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Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Dec 19, 2022

Downsizing death: Japan's funeral industry at a crossroads

The death care business is rethinking the services it offers in response to soaring bookings and sagging revenue in a rapidly aging nation
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2022

Investors boost pressure on Big Oil firms to set 2030 climate targets

The move revives pressure on the sector after a year that saw governments shift their focus to energy security.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 19, 2022

Is Lionel Messi the greatest? For his fans, the debate is over.

The absence of a World Cup winners' medal has long been Exhibit A in the argument about why Messi does not rank above Pele and Diego Maradona in football's pantheon.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2022

As he preps for 2024, Biden finally finds footing as president

After first-year stumbles, Biden found his footing with a string of legislative wins, his party's surprise midterm showing and a successful summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 19, 2022

Ukraine watchful of borders as Putin heads to Belarus

Putin's visit comes amid discussion of a possible new Russian offensive, which some fear could originate from Belarus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2022

Elon Musk asks Twitter users to decide if he should step down

Twitter's billionaire owner will abide by the results of the poll, he pledged in a tweet Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Dec 19, 2022

Things to do before saying 'sayonara' to your life in Japan

Planning on leaving Japan? Think long-term with your plans. It will take a while to ship everything to a different country.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 19, 2022

For Messi, and Argentina, the (extra) wait is worth it

Lionel Messi scored twice in one of the most exciting World Cup finals in history. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick for France, whose furious comeback fell short.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2022

Cafeterias offering low cost children's meals in Japan rose by 1,300, survey says

This is the second largest increase after a rise of 1,432 marked in 2019, according to the survey by Musubie, a Tokyo nonprofit supporting such facilities.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 18, 2022

China may have created a trap for itself with African lending

Africa is heading toward a repayment crisis, with 22 of 54 nations at risk of so-called debt distress, according to World Bank and International Monetary Fund criteria.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 18, 2022

Ruling party lawmaker Kentaro Sonoura considering resigning

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is highly likely to summarily indict LDP lawmaker Kentaro Sonoura, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2022

Are Europe’s Russia sanctions a shot in the foot?

If the European Union is enduring severe economic pain while Russia's Ukraine war proceeds apace, sanctions become tantamount to self-flagellation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2022

Was Trump or Brexit the bigger mistake? The answer is clear.

As Americans and Britons are discovering, nations can recover from bad elections far more easily than from bad referendums.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2022

Omicron variant claims lives of healthy children in Japan

A survey shows that around half of infants and children who have died from COVID-19 did not have any underlying conditions.
A survey by a health ministry research team has found that a significant proportion of doctors in Japan are at risk of death from overwork.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 29, 2023

Around 20% of doctors in Japan at risk of death from overwork

A survey showed that 20.4% of full-time doctors worked over 60 hours per week, exceeding the weekly legal working hours of 40 hours.
Paris, where self-service electric scooters will be banned from Sept. 1, is about to join the few cities in the world that have opted for a ban, with many other municipalities opting for more or less strict restrictions.
WORLD / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Boon or blight? E-scooters around the world

While users hail them as eco-friendly ways to avoid gridlock, detractors consider them as an unsightly menace with the power to maim and kill.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 29.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 29, 2023

Donald Trump faces up to six trials during 2024 primary season

The four criminal indictments pose the greatest threat to the former U.S. president because they all carry potential prison terms.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, right, speaks during a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao in Beijing on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 29, 2023

U.S. commerce secretary says trade can stabilize U.S.-China ties

The trip to China this week is a key test of efforts by Washington to ease tensions while holding firm on what it considers national security interests.
The Shein logo at the company's office in Singapore in 2022. The company, which sells $7 dresses and $5 home goods in more than 150 countries, has moved its headquarters to Singapore but manufactures most of its products in China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

U.S. states ask SEC to confirm Shein complies with labor rules

The request adds to pressure on Shein as China hawks in Congress target Chinese firms that do not align with U.S. foreign policy goals.
Noah Lyles of the United States celebrates after winning the men's 200m final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Friday.
BASKETBALL
Aug 29, 2023

Sprint king Lyles draws NBA players' ire over 'world champion' claims

Lyles said he is offended when teams declare themselves "world champions" for winning an NBA crown.
In its quake damage estimates updated last year, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government expects that 4.53 million people will be unable to return home in the aftermath of a massive quake hitting the capital.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2023

Over-concentration in Tokyo raising risks from possible quake

The government estimate that up to 23,000 people would be killed if a massive quake hits the capital.
Just 17.4% of small and midsize companies in Tokyo have developed business continuity plans to prepare for emergencies including natural disasters, according to a recent survey.
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2023

Only 23% of Tokyo companies have business continuity plans, survey shows

Efforts to create such plans did not spread widely among companies although many had their operations disrupted due to the March 2011 quake and tsunami.
The 3M global headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota. The multinational conglomerate has tentatively agreed to pay more than $5.5 billion to resolve over 300,000 lawsuits claiming it sold the U.S. military defective combat earplugs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

3M to pay more than $5.5 billion over faulty combat earplugs

Current and former service members allege 3M knew its earplugs were too short to work effectively and that it failed to warn the U.S. government or users.
The Bank of Japan's inflation outlook doesn’t reflect reality, according to one of the country’s leading experts on prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2023

BOJ’s outlook doesn’t reflect reality, key price expert says

While the bank sharply raised its price outlook last month, it was still kept too low, said University of Tokyo economics professor Tsutomu Watanabe.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a backhand return against France's Alexandre Muller during the U.S. Open tennis tournament men's singles first round match in New York on Monday.
TENNIS
Aug 29, 2023

Djokovic back on top after U.S. Open return as Swiatek advances

Djokovic shrugged off a late-night start on the Arthur Ashe Stadium to demolish France's Alexandre Muller 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 in just 1 hour 35 minutes.
A gasoline tanker truck at an Eneos gas station in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2023

LDP approves extension of gasoline subsidy to year-end

The ruling party also agreed in principle to further expand the program, which pays subsidies to oil wholesalers to curb retail fuel price increases.
Japan’s unemployment rate rose for the first time in four months in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2023

Rising jobless rate dims outlook for labor market and inflation

The job market must tighten to spur wage gains, which in turn would contribute to a virtuous cycle of inflation and salaries.
Former Prosecutor-General Makoto Hayashi (center) and two other experts speak about their investigation into Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse allegations, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Expert team reports on decades of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa

The team urged Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima to step down after the family-run business left the issue unaddressed for decades.
Security personnel guard the BYD booth at the Auto Shanghai show in April 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2023

China's leading electric carmaker BYD triples half-year profit

This month the company became the first global manufacturer to pass the 5 million milestone in electric vehicle production.

Longform

Wozme, founded by dancer and choreographer Wakaba Kohei, is composed of Kana Kitty, Ami Ishii, Akane Watanabe and Natsuki. Its aim is to inject elegance and beauty, traits traditionally associated with femininity, into the sometimes grotesque art form of butoh dance.
Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh