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December 25, 2024

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December 25, 2024

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Political reform bills clear the Upper House plenary session in Tokyo on Tuesday.

JAPAN

Parliament wraps up, showing minority government's lack of control

By Himari Semans

Several concessions had to be made to the opposition before the ruling coalition could garner the support it needed to get its bills passed.

A North Korean hacker group is believed to have planted a virus on the computer of an employee at Ginco — a company that was entrusted with the deposit and withdrawal of DMM Bitcoin’s virtual currency — through a fake job recruitment message sent via LinkedIn.

JAPAN / Crime & Legal

North Korean hacker group behind DMM Bitcoin’s cryptocurrency leak

By Yukana Inoue

The hacker group is believed to have planted a virus on an employee's computer using a fake job recruitment message sent via LinkedIn.

Nippon Steel's $15 billion bid for U.S. Steel has been referred to U.S. President Joe Biden after a U.S. panel on foreign investments was unable to reach a consensus.

BUSINESS / Companies

Nippon Steel's bid for U.S. Steel referred to Biden for final decision

By Alexandra Alper and Katya Golubkova

Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States referred the bid to the U.S. president after failing to reach a consensus.

From Dec. 9 to Dec. 15, there were 94,259 flu cases reported across some 5,000 hospitals and clinics nationwide, according to the health ministry.

JAPAN / Science & Health

Health ministry urges caution as flu cases rise nationwide

By Jessica Speed

There were 94,259 cases of the flu reported across some 5,000 hospitals and clinics nationwide in the second week of December.

The Self-Defense Forces facilities are believed to have become sources of PFAS contamination because they used firefighting foam containing the toxic chemicals in the past.

JAPAN / Science & Health

High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan

By Tomoko Otake

Among them are five that supply water to Self-Defense Forces facilities.

Opposition parties have submitted a bill to make school lunches free at public elementary and junior high schools.

Japan opposition parties submit bill for free school meals

The bill to revise the school lunch program law was submitted to the House of Representatives by the CDP, DPP and Nippon Ishin no Kai.

Japanese imports of seafood are seen in a supermarket in Hong Kong in July 2023.

China and Japan expected to discuss seafood ban on Wednesday

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya's one-day visit to Beijing, on China's invitation, is his first since assuming his role in October.

Japan aims for 60% emissions cut by 2035 in target seen as lax

By Shoko Oda

Ministry approves 25-year plan by Tohoku University to boost research with aid

Japan eyes regional revitalization and economic growth

Japan Post seeks ¥12 billion in lawsuit against Yamato Transport

Minutes from the Bank of Japan's October policy meeting highlight how overseas economic risks, particularly those surrounding the new U.S. administration's policies, will be key to how soon the BOJ will hike rates.

BOJ debated need for caution in raising rates, meeting minutes show

By Leika Kihara

Contrary to its concern over external risks, the BOJ board was mostly optimistic on domestic economic conditions.

Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe speaks during a joint news conference with heads of Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors on their merger talks in Tokyo on Monday.

Honda crafts Nissan rescue plan that plays out over years

By Nicholas Takahashi and Tsuyoshi Inajima

While executives called the transaction a merger, Honda will take the lead in forming the new entity and nominate a majority of its directors.

Japan selects two groups for third offshore wind power round

By Yuka Obayashi

Mizuho CEO sees global boom in M&A after Trump takes office

By Taiga Uranaka and Hideki Suzuki

Toyota eyes solo Lexus EV plant in Shanghai

Singapore pulls ahead of Hong Kong in race to be crypto hub

By Suvashree Ghosh

Singapore's Maersk Taurus container ship transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama on Aug. 12.

Trump previews combative foreign policy with threats to Panama and Greenland

By Gram Slattery and Tim Reid

Defenders of Donald Trump's approach say he is merely a forceful advocate of "America First" policies.

Han Duck-soo, South Korean Prime Minister, gives a speech during an event in Seoul on May 22.

South Korean opposition seeks to impeach acting president Han

By Seyoon Kim and Heejin Kim

The exact timing of the impeachment proposal against Han will be decided after an internal party review, report says.

Global hunger crisis deepens as major nations skimp on aid

By Jaimi Dowdell, Kaylee Kang, Benjamin Lesser and Raymon Troncoso

How one man became a Ukrainian traitor and Russian spy

By Tom Balmforth

Under Cambodia’s new leader, room for dissent narrows

By Anton L. Delgado

Hong Kong offers bounties for six more democrats in security squeeze

By James Pomfret

A Netflix advertisement for the Christmas Day NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers at a railway station in Munich on Nov. 10

Christmas Day games on Netflix to help NFL expand global reach

By Amy Tennery and Rory Carroll

Two games will be available to almost all of Netflix's more than 270 million international subscribers.

Thohir determined to take 'sleeping giant' Indonesia back to World Cup

By Michael Church

Masters adds 10 to field, including Lucas Glover and Justin Rose

FIFA amends transfer regulations following Diarra ruling

South Africa aims for place in World Test Championship final

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House in October 2017. Canada, like other nations in the president-elect's crosshairs, is scrambling to blunt the impact of his threat to implement steep tariffs once he re-takes office.

The creep of national security threatens the WTO

Brad Glosserman

In Trump's mind, tariffs are the cure-all for virtually everything that ails the United States.

What will happen to China’s economy in 2025?

By Huang Yiping

There is no war on Christmas. There are many.

By Stephen L. Carter

Another pandemic is inevitable, and the U.S. isn't ready

By F.D. Flam

Asia’s film industry should balance AI with human creativity

By Andrijana Cvetkovikj

The entrance of the Sodegaura LNG Terminal, operated by Tokyo Gas, in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture

Japan's draft climate strategy spurs calls for bolder cuts in carbon emissions

By Makiko Yamazaki and Ritsuko Shimizu

The government last month presented a draft plan to aim for a 60% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 from 2013 levels.

Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?

By Eric Johnston

The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem

By Anton L. Delgado

Japanese study links heavy Hokkaido snowfall in 2021 to climate change

By Tomoko Otake

Companies challenged by fewer weeks of winter

By Ethan M Steinberg

The year saw multiple noteworthy exhibitions dedicated to important artists who passed away in 2024, including neo-pop designer, sculptor and illustrator Keiichi Tanaami, who died in August.

A year of ruin and renewal for Japan’s art world in 2024

By Jennifer Pastore

Amid struggles caused by a weak yen, galleries turned to innovative ideas and collaborations.

A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity

By Mark Schilling

‘The Hotel of My Dream’: A literary comedy that never really gels

By James Hadfield

‘More Than Words’: A morally gray melodrama about sexual assault

By Mark Schilling

Comic cons are far more than just cosplay

By Howard Chua-Eoan

When chef Yoshihiro Kitagawa returned to his hometown of Matsusaka to open Shibousai Kitagawa in 2015, he chose a tranquil location on the rural fringe of the city.

Shibousai Kitagawa: Creative Chinese in the home of Matsusaka wagyu

By Robbie Swinnerton

Alongside the superlative array of vegetable appetizers, a focal point at Shibousai Kitagawa is the revered local Matsusaka wagyu.

Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?

By Kathryn Wortley

Make the Yuletide gay: Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ Christmas events

By Kat Joplin

Silent night? Not if you want to impress your Christmas Eve date.

By Yuko Tamura

Looking for ways to be charitable in Japan? Give the gift of reading.

By Yuko Tamura

Writer Baye McNeil and his wife, Miki, host a Kwanzaa gathering in Yokohama together. The end of the year at the McNeil’s home is a mix of several different holiday traditions, including those of Kwanzaa.

A holiday season built on creativity and care

By Baye McNeil

Fusing African heritage with Japanese spirituality, our columnist crafted a holiday season that celebrates cultural understanding.

A green-eyed cutie who loves to eat

From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season

By Kimberly Hughes

Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’

By Zoria Petkoska

Seven strangers and an algorithm: Can this new dinner app help you make friends?

By Phoebe Amoroso

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.

Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?

By Kathryn Wortley

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