Search - 2020

 
 
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 13, 2024

Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert

Concerns over a potential disaster have prompted many visitors to cancel their plans and city's to cancel events.
Google is appealing an Aug. 5 ruling that it illegally monopolized the markets of online search and search text ads but the presiding judge has ordered the start of plans for the second phase of the case, which will involve the government’s proposals for restoring competition, including a possible breakup request.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 14, 2024

U.S. considers a rare antitrust move: breaking up Google

If the breakup plan proceeds, the most likely units for divestment are the Android operating system and Chrome web browser.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Goncalo Ramos (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring in a preseason friendly against Germany's RB Leipzig on Saturday.
SOCCER
Aug 14, 2024

Ligue 1 begins post-Mbappe era further weakened after TV rights fiasco

League grapples with a loss of star power as its TV deal falls further beyond other European leagues.
Naomi Osaka reaches for a ball during her loss to Elise Mertens at the WTA Tour stop in Toronto last week.
TENNIS
Aug 14, 2024

Naomi Osaka perplexed by power struggles after Cincinnati setback

The 26-year-old was beaten by Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, the latest setback in a patchy run of form.
Students at the University of British Columbia during the first week of classes in Vancouver, Canada
WORLD / Politics
Aug 14, 2024

Global immigration crackdown ensnares students studying abroad

Aggregate visa data for the first quarter of 2024 showed volumes to the U.K., Canada and Australia down between 20% and 30% from a year earlier.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at the presidential office in Taipei on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024

Is it fifth time's the charm for Shigeru Ishiba?

Ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race, a short trip to Taiwan is allowing the former defense minister to burnish his foreign policy chops.
The chance of open civil unrest in the United States within the next year is low — just 2.9% — but is third highest among the Group of 20 major economies, according to the analysis.
WORLD / Society
Aug 15, 2024

Threat of U.S. civil unrest is low but rising, analysis finds

The U.S. trails only Turkey and Russia among the world’s biggest economies likeliest to see violent political turmoil in the next year.
Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute's Global Conference on May 6 in Beverly Hills, California.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2024

Musk’s free speech mantra collides with crackdowns on hate speech and disinformation

Since taking over, Musk has largely abandoned X’s prior efforts to curb misinformation, instead asking users to police themselves.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision to step down as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader has thrown the race for his successor into uncertainty.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 15, 2024

Kishida’s resignation opens the door to a chaotic era

With Fumio Kishida's resignation, the LDP faces a crucial election next month with no clear front-runner to become its next leader.
Considering there is another full year left before the current term of the Lower House expires, Fumio Kishida’s announcement he is standing down as the Liberal Democratic Party's leader has many wondering why.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 15, 2024

With Kishida’s sudden departure, who will lead Japan?

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s unexpected decision to not seek reelection has prompted a leadership race within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Tourists line up to board the sightseeing ship Nijiiro Sakana-go at Misaki Port in Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, in June.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 16, 2024

Japanese fishing communities aim to harness appeal

The Fisheries Agency plans to boost its sea industry promotion team to better support regional revitalization across Japan.
American Sepp Kuss celebrates after winning Vuelta a Espana in September last year. The Visma rider will be looking to go back-to-back when the Grand Tour begins Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Aug 16, 2024

Kuss and Roglic to battle for wide open Vuelta a Espana

With star trio Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel not competing this year, several other cyclists are eyeing the chance to claim a Grand Tour triumph.
Lee Yi-yang
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 17, 2024

Taiwan names Lee Yi-yang as next de facto ambassador to Japan

Lee, the next head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, was a close aide to former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian.
The display window of a brokerage showing the closing numbers of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, along a street in the capital on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 17, 2024

Foreign investors are trading Japan’s stocks like never before

The Nikkei 225-issue average slumped 12% on Aug. 5, the biggest percentage fall since Black Monday in 1987, before rebounding 10% the next day.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Praty hopes to capitalize on a sense of renewal stemming from the election of a new president to succeed Fumio Kishida, who has said he will not seek reelection.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 18, 2024

LDP pinning hope on boost from leader change

The LDP will hold a leadership election in September to choose the successor to President Fumio Kishida, who said last week that he will step down.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 19, 2024

Singapore’s Wong hands out fresh perks ahead of election

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sought to reassure citizens their voices are being heard during his first and last National Day Rally before Singapore's general election.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris waves as she steps off Air Force Two upon arrival at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in the city Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 19, 2024

Trump and Harris to turbocharge race with convention and rival events

Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump will battle for momentum — and attention — around the Democratic National Convention.
Wind turbines in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture
BUSINESS
Aug 19, 2024

Japan offers lifeline to ESG investing amid backlash overseas

In light of the anti-ESG sentiment in the U.S. and Europe, analysts said that Japan can play a key role in driving sustainable finance globally.
E-scooter startup Lime has launched its service in some of Tokyo’s most densely populated neighborhoods
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 20, 2024

Uber-backed e-scooter startup Lime enters Japan after Korea exit

Lime, which has a global fleet of around 200,000 e-bikes and scooters, on Monday launched its service in some of Tokyo’s most densely populated areas.
A non-genuine battery for electric bicycles catches fire in an experiment conducted by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2024

Number of fires linked to 'fake' lithium-ion batteries on the rise

Non-genuine alternatives are not subject to the same rigorous design and quality control standards, making them more prone to causing fires.
North Korean soldiers are seen outside a guard post (top) from near South Korean guard post in the South Korean border city of Paju in April 2022. A North Korean has defected to the South by walking across the heavily fortified border that separates the peninsula, Seoul's military said Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 20, 2024

Second North Korean soldier defects to South this month

Preliminary figures from the Unification Ministry show this year until June some 105 people had defected.
Yukio Edano, a former leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks to reporters on Aug. 9 to express his intention to run in the party's leadership race.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2024

CDP faced with division as it heads into leadership race

The next CDP leader will be expected to unify the different groups within the party and cooperate with other opposition parties to increase its seats during polls.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to the Livingston County Sheriff's Office in Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

Trump pushes agenda in town with historic links to white extremism

Donald Trump did not speak out against hate during his 45-minute remarks in a Michigan town with historic ties to white supremacy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, look at weapons said to have been captured during Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, as they visit the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechnya, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Aug 21, 2024

Ukraine's drone attack on Moscow 'one of largest ever,' mayor says

Russian air defense units destroyed at least 11 drones flying toward the capital, as well as 34 over the border Bryansk region and others, officials said.
Takako Yamashita, a descendant of a former Japanese resident of the Russian-controlled islands called the Northern Territories, seeks to preserve memories of life on the isles through the creation of pictorial maps.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2024

Memories of Russian-held isles preserved through pictorial maps

The maps feature the names of residents on each house and colorful illustrations of flora and fauna, as well as scenes from daily life.
Military vehicles carrying DF-26 ballistic missiles travel past Beijing's Tiananmen Gate during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing in September 2015.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 21, 2024

Biden approved secret nuclear strategy refocusing on Chinese threat

In a new classified document, the U.S. president ordered preparations for possible coordinated nuclear confrontations with Russia, China and North Korea.
The departure of the head of Apple's App Store comes as the division is being split into two teams: one overseeing Apple’s own store and another responsible for alternative app distribution.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 22, 2024

Apple’s App Store head to leave in reorganization amid global scrutiny

Matt Fischer, a vice president who has run the App Store business since 2010, will leave the iPhone maker in October.
Jannik Sinner has been cleared to continue competing despite failing two doping tests this year.
TENNIS
Aug 22, 2024

Tennis players decry double standards after Jannik Sinner avoids doping ban

Some players have suggested that the Italian received preferential treatment.
University students in Varanasi, India, protest against a recent rape and murder of a doctor in West Bengal. Despite some improvements in legislation following high-profile cases, such as the 2012 gang rape, violence against women has worsened, with recorded rapes increasing.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 22, 2024

Protests won’t change India's attitude toward rape

Despite some improvements in legislation following high-profile cases, such as the 2012 gang rape, violence against women has worsened, with recorded rapes increasing.
A supermarket worker puts up a sign asking purchasers to buy only one bag per person, in Tokyo on July 25.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Why it's hard to find rice at Japan's supermarkets right now

In recent weeks, store shelves have often been barren, with many shops displaying signs asking purchasers to stick to one bag per person.

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