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A worker cleans a table in an empty McDonald's restaurant in Cairo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2023

Boycott campaigns over Gaza hit Western brands

Companies are feeling the impact in Egypt and Jordan, and there are signs the campaign is spreading in some other Arab countries.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, speaks during WSJ Tech Live Conference in Laguna Beach, California on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2023

OpenAI researchers spoke of risky discovery before CEO ouster

The previously unreported letter and AI algorithm were key developments before the board's ouster of Sam Altman.
Researchers eager to be hailed as the next world-changing genius may cut corners they shouldn’t — and that reflects badly on science.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 23, 2023

Science hype and celebrity culture make a bad pair

There is a broad problem of questionable research results being published in prestigious journals, with some prioritizing sensational findings.
A rescuer carries a child as he walks amid the rubble of a school hit during an Israeli strike before the start of a four-day truce in the battles between Israel and Hamas militants, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Gaza truce appears to hold as Israel and Hamas start cease-fire

There were no major reports of bombings, artillery strikes or rocket attacks as Israel and Hamas started a four-day cease-fire in Gaza on Friday.
Liberty Island claims victory in the Shuka Sho race at Kyoto Racecourse on Oct. 15, completing Japan’s Triple Tiara of top races for fillies.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Nov 24, 2023

Domestic horses look to continue home dominance

It’s the weekend of the Group 1 Japan Cup in association with Longines, when one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan, if not the world, will be run at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday. Having grown in stature over the past 40 years or so, the race has made a real name for itself over that time in...
Filmmaker and teacher Karl Neubert says he enjoys working with vintage lenses because they can capture a more cinematic look.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 25, 2023

Karl Neubert: 'The joy a student finds in their debut film is a constant source of pride'

Filmmaker and teacher Karl Neubert discusses his role as an educator to the next generation of artists and how 30 years in Japan has shaped his work.
The Diet building in Tokyo. Japan is not considering penalties for noncompliant businesses in its planned guidelines on the development and use of generative artificial intelligence.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2023

Japan's generative AI guidelines to carry no penalties

The government aims to accelerate the development and use of generative AI under the guidelines that it expects to compile later this year.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen greets the fans after he put his car on pole for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 26, 2023

Verstappen on pole as Tsunoda qualifies sixth

Red Bull have won 20 of the 21 races so far, another F1 record, and Verstappen has won in Abu Dhabi each of the past three years.
A supporter of the Kuomintang, Taiwan's main opposition party, waves the island's flag outside the Central Election Commission office in Taipei on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 26, 2023

Taiwan draws clear U.S.-versus-China battle lines in key election

The collapse of the opposition alliance makes Chinese President Xi Jinping’s stated goal of voluntary unification with Taiwan more remote.
In Japan on a scholarship he fought hard for, Oscar Ruto found himself needing to take a break and headed into Tokyo for a weekend of partying.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 27, 2023

'I wasn't always an alcoholic … and then I was'

As the party season draws near, it's important to deal with yearend stress in healthier ways.
This handout picture released by the Israeli army shows hostages released by Hamas, Gal (center) and Tal Almog-Goldstein (left) being transported in a helicopter after they were released by the Palestinian militant group Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD
Nov 28, 2023

11 more Gaza hostages released as Israel-Hamas truce extended

Shortly after the arrival of the hostages was confirmed, Israel's prison authority said 33 Palestinian inmates had been released.
South Korean and U.S. soldiers stand guard next to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission building on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom in July 2017.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2023

South Korea’s lessons for Ukraine’s reconstruction

Ukraine needs ironclad security guarantees, specifically NATO membership and the collective security that ensures.
People walk past the booth of fashion retailer Shein during the first China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 29, 2023

Shein’s IPO plan to fuel scrutiny over cotton and China roots

In addition to fighting skeptics, Shein is also locked in a battle with rival Temu
A visitor to an American college fair at a Marriott Hotel in Beijing poses for a souvenir photo next to an eagle mascot on Sept. 23. Students have been traveling between China and the U.S. for generations, propelled by ambition, curiosity and a belief that their time abroad could help them better their and their countries’ futures.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 29, 2023

Can U.S.-China student exchanges survive geopolitics?

Official rhetoric belies obstacles both governments have continued to erect, driven by the same nationalism and concerns about national security.
University students attend a job fair. If Japanese companies continue hiring people based on the university they graduated from, acquiring extra qualifications or reskilling won't impact candidates' job prospects.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 29, 2023

Kishida’s stimulus package needs rethinking, not reskilling

The government aims to promote reskilling for nonregular workers to boost their job prospects, but this won't matter if hiring practices don't change.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Sanae Takaichi (center) and Taro Kono attend a Lower House session in Tokyo last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 29, 2023

Despite low approval ratings, Kishida likely to keep top job

While the situation around the government warrants no optimism, experts agree the prime minister has no reason to fret.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addresses a news conference during an artificial intelligence safety summit in Milton Keynes, England, on Nov. 2.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 29, 2023

Foreign policy and defense concerns in the age of AI

Researchers warn of the potential 'signaling risks' artificial intelligence poses to global politics and military conflict.
Rapidus Chairman Tetsuro Higashi says engineers who had left Japan to work abroad are now joining Rapidus to help it revive the domestic chip industry.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2023

Rapidus hunts for engineers to help Japan regain faded chip glory

Securing engineers in a country with a declining population is among the most pressing issues for the company.
Singapore is again the world's most expensive city to live in, an honor it shares with Zurich this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 30, 2023

Singapore and Zurich are the world's most expensive cities

Tokyo fell to 60th place while Osaka dropped to 70th amid a weak Japanese yen.
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement this year with “The Boy and the Heron,” which opened to critical acclaim and has so far earned ¥8.56 billion — a good showing but not enough to take the top spot at the box office for the year.
CULTURE / Film / 2023 in Review
Nov 30, 2023

The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era

The success of “Oshi no Ko,” “Detective Conan” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved that anime is the mainstream now.
The launch of a rocket carrying a spy satellite, as claimed by the North Korean government, in a location given as North Gyeongsang Province, North Korea, in this handout picture obtained on Nov. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 1, 2023

U.S., Japan and South Korea hit North with sanctions over satellite

The move comes after North Korea successfully launched its first reconnaissance satellite, designed to monitor U.S. and South Korean military movements.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (third from right) and Digital Minister Taro Kono (second from right) attend a meeting with experts to discuss measures to implement administrative reforms through digitalization, held on Oct. 3 at the Digital Agency in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2023

Japan falls out of top 10 in digital government rankings

The result reflects a series of problems with the country's My Number social security and tax identification cards.
Tigers manager Akinobu Okada speaks during a news conference in Tokyo after the buzzword of the year was announced on Friday. The team's slogan, an indirect reference to victory, took the top spot.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2023

Japan’s 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning

A.R.E — based on the Japanese word “are” (“that”) — took the top spot, after the Hanshin Tigers popularized the term as an indirect reference to victory.
A CV-22 Osprey at the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in September 2018
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2023

U.S. Osprey crash rekindles safety concerns in Japan

The unique aircraft has had its share of incidents, but still has a relatively safe record compared to other military aircraft.
The talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates announced it would change its name after acknowledging the long history of abuse company founder Johnny Kitagawa inflicted on young men. The news was followed by the removal of company signage bearing Kitagawa’s name.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Dec 2, 2023

The entertainment story of the year is long overdue

As entertainment heavyweights Johnny & Associates and Takarazuka Revue are hit by scandals, hope for reform emerges with changing attitudes toward abuse.
Tokyo Healthcare University professor Takayuki Mifune explains how he is trying to re-create bonito broth from 1,300 years ago.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Dec 4, 2023

The quest to re-create what the Japanese ate 1,300 years ago

Professor Takayuki Mifune and his team are hoping to understand, in minute detail, the culinary habits of our Japanese ancestors.
U.S. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in her chambers at the Supreme Court in Washington in 2003.
WORLD
Dec 2, 2023

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice, dies at 93

The court said in a statement that O'Connor died in Phoenix of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness.
Damaged houses following the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel.
WORLD
Dec 2, 2023

Israel's most wanted: The three Hamas leaders it aims to kill

Sources familiar with Israel's thinking have said that the offensive in Gaza was unlikely to stop until three top Hamas commanders are dead or captured.
A worker at the Ford F-150 Lightning plant in Dearborn, Michigan in April last year. New government rules will try to shift more production of electric vehicle batteries and the materials that power them to the United States.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2023

U.S. sets limits on Chinese content to receive EV tax credits

The guidelines establish a 25% ownership threshold for a company or group to be classified as a foreign entity of concern.
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani on deck against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Aug. 28
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 5, 2023

Shohei Ohtani decision expected 'within the week,' reports say

The free agent two-way star is projected to receive a record-setting contract worth more than $500 million.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat