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People look at weapons kept on display at the Vietnam International Defense Expo 2022 in Hanoi.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 19, 2024

Iran and Israel among rivals to showcase their arms at Vietnam defense expo

At the defense expo to be held in the capital Hanoi on Dec. 19-22, nearly 200 companies from 27 countries have already reserved booths.
People walk near the entrance of the venue of the United Nations climate change conference COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 20, 2024

Development banks seek private money for climate change fight

Development banks committed to increasing their lending to poorer countries to $120 billion a year by 2030.
Members of the Ground Self-Defense Force take part in a joint military drill involving Japan, the United States, Britain and Australia at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in January 2023.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2024

Japan hosts Five Eyes group meeting for first time

The move highlights the growing cooperation between Tokyo and its allies amid shared concerns about a rapidly deteriorating security environment.
A post-election analysis by the polling company Blueprint discovered that the top reason why American swing voters eventually supported Donald Trump over Kamal Harris was culture (+28) followed by inflation (+23).
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2024

It’s too soon to say wokeism is dead

The Republicans ran the most unwoke man in America for the presidency, Donald Trump, and were amply rewarded for it.
Nylon is wrapped around fiber-optic cables at a SubCom factory in Newington, New Hampshire, in December 2018.
WORLD
Nov 21, 2024

Strategic subsea cables: the vulnerable links that enable our digital lives

Sweden and Finland have opened investigations into potential "sabotage" against cables damaged on Sunday and Monday in the Baltic Sea.
Police officers remove a protest banner outside the West Kowloon Court following a sentencing hearing for 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Nov 22, 2024

Paranoia and Beijing trump democracy in Hong Kong

Concerned nations must step up as China discards the promises it made when it regained control of Hong Kong. Anything less is a betrayal.
After almost a decade of traveling around the world, a working holiday during the 2019 ski season in Nozawa Onsen was to be Rowie Geraerts’ last hurrah before she settled down in Australia.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Nov 25, 2024

How a solo yoga teacher built a wellness community in the Japanese Alps

A budding entrepreneur from Australia, Rowie Geraerts has created Shizen Collective in Nozawa Onsen — a new home for herself, locals and visitors.
A waterway along a portion of the Mekong River where a groundbreaking ceremony took place to begin construction on the Funan Techo Canal, in Prek Takeo, Cambodia, in October.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2024

Cambodia's flagship canal in hot water as China funding dries up

Months after a groundbreaking ceremony for a major canal project in Cambodia, touted investments from China are in doubt.
The time and location for Amapinight parties are never certain, but two things you can be assured of when attending are that there will be dancing and a lot of amapiano.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 24, 2024

There's no room for wallflowers at Amapinight

From amapiano to dancehall, Japanese dancers and DJs are moving the masses with African beats at Tokyo's most energetic party.
The Grand Ring, a symbol of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2024

Preparations for Osaka Expo well underway amid lack of excitement

Enthusiasm for the event has been muted, particularly after criticisms were raised over the venue's construction costs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Washington on July 24. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, a former Israeli defense minister, for crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2024

Legal threats close in on Israel's Netanyahu and could impact ongoing wars

Netanyahu is due to testify in a corruption trial that has dogged him for years and could end his political career if he is found guilty.
Afghan women sew clothes at a handicraft workshop in Kabul on Nov. 10. Many women have launched small businesses in the past three years to meet their own needs and support other Afghan women, whose employment sharply declined after the Taliban authorities took power in 2021, imposing rules that squeezed women from many areas of work and public life.
WORLD / Society
Nov 25, 2024

Afghan women turn to entrepreneurship under Taliban

Though some businesses are a lifeline, salaries cannot cover all costs and many women are still stalked by economic hardship.
A pig that is pregnant with piglets suited for cross-species transplants
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 25, 2024

Startup transplants pig kidney into monkey for first time in Japan

It is hoped that the operation will provide insights into the future use of animal kidneys in humans.
Hiromi Yamamoto
ESG CONSORTIUM
Nov 25, 2024

Oji seeks optimal approaches to nurturing and utilizing forests

Oji Holdings, Japan’s leading paper maker, owns and manages 635,000 hectares of forests across the globe. Forest resources — for wood, paper and wood-derived materials or for biomass power generation — are attracting increased attention as sustainable resources. However, their sustainability hinges...
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya shakes hands with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto at the signing of an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement between Japan and Italy in Rome on Monday.
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2024

Japan and Italy to share fuel and ammo under new logistics deal

The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement will also enable the rapid mobilization of aid in case of emergencies and natural disasters.
The Google campus in Mountain View, California, on May 2
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 26, 2024

Google arguments draw skepticism from judge in ad tech case

The case is one of several against Google over antitrust issues.
Amazon Japan allegedly pressured sellers to lower prices of their products in exchange for advantageous placement on their “Buy Box” system, which highlights one seller’s product as the preferred choice on a product page.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 26, 2024

Antitrust watchdog raids Amazon Japan over alleged price-fixing

The investigation is focused on potential breaches of antitrust laws, including abuse of a superior bargaining position and restrictive trading practices.
Global beef consumption has slowed and the carbon footprint of the global cattle herd may already be declining.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 26, 2024

Peak beef could already be here

Global beef consumption has slowed and the carbon footprint of the global cattle herd may already be declining.
A Facebook "military interest" page that misrepresented old photos and videos of army operations to falsely claim that Washington was helping its ally Manila prepare for war.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 26, 2024

Philippines-China tensions trigger money-making disinformation

Clashes between the two countries in the South China Sea are being manipulated online by disinformation networks for profit, an analysis has found.
Chinese police have signed cooperation agreements with countries across Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa, offering embedded officers, training, joint patrols and exporting security equipment, especially to developing economies.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2024

China’s cops are coming to a city near you

When asked about covert overseas police outposts, China either denies their existence or claims they are service centers for overseas citizens.
Packages move along a conveyor belt at an Amazon warehouse
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2024

Japan investigating Amazon for allegedly bullying other businesses

Tactics allegedly employed by the retailer involve the squeezing of business partners in exchange for visibility.
Beijing’s long-standing line has been a commitment to keep the yuan "basically stable.” But U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s return — and his threat of tariffs — may test that.
COMMENTARY
Nov 27, 2024

China will send a weaker yuan to the Trump front

Beijing’s long-standing line has been a commitment to keep the yuan "basically stable.” But Trump’s return with his tariff threats may test that.
“What Divides Us" producer Cannon Hersey says his grandfather, who wrote about the aftermath of nuclear destruction in Hiroshima, never spoke about what he had seen while working with Japanese minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto to preserve the stories of survivors.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 27, 2024

‘What Divides Us’ producer honors grandfather’s Hiroshima reportage

The feature film centers on the bond between a Japanese minister and an American journalist who worked together to document the aftermath of nuclear destruction.
Southern Lebanon near the country's border with Israel on Wednesday, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect
WORLD
Nov 28, 2024

Hezbollah faces long recovery, with thousands of fighters believed killed

One source said the Iran-backed group may have lost up to 4,000 people — well over 10 times the number killed in its monthlong 2006 war with Israel.
In the United States, Temu has bid on keywords including "Walmart Black Friday deals," "Kohls Black Friday," and "Bed Bath Beyond." Shein has bid on keywords including "Walmart clothes," "Zara jeans," and "Mango dresses."
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 28, 2024

Online marketing costs jump amid bidding war by Temu and Shein

Both platforms' aggressive bids on search keywords used by competitors make it more costly for other retailers and brands to reach shoppers on Black Friday.
A damaged vehicle sits near Roman ruins in the eastern city of Baalbek, Lebanon, on Thursday, the second day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
WORLD
Nov 29, 2024

Israel and Hezbollah trade accusations of ceasefire violations

The Israeli military said its air force struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store midrange rockets in southern Lebanon.
Commercial buildings in the Shibuya area of Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 29, 2024

Consumer inflation speeds up amid BOJ rate hike speculation

Overall inflation sped up to 2.6%, as food prices also pushed up the gauge, also outpacing economist expectations.
Mick Schumacher plans to leave Mercedes at the end of the season.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 29, 2024

Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher to leave team after F1 season

Schumacher, a reserve driver, said it had been tough watching others race.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks during a news conference in Brasilia on Nov. 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / ANALYSIS
Nov 30, 2024

China’s lone-wolf attacks pose challenge for Xi’s security state

A new wave of deadly attacks is putting pressure on officials to expand the country's sprawling security system.
Rakuten Group is considering the sale of hybrid perpetual notes that can be called after five years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2024

Rakuten plans return to dollar bond market with hybrid notes

Rakuten’s liquidity has improved but an increased reliance on the dollar bond market may indicate weakened domestic funding access.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go