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July 27, 2024
 

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FOCUS

Inspectors at the Kanto District Transport Bureau in Yokohama make calls to companies to check on the working conditions in the logistics industry earlier this month.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 25, 2024
Japan's 'truck G-Men' issued guidance over 700 times in first year
The government inspectors check on working conditions in the logistics sector and monitor cases involving violations until the causes are resolved.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 24, 2024
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
The funds can be used by the chief cabinet secretary with no explanation needed, fueling speculation of widespread misappropriation.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara meet in Singapore in June.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 23, 2024
U.S.-Japan security talks to cover 'extended deterrence' for first time
The allies' top diplomats and defense chiefs will for the first time cover the U.S. commitment to using its military capabilities, including nukes, to protect its ally.
A person holds a placard as people gather outside the White House after U.S. President Joe Biden announced he is stopping his bid for reelection in Washington on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 22, 2024
Shock — and relief — as Americans digest Biden's election exit
U.S. President Joe Biden's shock decision Sunday to end his re-election bid drew an outpouring of heartfelt reactions from American voters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a commemoration ceremony for soldiers killed during the 2014 Gaza war, also known as Operation Protective Edge, at the Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 21, 2024
Defiant Benjamin Netanyahu to face U.S. Congress amid Gaza tensions
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving premier, will become the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of the two chambers four times.
An aerial view on Monday of the Butler Farm Show grounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally on July 13.
WORLD / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2024
From honor student to the gunman who tried to kill Donald Trump
Thomas Crooks was a brainy and quiet young man who built computers and won honors at school, impressing his teachers. Then he became a would-be assassin.
China's official app for digital yuan is seen on a mobile phone next to 100-yuan banknotes
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2024
Trump’s disdain for digital dollar risks ‘Cold War era’ in money
His vow to never allow the dollar to be digitized may turn money into a new front in Trump's trade war with China.
When Renho (center) announced her candidacy for the Tokyo gubernatorial election on May 27, the head of the Japanese Communist Party's secretariat, Akira Koike (far left), was also in attendance.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2024
Cutting ties with JCP not easy for CDP despite Renho's defeat
Despite calls to end the relationship, there is still pressure on the CDP to seek interparty cooperation to avoid splitting the opposition vote.
Former U.S. President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to his vice presidential pick, Sen. J.D. Vance, during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2024
Trump's VP pick signals stronger focus on China
J.D. Vance represents a hardening of Trump’s “America First” stance, but could also help push a tougher line on China and support for democratic Taiwan.
A worker at Sakai Seisakusyo prepares to transport metal rods at its factory in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, on July 8.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2024
Japan finds a 'stealth' cure for zombie businesses: Let them fail
The shift in thinking is a clear departure for a country that has typically sought to avoid bankruptcies and protect existing jobs at the cost of productivity.
Participants in a "cross-mentoring" training session held by sports club operator Renaissance share their concerns with female executives from other companies who serve as role models.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2024
Japan intensifies efforts to address gender pay gaps
According to the labor ministry, the average monthly wage for full-time female workers last year was ¥262,600, about 75% of the ¥350,900 earned by men.
Kenta Izumi, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, holds a news conference Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 14, 2024
Japan's CDP in dilemma over election cooperation with JCP
Both the DPP and the Japanese Trade Union Confederation have repeatedly called for the CDP-JCP cooperation to end.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others at a position of Ukrainian servicemen in the town of Kupiansk last November.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2024
Being Volodymyr Zelenskyy: How war has changed Ukraine's leader
His ambition when he was elected in 2019 had been to help Ukraine become a modern democracy, before that was shattered by Russia's invasion in 2022.
A worker passes a sign for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2024
Republicans to anoint Trump at party convention
The 78-year-old billionaire will be the star of the show as Milwaukee rolls out the red carpet for the Republican National Convention.
Beds that once were used by children to take naps at a kindergarten-turned-elderly center in Taiyuan, in China's northern Shanxi province, on July 2
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2024
Chinese kindergartens pivot to senior care as population ages
Some educational facilities are remaking themselves as a recreational center for people of retirement age and above.
Politicians pay their respects to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday in the city of Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 11, 2024
Two years after Abe’s death, LDP's conservatives still lack direction
The absence of a figure who is able to embody conservative ideals and marshal widespread consensus within the party has weighed heavily on conservatives.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike meets with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday following her victory in Sunday's gubernatorial election.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 11, 2024
Sense of crisis remains in LDP over next general election
The LDP suffered a major defeat in Sunday’s Tokyo metropolitan assembly by-elections, adding to their string of recent national and local losses.
Ground Self-Defense Force members participate in a seminar to prevent harassment at Camp Asaka in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 10, 2024
Spate of scandals threaten to tarnish Defense Ministry and SDF’s reputation
The emergence of multiple scandals is the latest challenge for the Defense Ministry as it seeks to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a meeting of a government panel on information related to economic security last month as economic security minister Sanae Takaichi looks on.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jul 9, 2024
New security clearance system to bring Japan in line with other G7 nations
Individuals qualified to handle classified information will receive certification from the government, facilitating easier participation in global research and business.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2024
Koike eases to victory but Ishimaru's performance signals shift in Tokyo
Koike saw off a tougher challenge than in previous votes, with Ishimaru pointing to a path forward for lesser-known candidates.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Terunofuji, as he tends to do, returns to stamp his authority on sumo pretenders
Terunofuji (left) throws down Kirishima on Tuesday to build on his perfect record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japanese startups advised to internationalize to get some global mojo
Entrepreneurs who participated in the Beyond Japan Zero to X program last year share their experiences in the United States during a meeting in May in Tokyo.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.8: Omron Corp.Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality
mission sustainability vol.8: Omron Corp.Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

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