Tag - focus

 
 

FOCUS

Hokuriku Electric Power's Shika nuclear power plant in Ishikawa Prefecture. After the Noto Peninsula earthquake, data from at least 18 monitoring posts to measure radiation levels around the Shika plant became unavailable.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2024
Nuclear power policy to be major focus in parliament after Ishikawa quake
The New Year's Day earthquake occurred near Hokuriku Electric Power's Shika nuclear power station, raising concerns over another nuclear disaster.
Rescuers clear debris from a multistory building heavily damaged following a drone strike, in Odessa, Ukraine, on March 3.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 10, 2024
The $1 trillion race to rebuild Ukraine is slowly getting going
Firms are boosting their presence in Ukraine, in anticipation of the conflict's end — and the biggest investment opportunity since at least World War II.
A man looks at electronic boards displaying stock prices of companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on Monday. The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average has surged at an unexpected pace of about 20% this year
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 8, 2024
A stock rally but sluggish growth: What’s the deal with Japan’s economy?
The Nikkei is benefiting from companies' strong earnings, but wider economic indicators are much less positive.
The Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte waves as he walks past NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during a summit at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels in June 2021.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 6, 2024
‘A safe pair of hands’: Dutch PM emerges as NATO chief front-runner
Although the top contender, Mark Rutte may still have to win over about a third of the alliance’s 31-member states.
Six months have passed since Japan started releasing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2024
Fukushima water release still vexing China-Japan ties
China-bound exports of Japanese fishery products in 2023 plunged by some 30% from the previous year in value terms.
SMBC Nikko Securities has set up an alumni organization for former employees to interact and share their experiences.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Mar 4, 2024
As more move midcareer, Japan firms tap former hires with alumni networks
As well as seeking business opportunities, companies also recognize the value of rehiring individuals with expertise and skills gained elsewhere.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 3, 2024
How big primary wins are cloaking flaws in Trump re-election bid
The 77-year-old has been hemorrhaging moderate Republicans, who have signaled they'd prefer someone else — anyone else — in the Oval Office.
Artillery shells and primers in a self-propelled howitzer operated by Ukraine’s 80th Brigade, near Kreminna, Ukraine, in January 2023.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2024
Europe battles gunpowder shortage to supply shells for Ukraine
Hard-to-find gunpowder is hindering Europe's scramble to provide hundreds of thousands of shells to Kyiv.
Currency dealers work in front of an electronic board showing the Korean Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of a bank in Seoul. Officials in South Korea are taking a cue from Japan, where a push for corporate reforms has been one of the key drivers for a world-beating equity rally.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2024
South Korea faces long road in unlocking corporate value like Japan
As global investors scrutinize South Korea’s plans, they note a key hurdle — the prevalence of family-controlled businesses, or chaebols.
An MQ-9 Reaper drone stands on the runway at Naval Base Ventura County Sea Range, Point Mugu, near Oxnard, California. The Defense Ministry is considering purchasing the Reaper for intercepting foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 1, 2024
New drone tech in spotlight as Japan eyes boosted capabilities
As Tokyo seeks to beef up its unmanned systems, inspiration could come from the latest tech displayed at this year's Singapore Airshow.
In early February, the Finance Ministry announced that government debt at the end of last year had reached a record high of ¥1.2 quadrillion.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 27, 2024
With downfall of Abe faction, some see a shift in Japan’s debt debate
The faction has long promoted fiscal stimulus, but its demise combined with wider economic conditions could open up space for a different approach.
Takuya Yokota (second from right), head of a group of families of abductees to North Korea, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024
Families of North Korea abductees give Japan breathing room for summit
The group won't oppose Tokyo's lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang if all abductees are returned while their parents' generation is still alive.
Japan, Britain and Italy have made headway in their joint next-generation fighter aircraft project, with industry officials saying that the partners are close to completing the aircraft’s conceptual design phase.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024
Japan joint fighter program gains steam as firms zero in on conceptual design
The completion of the conceptual design phase will allow Japan, Britain and Italy to move to the next stage of the program next year.
With concerns over economics cutting across party lines, the preferred degree of toughness on China tends to be a policy rather than partisan divide.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Feb 25, 2024
Biden or Trump, hawkish economic approach on China to intensify
With concerns over economics cutting across party lines, the preferred degree of toughness on Beijing tends to be a policy rather than partisan divide.
A screen grab shows Anton Kuznetsov, a fighter in the BARS 9 volunteer force of the Russian military, in an apartment in Balakliia, Ukraine, in September 2022
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 25, 2024
How Russia's military uses volunteer fighters to plug gaps in Ukraine
Approach provides Moscow with an additional avenue from which to mobilize parts of the population, get them trained and provide additional mass.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson walks out of a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 15.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2024
U.S. House speaker must now confront his own party’s sabotage
Multiple senior House Republicans, granted anonymity to speak frankly, now portray Mike Johnson as an insecure leader who faces a steep learning curve.
For all of U.S. President Joe Biden’s talk about the sanctions, his team is still unwilling to go after revenue streams that experts argue would really cripple Russia’s economy, for fear of setting off broad shocks that could rebound on the U.S. economy.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2024
U.S. sidesteps riskiest sanctions in latest move against Russia
The U.S. is concerned that the toughest measures left in Washington's arsenal risk roiling the global economy.
A man pours water into a plastic tank at an evacuation shelter in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Feb. 1.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 23, 2024
Noto quake highlights aging water systems in depopulating areas
Nearly 22,000 homes in Ishikawa Prefecture are still without water, and the shortage has sparked debate on how to maintain services in depopulating areas.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus spacecraft passes over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on Wednesday.
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Feb 23, 2024
Why it took the U.S. 51 years to get back on the moon
Intuitive Machines has landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon, becoming the first private firm to place a vehicle intact on the lunar surface.
The Japan Pavillion is seen at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Feb 21, 2024
At top airshow, Japanese firms explore defense export opportunities
They are offering a diverse and sophisticated range of products following a revision of guidelines on defense equipment and technology transfer.

Longform

Wozme, founded by dancer and choreographer Wakaba Kohei, is composed of Kana Kitty, Ami Ishii, Akane Watanabe and Natsuki. Its aim is to inject elegance and beauty, traits traditionally associated with femininity, into the sometimes grotesque art form of butoh dance.
Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh