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Mainland Chinese tourists on a converted car ferry in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor on April 19, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 29, 2024

Business-first Hong Kong now comes with a catch: Beijing politics

The former British colony is hewing closer to mainland China, blurring distinctions that once cemented the city’s status as mostly free from Chinese politics.
Foreign private credit funds are focusing on Japanese investors as they move more money into higher-paying assets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024

Private credit chases Japan’s trillions as inflation spurs shift

Private credit funds are betting that inflation will prompt investors to channel more money into riskier overseas investments.
Many condo complexes are facing challenges in securing sufficient reserve funds for extensive repair projects.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 30, 2024

Land ministry sets standards for condo repair reserve funds

Large-scale condo repairs typically occur roughly every 15 years.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he arrives back at Trump Tower after being convicted in his criminal trial, in New York City on Thursday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 31, 2024

Trump found guilty on all counts in hush money case

Prosecutors said Trump led a broader scheme to influence the election by concealing stories of his alleged sexual encounters with women.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump after the verdict was read at Manhattan criminal court in New York City, on Thursday
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 31, 2024

For Trump's false records conviction, prison is not unprecedented

Prison time is rare for people convicted in New York state of felony falsification of business records — the charge Donald Trump faced at his six-week trial.
A residential development under construction in Shanghai in February. Problems in the property sector have had a negative impact across broad areas of China's economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 31, 2024

China's factory activity unexpectedly dips as property pain persists

The disappointing number adds to a series of recent indicators showing the $18.6 trillion economy is struggling to get back on its feet.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs after delivering remarks at Trump Tower in New York on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 2, 2024

Biden's big weakness vs Trump: Voters without college degrees

Such results help set the stage for what national opinion polls show is a tied race between Biden and Trump.
The view from the top of one of the five 70-meter-deep shafts spread across the tunnel system of the ¥230 billion Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 3, 2024

Tokyo underground: Exploring what lies beneath the world’s largest city

Tokyo has developed a massive network of underground infrastructure to support its population, a system being put to the test by extreme weather.
Employees assemble an electric transformer on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on March 28.
WORLD
Jun 3, 2024

Modi plans post-election reforms to rival Chinese manufacturing

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans a raft of business-friendly measures if he wins a third term this week, including pushing through regulations making it easier to hire and fire workers, according to two government officials familiar with the matter.
The National Stadium was used as the main venue for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics held in 2021.
JAPAN
Jun 3, 2024

NTT Docomo-led group may operate Japan's National Stadium

The consortium also includes the J. League, general contractor Maeda and SMFL Mirai Partners.
The Two International Finance Center, left, and other buildings in Hong Kong in May 2021
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 5, 2024

Chinese move billions into Hong Kong banks, seeking higher yields

Regulators in Beijing have clamped down on high-yielding wealth management products onshore, while sinking real-estate prices have sapped nest eggs across China.
Geely Automobile Holdings' Zeekr electric vehicles bound for shipment to Europe at the Port of Taicang in Taicang, Jiangsu Province, China, on Aug. 24, 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 5, 2024

China risks trade war on two fronts as low-tech exports soar, too

The European Union is poised to slap tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles this week, the latest example of rising barriers to global trade.
London's financial district in 2022. The U.K. was expected to lose a net 3,200 high-net-worth individuals last year, the most in Europe and double 2022’s level, citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners estimated.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 6, 2024

Britain’s rich race to protect their wealth from election hit

Britain’s legal and political stability has been shaken by Brexit and the chop and change of five different Conservative prime ministers since 2016.
Colin Croy's Japanese is still a work in progress, but he hasn't had much trouble communicating with local customers in Sapporo due to the mutual language of musical performance.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 10, 2024

Colin Croy: 'After I built my first pedal, I just kept making more and more'

A St. Louis transplant in Sapporo serves the Hokkaido capital's music scene with equipment repairs, upgrades and customizations.
A bank and two securities companies under Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group could face punitive action for allegedly sharing customer information without consent, sources said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 7, 2024

MUFG units could be penalized for sharing client information

MUFG Bank and the securities firms exchanged information related to clients’ mergers and acquisitions without their consent, sources say.
A notice put up in front of a near-finished condominium in the city of Kunitachi in Tokyo on Saturday, saying the complex will be demolished
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2024

Near-finished Japan condo blocking Mount Fuji to be razed

The company Sekisui House said in a statement late Tuesday it had "voluntarily decided to discontinue the project."
A photo supplied by a source shows Ryutaro Takarajima (right) talking with Seiha Sekine
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 14, 2024

Two men arrested over murder of Tokyo couple found in Tochigi

Seiha Sekine, the 32-year-old suspected ringleader, and Ryo Maeda, 36, were arrested by a joint Tokyo-Tochigi investigation team.
A facial recognition system at ticket gates has been introduced at the Yamaman Yukarigaoka Line in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2024

Facial recognition for train passengers in use in Chiba Prefecture

A boarding system using a facial recognition technology was introduced at the Yamaman Yukarigaoka Line.
Uncompleted residential buildings in Shenyang, China. The Chinese government is trying to support the real estate sector as a property crisis and other economic ailments drag on.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 27, 2024

What will it take for China to regain market confidence?

Xi came to power promising high-quality development instead of growth at all costs. But first, his government must tackle structural problems embedded in China's economy.
Manami Takarajima (left) at the Osaki Police Station in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Thursday following her arrest
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 28, 2024

Daughter arrested over alleged involvement in killing her parents

The 31-year-old is the seventh person to be arrested over the murders.
Tsuyoshi Maruki, president of Strategic Capital, speaks online on Thursday after three of six candidates proposed by the firm for Daidoh's board positions secured a seat.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 28, 2024

Activist fund in Japan wins Daidoh board seats in rare victory

Daidoh's stock has more than tripled since activist fund Strategic Capital built a stake in the firm in November 2022.
Japan's most expensive plot of land lies in front of Kyukyodo stationery store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district, according to National Tax Agency statistics.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2024

Japan's land prices rise at fastest pace since 2010, tax agency says

Average land prices climbed 2.3% last year, rising for the third straight year.
Sumitomo Corp. President Shingo Ueno speaks during an interview at the company's head office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2024

Sumitomo looks to tap U.S. shale boom despite exiting production

The company will seek to boost sales of pipelines used in U.S. shale fields.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping with French President Emmanuel Macron in France in May. As part of a charm offensive, Xi visited France and other European countries in the spring.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 1, 2024

Expectations vs. reality of Xi Jinping's charm offensive

Beijing is trying to win back favor in several countries to tackle its economic woes, with Xi courting bilateral relations with leaders in Europe and beyond.
A city street in Kyoto crowded with tourists in April. American tourists headed for Japan have surged this year, according to data from the International Trade Administration.
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2024

More American tourists head to Japan as battered yen beckons

Airlines are also moving in tandem with this trend, adding 9% more seats between the United States and Japan in the three months through August.
Elliott Investment Management's sizable stake in Sumitomo reflects a growing shareholder activism in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2024

Activist investor campaigns hit record high, driven by Japan

The number of new activists campaigns totaled 147, up 7% from 138 in the same period in 2023 and 29% above the five-year average.
Environmental activist Phuon Keoraksmey is arrested after a verdict in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, where a Cambodian court sentenced 10 environmentalists to between six and eight years in jail for plotting to commit crimes in their activism.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

Cambodia sentences green campaigners over their environmental activism

A lawyer for the activists in Cambodia condemned the sentences, saying he would consult with his clients on whether to appeal against the ruling.
Bain Capital partner Masashi Suekane during an interview last month
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 5, 2024

Bain Capital to invest ¥5 trillion in Japan over five years

Bain Capital plans to increase its workforce in Japan and has established a team to help firms make effective use of their real estate with low profitability.
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during an operational test at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in August 2017. Surging costs for the U.S. Air Force's new Sentinel ICBM may further embolden arms control advocacy groups who argue that the Sentinel should be scrapped in favor of extending the life of Minuteman III missiles.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2024

Cost of U.S. Sentinel ICBM swells again to $214 million per missile

The program is now expected to cost taxpayers $141 billion, or 81% more than forecast four years ago.
U.S. President Donald Trump stands among other leaders as he attends a North Atlantic Treaty Organization Plenary Session at the NATO summit in Watford, near London on Dec. 4, 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2024

Elephant in room at NATO: Would Trump blow it up?

This week's Washington summit aims to "Trump-proof" NATO by expanding its role, especially in supporting Ukraine.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight