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December 26, 2024
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December 26, 2024
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The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
JAPAN
Human error caused JAL jet collision at Haneda Airport: safety board
By Kathleen Benoza
The pilot and co-pilot of the Japan Coast Guard plane mistakenly believed they got cleared to enter the runway just before the Jan. 2 incident.
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Jan. 5, three days after the crash.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics
Japan's top diplomat visits China as a step toward mending ties
By Francis Tang
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya's trip marks the first visit by a top Japanese diplomat to Beijing since April 2023.
This is set to be the first time Toyota will donate to a U.S. inauguration ceremony.
BUSINESS / Companies
Toyota to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration ceremony
By Kathleen Benoza
President-elect Trump says he plans to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico, triggering concerns from automakers that rely on Mexican production for the U.S. market.
Japan is considering introducing a system to allow the government to temporarily acquire factories to prevent important technologies from being taken abroad.
JAPAN
Japan plans system for temporary control of key plants during emergencies
The system would be activated when production of specified critical products designated in the economic security promotion law are disrupted.
"Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition" includes an installation of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”
CULTURE / Art
Step into ukiyo-e: A digital journey through Japan’s traditional art form
By Masaru Urano
"Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition" uses 3D animation and projection mapping to reimagine Edo-era woodblock prints for modern audiences.
"Ukiyoe Immersive Art Exhibition" includes an installation of Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.”

JAPAN

Sho Zeniya, a 36-year-old former city employee, was selected as a mayoral candidate through the open application process and elected for the first time.
Osaka Prefecture city showcases electronic voting and open applications
The mayoral election in a Osaka Prefecture city was held following an open recruitment process for candidates over the internet.
The nationwide average for men's healthy life expectancy decreased 0.11 year from the previous survey, three years earlier, to 72.57 years, while that for women rose 0.07 year to 75.45 years.
Residents of Shizuoka live longest healthy lives in Japan, ranking shows
Every three years the health ministry estimates healthy life expectancy based on a comprehensive survey of living conditions.
Chinese man sentenced for vandalizing Yasukuni Shrine
Japan pump price tops ¥180 per liter for first time in 15 months
Japan eyes more discretion for schools in upcoming curriculum revision
South Korean temple pledges to return Buddha statue next spring

BUSINESS

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda appears to want to keep his options open by noting the need to keep rates low to support the economy while flagging the risk of maintaining them at low levels for too long.
Ueda avoids giving clear hint on chances of January rate hike
By Toru Fujioka
The Bank of Japan governor is sticking to his view that the central bank needs to keep monitoring risks for the economy.
The United States Steel's Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania. In a letter, a group that includes mayors in Pennsylvania and Indiana denounced the head of the United Steelworkers union over his refusal to negotiate in good faith with Nippon Steel its plan to acquire U.S. Steel.
Mayors urge Biden to approve Nippon Steel acquisition of U.S. Steel
A total of 20 people, including the heads of administrative districts where U.S. Steel facilities are located, underlined the importance of the deal to the local communities.
Toyota sales stagnate as factory glitches compound weaker demand
By Nicholas Takahashi
Will Honda-Nissan tie-up deliver synergies in time to counter China?
By David Dolan
Blogs to Bluesky: Social media shifts responses after 2004 tsunami
By Jack Moore
How a hedge fund exodus reshaped global cocoa markets 
By Tom Wilson, Maytaal Angel and Nell Mackenzie

WORLD

Workers retrieves tsunami buoy Thai 23461 in the Andaman Sea on Nov. 28.
The tsunami detection buoys safeguarding lives in Thailand
By Watsamon TRI-YASAKDA
They form part of a warning system intended to ensure no disaster is as deadly as a huge December 2004 tsunami caused by an earthquake under the Indian Ocean.
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike near the Indonesian Hospital that ran out of fuel and electricity, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Nov. 12, 2023.
Israeli army forces patients out of north Gaza hospital, medics say
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Israel says its operation around the three northern Gaza communities surrounding the hospital is targeting Hamas militants.
32 survivors as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan
The real-life violence that inspired South Korea's 'Squid Game'
By Claire Lee
Ukraine reports massive Christmas Day attack by Russia
Syrian Christians attend Christmas mass for first time since Assad's fall
By Amr Abdallah

Sports

A full house at Dolphins Arena takes in a bout featuring Takarafuji during the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in July.
New Nagoya arena won't ease sumo's ticket crunch
By John Gunning
A shiny new arena in Nagoya will seat 17,000 but capacity won't be nearly that high for sumo, meaning there's no relief on the horizon for ticket-hungry fans.
Postecoglou says Spurs 'need to reinforce' in transfer window
Djokovic has sights set on more glory as Swiatek returns under doping cloud
By Martin PARRY
Questions emerge about data used by China to defend against doping allegations
By Tariq Panja and Michael S. Schmidt
Thohir determined to take 'sleeping giant' Indonesia back to World Cup
By Michael Church

Opinion

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.
China is taking a page from Russia’s disinformation playbook
By Maya Sobchuk
Will stability rise from the Middle East rubble?
By Dennis Ross
Africans demand a bigger share of their natural resources wealth
By Justice Malala
How to make America's drone panic so very much worse
By Zeynep Tufekci

ENVIRONMENT

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

CULTURE

Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada attends the red carpet event for FX's "Shogun" at the Academy theater in Los Angeles in February.
Demand for Japanese content booms after 'Shogun' success
By Mathias Cena
With interest coming from overseas producers, Japan-based companies are trying to help creators get their stories told.
A year of ruin and renewal for Japan’s art world in 2024
By Jennifer Pastore
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

LIFE

A man eats a croissant dough mince pie at Pophams bakery in London.
'Don't mess with our mince pies,' some Brits plead
By Helen ROWE
A mixture of different dried fruits, chopped apples and spices soaked in spirits such as brandy and rum, the snack is a favorite around the holidays.
The secret to living to 110? Bad record-keeping, says Ig Nobel Prize winner.
By Daniel Lawler
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?
By Kathryn Wortley
Shibousai Kitagawa: Creative Chinese in the home of Matsusaka wagyu
By Robbie Swinnerton
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
By Tomoko Otake

COMMUNITY

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.
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
Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’
By Ansel Swindells

Editors' Picks

JAPAN
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
By Tomoko Otake
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.
BASEBALL
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
By Jason Coskrey
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a standing ovation from fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season, against the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19.
JAPAN
Trump's Pentagon policy pick pushed for Japan to spend 3% of GDP on defense
By Jesse Johnson
Elbridge Colby (center) speaks at the Threat and the Strategy panel during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, in September 2019.
LIFE
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year
By Elizabeth Andoh
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
BUSINESS
Japan accuses Google of violating antimonopoly law
By Yukana Inoue
The Japanese antitrust watchdog said that Google forced smartphone makers to preinstall its search app on their devices, sources say.

Podcast

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

Longform

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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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
North Korean hacker group behind DMM Bitcoin’s cryptocurrency leak
By Yukana Inoue
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
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
By Tomoko Otake
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
Health ministry urges caution as flu cases rise nationwide
By Jessica Speed
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
Parliament wraps up, showing minority government's lack of control
By Himari Semans
Political reform bills clear the Upper House plenary session in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Japan selects two groups for third offshore wind power round
By Yuka Obayashi
Japan aims to accelerate offshore wind development as part of its decarbonization strategy.