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Grant Shapps, U.K. defense secretary, departs following a meeting of cabinet ministers at 10 Downing Street on Nov. 22, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 8, 2024

China seen hacking systems to build profiles of U.K. defense personnel

The U.K. is accusing China of using hacked data to build up their profiles of British military personnel and those in sensitive roles.
Cleaning worker Hu Dexi, 67, at a shopping mall in Beijing on April 10
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2024

In rapidly aging China, millions can't afford to retire

With a low retirement age, meager pension benefits and no family to support them, many in China feel they simply can't ever stop working.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his attorney, Todd Blanche, at Manhattan criminal court in New York on Tuesday. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of an alleged scheme to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters during his 2016 presidential campaign.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2024

Trump’s private life exposed in intimate Stormy Daniels testimony

The remarkable testimony is the latest example of how Trump’s dealings with women are coming back to haunt him in court.
Toyota said its group net profit in the fiscal year that ended in March nearly doubled from the previous year to hit a record high, due to robust sales of hybrid vehicles.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2024

Toyota posts record net profit on weak yen and strong hybrid sales

The carmaker saw a 31% jump in sales of hybrid vehicles, bringing the total to 3.7 million, while sales of purely electric cars were 116,500.
Industry minister Ken Saito (right) meets with Genkai Mayor Shintaro Wakiyama in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 8, 2024

Government asks Genkai mayor to accept site survey to host nuclear waste

Last month, the Genkai town assembly approved a petition submitted by local business groups asking for the survey request to be accepted.
Russian officers march during the main military parade rehearsals in Moscow's Red Square on May 5.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2024

Russia’s war economy starves crucial oil industry of manpower

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, its oil and gas sector has faced increasingly strict international sanctions aimed at limiting petrodollar revenue.
A member of staff at Momuri responds to a request for assistance in submitting a resignation in Tokyo on April 18.
JAPAN / Society
May 8, 2024

Japan's workers turning to agencies that help them quit jobs

One firm that provides such a service saw the highest-ever number of requests following the long Golden Week holiday.
An ambitious high school freshman recruits three girls from her region to create an “idol” group from scratch in “Trapezium.”
CULTURE / Film
May 9, 2024

‘Trapezium’: Being an idol isn’t always a dream come true

The anime adaptation of a book by Kazumi Takayama, a former member of Nogizaka46, offers an authentic look at the pressures of show business.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference after a two-day monetary policy meeting at the BOJ headquarters in Tokyo on April 26.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2024

Many BOJ board members saw need for steady rate hikes in April, records show

Some saw the chance of a faster-than-expected pace of interest rate hikes on prospects of inflation durably staying or exceeding the bank's 2% target.
Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024

Japan’s reserves tally likely too early to reflect intervention

Officials continue to conceal whether they have taken action, forcing investors to make educated guesses about the market moves.
The growing divide between U.S.-led and China-aligned blocs is taking a toll on the global economy as trade and investment flows are redirected along geopolitical lines in ways not seen since the Cold War.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024

Cold War-type divide puts trade and investment at risk, top IMF official warns

After years of shocks, countries are reevaluating their trading partners, an IMF official has said.
Workers make pods for e-cigarettes on the production line at Kanger Tech, one of China's leading manufacturers of vaping products, on Sept. 24, 2019 in Shenzhen, China.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 9, 2024

China’s factory glut alarms the world, but there’s no quick fix

European Union leaders, who are threatening tariffs on electric cars, were the latest to scold China about overcapacity, but there are no plans to change.
Futures of robusta coffee beans have hit their highest price in over 40 years, while cocoa prices have more than doubled this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 9, 2024

Cocoa’s dizzying volatility is spilling into the coffee market

Many major traders deal in both commodities, so soaring cocoa prices are squeezing market players for cash and forcing them out of coffee trading.
Nissan's net profit nearly doubled in the business year that ended in March, as demand rose at home as well as in North America, Europe and China.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 9, 2024

Nissan's annual net profit nearly doubles on-year

Net profit totaled ¥426.6 billion ($2.7 billion), up 92.3% on-year.
SoftBank is in talks with South Korea's Naver over control of LY, which operates the popular messaging app Line, the telecommunications firm's CEO has said.
BUSINESS
May 9, 2024

SoftBank in talks with Naver over control of Line operator LY

LY is majority owned by a joint venture between SoftBank and Naver.
The idea of quitting tends to be associated with weakness, but moving on from a problematic situation can sometimes be extremely positive.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 10, 2024

Sometimes there's power in quitting

Modern society tends to see quitting as a sign of weakness, but Buddhist teaching has extolled the benefits of letting go of something at the right time.
J-Power's Takasago thermal power plant in Takasago, Hyogo Prefecture in 2022
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024

J-Power may close up to five coal power plants by fiscal 2030

The company's objective is to slash emissions by 46% from 2013 levels by 2030.
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son in 2019. Son is said to be selling off assets from the Vision Fund’s portfolio as he prepares for possible forays into AI and related hardware.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024

SoftBank's Vision Fund lightens asset load as Son pivots to AI and chips

Son has moved on to new obsessions, inspired in part by the success of Arm — which has soared in value to around $106 billion since its market debut.
People walk near the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on April 26.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 10, 2024

BOJ must avoid raising rates to combat weak yen, says ex-official

Higher borrowing costs would hit consumption and services inflation, said Tsutomu Watanabe, an expert on price trends.
Genkai Mayor Shintaro Wakiyama speaks during a news conference on Friday in the town of Genkai in Saga Prefecture.
JAPAN
May 10, 2024

Genkai Mayor decides to accept nuclear waste site survey

The mayor announced the decision at a news conference after a closed-door meeting of the town's assembly.
Steelmakers' concerns about BHP's coking coal market power could derail a deal between BHP and Anglo American.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024

BHP-Anglo American deal raises alarm in Japan's steel industry

Australia is the world's biggest exporter of coking coal and top supplier to Japan, making up around 60% of its imports.
Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
May 11, 2024

How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan

Five years into the Reiwa Era and the challenges Japan's moms face are unique, though the qualities that help them persevere haven't changed a bit.
A customer uses a mobile phone at a contactless payment terminal in a pub in London. As with so many other industries, technology has been a primary driver of the change.
WORLD / Society
May 10, 2024

American-style tipping is testing British pub culture

Restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars, account for more than 90% of tipping across the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping review troops at the Tarbes Airport in southern France on Tuesday. Some experts believe Xi wants to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States with his European tour.
EDITORIALS
May 10, 2024

It’s ‘divide and conquer’ as Xi courts Europe

Xi wants to drive a wedge between Europe and the United States, or at least inhibit their convergence on a policy that identifies China as a threat.
Employees work on a production line at an automotive plant producing electric cars near Ningbo, China. The U.S. is set to announce new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other goods as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2024

Biden set to hit China EVs and strategic sectors with tariffs

The decision, which could come as early as next week, represents one of Biden’s biggest moves in the economic race with China.
As of last Sunday, ride-hailing services, which use personal vehicles to offer paid rides, had been used a total of 12,628 times in five areas.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2024

In first month of operations, ride-hailing services used more than taxis in Tokyo

The services, which were launched in April, have been used more frequently than traditional taxis so far, a transport ministry report has shown.
For the first time in four years, Japan saw the number of corporate bankruptcies exceed 700 in April, Tokyo Shoko Research said Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2024

Japan corporate bankruptcies rise 28.3% in April

The number of bankruptcies is expected to rise as companies face increased pressure from higher borrowing costs.
Ryoken Hirayama, 25, is escorted by police as he leacves the Osaki police station in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on April 22. Hirayama is the first of six people arrested in connection with the murder of a Tokyo couple in Tochigi Prefecture to be charged with murder.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 11, 2024

Suspect, 25, first to be hit with murder charge over bodies found in Tochigi

A total of six people have been arrested over the incident, but the man, Ryoken Hirayama, is the first to be charged with murder.
TSMC’s factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS
May 12, 2024

Kumamoto Prefecture wants to host TSMC’s third Japan plant

Kumamoto hopes enough chip-related companies will settle in the prefecture to create something akin to Taiwan’s Hsinchu Science Park.
A government white paper on small and medium enterprises said more than 60% of such firms plan to raise wages this year.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2024

Japan small firms raising wages amid labor shortages, government paper says

The white paper also pointed out that the labor productivity of Japan is lower than that of other members in the OECD.

Longform

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