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L'aube's new restaurant in Roppongi offers 50% more floorspace than its previous Akabanebashi location.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 29, 2023

A new day dawns for Michelin-starred L'aube

The French restaurant has a new home in Roppongi, but everything that brought it culinary acclaim remains.
Transport ministry officials enter a Bigmotor dealership in Sapporo on Friday for an on-site inspection.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 28, 2023

Transport ministry conducts on-site probe of Bigmotor amid scandal

The surprise inspection, which covered dealerships in 24 prefectures, came after the ministry interviewed Bigmotor executives including newly appointed President Shinji Izumi on Wednesday.
Activists dressed as debt collectors call for finance action during a demonstration outside the IMF-World Bank headquarters in Washington in October 2021.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2023

The World Bank reflects our ambition

In an environment of intertwined challenges, such as an existential climate crisis, pandemic recovery and a crippling European war, the World Bank has never been more relevant.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Friday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 28, 2023

Hawkish tone in Japan is all it takes to rattle global markets

Pain is spreading across a number asset classes as traders come to grips with the fact the last major central bank to resist restrictive policy appears to be caving in.
A major bonus of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme is the time it offers you to be able to plan for long-term goals. Writer Erik M. Jacobs was able to map out what he needed to pursue a career in U.S.-Japan relations, for example.
COMMUNITY / Issues / Learning Curve
Aug 8, 2023

Every situation is different on JET, but they're all similarly rewarding

As a new wave of JET Program participants arrives in the country, a program alumni shares tips on getting the most out of the experience.
Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Friday. The Japanese yen is on a bumpy path toward strengthening after Friday's central bank policy change, threatening to upend the carry trade, one of this year's most popular strategies, as the currency inevitably becomes more expensive.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jul 29, 2023

Bank of Japan's opaque policy shift means stronger and wilder yen

The Japanese yen is on a bumpy path toward strengthening after Friday's central bank policy change, threatening to upend the carry trade.
Yevgeny Prigozhin
WORLD
Jul 29, 2023

Wagner chief’s exile is anything but as he visits St. Petersburg

As Vladimir Putin was welcoming African heads of state to a summit in St. Petersburg, renegade warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin stole the limelight in the president’s home city.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Sri Lanka counterpart, Ali Sabry, during a joint news conference in Colombo on Saturday
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2023

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka invites Japan to resume investment

The South Asian island nation is working to restructure its massive debt to continue a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Want a six-pack for the summer? Bryce Morel suggests starting now to look good for next year.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 29, 2023

Bryce Morel: 'Get the healthiest version of yourself possible'

Trouble at the gym? Personal trainer Bryce Morel says ask for help; bodybuilders are nicer than you think.
Commuters in Tokyo in March. Japanese women are paid on average around 67% the salaries of men, according to a report based on around 2,000 firms’ financial statements, compiled by advisory firm Willis Towers Watson and others this month.
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2023

Investors see need for more gender pay data in Japan

Some firms have disclosed pay gaps according to different job levels, but most are revealing the minimum amount of information necessary.
Pedestrians passing anti-tank obstacles in Odesa, Ukraine, on Thursday
WORLD
Jul 30, 2023

U.S. pressures Russia war smugglers after army’s run on chips

A chip ban is aimed at curbing Russia’s production of drones and precision missiles that rely on components that are largely manufactured in Taiwan.
Customers visit a grilled eel store in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2023

People line up for grilled eel on the Day of the Ox in Japan

Japan has a tradition of eating nutritious grilled eels, believed to be good for restoring energy, on the midsummer Day of the Ox.
While the pace of deploying clean-energy solutions is faster than it has ever been, with climate change, the world overall is racing in the wrong direction.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2023

What the climate fight is really about

Now that a future of higher average global temperatures is inevitable, managing the problem well requires that we cut off the tail end of the extreme-weather distribution.
The batsman’s place can be a lonely one — in the center of the field, surrounded by the opposition — but you can always look back to your pavilion for support.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / Longform
Jul 31, 2023

Sweat, stumps and solidarity on the cricket pitch

It's a hot day and the Yokohama Alpha Quashers are about to take on the Chiba Sharks, fighting for a chance to move higher in the Japan Cricket League.
A cable is connected to a Volvo AB XC40 electric sports utility vehicle displayed at the EV Trend Korea exhibition in Seoul in March 2022.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Chinese firms seek South Korean partners to skirt U.S. EV rules

Recently, Chinese firms and their South Korean partners have announced $4 billion of investments in new battery plants in South Korea.
The towers of Canary Wharf, in London, occupied by several major international banks, seen from Greenwich Park in the city
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Banks voted to limit accounting of capital market emissions

The plan to keep carbon emissions linked to bond and stock sales out of banks' footprints came after wrangling over the issue delayed new standards.
Japan's industrial production in June climbed 2% from the previous month, led by brisk output of new automobiles amid strong demand at home and abroad.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Japan’s production rebounds, signaling continued modest recovery

Factory output rose 2% from the previous month, rebounding from the previous month and led by increases in cars and electronic devices.
Many of the entrepreneurs who’ve become superwealthy are now seeking to manage and transfer riches to their descendants in Asia. That’s resulting in a surge in family office demand.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 31, 2023

Asia’s richest families fuel race for lucrative finance jobs

Many of Asia's superwealthy are now seeking help managing their estates just as old-money families in the West have done for decades.
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2023

Italy and U.S. eye deeper ties as Rome weighs pivot from China

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been working on a delicate choreography to reshape diplomatic relations with China.
A Toyo Safety Industrial helmet with a built-in fan is showcased at Extreme Heat Countermeasures Exhibition in Tokyo in July.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Fan-cooled beds and baby carriers among new gadgets to beat heat

At Tokyo’s annual trade show last week the focus was on how to keep workers in high-temperature environments cool and reduce the risk of heatstroke.
The Cushing storage hub in Oklahoma. Crude oil stock declines have been geographically uneven so far, with inventory falls in the United States and Europe offset by increases in China and Japan.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Oil inventory drops set stage for higher prices

Oil inventories now play a bigger role in determining prices than the U.S. dollar because sanctions on Russia have sped up trading in other currencies.
A worker stands in front of a machine on a yarn production line in Putian, Fujian province, China, in February 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2023

China's factory, services sectors show weakness, need for stimulus

Construction sector activity for July was its weakest since COVID-19-related workplace disruptions dissipated around February.
Signage for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking (right) and Mizuho Bank (center) in Tokyo. Two of Japan's mega-banks reported solid quarterly profit on Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Japan’s biggest banks beat estimates, adding to BOJ tailwind

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group said net income for the quarter ending June 30 was ¥248 billion, while Mizuho Financial Group’s was ¥245.2 billion.
The headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo. The central bank has sharply raised its inflation forecast for this fiscal year and sees risks on the upside for this year and next.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2023

No further BOJ policy shifts expected in 2023 after surprise tweak

A survey last week found 26% of 41 economists see next April as the most likely time for further adjustments.
Japan’s unemployment rate fell for the first time in two months in June, feeding into optimism that upward pressure on wages may persist and help sustain inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 1, 2023

Japan's jobless rate falls in positive sign for wages, BOJ goal

The jobless rate fell to 2.5%, the ministry of internal affairs said Tuesday, the lowest since January.
Nigerien security forces launch tear gas to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 1, 2023

Macron’s Africa strategy in tatters as his bet on Niger unravels

France is struggling to convince nations in the Sahel region the presence of a former colonial power can bring results.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4. Trump was indicted on Monday over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election — the most serious legal threat yet to the former president as he campaigns to return to the White House.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 2, 2023

Trump charged with conspiracy for efforts to overturn 2020 election

The indictment alleges Trump knowingly spread lies about the election in order to undermine public faith in the vote and remain in power.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday called the downgrade of the United States' top-tier sovereign credit grade by Fitch Ratings "arbitrary” and "outdated.”
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 2, 2023

U.S. credit rating downgraded from AAA by Fitch 

Fitch Ratings criticized the country’s ballooning fiscal deficits and an "erosion of governance” that have led to repeated debt limit clashes.
Simon Humphries, head of design at Toyota, speaks during the world premier of the new Land Cruiser in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2023

Toyota’s iconic Land Cruiser returns to North America

The world’s biggest carmaker has unveiled three variations of one of its most enduring models, starting at around $50,000.
Sogo & Seibu's flagship Seibu Ikebukuro store in Tokyo's Toshima Ward
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2023

Seven & I replaces Sogo & Seibu president to pave way for sale

The planned sale has been delayed twice due to local opposition to a plan to open a Yodobashi outlet in Seibu's flagship store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?