Search - 2013

 
 
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Some economists see the central bank’s loosening of restraints on 10-year bond yields as a message to the government that it now will have to do financial management responsibly, because the BOJ won’t control yields as firmly as it used to.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023

Japan’s fiscal plight draws scrutiny after BOJ policy tweak

Tokyo seeking to expand spending on defense and child care, even as the national debt has grown to almost 260% of gross domestic product.
Children from nongovernment controlled territories who attended a Russian-organized summer camp and were then taken to Russia wait for departure to Kyiv, after returning via the Ukraine-Belarus border, in Volyn region, Ukraine on April 7.
WORLD
Aug 10, 2023

Kremlin aide who took Ukraine minors to Russia tied to neo-Nazism

Russia claims its deportation of Ukrainian children, described by international prosecutors as illegal, is to protect them from "Nazism."
People sit on a rail track as smoke rises from steel mills near a slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 30, 2023

Air pollution now a risk to life expectancy in South Asia: study

Rapid industrialization and population growth have contributed to declining air quality in South Asia.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 11, 2023

Economists question the wisdom of Kishida's new minimum wage target

Japan aims to lift the minimum wage to ¥1,500 by the mid-2030s, but macroeconomic factors could undermine that target.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in New York on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 25, 2023

Kishida outlines new economic measures for 'sustainable wage growth'

Some of the measures are intended to raise earnings by easing workers’ concerns about so-called annual income barriers.
Yahoo News is currently the most popular news portal site in Japan, with the highest number of partnerships with news providers.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 26, 2023

Yahoo News considers reviewing contracts with news providers

The announcement follows a report by the JFTC last week that warned that the platform's operator, Yahoo Japan, may be in a superior bargaining position.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 4, 2023

JGB yields hit fresh multiyear highs despite BOJ intervention

The benchmark 10-year JGB yield hovered around 0.78%, its highest since September 2013, after having fallen slightly the previous day.
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. European nations have been dealing with a range of geoeconomic changes.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 12, 2023

European Union being shaken by geoeconomic changes

European countries previously did not see China as a security threat due to their geographical distance. That is starting to change.
Xi Jinping's third Belt and Road Forum begins today in Beijing.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 16, 2023

Xi’s $1 trillion ‘project of the century’ faces uncertain future

China’s overall activity in BRI countries is down about 40% from its 2018 peak as the world’s second-biggest economy slows.
Over the past decade, China has arrested and indicted hundreds of senior government officials and more than a million low-ranking civil servants in an effort to root out corruption.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2023

Measuring corruption in China

Over the past decade, China has arrested and indicted hundreds of senior government officials and more than a million low-ranking civil servants.
Li Keqiang, former Chinese premier and head of China's Cabinet, served under President Xi Jinping for a decade from 2013, retiring in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 27, 2023

Li Keqiang, the former No. 2 to Xi Jinping, dies at 68

The former Chinese premier had found himself overshadowed by Xi's expanding grip on power.
Vehicles and pedestrians by the intersection of Burgos and Real streets in Tacloban city, Leyte province, the Philippines, on Oct. 12.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 6, 2023

Sex trafficking plagues Philippine city where typhoon wrought havoc

Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000 people and displaced millions, triggered a humanitarian crisis that provided fertile ground for traffickers.
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement this year with “The Boy and the Heron,” which opened to critical acclaim and has so far earned ¥8.56 billion — a good showing but not enough to take the top spot at the box office for the year.
CULTURE / Film / 2023 in Review
Nov 30, 2023

The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era

The success of “Oshi no Ko,” “Detective Conan” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved that anime is the mainstream now.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 1, 2023

Japan high court revokes welfare benefit cuts

The plaintiffs argued that there was an error in the method for calculating the price index used as the basis for the reductions.
A still from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2023

Big in Japan 2023: Anime, Murakami and The Legend of Zelda

Our guests tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance.
Hideki Kuriyama, who guided Samurai Japan to the World Baseball Classic title in March, rings a bell during a ceremony marking the end of trading in 2023 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 29, 2023

Japanese stocks post best yearly gain since Abenomics jolt

The benchmark Topix posted an annual return of 25%, and the 225-issue Nikkei average rallied 28%. That’s the best performance for both gauges since 2013.
An old growth forest near Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada, in an area where pellet producer Drax is permitted to cut.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jan 14, 2024

Japan's thirst for biomass is having a harmful impact on Canada's forests

Experts and activists say biomass is not the climate solution it might appear to be on the surface and is far from being sustainable.
Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones dives for a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in a 2024 NFC wild card game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 14.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 19, 2024

The rise of the NFL’s 2-point conversion

The NFL playoffs have already delivered high-stakes moments around a simple decision: After a touchdown, should your team kick for 1 point, or go for 2?
Patrick Roy speaks at a news conference in 2013. Roy was hired by the New York Islanders on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Ice Hockey
Jan 21, 2024

Islanders hire Patrick Roy as head coach after firing Lane Lambert

Roy, 58, is best known as one of the NHL's greatest goalies, but he has had a second career in coaching.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron as chief guest of celebrations marking India's Republic Day on Jan. 26.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2024

The fraternity between France and India has never been stronger

Beyond the pomp of Republic Day celebrations with Macron as guest of honor, Modi and the French leader signed substantive defense deals, cementing ties.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 1, 2024

Shohei Ohtani reveals few details after surprise marriage announcement

The superstar, who fiercely guards details about his personal life, said the announcement's timing was to avoid any potential distractions going forward.
The Cabinet has agreed to new national security legislation on sensitive government- and private-sector information that lawmakers should pass.
EDITORIALS
Mar 1, 2024

Protecting information is the key to national security

In recent years, however, that landscape has shifted and new fields are now considered essential to a country’s security and prosperity.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in Ottawa in May 2009.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

Brian Mulroney, former Canadian prime minister, is dead at 84

Mulroney was known as the Canadian leader who led the country into the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Mexico.
J-Power is making a AU$380.9 million bid for Australian renewable energy firm Genex Power.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

J-Power makes bid for Australian renewables firm Genex

The move comes as part of the Japanese company's efforts to boost its renewable energy assets.
Wakana Nukui has been described as having a knack for storytelling and vividly sharing her vision with those around her.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
Mar 24, 2024

A social entrepreneur who is determined to lift Cambodian women's status

Wakana Nukui has fostered new talent in design while opening shops dedicated to local products.
A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Longform
Mar 15, 2024

Akira Toriyama's gift to the world

The artist's impact was such that he should be considered alongside greats such as Walt Disney and Stan Lee when it comes to cultural contributions.
Women attend a protest in 2018 against the rape of three girls, an 8-year-old, an 11-year-old and a teenager, in different parts of India. The country experiences alarming rates of sexual violence against women.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2024

Why is India failing to protect its women?

India is plagued by sexual violence, with many horrific cases in the spotlight over the years. Despite reforms, cultural norms are hindering progress.
Drivers in California’s Marin County rely on a single hydrogen fueling station.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 6, 2024

Few stations and $200 to fill up: Life on California’s ‘hydrogen highway’

Fuel shortages and soaring prices have stalled the adoption of hydrogen cars — but proponents aren’t throwing in the towel.
Some strategists have predicted that Japan’s 10-year sovereign yield will rise to 2% by the end of 2026.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 22, 2024

Japan yields have room to rise after 1% reached on BOJ bets

The focus turns now to how quickly the supereasy monetary policy will be dialed back and how much further yields may rise.
Gold prices change daily, reflecting wider market movements, but start at about 88,000 won ($64) for a 0.5-gram bar.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2024

You can now buy gold bars from vending machines in South Korea

Prices change daily, reflecting wider market movements, but start at about 88,000 won ($64) for a 0.5-gram bar.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.