.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2023

Apple plans rescue for $17 billion watch biz in face of U.S. ban

If the ban holds, Apple is working on a range of legal and technical options.
A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts in Grindavik, Iceland, on Monday.
WORLD
Dec 19, 2023

Volcano erupts near evacuated town in Iceland

The eruption near capital Reykjavík has not affected flights in the country's main international airport.
An office of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance in Tokyo in 2016.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2023

FTC inspects nonlife insurers over alleged joint contract cartel

The on-site probes follow reports the firms prearranged premiums for joint insurance contracts with corporate and public entities.
Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, speaks during a news conference ahead of the winter session of Parliament in New Delhi on Dec. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2023

Five elections in 2024 that will shape the global order

With half the world heading to the polls in 2024, and some 30 countries electing a president, here are five key elections to watch.
In Toshiba, JIP takes on a sprawling company far bigger and more complex than any it acquired before.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 19, 2023

In buying Toshiba, JIP takes on corporate Japan's toughest job

While the fund has quietly built up a track record by carving out businesses from big manufacturers, Toshiba is more complex than any it acquired before.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a presidential campaign rally at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2023

Trump ineligible for ballot, Colorado Supreme Court rules

The case centers on a post-Civil War-era provision of the U.S. Constitution that bans insurrectionists from holding public office.
Buildings in Xiamen on mainland China across the Taiwan Strait from anti-landing barriers on a beach in Kinmen, Taiwan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2023

Taiwan’s ability to defend against Chinese invasion questioned

For all the support given by Washington, the reality is that when it comes to both civil and military defense, Taiwan still has a lot to do.
While non-Japanese readers have in recent years been spoiled for choice when it comes to Japanese literature in translation, there is still a wealth of notable works that translators would love to see rendered into English.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2023

A wish list of hidden gems for Japanese literature lovers

Eight translators reveal their top Japanese books that English readers have yet to enjoy.

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