Search - 2023

 
 
A Rapidus factory construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido, on July 24. The plan to ramp up renewable energy usage in the region to 60% by 2030 is part of a larger concept known as “Hokkaido Valley.”
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Aug 26, 2024

Hokkaido more plugged in to renewable energy than rest of Japan

The local government aims to raise its share of renewable energy to 60% from the current 40%, but Hokkaido's grid needs to be upgraded first.
Ebenezer Agyarko tends to his cocoa plantation in Kwabeng, north of Accra, the capital of Ghana.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 22, 2024

Chocolate prices unlikely to decline even as African cocoa harvest improves

Issues that have long hobbled the industry remain, meaning bean prices aren’t likely to fall back to previous levels.
Torrential rain in Tokyo on Wednesday night
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 22, 2024

Tokyo under assault by ‘guerrilla rainstorms’

An inflow of warm, humid air from the Pacific Ocean is contributing to the unstable weather conditions this week, the Meteorological Agency says.
Astellas Pharma's headquarters in Tokyo
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Japanese citizen indicted on suspicion of espionage, China confirms

Chinese prosecutors have indicted a Japanese citizen on suspicion of espionage, China's foreign ministry said.
Currently, the frequency of medical visits is checked using receipts of medical fees issued by medical institutions and pharmacies to health insurance program operators.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Ministry to identify and support those who make frequent medical visits

The health ministry plans to carry out a model project for swiftly identifying welfare recipients who frequently visit the same medical institutions.
Okayama and Tottori prefectures are some of the least-visited regions in Japan among foreign tourists — which is why they offer such a welcome break from crowd-clogged cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 23, 2024

In Japan’s flyover country, 72 hours of hidden gems

Some of Japan’s least-visited prefectures among foreign tourists host opportunities for peace, quiet and rural beauty.
Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand's Department of Disease Control, speaks during a news conference following the suspected first case of the new, more dangerous strain of mpox in Bangkok on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 23, 2024

Thailand confirms Asia’s first case of new mpox virus strain

The patient who tested positive for clade Ib was a European man who arrived in Bangkok last week from Africa.
Canadian National Railway workers picket at the CPKC Toronto yard, after the company and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) locked out employees following unsuccessful negotiation attempts with the Teamsters union, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 23, 2024

Canada moves quickly to end unprecedented rail shutdown

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board will consult the two rail companies and unions before issuing a back-to-work order that should come soon.
Nissin Food Products' instant noodle products that were the subjects of a Fair Trade Commission antitrust warning on Thursday
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024

Nissin gets antitrust warning over prices of instant noodles

"We take this warning seriously and will work on improvements to further strengthen our legal compliance system," the firm said.
Dutch driver Max Verstappen has not lost at a home race since Formula One returned to Zandvoort, Netherlands, in 2021.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Aug 23, 2024

Max Verstappen wary of rivals ahead of 'very close' Dutch Grand Prix

The Red Bull driver has never lost in front of his home fans since Zandvoort was returned to the F1 circuit in 2021, but says the feeling this weekend is very different.
A boy pushes a biped robot developed by LimX Dynamics at the World Robot Conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 23, 2024

China's robot makers chase Tesla to deliver humanoid workers

The Asian giant's push into the emerging industry draws from the formula behind its initial electric vehicle drive more than a decade ago.
The Tokyo District Court's Tachikawa branch is hearing a trial involving former university student Issei Nakanishi, 21, who is accused of robbery and the manslaughter of an elderly woman in the city of Komae in western Tokyo in January 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 23, 2024

Ex-student denies manslaughter charge over Tokyo woman's death

Issei Nakanishi, 21, is alleged to have conspired with others to rob the 90-year-old woman in her home in the city of Komae, western Tokyo, in January 2023.
Masanobu Sakamoto (left), head of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, meets with industry minister Ken Saito (right) in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 23, 2024

Head of fishery group expresses industry's concern over import bans

Such bans by other countries in response to the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant leave the sector uncertain about its future, he says.
Shohei Ohtani steals second against the Tigers during the eight inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on July 13.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 23, 2024

Shohei Ohtani on doorstep of 40-40 season after embracing art of stealing bases

With 39 stolen bases, Ohtani has obliterated his previous career high for stolen bases (26, in 2021).
A television station broadcasts U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Chair Jerome Powell speaking in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Aug 24, 2024

Powell's Fed not shy about election-year cuts and ready to defend job market

The Fed chief sent a strong signal that the central bank will start cutting interest rates in mid-September, roughly seven weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, alongside Fukushima fisheries cooperative chief Tetsu Nozaki (far right), inspects fish caught off Fukushima Prefecture during a visit to Iwaki on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

Japan to compile additional measures to support fisheries industry

The additional measures will be put in place to help fishery operators hurt by China's blanket ban on imports of Japanese marine products.
Elisabeth Furaha applies medication on the skin of her child, Sagesse Hakizimana, who is undergoing treatment for mpox, near Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Aug. 19.
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 25, 2024

Why mpox vaccines are only just arriving in Africa after two years

The slow arrival of the shots — available in many places outside Africa — showed that lessons from COVID-19 about global health care inequity must still be learned.
Lions players celebrate after a win over the Buffaloes on Wednesday at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 25, 2024

A fight over free agency in NPB, with help from an American union

The union representing players in NPB is fighting to secure rights over players' images and give them the opportunity to make the jump to MLB sooner.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a summit seeking peace in Ukraine, in Stansstad, Switzerland, on June 15.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2024

Kamala Harris must correct America's Ukraine policy

The war in Ukraine could be a boon for Harris, but she must correct Biden’s mistakes and provide the additional resources Ukraine needs to defeat Russia.
A passenger ferry sails toward Sydney Harbor on Aug. 9. Employees in Australia, in most cases, cannot be punished for refusing to read or respond to contacts from their employers outside work hours, thanks to a new law.
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2024

Australian workers gain right to ignore work emails and calls after hours

A new "right to disconnect" law is designed to curb the creep of work communications into personal lives.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a Lower House committee meeting on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Aug 26, 2024

BOJ shows how action matters more than hawkish signs

In the debate over how central banks can affect market perceptions, the central bank may have gotten it right when in July it raised rates for a second time.
Launched in 2012 in collaboration with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nadeshiko Brand recognition aims to spotlight companies that not only prioritize gender diversity but also maintain solid financial performance.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 26, 2024

METI to expand Nadeshiko Brand criteria for women-friendly listed firms

Companies that offer support for women’s health in a bid to foster corporate awareness and encourage long-term career development for women will be eligible.
A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
Aug 26, 2024

Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?

Intense heat and an increase in storms, by-products of a changing climate, are altering consumer behavior.
Used cars are sold at high prices at a dealership in Nagoya as a surge in export demand has reduced supply on the domestic market.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 2, 2024

Japanese businesses grapple with exchange rate swings

For the used car sector, the weaker yen has resulted in buyers being forced to pay higher prices due to increased export demand.
The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting a two-run homer against the Rays during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday.
BASEBALL
Aug 26, 2024

Shohei Ohtani throws from mound for first time since elbow surgery

Ohtani has not pitched since August 2023.
Boxes of Joban-mono marine produce such as flounder are lined up at the Hisanohama fishing port in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 2, 2024

Fukushima fishermen not in the clear yet

Challenges remain for the prefecture's fisheries industry a year after the release of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant began.
Suntory's canned cocktail Minus 196 Double Lemon on sale at a store in Sydney
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2024

Japan's Suntory bets on spirits expertise to boost U.S. canned cocktail market share

Suntory believes its annual RTD revenue could double from current levels to about $3 billion (¥434 billion) by 2030.
U.S. Air Force General C.Q. Brown (left), the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is greeted upon arrival in Cairo on Sunday. Brown made a three-day trip to the Middle East last weekend that saw him fly into Israel just hours after Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel, and Israel's military struck Lebanon to thwart a larger attack.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 27, 2024

Risk of broader war eased 'somewhat' after Israel-Hezbollah exchange

Gen. C.Q. Brown, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, cautions that Iran's militant allies in other locations continue to pose a risk.
Subway operator Tokyo Metro may raise as much as ¥350 billion as early as October, which will boost the amount of money raised in Japan’s stock market this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 27, 2024

Jumbo listings set to boost Japan’s market as sentiment recovers

Two jumbo initial public offerings may roughly triple the amount of money raised in Japan’s stock market this year as sentiment bounces back from this month’s selloff.
Remnants of the first Moji station complex are located near the current Mojiko Station in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 27, 2024

Kitakyushu clashes with academics over Meiji Era remains

The city wants to proceed with plans to build a five-story complex to house several aging public facilities on the site of the original Moji railway station.

Longform

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