Tag - focus

 
Menu
Search
 
May 09, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

FOCUS

Ukrainian gunners from the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade fire at the enemy from a position near the town of Kupyansk, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2024
U.S. aid gives Kyiv respite but battlefield shift remains far off
Much will depend on how quickly U.S. assistance can get to the front line.
U.S. President Joe Biden Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, in November 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2024
China braces for worst as it becomes punching bag in U.S. election
Chinese policymakers already battling a protracted property crisis and weak demand at home have scant incentive to escalate tensions.
Boxes of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 developed by Walvax Biotechnology and Abogen Biosciences
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 20, 2024
China's drugmakers can't sell mRNA shots but haven't quit yet
While Chinese firms are pursuing new targets for the novel messenger RNA technology, they face a tough path, crimped by a lack of revenue.
People walk past a mural depicting Iranian missiles in Tehran on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 20, 2024
Israel's Iran attack carefully calibrated after internal splits and U.S. pressure
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war Cabinet had initially approved plans for a strike on Monday night, but held back at the last-minute.
A member of the aircrew aboard a Jordanian Air Force C-130 during a humanitarian aid drop over the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 17, 2024
Iran’s conflict with Israel puts U.S. ally Jordan on edge
Iran's direct attack on Israel, and a potential retaliation, has put Western and Gulf state ally Jordan in a precarious position.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar, India, on April 6, ahead of the country's upcoming general election starting Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2024
For Modi, the Indian election is less about winning and more about by how much
For Indian leader Narendra Modi, an upcoming parliamentary election is less about winning and more about by how much.
A protester demands the United Kingdom make reparations for slavery, outside the British High Commission, in Kingston, Jamaica, in March 2022.
WORLD / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2024
Slavery tribunal? Africa and Caribbean unite on reparations
A tribunal was proposed last year, and it has now gained traction within a broader slavery reparations movement.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order rolling back regulations from the 2010 Dodd-Frank law on Wall Street reform at the White House in Washington in February 2017.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2024
If Trump wins, he plans to free Wall Street from 'burdensome regulations'
If elected, Trump would likely cut back protections for small-scale investors and borrowers, and allow companies to raise money with less scrutiny.
Ukrainian soldiers take cover during fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 25, 2022.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2024
Kharkiv's civilians under fire as Ukraine faces 'catastrophic' air defense shortage
The city is so near the border that Russian missiles can reach their target in less than a minute.
U.S. President Joe Biden during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (not pictured) in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2024
It's inflation, stupid: Biden faces renewed election threat
The cost of living is rising more quickly again, just when he thought he had put the issue behind him to get a clear run at November's vote.
The departure hall at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Now with inflation at its strongest in decades, Japanese are starting to realize that years of static wages leave many of them budgeting each month before their next pay check.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Apr 13, 2024
Japan’s young workers head abroad as huge wage gap persists
The outflow is also a sign that many Japanese aren’t buying into the nation’s economic optimism as it exits from decades of deflation.
Health experts say the beni kōji supplement scandal should not be treated as a one-off incident. Instead, it should be seen as a cautionary tale about how such health food items could pose more risks than benefits.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma’s slow response to scandal spotlights deeper issues
Health experts say the scandal should be seen as a cautionary tale, and not a one-off incident.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reviews soldiers of the German armed forces in Berlin on Thursday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2024
Between the U.S. and a hard place, Germany's Scholz reheats China ties
With Germany's economy slumping, the nation hopes to gain fairer access to China's markets despite promises to "de-risk" from them.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is interviewed Tokyo on April 5. Kishida left for the U.S. on Monday amid record low poll numbers due to his handling of the political funds scandal that has rocked the LDP.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 10, 2024
Will Kishida dissolve parliament in June?
Speculation has been fueled by comments from Kishida’s fellow Liberal Democratic Party members and the prime minister himself.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Apr 10, 2024
Kishida’s U.S. trip highlights economic and political compatibility
Kishida has worked closely with Biden to enhance the Japan-U.S. alliance, with the countries labeling their bilateral ties a “global partnership.”
Haruko Obokata speaks to reporters in the city of Osaka in 2014. Ten years after the STAP scandal, structural problems that led to the scandal persist, leaving ample room for researchers to tamper with research data, experts say.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 9, 2024
Little change in Japan’s research sector 10 years after stem cell fraud
A decade after the STAP scandal, there is still a lot of leeway for researchers to tamper with data.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol casts his ballot during early voting in parliamentary elections at a polling station in Busan, South Korea, on Friday, ahead of Election Day on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 9, 2024
South Korean parliamentary elections a political litmus test for Yoon
Wednesday's elections could have lasting implications for the final three years of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s single five-year term.
In one of the biggest changes to the alliance in decades, U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to agree on revamping the U.S. military’s command in Japan to help strengthen operational planning with the Self-Defense Forces.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2024
At Biden-Kishida summit, tech tie-ups are as important as defense deals
The two leaders are also expected to announce boosted cooperation on supply chains and cutting-edge technologies, all with an eye on China.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda listens to a question during a news conference after a two-day monetary policy meeting at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on March 19.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2024
Ueda's first year as BOJ chief marked by smooth handling of policy shift
But the central bank governor now has to balance various factors, including how further rate hikes might affect not just the yen but also households.
A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission sign is pictured at the headquarters building in Rockville, Maryland.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Apr 7, 2024
U.S. nuclear industry upbeat on small reactors, despite setback
While China and Russia already have operational small reactors, the United States is ahead of Europe in this area of nuclear power.
Tokuryū, a new crime menace in Japan, emerges from the shadows
The National Police Agency coined the term "tokuryū" to classify individuals involved in dark part time jobs and quasi-gangsters, using the words "tokumei" (anonymous) and "ryūdo" (fluid) to reflect their characteristics.
Two more arrested over brutal murder of couple in Tochigi
A vehicle carrying Seiha Sekine, the 32-year-old common-law husband of the deceased Tokyo couple's first daughter, leaves a police station in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Tuesday.
Is Modi’s party heading for a stunning election loss?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign tactics have escalated, including anti-Muslim rhetoric and fearmongering, reflecting his ruling party's desperation.
Thanks, tourists. Views of Mount Fuji are now blocked.
Tourists pose in front of a convenience store with Mount Fuji on Friday in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture. Local residents are upset over littering, overcrowding and the inconvenience caused by the visitors.
Nadal to make Rome return against qualifier
Rafael Nadal takes part in a training session on Monday before the start of the Italian Open at the Foro Italico in Rome.
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.
After blockbuster boxing victory, what next for ‘Monster’ Inoue?
Naoya Inoue celebrates his victory over Luis Nery in their IBF-WBA-WBC-WBO super bantamweight title boxing match at Tokyo Dome on Monday.
Xi bristles as Macron and von der Leyen urge China to do more on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen walk after their meeting in Paris on Monday.
How a Japanese scientist is turning the climate crisis into music
A screencap of a performance of Hiroto Nagai's “String Quartet No. 1 ‘Polar Energy Budget’” by the PRT Quartet
Japan’s tween skateboarders get head start on preparations for 2028 Olympics
Ibuki Matsumoto competes at an event in Osaka on April 21.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view
Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER