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December 24, 2024
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December 24, 2024
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Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida (left), Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe (second from left) and Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, hold a news conference on merger talks on Monday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Honda-Nissan megamerger in the works
By Kazuaki Nagata and Elizabeth Beattie
Both carmakers are facing overcapacity and the need for huge investments related to electric-vehicle and self-driving technologies.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida (left), Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe (second from left) and Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, hold a news conference on merger talks on Monday in Tokyo.
Two separate cases of attacks at homes in Chiba Prefecture were reported early Sunday morning.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Suspects at large in dual Chiba armed robberies
Police are treating both incidents as armed robberies and are analyzing potential links between the two cases.
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.
JAPAN / Politics
Trump's Pentagon policy pick pushed for Japan to spend 3% of GDP on defense
By Jesse Johnson
Elbridge Colby said in an interview earlier this year that Japan is moving at a leisurely pace on defense despite being under threat from China and North Korea.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko at the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo prior to the wake of Princess Yuriko on Nov. 24. The emperor emeritus was deeply sorrowful over the death of his aunt, aides said.
JAPAN
Emperor Emeritus Akihito turns 91
The emperor emeritus spends his days caring for Empress Emerita Michiko who broke her right thigh bone in October.
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.
BASEBALL / MLB
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
By Jason Coskrey
The superstar was the center of attention for almost a full calendar year during a season straight out of a Hollywood movie.
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

Japan Coast Guard officers and others observed a moment of silence at a memorial ceremony on Monday in Tokyo's Ota Ward.
Victims mourned as first anniversary of Haneda collision nears
Five of the Japan Coast Guard aircraft's six crew members died after the plane collided with a Japan Airlines plane on Jan. 2.
Ginzan Onsen hot springs in Obanazawa, Yamagata Prefecture
Picturesque Japan hot spring town limits day trippers
Authorities in Ginzan Onsen have become fed up with a rise in road problems, quarrels and other nuisances.
Support planned for roadside rest stations as regional development hubs
Kawasaki Heavy's spending on SDF personnel found taxable
10 months sought for ex-Olympus CEO Kaufmann over drugs
Ex-Nagano assembly member sentenced to 19 years in prison for killing wife

BUSINESS

The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Strategists are now feeling less optimistic on the yen’s outlook after Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda opened up the possibility of waiting longer for the next rate hike.
Yen bulls retreat as Fed, BOJ dim hopes of quick narrowing of rate gap
By Mia Glass and Daisuke Sakai
Wide gaps in interest rates could bring back the yen carry trade, in which investors borrow in Japan and deploy the funds in higher-yielding markets.
Hiroshi Shimizu (left), president of Nippon Life Insurance, and Satoshi Asahi, vice president and future president, shake hands after a news conference Wednesday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
Nippon Life’s $12 billion acquisition spree is just beginning
By Taiga Uranaka and Nao Sano
Having committed to pouring billions into a pair of global insurers, the firm is now turning to asset managers, as it seeks to diversify business at home and abroad.
Japan accuses Google of violating antimonopoly law
By Yukana Inoue
After Northvolt, Europe's battery hopes heavily rely on China
By Nick Carey
Japan's bond supply set to reach decade high as BOJ bond purchases slow
By Masaki Kondo and Saburo Funabiki
Tiny but vital metal markets rush to adjust to Chinese clampdown

WORLD

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak during Turning Point's annual AmericaFest 2024 in Phoenix on Sunday.
Trump upending global politics a month before taking office
By Josh Wingrove
While it’s not unusual for political leaders at home and abroad to jockey for the ear of an incoming president, the scale of Trump’s pre-inauguration influence is vast.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a ceremony for military combat officers at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, on Oct. 31.
Israel's Netanyahu eyes Iran after triumphs over Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria
By Samia Nakhoul
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had a succession of monumental wins that include the top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah being eliminated.
Bride, groom, spy: India's wedding detectives
By Aishwarya KUMAR
Philippine military says will acquire U.S. Typhon missile system
Israel and Turkey shape a new Syria from their borderlands
By Alisa Odenheimer and Selcan Hacaoglu
Netanyahu vows to act with 'force, determination' against Yemen's Houthis
By Ruth EGLASH

Sports

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.
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
By Jason Coskrey
The superstar was the center of attention for almost a full calendar year during a season straight out of a Hollywood movie.
Team Langer beats Team Woods in PNC Championship playoff
Mbappe back from 'bottom' as Real Madrid downs Sevilla
Wind halts Vonn comeback as St. Moritz super-G called off
NFL-best Chiefs beat Texans while Ravens clinch playoff spot

Opinion

Here we go again, a Christmas marked by legal battles, evolving traditions, commercial influence, and debates over greetings.
There is no war on Christmas. There are many.
Stephen L. Carter
As usual, our holiday cornucopia overfloweth with litigation.
What will happen to China’s economy in 2025?
By Huang Yiping
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
Can lessons from Iraq's regime change be applied in Syria?
By Kuni Miyake

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.
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
Indigenous people in Canada weigh costs of a gas windfall
By Max Bearak

CULTURE

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

LIFE

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
Inbound tourism to Japan reached a record high in 2024, but managing the crowds and ensuring sustainability remain a challenge.
Shibousai Kitagawa: Creative Chinese in the home of Matsusaka wagyu
By Robbie Swinnerton
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

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.
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

Editors' Picks

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.
LIFE
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
By Tomoko Otake
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
ENVIRONMENT
Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?
By Eric Johnston
Steam rises from a geothermal plan in Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture. Despite its long history and potential, geothermal provided just 0.3% of Japan's overall energy mix in the fiscal year from April 2023
JAPAN
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
By Tomoko Otake
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
ASIA PACIFIC
North Korea aiding Russia where it needs it most, Canadian general says
By Gabriel Dominguez
North Korean special forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang in April 2017.

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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WHAT’S TRENDING

JAPAN
Bankruptcies and suicides rise as Japanese struggle with mounting debt
By Ayai Tomisawa
Lawyers estimate that personal bankruptcies in Japan are on track to reach the highest since 2012 this year.
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.
JAPAN
Okinawa people stage rally against sexual assaults by U.S. servicemen
Sorane Sakihama, a 22-year-old college student, speaks at a rally in the city of Okinawa on Sunday protesting against sexual assaults by U.S. soldiers.
JAPAN
Zelenskyy to replace Ukraine ambassador to Japan
By Kathleen Benoza
Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky delivers a speech during a handover ceremony of Self-Defense Force vehicles to Ukraine, at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, in May last year.
ENVIRONMENT
Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?
By Eric Johnston
Steam rises from a geothermal plan in Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture. Despite its long history and potential, geothermal provided just 0.3% of Japan's overall energy mix in the fiscal year from April 2023