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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.
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released on Nov. 20.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 30, 2023

Red Sea attacks on ships spark safety concerns for sailors

Commercial ships face increasing dangers after armed groups have attacked and seized vessels in waters around the Red Sea and off the coast of Yemen.
Elon Musk waits backstage before being interviewed at the 2023 New York Times DealBook Summit in New York on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2023

Elon Musk says advertiser boycott may kill X

Earlier this month, Musk agreed with a post that said Jewish people hold a "dialectical hatred” of white people.
Strong shipments of cars, especially to the U.S., helped push up Japan’s industrial production more than expected in October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 30, 2023

Japan's factory output beat expectations in October

Improvement in supply chains bolstered automakers while inventory adjustments underpinned the electronics parts industry.
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.
Rabbits are supposedly easier to get through quarantine, but Japan’s outgoing quarantine rules for our fluffy friends actually take a fair bit of time.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 1, 2023

Hare today, gone tomorrow: Another cautionary tale for expats headed home

In another piece about leaving Japan, our departee learns some hard truths about the country’s quarantine guidelines for animals.
Chef Masato Nishihara chose Nara as the site for his restaurant, Tsukumo, for its antiquity, its proximity to nature and its ancient connections with overseas cultures.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Dec 3, 2023

Tsukumo: Japanese cuisine inspired by Nara's ancient roots

Like the treasures housed inside Nara's Shosoin repository, it may be years before chef Masato Nishihara reprises some of his exquisite dishes at Tsukumo.
Tesla's new Cybertruck is displayed at a Tesla store in San Diego on Nov. 20.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2023

Tesla's Cybertruck is priced 50% higher than initial estimate

Cybertruck's new body material and unconventional, futuristic styling has added complexity and costs to production.
Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, is interviewed at the 2023 New York Times DealBook Summit in New York on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 1, 2023

More advertisers likely to flee X after Musk tirade at conference

Elon Musk unleashed a profanity-laced rant against advertisers for fleeing the platform and accused the brands of "blackmail."
Offshore wind turbines at the Scroby Sands Wind Farm, operated by E.ON SE, near Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom.  Foreign wind power companies say Japan's development process for offshore wind power takes much longer than in other countries, leading to more uncertainty and risks.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2023

Foreign wind power players urge Japan to scale up offshore auctions

"If you want to create appetite from investors you need to propose larger plants"
Fresh U.S. data shows price pressures are easing and the labor market is gradually cooling, evidence that the slowdown the Federal Reserve has tried to engineer with its rate hikes to date is underway.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 1, 2023

U.S. Fed officials feel rate hikes likely done, but too soon to know

Models suggest Fed policy is the most restrictive it has been in 25 years, and it will probably need to stay restrictive for "quite some time."
Daikin plans to start introducing the custom chips in high-end air conditioners from 2025 and is looking at using them in about a fifth of units by the end of the decade.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 1, 2023

Japan air conditioner king Daikin eyes custom chips for energy savings

Bespoke silicon costs more than off-the-shelf alternatives but offer better efficiency and allow a reduction in the use of other components.
Chinstrap penguins in Orne Harbour in the western Antarctic peninsula in March 2016
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Dec 1, 2023

Antarctic chinstrap penguins get by on just secondslong micronaps

Falling asleep while guarding a nest can spell doom for the eggs and later the chicks, but the species has an ingenious way of getting enough sleep.
Ethnic Ta'ang National Liberation Army fighters stand guard at a check point in the town of Namhkam in Myanmar's northern Shan state on Nov. 10.
EDITORIALS
Dec 1, 2023

We must stop Myanmar’s descent into a failed state

Myanmar is at a crossroads and needs international support to prevent a collapse amid increased fighting.
Activists dressed up like CEOs take part in a fake banquet near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday where they feign the celebration of company profits over climate responsibility.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2023

We already know what will happen at COP28

It’s beyond time to ask whether the COP gatherings work as they should. After all, we’ve had nearly three decades of summits
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.
A Cosmo Energy service station in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 1, 2023

Iwatani emerges as potential Cosmo white knight with share buy

Iwatani will pay ¥105.3 billion, or ¥6,052 per share, to raise its stake in Cosmo to 19.93% from the current 0.07%.
A sign is seen outside a Tianjin Faw Toyota Motor showroom, a joint venture between China's Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile and Toyota Motor, in central Beijing, in October 2012.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2023

Toyota says it halts some Tianjin operations after report

Toyota Motor has halted production on some aging lines at joint venture in China while operations continue as normal.
The waves at Teahupo'o make it one of surfing's most hallowed venues, where big swells slam onto the shallow tropical reef creating perfect but ferocious tubes.
OLYMPICS / Surfing
Dec 2, 2023

Tahiti villagers say barge to build Olympic surf tower damages reef

Residents of Teahupo'o in October protested plans by Games organizers to build the 14-metre high aluminum tower to enable up to 40 people to watch
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.
Yuuki Matsumoto, formerly Yuni, at his residence in Yokohama on Aug. 24. Japanese children with unconventional names can face societal and practical challenges unique to their country and its written language. Matsumoto, 24, was bullied over his name to the extent he dropped out of school, and had it legally  changed this year.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 3, 2023

Unusual names can complicate life in Japan. Now parents are being reined in.

As such names have increased, so has attention to cases of people unhappy with them. But critics say new rules may infringe on the right to be creative.
The floor is painted red for the NBA In-Season Tournament game between the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 3.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Dec 3, 2023

The NBA’s new in-season cup is bringing in viewers

Modeled after cup competitions in European football, the tourney is meant to add some spice to a sometimes bland stretch of the NBA calendar.
Buyouts by management and controlling parties have surged this year in Japan, with the total value now set to pass ¥1 trillion.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 3, 2023

Being a listed company in Japan is losing its luster

Japan's corporate landscape is shifting as companies opt for management buyouts.
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during day three of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai on Saturday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 4, 2023

COP28 president’s fossil-fuel phaseout talk draws condemnation

The comments have raised questions over whether the conference will be able to unite behind a strong pledge targeting the elimination of fossil fuels.
A Ukrainian serviceman fires a self-propelled howitzer toward Russian troops.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2023

Despite rising demand, arms sales hampered by production woes: study

COVID-derived labor and supply-chain issues had a significant impact on manufacturers, experts say.
The government plans to raise the retirement age of drivers of privately owned cabs to 80, from 75 currently, as rural areas in particular suffer from an acute shortage of transportation for the elderly.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 4, 2023

Expanding labor shortage pushes Japan to find new ways to fill jobs

Companies have been forced to come up with new ways to find labor and keep their operations running smoothly, sometimes with novel ideas.
Rural China is now one place that is providing respite for young people. Zhang Boai, 20, joined a program that positions rural jobs not as stop-gaps but as lucrative commercial opportunities in their own right.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 4, 2023

China's graduates swap city dreams for farm life amid jobs crisis

As the world’s second-largest economy slows, young people are bearing the brunt of an unemployment crisis that’s leaving one of five of them jobless.
Evergrande has become a poster child for China’s property crisis since the builder defaulted two years ago. It reported a combined loss of $81 billion in 2021 and 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2023

Evergrande winding-up hearing in Hong Kong adjourned again

The world’s most-indebted property developer now has eight weeks to convince offshore bondholders to agree on a restructuring.
Pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow is released in June 2021, after serving nearly seven months in prison for her role in Hong Kong's 2019 anti-government protests.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 4, 2023

Prominent Hong Kong activist Agnes Chow flees to Canada

Chow, who was jailed for months in a crackdown on pro-democracy activists, cited her physical and mental health as reasons for not returning to the city.
South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol arrives for a State Banquet at the Guildhall, in London on Nov. 22.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 4, 2023

South Korea's Yoon picks Choi Sang-mok to spearhead economy

Choi will need to maintain economic momentum ahead of elections next April, which will determine the legislative support level for a number of bills.

Longform

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