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Advertisements for the Dholera Smart City project, which is in the early stages of development, in Dholera, India, on Aug. 25. India’s government, seizing on the world’s desire to reduce reliance on China, is offering billions to build an entire semiconductor ecosystem on vast empty plots.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

Modi wants to make India a chipmaking superpower. Can he succeed?

The prime minister betting he can lure private companies to a future semiconductor city from not only across India but also the world.
The rubble of a home in Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, on Aug. 16
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 14, 2023

China sows disinformation about Hawaii fires using new techniques

False posts carrying images apparently made using artificial intelligence put China among the first to have used these tools in such a campaign.
Delivery trucks at a parking area along the highway in Chiba Prefecture in April
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023

Japan set to expand visa framework to tackle driver shortage

The planned expansion of the visa framework is to attract foreign nationals to the logistics industries and to address the driver shortage problem.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with a payload of 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 27.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 21, 2023

Satellite constellations taking on greater role in Japan's security

As Japan fine-tunes its national security strategy, the importance and future of satellite constellations is being examined.
Many scientists say more research into volcanoes is vital to gauge how far eruptions can briefly affect the long-term trend of global warming, which is primarily driven by burning fossil fuels.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / ANALYSIS
Sep 15, 2023

Why is 2023 so hot? A rare Pacific volcano is among the suspects

Greenhouse gas emissions are overwhelmingly to blame, scientists say, but water vapor from the Tonga eruption last year may have played a role too.
Shiseido products on display at a Nykaa Luxe store in Mumbai, India, in November
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2023

Shiseido bets on India growth with first launch in a decade

Japan’s largest cosmetic firm has partnered with Indian retailer Shoppers Stop’s Global SS Beauty Brands and will open 14 stores in New Delhi and Mumbai.
A junior high school team poses for a picture on Oct. 30, 1929, the fourth day of the fifth Meiji Shrine Games.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Sep 16, 2023

Rugby turns 200: A history of the sport in Japan

As the sport of rugby turns 200, Japan hopes to celebrate its own success in a game that first arrived in the 1860s.
Japan's Asaeli Ai Valu (left) and Atsushi Sakate celebrate with a Japanese flag after defeating Chile in their opening game of the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 10.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 16, 2023

Giant-slaying Japan turns attention to England at Rugby World Cup

Japan will have another chance to take down a rugby powerhouse when it meets England at the World Cup.
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi attends a press conference during the International Atomic Energy Agency 's 35-nation Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on Sept. 11.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 17, 2023

IAEA blasts Iran over latest inspector exclusion

Iran's Foreign Ministry said the move was in retaliation for "political abuses" by the U.S., France, Germany and Britain.
Plaintiffs and supporters opposed to the expansion of a coal-fired power plant in Kobe protest after the Kobe District Court dismissed their civil case in March.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 17, 2023

Climate litigation remains a tough sell in Japan despite wins overseas

So far, Japan has seen just four climate lawsuits, all concerning the construction and operation of coal-fired power plants.
Corruption thrives in times of war, as exemplified by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently being forced to replace his defense minister after top officials were accused of skimming funds or taking bribes. 
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2023

Zelenskyy needs to fight corruption like he’s fighting Putin

There’s no need just to pick on ex-Soviet states like Ukraine. A fire hose of U.S. taxpayer money went missing in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The far-right Confederation Liberty and Independence party rally against measures imposed by the Polish government to stem the spread of COVID-19, in Warsaw in October 2020.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 18, 2023

The far right is advancing in a vulnerable Europe again

Disruptors in far-right political parties are taking advantage of resentment born out of COVID-19, a cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Identifying a sustainable product can involve evaluating claims about emissions, plastic use, water waste and packaging recyclability.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 19, 2023

Regulators are trying to stop greenwashing before it gets worse

The range of agencies tackling dubious sustainability claims is indicative of its ambiguity and breadth.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang holds a copy of China's constitution during a news conference at the Media Center of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 19, 2023

China ousted foreign minister over affair in U.S., report says

Top officials in China were told in August that a Communist Party inquiry into Qin uncovered "lifestyle issues.”
A con artist (Sakura Ando, top) and her half-brother (Ryosuke Yamada) try to make a getaway from the Osaka underworld in Masato Harada’s “Bad Lands.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 21, 2023

‘Bad Lands’: Sakura Ando steals scenes in fast-paced thriller

The actor delivers a hypnotic lead turn as a con artist running from the law and a violent ex in Masato Harada’s high-octane film.
The XL bully dog is different than a normal pet. It is a symbol of fear, aggression and its muscular body and fierce countenance reflects this.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2023

Some kinds of dogs shouldn’t be allowed as pets

The case is weaker for a ban on bully dogs in the U.S. because population density is much lower and Americans seem to have a higher risk tolerance.
Hou Yu-ih, Taiwan presidential candidate and mayor of New Taipei City, speaks during a news conference in New York on Sept. 16. The Kuomintang, Taiwan's main opposition party, picked Hou Yu-ih, a popular local leader with little foreign policy experience, as its candidate for next year's presidential election.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 21, 2023

Taiwan’s former top cop wants China talks if voted president

"I have participated in countless gun battles and I always stood on the front line.”
Takao Masuda, executive vice president of research management at Hokkaido University, speaks at a news conference in Sapporo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 21, 2023

Hokkaido University admits misconduct by chemistry research team

Unnatural gaps and signs of data manipulation were found in research related to artificial catalysts used to facilitate chemical reactions.
Toshiba said the Japan Industrial Partners-led consortium had gained 78.65% of Toshiba’s outstanding shares through the bid, which began Aug. 8, paying ¥4,620 per share.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2023

Toshiba to go private after success of ¥2 trillion takeover bid

The Japan Industrial Partners-led consortium has gained 78.65% of outstanding shares, paying ¥4,620 per share.
President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran at a news conference during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2023

Qatar held separate bilateral talks with U.S. and Iran

Qatar held talks with the United States and Iran that touched on Iran's nuclear program and U.S. concerns about Iranian drone transfers to Russia.
Oil pump jacks in Tatarstan, Russia, on June 4
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2023

Oil companies cautious about drilling as energy transition looms

Instead of spending big to boost output, oil companies are boosting dividends or buying back shares to reward investors.
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez
WORLD / Politics
Sep 23, 2023

Charged with bribery, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez vows not to resign

U.S. prosecutors on Friday charged powerful Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife with taking bribes from three New Jersey businessmen, which could complicate Democrats' efforts to keep their slim majority in the U.S. Senate in next year's elections.
Australia head coach Eddie Jones directs his team before their match against Wales at the Rugby World Cup in Lyon, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 25, 2023

Eddie Jones affirms commitment to Australia despite link to Japan job

Jones previously coached Japan for three years from 2012 and led the Brave Blossoms to a stunning upset of South Africa at the 2015 World Cup.
A boat piloted by a Philippine fisherman is intercepted by Chinese coast guard boats as they tried to enter the Scarborough Shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 25, 2023

With bullhorns and water cannons, Chinese ships wall off the sea

The world’s most brazen maritime militarization is gaining muscle in the South China Sea, waters through which one-third of global ocean trade passes.
China's push to obtain hard power and "meta-power" has seen it lean heavily on its science and technology sectors.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 28, 2023

China looks to science and technology in its push for more power

Further power could give Beijing the ability to restrict other nations by structuring or restructuring systems, rules or frameworks.
People take part in a protest against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's redevelopment project for the Meiji Jingu Gaien district in Tokyo in February.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 25, 2023

Petitioners try to halt razing of thousands of trees in historic Tokyo park

Tokyo's percentage of public green space is far lower than other major cities such as New York, Seoul and London.
A Filipino woman looks at pictures of fellow wartime survivors of sexual servitude at a resource center, in Quezon city, Manila, in August 2015.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 25, 2023

For Filipino wartime rape survivors, a last hope for reparations

For the few remaining elderly survivors, the reparations demand issued by a U.N. committee earlier this year is realistically their last hope.
Rupert Murdoch in his office in New York in 2007. Murdoch's decision to step down from the boards of News Corp. and Fox Corp. marks the end of a decadeslong media career.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2023

Rupert Murdoch, the last of the press barons

No living person has influenced the media landscape like Rupert Murdoch. Should we view his career in a favorable light, or is his legacy one of darkness?
Kamila Valieva's doping case has divided the figure skating community since it first came to light during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Sep 26, 2023

Top sports court to hear Russian skater Kamila Valieva's doping case

Tuesday's hearing follows Valieva's exoneration by Russia's anti-doping agency, which ruled that she bore "no fault or negligence" for the positive test.
Sofia, 18, and Andre Oliveira, 15, are part of a group of six that took action in the European court against 32 countries for allegedly failing to do their part to avert climate catastrophe.
WORLD
Sep 27, 2023

Youth vs. Europe: 'Unprecedented' climate trial to kick off at rights court

If the complaint is upheld, it could result in orders from national courts for governments to cut carbon dioxide emissions faster than currently planned.

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