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An undated photo of a poster in a window promoting shows at Lincoln Center by Shen Yun, which in its 2023-2024 season performed more than 800 times on five continents, in New York. Over the past decade, the dance group Shen Yun Performing Arts has made money at a staggering rate in large part by getting followers of the Falun Gong religious movement to work for free and pay its bills.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 31, 2024

How Shen Yun tapped religious fervor to make $266 million

Shen Yun’s success flows in part from its ability to pack venues worldwide — while exploiting young, low-paid performers with little regard for their health or well-being.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to Brendan Carr, his intended pick for Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as he attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 31, 2024

Social media companies face global tug-of-war over free speech

Trump’s return to the White House is expected to widen the free speech divide that has long existed between the United States and Europe.
The Nippon Steel logo is displayed at the company's headquarters in Tokyo in April.
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2025

Nippon Steel offers U.S. government veto power in bid for U.S. Steel approval

The Japanese firm offered to give the U.S. government a veto over any reduction in U.S. Steel's production capacity.
One of the themes in American guitarist Marty Friedman’s autobiography “Dreaming Japanese” is that while he has become a star in his own right in Japan, he still feels that he doesn’t “belong.”
CULTURE / Books
Jan 1, 2025

Guitarist Marty Friedman goes to bat for J-pop in new autobiography

"Dreaming Japanese" tells the story of how the Megadeth guitarist navigated Japan's music industry.
A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jan 1, 2025

Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake

The Year of the Snake is characterized by wisdom, calm and steady progress. It urges introspection, calculated moves and a journey of reinvention.
BYD electric vehicles outside one of the company's dealerships in Beijing
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 2, 2025

BYD chalks up new record as it narrows EV sales gap with Tesla

China’s BYD enjoyed a year-end surge to push total sales to 4.25 million passenger cars last year, as the two seek to be the top-selling electric-vehicle maker of 2024.
With the continued wage and price hikes, the Japanese economy will likely grow steadily in fiscal 2025 that will start in April, according to some private think tanks.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jan 2, 2025

Economists see continued rise in Japan's wages and prices in fiscal '25

Uncertainty surrounding the impact of policies under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump are seen as a key risk factor.
New Orleans' French Quarter following an early-morning attack on Jan. 1
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 2, 2025

‘No terrorist to me’: Relatives and friends saw few signs before attack

The violence appeared to explode out of nowhere to those who had known Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar as a quiet and caring person. But there were also signs of growing instability.
After a dramatic 2024, where Japan saw political upheaval, a record stock market, a major quake and a plane crash and dramatic escape, 2025, with events like major anime sequels, the Osaka World Expo, rising foreign acquisitions, we should expect a transformative year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 2, 2025

Anime, M&A and the expo: What to watch for in Japan’s 2025

No doubt 2025 has more surprises in store for Japan after an unusually intense 12 months.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed support for allowing for married couples to retain different surnames. 
JAPAN / Society
Jan 3, 2025

Japan's dual-surname option could see turning point in 2025

Support for allowing spouses to retain separate surnames is strong among the opposition, and even within the Liberal Democratic Party, which rules as a minority government.
A brewer stirs the mix for making sake at a brewery in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 4, 2025

Brooklyn brewers take on sake, America's new hip tipple

The ancient Japanese drink, which has been exported to the United States for at least a century, is being increasingly localized.
An attendee looks at a prototype of a 2-nanometer gate-all-around wafer produced by Rapidus and International Business Machines Corp. at the Semicon Japan exhibition in Tokyo in December.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 3, 2025

Japanese chip industry poised for a comeback

Chipmakers will either begin operating a pilot line or start production at new plants this year.
Donald Trump, then the U.S. Republican presidential nominee, awaits the start of proceedings in his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court in New York on May 2. The New York judge who oversaw Trump’s hush-money trial scheduled his sentencing for Jan. 10. Trump is expected to appeal his conviction.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2025

Judge upholds Trump’s conviction but signals no jail time

The New York judge who oversaw President-elect Donald Trump’s hush-money trial scheduled his sentencing for Jan. 10. Trump is expected to appeal his conviction.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends a conference organized by the European Jewish Association in Krakow, Poland, in January 2024.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 4, 2025

Musk projects his hard-right influence in Europe

The multibillionaire has demanded new elections in Britain, promoted Germany's far-right, blasted the European Commission — and that's just the start.
An entrance sign for Nippon Steel's East Nippon Works Kashima Area facility is pictured in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, last month.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Jan 4, 2025

Nippon Steel rejection shows national security means whatever you want

Experts and former officials say the decision signals how sharply the U.S. has turned away from the principles of globalization.
An underground passage in a small town in the Moscow region in November.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2025

Are Russian sanctions working? Debate takes new urgency with Trump.

The president-elect has said he will use sanctions sparingly while vowing to end the war in Ukraine, renewing questions over their efficacy.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision will further burnish his climate credentials, deepening his record of fostering conservation and zero-emission energy.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 4, 2025

Biden to ban new oil drilling over vast stretch of U.S. Atlantic and Pacific waters

The move represents a sweeping effort to permanently protect coastal waters from fossil fuel development and the risk of oil spills.
DOPS Director Dr. Jim Tucker (back row, from left), David Acunzo, Marina Weiler, Philip Cozzolino (front row, from left) Marieta Pehlivanova and Elliot Gish, pose for a photo on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, on July 15. Is reincarnation real? Is communication from the "beyond” possible? A small set of academics are trying to find out, case by case.
WORLD / Society
Jan 4, 2025

Do you believe in life after death? These scientists study it.

Is reincarnation real? Is communication from the “beyond” possible? A small set of academics are trying to find out, case by case.
A falconer during the Suwa Falconry Preservation Society's event in Tokyo on Friday. Falconry predates recorded history, originating, scholars believe, when nomadic herders observed birds of prey hunting and recognized their potential as partners.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 5, 2025

Tokyo falconers keep ancient traditions soaring

While a recent showcase was all about fun and education, like other sports involving animals, falconry is also serious business for competitors at the upper echelons of the sport.
Solar panels, which typically last 20 to 30 years, will begin to reach the end of their service life in the next decade.
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2025

Disposal of used solar panels emerging as challenge in Japan

The annual amount of solar panels discarded as waste is seen peaking at some 500,000 tons in the early 2040s, putting a major strain on industrial waste treatment facilities.
A concept model of a next-generation fighter jet under joint development among Japan, Britain and Italy
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 5, 2025

Japan to map out defense export strategy within 2025

The strategy, which will present medium- and long-term targets for defense equipment exports, will be worked out via cooperation among government ministries.
A drone view shows Gary Works, the largest integrated steel mill in the U.S., which is operated by U.S. Steel, in Gary, Indiana, on Dec. 12.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025

Rival CEO allegedly spread doubt about Nippon Steel deal to Wall Street

The private remarks the CEO made throughout 2024 about the deal process show the extent of his effort to cast doubt.
Dai-ichi Life Insurance sold about ¥500 billion of Japanese government notes, mainly 20- to 40-year bonds, in the fiscal first half that ended in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025

Dai-ichi Life takes ¥140 billion loss selling off long bonds

The insurer sold about ¥500 billion of Japanese government notes, mainly 20- to 40-year bonds, in the fiscal first half ended September.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at King Khalid International airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 9.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 6, 2025

Starmer’s travels outstrip past U.K. leaders, posing ratings risk

The premier has spent 31 days on working trips since he took office following his Labour Party’s landslide win in the July 4 general election.
Analysts believe the strength of the Japanese economy will help to push up domestic stocks, despite pressure from likely interest rate hikes from the Bank of Japan and uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s presidency in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 6, 2025

Japan stocks look set for new highs in 2025 on earnings and reforms

Analysts see better corporate earnings as the country transitions to a growth economy from a deflationary one.
Jera has reportedly created a think tank to research domestic and international energy trends.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025

Japan’s top LNG buyer creates think tank to watch market trends

Jera Global Institute will aim to follow the example of Shell’s scenarios team, which produces long-term forecasts.
JR Central President Shunsuke Niwa speaks during a group interview in Nagoya on Dec. 18.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025

JR Central to let pet dogs ride on shinkansen

Shinkansen cars will be chartered to allow passengers to release their dogs from cages and move around inside the cars with the pets.
Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel sued the U.S. government Monday for blocking the merger of the two companies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025

Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel sue U.S. government for blocking deal

The suit argues that the two companies were denied due process and that the $14.9 billion transaction was blocked for political reasons.
Nippon Steel had touted the takeover of U.S. Steel as a lifeline for a company that is long past its heyday, but opponents warned that the Japanese owners would slash jobs.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2025

Ishiba warns blocked U.S. Steel deal could impact investments

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that U.S. President Joe Biden's decision had sparked worries over future Japanese investments in the world's largest economy.

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A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake