Search - 2023

 
 
Japan's saury catches fell to roughly 18,000 tons in 2022, hitting a record low for the fourth straight year, before picking up slightly to around 25,000 tons last year.
JAPAN
May 25, 2024

Saury fading from Japan's dining tables amid poor catches

Catches of saury are mired in a prolonged slump with no signs of recovery in sight, and those that are caught are often lean and expensive.
British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak meets with veterans at a community breakfast in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, England, on Saturday during a party campaign event in the build-up to the U.K. general election on July 4.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2024

Sunak pledges mandatory national service in U.K. election ploy

Sunak is trying to set out a bold new agenda after he unexpectedly announced a general election on July 4.
A 2-megawatt solar farm in the city of Fukushima. “Megasolar” refers to farms with a minimum output of 1 MW of electricity — enough to power around 300 homes for a year.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
May 26, 2024

‘Megasolar’ is a dirty word in Japan. Where do solar projects go from here?

Vocal campaigns are pushing back against projects as dangerous eyesores, but "dual-use" approaches and community engagement may offer a solution.
To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2024

The authoritarians have the momentum

To counter the rise of authoritarianism, liberals must acknowledge the importance of transcendent loyalties like faith and family, while defending liberal institutions.
Yasutomo Suzuki (second from right) celebrates in the city of Shizuoka on Sunday after being elected governor of Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2024

Opposition-backed Yasutomo Suzuki wins Shizuoka gubernatorial vote

Suzuki’s victory could pave the way for restarting the maglev train line project that had been delayed due to opposition from his predecessor.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Lucia Bronzetti during their match at the French Open in Paris on Sunday.
TENNIS
May 27, 2024

Naomi Osaka overcomes late stumble to make winning start at French Open

Naomi Osaka reached the second round of the French Open for the first time in three years after battling past Italy's Lucia Bronzetti on Sunday at Roland Garros.
A SAIC Motor MG EXE181 concept EV during the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 27, 2024

Xi’s China EV dream came true, but 10 years on, walls are going up.

China also overtook Japan as the largest auto exporter, but such achievements are also adding to tensions with the West.
Tama River in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, where a body of a man was discovered in a suitcase
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2024

Victim's ex-girlfriend and four others arrested over body found in Tama River

Prefectural police are investigating circumstances leading up to the incident.
Renho, who will run as an independent candidate in the Tokyo gubernatorial election, speaks during a news conference in the capital on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2024

Renho to run in Tokyo gubernatorial election

The 56-year-old lawmaker from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will face incumbent Gov. Yuriko Koike if the latter runs as well.
Paramilitary police officers stand guard in front of the headquarters of the People's Bank of China in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 27, 2024

'Asset famine' in China curbs central bank's bond trading ambitions

The People's Bank of China's trading would help deepen the bond market by improving liquidity and reducing volatility.
Mitsubishi Electric's TOKUI Fast Accurate Synchronized Motion Testing Robot solves a Rubik's Cube
JAPAN
May 27, 2024

Japanese robot solves Rubik's Cube in record time

Guinness World Records recognized the 0.305-second time achieved by Mitsubishi Electric's machine as a new world best, beating the previous record of 0.38 seconds.
The Bank Indonesia headquarters in Jakarta
BUSINESS / Markets
May 27, 2024

India and Indonesia stand out for EM investors in aging world

Both India and Indonesia had elections this year, showcasing to the world their ambition to transition into major economic powerhouses.
In September 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order outlining what technology areas would be considered critical in the government's process for reviewing inbound investments that could pose a threat to national security.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 27, 2024

How will Japan respond to new U.S. investment rules?

Washington is reforming inbound and outbound investment rules in the context of economic security concerns. Japan needs to prepare for these changes.
Spain's Rafael Nadal leaves the court after losing against Germany's Alexander Zverev in their men's singles match on day two of the French Open tennis tournament in Paris on Monday.
TENNIS
May 28, 2024

Paris darling Nadal exits French Open in farewell-like defeat

"I hope to be back on this court for the Olympics," Nadal said after his loss to Alexander Zverev.
Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko attend a World War II memorial service held at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
May 28, 2024

World War II memorial service held in Tokyo without COVID-19 restrictions

The number of people whose remains are placed at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery now totals 370,700.
Counterfeit nail products branded with the logo of Louis Vuitton
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 28, 2024

Aichi woman referred to prosecutors for selling counterfeit nail products

She allegedly sold nail products bearing the logos of luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel via social media and flea market apps.
The wealthy don’t live only in global glamour cities, and family offices are now popping up in places like Perth in Western Australia.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2024

Catering to the ultrarich is a booming business in Western Australia

After an almost two-decades-long mining boom, Perth has 64 centimillionaires, and family offices are now popping up in the city.
President of China Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend the China-Africa Leaders' Roundtable Dialogue on the last day of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 24, 2023.
WORLD
May 28, 2024

Post-COVID, China is back in Africa and doubling down on minerals

While new Chinese investment in Africa increased 114% last year, it was centered on minerals essential to the global energy transition and China's plans to revive its economy.
Osaka Metropolitan University
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 28, 2024

Man arrested for stealing sodium cyanide from Osaka lab

The suspect has admitted to the allegations against him, saying that he stole the poisonous compound to kill his father.
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the first China-Arab States forum in Riyadh in 2022
WORLD / Politics
May 29, 2024

Xi hosts Arab leaders as China-Mideast ties widen beyond trade

As the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden backs Israel in its war in Gaza, China sees eye-to-eye with Arab nations.
Foreign private credit funds are focusing on Japanese investors as they move more money into higher-paying assets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024

Private credit chases Japan’s trillions as inflation spurs shift

Private credit funds are betting that inflation will prompt investors to channel more money into riskier overseas investments.
Onosato receives the Emperor's Cup from Japan Sumo Association Chairman Hakkaku at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Sunday.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
May 29, 2024

Onosato's path to sumo greatness was plain for all to see

Sumo’s latest top division champion tore through the collegiate and amateur circuits at an almost unprecedented clip.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda during a news conference in Nagoya in January
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024

Toyota investors urged to vote against founding family chair

The recommendations come ahead of Toyota’s annual shareholders meeting scheduled for June 18 at its headquarters in the city of Toyota in Aichi Prefecture.
Plaintiffs and lawyers march to the Supreme Court to attend a hearing on lawsuits against the government over forced sterilization carried out under a now-defunct eugenic law, on Wednesday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 29, 2024

Victims of forced sterilization speak of their suffering at Supreme Court

They are seeking compensation from the government over their forced sterilization due to their disabilities under a now-defunct eugenic law.
A professional single from Tokyo follows a deaf photographer to rural Hokkaido in Toshihiko Tanaka’s directorial debut, “Rei.”
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2024

'Rei': An imperfect yet compelling directorial debut

Toshihiko Tanaka’s Rotterdam prizewinner is a flawed but oddly engrossing epic.
Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's former prime minister, arrives at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok after returning from a self-imposed exile on Aug. 22, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 30, 2024

Thailand heads for fresh political turmoil as Thaksin indictment looms

The political instability can potentially delay a parliamentary approval for the 2025 budget and cause further damage to the nation’s fragile financial markets.
The No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power's Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture
JAPAN
May 30, 2024

Two more Takahama reactors allowed to operate for 20 more years

The Takahama No. 3 and No. 4 reactors are the seventh and eighth to receive such approval in the country.
Chinese electric vehicles bound for shipment at the Port of Taicang in China
BUSINESS / Tech
May 30, 2024

EU seeks roadblocks for Chinese EVs without sparking trade war

Crucially, the bloc must strike a balance with its aim for more Europeans to drive EVs as it prepares to outlaw the sale of new fossil fuel-powered cars from 2035.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (right) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh on Dec. 8, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
May 30, 2024

Xi lays out vision for greater cooperation with Arab states

China has been stepping up its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East in recent years to win new allies in its global contest for influence with the U.S.
As the world marks World No Tobacco Day on Friday, debate is growing over passive smoking in one crucial space that remains unregulated: private homes.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 30, 2024

In Japan, neighborly debates light up over secondhand smoke

Passive smoking has become a concern because many people live in multiunit apartment buildings or small houses with little space between them.

Longform

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