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JAPAN
Jul 8, 2022

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assassinated

A suspect was arrested after Abe, one of the most consequential leaders in Japan's postwar history, was shot while campaigning in the city of Nara on Friday.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2022

As Japan looks to possible fourth COVID shots, hesitancy and disinformation linger

Almost 80% of people in Japan have received at least two COVID-19 doses, but that doesn't mean all are planning to get additional shots.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2021

SoftBank slumps 9% after week of bad portfolio news

Shares fell to u00a55,057 — the biggest intraday drop since March 2020 and part of its worst annual decline since 2006.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 30, 2021

Will the Komuros start to see good news now they’re wed?

Now that Princess Mako has married Kei Komuro, will the media begin to reflect on its coverage of their time in the spotlight? For Princess Kako's sake, let's hope so.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 27, 2021

What you need to know about the not-so-fairy tale of Princess Mako

The wedding between the princess and Kei Komuro was originally scheduled to take place in November 2018. But things did not go as planned.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 13, 2021

Shohei Ohtani puts on show at Home Run Derby but bows out in first round

The New York Mets' Pete Alonso, the defending champion, won the eight-man competition to retain his title.
Japan Times
TENNIS
May 31, 2021

French Open deletes tweet targeting Naomi Osaka's choice to skip news conferences

The tweet showed pictures of Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff engaging with the media along with the caption: 'They understood the assignment.'
Japan Times
TENNIS
May 27, 2021

No comment: Naomi Osaka to skip news conferences at French Open

Osaka says she hoped the 'considerable amount' that she expected to forfeit as a penalty would go toward a mental health charity.
JAPAN / Society
May 19, 2021

Japan left shaken after a detainee, wasting away, dies alone in her cell

Critics of Japan's immigration system say that Wishma Ratnayake was the victim of an opaque, capricious bureaucracy that has nearly unchecked power over those who run afoul of it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2021

The Western news media’s lurid Orientalism

Western media have been filled with images of dead bodies and other graphic scenes that generally would not be shown following a similar disaster in a Western country.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2021

Asia’s movie rebound is good news for everyone

In the absence of Hollywood fare, 'The Eight Hundred,” a Chinese war epic, became the world's top-grossing movie with a $460 million take.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 19, 2021

A flurry of news means a ton of new Japanese vocabulary

The first few weeks of 2021 have been eventful to say the least. Make sure to take a note of the new vocabulary you're hearing in order to keep up with the talk of the town.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 28, 2020

News outlets clash over tone of COVID-19 coverage

The government's COVID-19 subcommittee held a news conference on Nov. 9 to discuss nationwide increases in infections this winter. The government itself seems hesitant to call this sudden spike the "third wave," a term that has become normalized in the media, but the subcommittee definitely sees it as...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 21, 2020

U.S. election helps disinformation on social media thrive in Japan

The 2020 U.S. presidential election has dominated much of the news cycle over the past couple of weeks, with social media playing a key role in the conversation.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers remarks during the Third Summit for Democracy in Seoul on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 18, 2024

South Korea-hosted summit warns of AI risks to democracy

South Korea is hosting the Summit for Democracy conference, an initiative aimed at discussing ways to stop the erosion of rights and freedoms.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, received an outpouring of global sympathy after her video message on Friday revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
WORLD / Society
Mar 25, 2024

Wild theories persist despite U.K. royal Catherine's cancer revelation

Conspiracy theorists continue to push claims of digital manipulation, cancer misinformation and anti-vaccine myths on social media.
CrowdTangle, bought by the firm now known as Meta in 2016, offers crucial real-time transparency into the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech on influential Meta-owned platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2024

Meta to switch off tool that tracks misinformation months before U.S. vote

CrowdTangle offers crucial real-time transparency into the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, at the Viva Technology conference in Paris on June 16, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2024

Brazil judge opens inquiry into Musk over blocked accounts on X

Musk has challenged a decision by a Supreme Court judge ordering the blocking of certain accounts.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (left) and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (right) talk as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (center) uses a phone during an informal European Union leaders' summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

EU weighs response to Russian 'interference' in election run-up

Several EU states want to sanction Russia for their suspected disinformation campaigns ahead of European elections set for June.
"Paris" is projected onto the Arc de Triomphe to celebrate the entry into the Olympic year, during the New Year's celebrations on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Jan. 1, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

Russian bots use fake Tom Cruise for Olympic disinformation

The video also included falsified endorsements from media outlets including The New York Times and the BBC.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, raises a fist as he departs after answering questions during the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 3, 2024

Trump agrees to Fox News offer of debate with Harris on Sept. 4

Harris had responded last month that she was "ready" after Fox News proposed the presidential debate between the two candidates on Sept. 17.
Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute's Global Conference on May 6 in Beverly Hills, California.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 15, 2024

Musk’s free speech mantra collides with crackdowns on hate speech and disinformation

Since taking over, Musk has largely abandoned X’s prior efforts to curb misinformation, instead asking users to police themselves.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for November's presidential election, speaks during a debate with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 12, 2024

Trump faces blowback for repeating lie about migrants and pets

The episode highlighted the risk for political candidates of embracing conspiracy theories that don’t survive the light of day off social media.
Poll workers set up early voting equipment in Seffner, Florida, on Aug. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 24, 2024

Russia produced most AI content to sway election: U.S. intelligence

Russia is seen as being a more sophisticated actor than other nations and having a better understanding of how U.S. elections work.
The tech platforms contributing to social instability should financially support independent journalism as a way to combat misinformation and promote a healthier society.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2024

How independent journalism can save society from the effects of Big Tech

Independent journalism is critical in verifying facts, exposing corruption, addressing societal issues and contrasting it all with the negative impacts of Big Tech.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk speaks during a rally for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2024

Elon Musk-led election falsehoods hang over vote as tally begins

Elon Musk has become Republican candidate Donald Trump’s most high-profile donor and supporter.
The Keikyu Line in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Japan’s rail stocks soar on Keisei Electric activist stake news

Keisei’s stock jumped over 18%, its sharpest intraday rise since October 2008, with Keikyu climbing more than 16%.
China's solar industry, hit hard in 2024 by overcapacity and financial losses, is expected to recover in 2025 with tighter market conditions and a 25% revenue growth forecast.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2024

Here’s the best climate news you missed this year

There are plenty of positive trends out there once you peer past the alarmist headlines.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 14.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Mar 31, 2025

After Duterte's arrest, Philippine drug war victims face abuse and online falsehoods

A surge of false claims has swept social media since the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte, with supporters claiming the ICC had no jurisdiction and calling it a "kidnapping."

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan