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In the quest for immortality, some researchers believe mind uploading will be our ticket to an eternal existence.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 8, 2024

Japan’s take on immortality; problems in Palworld

As scientists and technologists attempt to tackle the problem of aging and death, we discuss Japanese ideas about immortality.
Elon Musk has gone as far as to say that with technological advances, “there will come a point where no job is needed.” Musk revealed his own artificial intelligence chatbot, dubbed Grok, last year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 9, 2024

Firms pausing hiring and axing staff quietly as AI craze persists

While some industry leaders have been outspoken about AI’s potential to transform work, there is caution over citing the new tech as a reason for cuts.
Copies of the Apple Daily newspaper, published by Next Digital Ltd., at the company's printing facility in Hong Kong on Nov. 5, 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

In Trump-Biden rematch, the only sure loser is China

Trump’s rhetoric may pressure Biden to take harsher measures in the run-up to election day — bad news for China’s economy and slumping stock market.
People lay flowers and candles at a memorial in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin on Sunday, following the death of the Kremlin's most prominent critic Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2024

Russian courts hand jail terms to dozens of Navalny mourners

Anti-Kremlin demonstrations or public shows of opposition to the regime are effectively illegal in Russia.
The Japanese equity market is likely to benefit a lot from the Bank of Japan's exit from its ultraeasy monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 19, 2024

BlackRock sees Japan stocks as big winner from BOJ policy shift

Japan seems to be in its final stage of declaring victory over decades of deflation.
For all of U.S. President Joe Biden’s talk about the sanctions, his team is still unwilling to go after revenue streams that experts argue would really cripple Russia’s economy, for fear of setting off broad shocks that could rebound on the U.S. economy.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2024

U.S. sidesteps riskiest sanctions in latest move against Russia

The U.S. is concerned that the toughest measures left in Washington's arsenal risk roiling the global economy.
DeNA plans to co-develop Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket with Creatures Co. for launch on both iOS and Android devices this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 28, 2024

Shares in DeNA soar on announcement of new Pokemon trading card game

The smartphone game was one of a flurry of announcements on the 28th anniversary of the first Pokemon game release.
Shiseido is aiming to cut about 1,500 jobs in Japan through early retirement program.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

Outliers in Japanese stocks’ bull run under pressure to downsize

A rising number of blue-chip Japanese companies are cutting staff — a move that used to be seen as a last resort.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives for a meeting of a parliamentary ethics committee at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Feb. 29.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 7, 2024

Kishida's three challenges: Discipline, by-elections and Motegi

How the prime minister handles these matters could impact his political future as well as that of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Kathy Matsui in 2019
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2024

Ex-Goldman executive Kathy Matsui says womenomics needs work

Matsui said the effort to increase women in leadership positions is "a matter of trial and error to find the best fit” for companies.
TSMC and other leading-edge chipmakers are engaged in negotiations with the Commerce Department over a pool of about $28 billion in grants targeted for advanced factories.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 9, 2024

TSMC to win more than $5 billion in grants for U.S. chip plant

The move would mark a major milestone in U.S. President Joe Biden’s effort to revitalize American semiconductor manufacturing.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 15, 2024

Japan starts clinical trial of familial Alzheimer's treatment

The clinical trial is under way in 16 countries, with four people in their 30s to 50s participating in Japan.
Indian National Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi (center) with other party leaders of the I.N.D.I.A alliance in New Delhi in December 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 19, 2024

Anti-Modi alliance in India is faltering as election nears

Absent a clear vision that presents the Indian electorate with an alternative to the ruling BJP, the Congress-led alliance faces an uphill task in polls.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 21, 2024

Nikkei scales record high; yen rebounds as Fed out-doves BOJ

The Nikkei marked a record closing high of 40,815.66, up more than 2% on the day, after also setting a fresh all-time intraday peak of 40,823.32.
A Palestinian boy walks on the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 27.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 2, 2024

How the Israel-Hamas war is changing the international security order

The divide within the international community over the conflict is set to become even more serious.
Shizuoka Gov. Heita Kawakatsu apologizes for his gaffe at a news conference in Shizuoka on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 3, 2024

Shizuoka governor's resignation may remove hurdle for maglev project

Heita Kawakatsu has long opposed the construction of a tunnel in the prefecture for the next-generation shinkansen, citing environmental concerns.
Palestinians flee an area in central Gaza City after Israeli bombardment in March. U.S. President Joe Biden said an "immediate” cease-fire is necessary to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 5, 2024

Biden tells Netanyahu U.S. support hinges on protecting civilians

The comment marks a shift in position for the U.S. leader, who has faced increased pressure to take a harder line against Israel amid mounting deaths.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend an an arrival ceremony as part of a state visit by Kishida, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 11, 2024

Global ambitions? U.S. and Japan eye a boosted partnership, but the hurdles are high.

Can Japan truly be America's "global partner"? Experts are divided over the issue.
U.S. President Joe Biden escorts Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to their trilateral summit at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 12, 2024

Biden vows 'ironclad' defense of Philippines and Japan as China tensions rise

Biden reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at the Scranton Cultural Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2024

Biden seeks higher tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum

The president was set to reiterate that United States Steel should remain American-owned.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he announces a preliminary agreement with Intel for a major CHIPS and Science Act award, during a visit to the Intel Ocotillo Campus in Chandler, Arizona, on March 20.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Apr 19, 2024

Latest Biden chip deal highlights U.S. semiconductor successes

Samsung is the latest beneficiary of Washington’s efforts to shore up precarious supply chains and protect its national security interests.
A Ukrainian serviceman fires a machine gun toward a Russian kamikaze drone in Kherson, Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2024

Ukraine says it took down a bomber inside Russia for first time

Losing the plane signals a new vulnerability for Russia's military, which relies on aged bombers as the main tool in its campaign against Ukraine.
The yen’s slide has pushed up import bills in Japan, keeping domestic consumer spending tepid, with analysts saying any gains in real wages may evaporate if the yen depreciates further.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 24, 2024

Investors loved weak yen boosting shares until it went too far

Concern is growing that the currency is becoming a liability for Japan’s economy and stocks.
Recent cases of alleged Chinese espionage in Germany and Britain are the latest reminder of Beijing's immense intelligence network and its ability to penetrate into the heart of European capitals.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 25, 2024

Europe ill-prepared to counter China's espionage push, analysts say

This week's cases of alleged Chinese spying in Germany and Britain are the latest reminder of Beijing's immense intelligence network.
Japan's stock market attention is shifting to whether domestic market-oriented firms can bring some bullishness back to the market.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 25, 2024

Revival in Japanese stock market hinges on domestic demand taking hold

Attention has shifted to whether domestic market-oriented laggards may be able to bring some bullishness back to the market.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump announces Jerome Powell as his nominee to become chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington in November 2017.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 29, 2024

Trump’s economic confidants battle for sway on taxes and Fed policy

For months, the Trump campaign has been trying to rein in proposals from various factions with limited success.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara takes part in an arrival ceremony with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington last October.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 30, 2024

‘Collective capacity’ to top agenda at four-way defense talks in Hawaii

One thing will be on Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's mind: how to deepen military and security cooperation with allies to counter China.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
WORLD / Politics
May 5, 2024

Russia puts Ukraine's Zelenskyy on wanted list

Russia's Tass news agency reported that the Russian Interior Ministry database showed the Ukrainian leader was on a wanted list but gave no other details.
U.K. Prime Minister Sunak is hearing calls to consider policies including an immigration cap and a withdrawal from the European Court of Human Rights.
WORLD / Politics
May 6, 2024

Tories press Sunak to move to right after local election rout

Sunak's team said they will respond with upcoming media appearances and policy announcements on the economy, migration and healthcare.
British opposition leader Keir Starmer speaks at a Welsh Labour general election campaign event in Abergavenny, Wales, Britain, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2024

Starmer campaigns on U.K. security ahead of key debate with Sunak

The Labour Party head is trying to win the election by campaigning on the political center ground, and by showing how the party has shifted since its historic 2019 defeat.

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