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December 23, 2024
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December 23, 2024
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Makoto Uchida, president and CEO of Nissan, speaks during a news conference earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Honda and Nissan merger talks to begin Monday, report says
By Kazuaki Nagata
Both carmakers are facing overcapacity and the need for huge investments related to electric-vehicle and self-driving technologies.
Makoto Uchida, president and CEO of Nissan, speaks during a news conference earlier this month.
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.
The Japanese antitrust watchdog found that the U.S. company has forced smartphone makers to install its search app, sources say.
BUSINESS
Japan to issue cease-and-desist order against Google
The Japanese antitrust watchdog found that the U.S. company has forced smartphone makers to install its search app.
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.
JAPAN / Politics
Zelenskyy to replace Ukraine ambassador to Japan
By Kathleen Benoza
Sergiy Korsunsky played a key role in galvanizing Tokyo’s support for Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
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
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?
By Eric Johnston
Japan boasts the world’s third-largest potential supply of geothermal energy, but this renewable energy resource has mostly been untapped.
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

Self-Defense Force members march in formation at Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, during a ceremony on Nov. 9.
Japan ready to improve working conditions for SDF members
Improving working conditions for the members "is a serious challenge" for his administration, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers.
Sorane Sakihama, a 22-year-old college student, speaks at a prefectural assembly in the city of Okinawa on Sunday protesting sexual assaults by U.S. soldiers.
Okinawa people stage rally against sexual assaults by U.S. servicemen
The Okinawan protesters adopted a resolution demanding apologies for sexual assault victims, compensation and a revision of the Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement.
Bankruptcies and suicides rise as Japanese struggle with mounting debt
By Ayai Tomisawa
Japan's SDF to resume Osprey flights
Freed activist Paul Watson vows to 'end whaling worldwide'
Cambodia to grant Japan visitation rights to China-linked naval base

BUSINESS

People gather to view a rocket launch test by AstroX in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture on Nov. 9.
Fukushima startup aiming to launch rocket from flying balloon
Since the method does not require large-scale ground facilities, the cost can be reduced to one-third of that on the ground, according to the company.
A container ship transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City last August.
Trump demands Panama lower transit fees or return canal
The U.S. completed the 82-kilometer canal through the Central American isthmus in 1914, but ceded it back to Panama in 1999.
One billion users, but controversies mount up for TikTok
Economists see BOJ's policy review as insufficient
Honda and Nissan consider mutual production of vehicles, report says
Ghosn says Honda deal talks indicate Nissan in ‘panic mode’

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.
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.
North Korea aiding Russia where it needs it most, Canadian general says
By Gabriel Dominguez
Pyongyang's provision of troops as well as weapons and munitions that Moscow can't produce fast enough carries a symbolic element.
Order to evacuate Gaza hospital 'next to impossible' to obey: medics
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Suspect in German Christmas market attack held on murder charges
By Rachel More, Ayhan Uyanik and Petra Wischgoll
Trump threatens that U.S. could retake control of Panama Canal
By Gram Slattery
Liberal push to oust Trudeau gains momentum in Ontario
By Thomas Seal and Derek Decloet

Sports

MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Mariners and the Athletics in Seattle on Sept. 29.
Rickey Henderson, baseball’s flamboyant ‘Man of Steal,’ dies at 65
By Michael S. Rosenwald
Henderson holds the MLB career record for stolen bases with 1,406 — a mark unlikely to be swiped from him anytime soon, or perhaps ever.
Wind halts Vonn comeback as St. Moritz super-G called off
NFL-best Chiefs beat Texans while Ravens clinch playoff spot
'Perfect start' for ski great Vonn on World Cup return
Mbappe's adaptation period over, Real Madrid boss says

Opinion

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, casts his vote during an impeachment vote against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul Dec.14.
A race to the Blue House or the jail house
Edo Naito
Since the end of martial law in 1987, there have been eight democratically elected presidents — and all but two of those have either been impeached or imprisoned.
Can lessons from Iraq's regime change be applied in Syria?
By Kuni Miyake
Chip cities rise in Japan’s fields of dreams
By Gearoid Reidy
Why Trump can’t just end birthright citizenship
By Barbara McQuade
Europe’s militaries make their presence known in the Indo-Pacific

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.
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
World falls short of drought deal at Saudi-hosted talks
By Robbie COREY-BOULET

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
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year
By Elizabeth Andoh
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

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
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
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
By Anton L. Delgado
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
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.
JAPAN
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
By Francis Tang
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
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

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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WHAT’S TRENDING

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.
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
Honda and Nissan consider mutual production of vehicles, report says
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 at Tokyo Big Sight in October 2023.
ENVIRONMENT
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
By Anton L. Delgado
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
JAPAN
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.