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Actors Kento Kaku (left) and Ryoma Takeuchi star in Amazon Prime Video's new show "Like A Dragon: Yakuza," which is based on a hugely popular Sega video game series about Tokyo crime gangs.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 29, 2024

Japan TV can catch 'Shogun' wave, says 'Like A Dragon' star

Kento Kaku says it is important for Japan to seize the opportunity to create more shows that are recognized internationally.
Demonstrators hold a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, in May against a bill labeling organizations that receive foreign funding as spies. The passing of the so-called Russia law has been a setback for Georgia's democracy.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 29, 2024

Democracy is on tenuous ground this ‘election year’

From former Soviet countries to India and even the U.S., democracies are backsliding and authoritarianism is gaining ground, with far-reaching global implications.
Joining the revolution brought by the era-defining release of ChatGPT requires a supply of cash that only tech behemoths like Microsoft can provide.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 29, 2024

AI startups swap independence for Big Tech's deep pockets

In the past few months promising companies have seen founders and key executives quietly exit the stage to join the world's dominant tech companies.
Luvsanbaldan Batsukh gets ready to leave his ger, or Mongolian tent, in Khishig-Undur in Bulgan province, Mongolia, on July 5.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jul 30, 2024

Mongolia's urban-rural divide deepens as young women leave the steppe

Many raised in a traditional nomadic lifestyle have rejected a life of physical labor and fighting the elements, seeking education and employment in Ulaanbaatar.
Upper House lawmaker Megumi Hirose enters her house in Tokyo after it was raided on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 30, 2024

Tokyo prosecutors raid LDP lawmaker's home on suspicion of salary fraud

Megumi Hirose, 58, is suspected of providing one of her secretaries with a state-paid salary even though they reportedly did no real work.
From left to right, Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Simone Biles, Jade Carey and Sunisa Lee celebrate after winning gold for the U.S. in the women's gymnastics team final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jul 31, 2024

Simone Biles leads U.S. women to team gold at Paris Olympics

Japan finished last in the final round.
Japan's industrial production in June fell 3.6% from the previous month, reflecting plant suspensions at vehicle-makers including Toyota due to faulty vehicle certifications.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2024

Japan’s industrial output falls, clouding recovery outlook

The production of cars and auto parts drove the reading lower as an ongoing probe involving carmakers such as Toyota continues to disrupt output.
Prosecutors leave Upper House lawmaker Megumi Hirose's home in Tokyo on Tuesday after searching it as part of an investigation into alleged fraud.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 31, 2024

Resignation of LDP lawmaker over pay scandal adds to party's woes

Megumi Hirose has left the party over allegations she pocketed public money to pay the salary of a secretary who didn’t actually work.
Diners in the Salamanca neighborhood of Madrid in 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 31, 2024

Spain ranked as the best country for remote work: report

Japan, which announced a digital nomad program on April 1, was 16th on the list.
Hakushi Hasegawa places their emotive vocals and dexterous keyboard work at the center of the music on their latest album, “Mahogakko” – reminding listeners that there’s a very human presence at the controls.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 2, 2024

Electronic wiz Hakushi Hasegawa pulls back the curtain

The musician's latest album, “Mahogakko,” strikes a delicate balance between the dazzling and the downright baffling.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda holds a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday. The bank raised rates to 0.25% in just the second hike since 2007.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 1, 2024

Ueda’s big day was lost in a communication black hole

The BOJ should improve its information release process, including fixing leaks and setting fixed release times, to avoid similar issues in the future.
Algeria's Imane Khelif (left) punches Italy's Angela Carini in the women's 66-kg last 16 bout at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Boxing
Aug 2, 2024

Italian boxer quits bout, sparking furor over gender at Olympics

The issue has become the latest flashpoint in the politically charged debate over gender and fair play in sports.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks during an interview at a conference for Black journalists in Chicago on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 2, 2024

Trump faces backlash over comments on Harris' racial identity

Donald Trump's comments came as he attacked Kamala Harris during a combative interaction with African American journalists in Chicago.
Kingdom Hearts-inspired action-adventure game Luminous Nights was one of many indie titles that had to fight for attention on an increasingly crowded show floor.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Aug 3, 2024

Bigger than ever, BitSummit’s indie spirit wears thin

As the indie game show grows, the question looms as to whether its current trajectory continues to be true to its original spirit.
Temperatures are soaring across Japan, making getting to sleep at night a constant battle between your body and the right setting for your air conditioner to help you nod off.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Boiling Point
Aug 2, 2024

An ideal AC temperature for sleep? Science says yes ... and no.

Keeping your room at 26 degrees Celsius can help you sleep through summer’s steamy nights — but how long should you leave the AC on?
Investors are grappling with the possibility that the Federal Reserve may need to loosen its tight grip on the economy much faster than anticipated to avoid a recession.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Aug 3, 2024

U.S. recession scare fuels searing rally in bonds and puts yield curve flip in view

Investors are grappling with the possibility the Federal Reserve may need to loosen its grip on the economy faster than anticipated to avoid a recession.
U.S. President Joe Biden hugs Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, as he and other prisoners freed from Russia arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland late Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 3, 2024

Prisoner deals stoke fears of perverse ‘incentive’ to grab Americans

Hostile governments like Russia and Iran are often involved, and practical alternatives are hard to come by, experts say.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in April 2019.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 3, 2024

Alongside the Trump-Russia inquiry, a lesser-known look at Egyptian influence

The Justice Department investigated whether a Trump adviser was part of an Egyptian plan, never proven, to funnel $10 million to the 2016 Trump campaign.
The entrance gate of the SEG electronics market in Shenzhen, China, on June 27.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 5, 2024

With smugglers and front companies, China is skirting U.S. AI bans

The U.S. worries advanced semiconductors could help China develop superior weaponry, launch cyberattacks and make faster decisions on the battlefield.
Ukrainian Minister of Justice Denys Maliuska (center left) and Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi (center right) sign a memorandum of cooperation on judicial reforms and anti-corruption measures, in Kyiv on Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2024

Japan and Ukraine agree to cooperate on anti-corruption measures

The countries' two justice ministries will cooperate across fields such as judicial reform and the strengthening of judicial institutions via personnel training.
The International Boxing Association holds a news conference in Paris on Monday, with the association's president, Umar Kremlev, appearing on a video feed from Moscow.
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2024

A chaotic news conference offers little clarity on an Olympic boxing dispute

The International Boxing Association’s Russian president delivered wild accusations, personal attacks and used questionable language when detailing the two women's cases.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara speaks on July 30 during a parliamentary inquiry into a series of scandals involving the ministry and the Self-Defense Forces.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 6, 2024

The wider international and domestic implications of the SDF scandals

The problems have put the spotlight on Japan’s ability to convince its partners that it’s ready to shoulder a larger security role.
The U.S. Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, speaks at Temple University in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 7, 2024

Walz pick shines spotlight on U.S. VP's possible foreign policy role

Walz brings to the table a strong background on China issues as well as a number of foreign policy stances that line up with that of Harris.
U.S. Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, and her just-announced running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, greet supporters on Tuesday at Temple University in Philadelphia, the first day of their "Battleground State Tour."
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 2024

Harris VP pick is a regular guy — exactly what she needs

Walz is the perfect counterbalance to Harris. He brings deep experience as a governor, House contacts as a former congressman and an everyman back story.
An unemployed man (Eita Okuno) whose community was decimated by the Great East Japan Earthquake grapples with rebuilding his life in “Shinpei.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2024

‘Shinpei’ takes on 3/11 disaster with a fresh angle

Tatsuro Yamashiro infuses his drama centered on a complex protagonist struggling with the Great East Japan Earthquake’s aftermath with humor and visual beauty.
Masahiro Nimura’s “Mommy” features interviews with family members of Masumi Hayashi (right), who was convicted of killing four people and poisoning over 60 others with arsenic-laced curry.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2024

‘Mommy’: A flawed but fascinating dive into a notorious murder case

Masahiro Nimura’s documentary raises reasonable doubts about a crime that gripped the nation over 20 years ago.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters on July 3.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 8, 2024

Bank of Japan’s surprise rate rise a real head-scratcher for some analysts

Some analysts are skeptical about consumption actually being stimulated, saying that positive wage growth will not necessarily guarantee that.
A bulletin board shows the day's highest temperature in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on July 29.
JAPAN / Boiling Point
Aug 8, 2024

From Naha to Nemuro, how Japan’s cities are responding to more heat

Municipalities are reaching for everything from automated misting systems to anime to help cool residents and educate them about the risks of heat.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan decides the schedule of its presidential race, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2024

CDP presidential election in September puts party future in focus

Key questions surrounding the election start with the issue of what the CDP's relationship should be with the Japanese Communist Party.
Former Kobayashi Pharmaceutical President Akihiro Kobayashi (right) and Satoshi Yamane, the new president, bow in apology over health problems caused by its beni kōji products, during a news conference in the city of Osaka on Thursday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 8, 2024

Kobayashi Pharma to withdraw from beni kōji product segment

The firm said it would offer compensation to those who suffered health problems linked to their products and prevent a recurrence of the incident.

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