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Rory McIlroy speaks during a news conference in Boston in November.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jan 10, 2024

Rory McIlroy has 'dream scenario' for a new world tour

The star golfer would like to see golf take a more global approach by tapping into markets like Japan and Australia.
Fiction such as Asako Yuzuki’s “Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder” and nonfiction like Robert Whiting’s "Gamblers, Fraudsters, Dreamers & Spies: The Outsiders who Shaped Modern Japan” are just a taste of 2024's exciting releases.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 11, 2024

Anticipated translations and books about Japan to brighten your 2024

From debut novels to classic crime thrillers, the year ahead promises a wealth of must-read titles to add to your reading list.
Snow falls on collapsed buildings in the city of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Jan. 7, as the area began to look toward recovery from the massive earthquake that struck on Jan. 1.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jan 17, 2024

'Noto is kind, right down to its soil': A community's long road to recovery

Volunteers are coming together to help each other in the wake of disaster. However, eventually isolated rural villages will need rethinking.
The continued demand for and access to banned Nvidia chips underlines the lack of good alternatives for Chinese firms despite the nascent development of rival products from Huawei and others.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2024

China's military and government acquire Nvidia chips despite ban

The sales by largely unknown Chinese suppliers highlight the difficulties Washington faces.
A banner for the World Economic Forum hangs on a building on the first day of the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024

Pre-Davos survey indicates CEOs' fears regarding AI and climate

Some 45% of more than 4,700 global CEOs surveyed do not believe their businesses will survive, barring significant changes, in the next 10 years.
A toy gun is assembled at an Aequs toy manufacturing facility in the city of Belgaum in India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024

Infrastructure hurdles hinder toy manufacturers' shift from China

That other countries struggle to match China for efficiency is limiting firms' efforts to shift to lower cost bases and raising the risk of higher toy prices in the future.
Poland's Iga Swiatek plays during her first round match against Sofia Kenin of the U.S. at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2024

Swiatek up and running at Australian Open as Alcaraz makes bow

In-form Swiatek, 22, twice came back from a break down in a grueling first set lasting 68 minutes but stepped on the gas in the second set.
A video still shows current Fujitsu Services Director Paul Patterson giving evidence to a hearing of the Business and Trade Select Committee in the House of Commons, in London on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2024

Fujitsu says it will pay compensation in U.K. Post Office scandal

The firm said it has a "moral responsibility” to contribute to redress for sub-postmasters who suffered as a result of its faulty software.
A Ground Self-Defense Force AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter fires ammunition during a live-fire exercise in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 25, 2024

Will drones replace helicopter pilots in the Self-Defense Forces?

Japan has already begun to make a major shift to transfer the functions of traditional defense aircraft to unmanned aerial vehicles.
Novak Djokovic defeated Alexei Popyrin to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jan 18, 2024

Novak Djokovic details 15-year 'special relationship' with Melbourne tree

Djokovic has long credited a series of unusual methods for helping him become one of the greatest players ever.
Cars drive past a damaged road, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 18, 2024

Japan rings in 2024 with an unwelcome disaster

Join us for the first episode of 2024 as we recap the massive New Year’s Day earthquake and its impact on the people of Ishikawa Prefecture.
In August 2019, Toru Takamatsu became the youngest master sommelier in history at just 24 years old.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 21, 2024

Japan’s first master sommelier dreams of Hokkaido wine glory

Why would a master sommelier go from Michelin-starred restaurants to the hands-on life of an apprentice winemaker in Hokkaido?
A mid-19th century ukiyo-e woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicts Xu Fu’s voyage in search of the elixir of life. He can be seen near the left side of the image, with what looks to be Penglai, or Mount Fuji, in the background.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Jan 20, 2024

Eternal pursuits: A history of Japanese quests for immortality

Whether it's a permanent state of meditation or feasting on mermaid, the quest for immortality in Japan isn't too far off from those in other cultures.
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu will be wary of making too many changes after admitting that his tinkering against Iraq "had an effect on the players."
SOCCER
Jan 20, 2024

Shock Iraq defeat exposes Japan frailties at Asian Cup

The 2-1 loss leaves Samurai Blue facing a potential last-16 match with South Korea, assuming Japan still qualifies from its group.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 21, 2024

Northern lights likely to be seen in Hokkaido again in 2024

Solar activity is forecast to increase toward 2025, likely leading to opportunities to see the ethereal curtains of lights.
Smoke billows over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during the Israeli bombardment on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 22, 2024

Battles rage as Palestinians say Gaza death toll passes 25,000

Gaza's health ministry said 178 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, one of the deadliest days so far of the war.
The rupture of one of the world's busiest shipping routes has exposed the vulnerability of China's export-reliant economy to supply snarls and external demand shocks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 22, 2024

Red Sea crisis pressures China's exporters as shipping delays mount

Further Red Sea disruptions would pile pressure on a struggling economy already contending with a property crisis and weak consumer demand.
Coming out of the pandemic, job vacancies were historically high in the U.S. because firms needed workers and could not find them.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2024

This year will mark the end of the post-pandemic economy

The trade-off between bringing down inflation and harming growth will come back with a vengeance in the post-pandemic economy.
American President Joe Biden hugs Brittany Alkonis after giving a State of the Union in February. The wife of jailed U.S. sailor Lt. Ridge Alkonis ran a successful pressure campaign to get her husband released from a Japanese prison into American custody. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 24, 2024

Japan owes no apology for U.S. Navy officer’s treatment

The case of Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis is a divisive one, which both the U.S. and Japanese governments have tried to keep quiet about.
South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2024

Should Japan support the ICJ genocide case against Israel?

South Africa has accused Israel of genocide in the International Court of Justice. The case can't be ignored, or impunity and the global order's collapse will be the price.
China’s economy is facing an uphill battle filled with challenges, including a deepening housing slump, fears of a deflationary spiral and high levels of youth unemployment.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 25, 2024

China officials told Xi’s belt-tightening rules are here to stay

While President Xi Jinping has long discouraged excess, the renewed calls for austerity come as the world’s second-largest economy faces severe challenges.
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2024

Kishida's new aid package aims to help recovery of quake-hit areas

It will offer subsidies to small and medium-sized firms in Ishikawa Prefecture, as well as those in neighboring Niigata, Toyama, and Fukui prefectures.
The Rurikoji temple pagoda is currently wrapped in tarps for renovation, which is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2024

Yamaguchi rushes to prepare for tourists after New York Times pick

Only 9,000 foreign tourists visited Yamaguchi in 2022. Is the city ready to receive an influx of visitors?
The most relevant measure to gauge plastic bag use isn’t how many carriers get used, but how much material is consumed and how much pollution is produced in their making.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2024

Plastic bag bans have failed in every way except one

Reusable plastic bags need to be used 52 times before its environmental impact drops below that of a disposable one, according to a 2018 Danish study.
A soldier stands in front of the grave sites of fallen soldiers in Kinmen, Taiwan, on Aug. 23, 2023. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to take Taiwan by 2027, though many analysts see that as an attempt to galvanize his military rather than a timeline for invasion.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 1, 2024

How Washington is preparing for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

It is looking at a key vulnerability — military logistics — and is setting up hubs in the Indo-Pacific region to ensure supplies are readily available.
A placard reads, "deport AfD now," during nationwide protests against racism and plans of Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to deport foreigners, in Bonn, Germany.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2024

Ban AfD or fight it? Germany ponders how to counter its far-right

There are growing concerns that the right-wing party could sweep elections set for June and September.
A native of Seoul who grew up in Shanghai, Hana Yoon moved to New York to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America when she was 20 years old.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 4, 2024

In Japan’s age-old capital, a young head chef stirs the pot

Upon her arrival in Kyoto, Yoon spent four months delving into the distinctive varieties of “kyōyasai,” vegetables grown in Kyoto and its suburbs.
'Menchi katsu' are actually made with as much chopped vegetables as ground meat, so it’s a sneaky way to get some veggies into your childrens' diets.
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Feb 4, 2024

Recipe: Deep-fried minced meat cutlets

These days, 'menchi katsu' have been become popular as a "B-class gourmet" item — something that is inexpensive but tasty.
U.S. President Joe Biden exits Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Feb 3, 2024

U.S. hits Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq with wave of strikes

Aircraft including long-range B-1 bombers flown from the U.S. struck 85 targets at seven locations linked to Iran’s Quds Force.
Emperors sought eternal life for centuries, but scientists believe our physical bodies have limits. That's where technologists come in.
BUSINESS / Tech / Longform
Feb 3, 2024

The digital beyond: Is an eternal existence within grasp?

Immortality has been a dream for centuries, but scientists doubt its possibility. Can technologists and coders find a virtual path instead?

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell