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Speculative investors flipped to a net long position on the yen just before Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the nation wasn’t ready for further interest rate hikes, data shows.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 8, 2024

Hedge funds warming to yen caught out by biggest drop in 15 years

Many bought the yen just before cautious comments by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on rate hikes and strong U.S. nonfarm payrolls data.
Japan's has experienced a significant decline in global economic power, with its share of global gross domestic product dropping from 18% in the 1980s to an anticipated 3% by 2050.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 8, 2024

Japan needs more than mere economic strength

Japan, a country that has long relied on its economic prowess for international stature and standing, must change its perspective.
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, former chairman of publisher Kadokawa, said he is innocent of bribery allegations during his first trial hearing at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 8, 2024

Ex-Kadokawa chair pleads not guilty to bribing Tokyo Games executive

Fifteen people have been indicted over the Tokyo Games bribery scandal.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has floated an idea of creating an Asian version of the NATO security framework.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2024

Ishiba's 'Asian NATO' dead on arrival as new PM set for diplomatic debut

Many Asian countries maintain delicate ties with China, making the creation of any defense group aimed at countering Beijing's influence difficult.
South Africa's Kurt-Lee Arendse scores in a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against France in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 15, 2023.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 8, 2024

Springbok Arendse signs for Japan's Dynaboars

The 28-year-old former Sevens flyer joins the Dynaboars on sabbatical from the Pretoria-based Bulls.
Iwao Hakamata, together with his sister Hideko, speaks to his supporters on Sept. 29 in the city of Shizuoka after the Shizuoka District Court handed down a not-guilty verdict in a retrial of a 1966 quadruple murder case against him.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 8, 2024

Ex-boxer Iwao Hakamata finally exonerated over 1966 murder case

Prosecutors have decided not to appeal against the Shizuoka District Court's not-guilty verdict at the end of a rare retrial, his lawyers said.
The Sega Corp. and Atlus Co. booth at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba last month featured a sneak peak at Metaphor: ReFantazio.
LIFE / Digital
Oct 8, 2024

Man behind Persona games flips to fantasy in latest release

Though new to the realm of fantasy, game designer Katsura Hashino and his team were driven by the challenge of simply seeing if they could pull it off.
Eiji Maeda, former executive of the Bank of Japan
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 9, 2024

BOJ’s next hike likely to come in January, former official says

The central bank will be watching the U.S. presidential election, the trend in service prices this autumn and momentum ahead of next year’s annual wage talks.
A researcher holds a plate of nematodes in a lab at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Monday. American scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Medicine the same day for their discovery of microRNA and its role in how genes are regulated.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

Nobel Prize for medicine recognizes microRNA — and curiosity

Although microRNA's key role in regulating gene expression hasn't yet resulted in groundbreaking treatments, it may still significantly impact our health in the future.
Even with the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" and improvements in on-screen representation, Asian actors still comprise just 18.4% of film roles, which is an improvement compared to 3.4% in 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

To win back audiences, put more Asians behind the camera

The movie industry is losing out at a time when it can ill-afford to do so. Betting on Asian talent would help.
Two childhood friends (Hayato Kurihara, left, and Yukito Hidaka) living in a near-future Japan see a rise in student protests against oppressive surveillance in “Happyend.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2024

‘Happyend’ tests teen friendship with authoritarian dystopia

Neo Sora’s ambitious coming-of-age film follows a group of friends attempting to disrupt a surveillance society with something less than life-or-death urgency.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso speaks during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei in August 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024

Former PM Taro Aso calls Taiwan a ‘country' — much to China's chagrin

Tuesday’s remarks were not the first time Aso has sounded off about Taiwan and how a conflict over the island would represent an emergency for Japan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on July 25.
WORLD
Oct 10, 2024

Looming Israeli strike on Iran offers fresh test of U.S. sway

With Israeli retaliation against Iran expected at any time, the U.S. is finding it has few assurances against further escalation.
U.K. Conservative leadership candidates Kemi Badenoch (left) and Robert Jenrick after delivering speeches at the party's annual conference, in Birmingham, England, on Oct. 2.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 10, 2024

Who are Badenoch and Jenrick, the candidates to lead U.K. Tories?

By choosing Badenoch or Jenrick, the Conservative party looks set to appeal to supporters lost to Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform U.K. party.
Masakazu Tokura
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2024

2025 Expo head expects ticket sales to speed up

Around half of the 14 million advance tickets that the organizer aims to sell by the start of the Expo have been sold.
The Bank of Japan's surprise rate increase on July 31 led to Japanese stocks plummeting into bear-market territory, with the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average falling 12.4% on Aug. 5 alone.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 11, 2024

Bank of Japan vows better messaging to avoid more market turmoil

There is "strong will" within the central bank to learn from what had happened during its last rate increase, BOJ Deputy Gov. Ryozo Himino.
The Tokyo District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 11, 2024

Ex-Daiichi Sankyo employee faces 18 years for allegedly poisoning wife

The indictment states that Keisuke Yoshida intentionally poisoned his 40-year-old wife, Yoko, by having her ingest methanol at their home in Tokyo.
Nanako Fujita made her debut in 2016.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Oct 11, 2024

Star female jockey Nanako Fujita retires following suspension

Fujita was suspended for using a smartphone for outside communication on the day before a race.
Thursday night's electronic dance music-infused event had the signature trappings of Elon Musk's salesmanship, but some Tesla investors and experts said they were hoping for more concrete details.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 12, 2024

Tesla's robotaxi event was long on Musk promises. Investors wanted more details.

Concrete details on how the company plans to transform from an automaker into an autonomous driving and artificial intelligence titan were missing.
A Haas F1 car branded with Toyota Gazoo Racing on Friday at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Oct 12, 2024

Toyota returns to F1 with Haas technical partnership

Toyota Gazoo Racing will become Haas' official technical partner with both parties sharing expertise, knowledge and resources.
Palestinians sit next to the rubble of houses destroyed in Israel's military offensive in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 7
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2024

Nobel laureate Nihon Hidankyo co-chair worries about children in Israel and Gaza

While the group's co-chair said the prize would give a boost to efforts to show that it was possible to abolish nuclear weapons, he expressed sorrow over ongoing wars.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump campaigns at the Dodge County Airport in Juneau, Wisconsin on Oct. 6. Even before he kicked off a comeback bid, foreign governments realized that Trump was still a force in American politics and  took him into account in their dealings with the United States.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 12, 2024

Much of the world treats Trump as a shadow president

The former U.S. president has remained a force in international politics, with governments taking him into account in their dealings with the U.S.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two in Las Vegas, on Thursday. Harris released a letter from her doctor saying that she is in "excellent health,” as her campaign tries to capitalize on the lack of health information shared by her rival.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 13, 2024

Harris releases ‘excellent’ bill of health and challenges Trump

While Trump, 78, told CBS News in August he would "very gladly” release his medical records, he has declined media requests to do so.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 13, 2024

Trump ratchets up rhetoric, calling for death penalty for migrants who kill Americans

He has already proposed an expansion of the death penalty for other offenders, including people convicted of sex trafficking women and children.
Starship's Super Heavy Booster is grappled at the launch pad in Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Sunday, during the Starship Flight 5 test.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 14, 2024

SpaceX captures booster rocket in step toward Musk’s Mars dream

The successful test underscores the astonishing progress SpaceX is making with its launch capabilities.
Emirates Team New Zealand competes in the second race of the match against Ineos Britannia in Barcelona on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Sailing
Oct 14, 2024

New Zealand extends America's Cup lead over Britain after near clash

Britain was given a distance penalty after failing to keep clear in response to an aggressive close-quarters maneuver by New Zealand.
President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) Hun Sen (center), Honorary President of the CPP Heng Samrin (left) and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet (right)
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 14, 2024

The son almost rises: Cambodia's Hun Sen the power behind throne

More than a year after inheriting power from his father, Cambodian PM has yet to hold an open news conference to explain how he will navigate challenges.
Outrageous stories about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump online were widely mistaken as real across social media, underscoring how content from satirical websites is being repurposed to fuel political misinformation and sow confusion ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2024

'Stolen satire' feeds U.S. election misinformation

False claims are being widely mistaken as real across social media, underscoring how content from satirical websites is being repurposed to fuel political misinformation.
Members of Lebanon's Civil Defense prepare before responding to an emergency at their station in Beirut's Cola neighborhood on Sunday.
WORLD
Oct 15, 2024

Lebanon rescuers defy danger and lack of resources to keep working

The latest escalation between Israel and Hezbollah comes with Lebanon still in the grips of a crippling economic crisis.
Iwao Hakamata (left) gestures beside his older sister, Hideko, at a gathering with supporters on Monday in the city of Shizuoka, his first public appearance since his exoneration over a 1966 murder case.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2024

Ex-boxer Hakamata set to vote for the first time in decades

Efforts are being made to allow the world's longest-held death row inmate, who has been exonerated over a 1966 murder case, to vote in the Oct. 27 general election.

Longform

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