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Even if a solution for peace is found to end the conflict between Hamas and Israel, any transitional authority will need to reckon with the militant group's large footprint in Gaza.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2024

A total 'de-Hamasification' of Gaza may be a bad idea

A peace plan needs to reckon with many difficult questions: Who will rebuild Gaza; who will pay for reconstruction and who will adjudicate any war crimes.
Japan defender Hikaru Kitagawa (right) makes a challenge in the first half of an Olympic women's soccer qualifier against North Korea at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Feb 28, 2024

Japan beats North Korea to clinch Olympic spot

The two sides drew 0-0 in Saturday's first leg on neutral ground in Saudi Arabia.
A group of departed souls trapped in limbo tries to find closure — and finish an uncompleted movie — in Michihito Fujii’s “The Parades.”
CULTURE / Film
Feb 29, 2024

‘The Parades’: Glossy afterlife drama is no ‘After Life’

Michihito Fujii’s wistful film is less than the sum of its influences.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former U.S. President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

U.S. Supreme Court immunity case jeopardizes Trump trial pre-election

Polls indicate a conviction of Trump could undercut the Republican front-runner’s bid to reclaim the White House.
Attendees listen as Fernando Haddad, Brazil's finance minister, speaks virtually during the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Sao Paulo on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

Brazil urges 'new globalization' at G20 meet overshadowed by Ukraine

The meeting will lay the economic policy groundwork for the annual G20 leaders' summit to be held in November.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

Marcos to chart deeper Australia-Philippines ties as China rises

Marcos will be the first Philippine leader to address a joint sitting of parliament in Canberra.
Farmers shout slogans as they burn an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers during a march toward New Delhi to push for better crop prices, at Shambhu Barrier, the border between Punjab and Haryana states, on Feb. 23.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 29, 2024

India's farmer protest fuels opposition hopes of denting Modi's appeal

India's beleaguered opposition parties have been searching for a narrative to counter the popular leader.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West President Masaaki Moribayashi (center) bows at a news conference in Osaka on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Feb 29, 2024

NTT West president to resign over customer information theft

NTT West has been slapped with administrative guidance by the communications ministry for insufficient supervising.
U.S. President Joe Biden discusses his administrationユs immigration and border security policies at a Border Patrol station in Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 1, 2024

Trump and Biden both visit U.S.-Mexico border and spar on immigration

With the presidential election less than eight months away, polls show most voters blame U.S. President Joe Biden for the number of illegal entries.
Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark celebrates with her teammates after breaking the NCAA's all-time scoring mark in Iowa City, Iowa, on Feb. 15.
BASKETBALL
Mar 1, 2024

Record-setting Iowa star Caitlin Clark to enter WNBA draft

Clark is the all-time NCAA women's college basketball scoring leader.
Currency dealers work in front of an electronic board showing the Korean Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of a bank in Seoul. Officials in South Korea are taking a cue from Japan, where a push for corporate reforms has been one of the key drivers for a world-beating equity rally.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 2, 2024

South Korea faces long road in unlocking corporate value like Japan

As global investors scrutinize South Korea’s plans, they note a key hurdle — the prevalence of family-controlled businesses, or chaebols.
Kashiwa players celebrate after substitute Kosuke Kinoshita's 83rd-minute winner during the team's game against Kobe on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 2, 2024

Defending champions Vissel Kobe suffer late 1-0 defeat to Kashiwa

No teams will start the new J1 season with two wins following Saturday's games.
An electronic board shows the rate of the yen versus the U.S. dollar in Tokyo on Feb. 26.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 2, 2024

Yen’s carry-trade reign in flux as BOJ hints at policy shift

As speculation builds that the BOJ will change its path, so does the potential for the yen to strengthen.
The Dongmenting night market in Shenzhen, China, on Feb. 12. Hong Kong residents are flocking to nearby mainland cities in record numbers for cheaper shopping and entertainment.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 4, 2024

Young Hong Kongers who defied Xi are now partying in China

Thanks to new infrastructure, they can regularly go to Shenzhen where products and services are cheaper.
Gaza on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

Israel said to boycott Cairo cease-fire talks over hostage list

In past negotiations Hamas has sought to avoid discussing the well-being of individual hostages until after terms for their release are set.
High tides in Funafuti, Tuvalu, in February. About 40% of the main atoll and capital district Funafuti is already underwater at high tide, and the tiny nation is forecast to be submerged by the end of the century.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 4, 2024

Tuvalu preserves history online as rising seas threaten existence

"We cannot outrun the rising tides, but we will do what we can to protect our statehood, our spirit, our values," minister Simon Kofe said.
TSMC's new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

Japan in the midst of a semiconductor plant construction rush

The government set aside ¥4 trillion between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2023 for subsidies for helping companies build semiconductor plants.
Akiko Ito, former commissioner of the Consumer Affairs Agency, will be Canon's first female board member if approved at its general shareholders’ meeting on March 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2024

ISS backs Canon CEO after nomination of first woman to board

Japanese firms have been slow to appoint women to senior executive roles. But they’re now facing growing pressure to meet stricter standards.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an Upper House Budget Committee session on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2024

Kishida denies intent to dissolve Lower House in April

The prime minister was grilled on his reason for rushing the passage of the government's fiscal 2024 draft budget last week.
PFAS does not break down easily and remains in the body and the environment for a number of years, and is thus called “forever chemicals.”
JAPAN / Explainer
Mar 4, 2024

Japan’s food safety panel drafts intake limit for 'forever chemicals'

The report spells out the “tolerable daily intake” of PFAS through food for the first time. Here's what you need to know.
Nippon Steel Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori, who is set to meet the United Steelworkers (USW) union chief this month, says the Japanese steel producer plans to uphold all of the current agreements between the union and U.S. Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024

Nippon Steel exec to meet USW head to seek support for U.S. Steel deal

Winning the union's backing is a priority for the Japanese steel producer because then the acquisition will be "no longer a political issue."
Economy minister Yoshitaka Shindo said the government was currently not thinking about calling an end to deflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2024

Japan ministers deny report government thinking of calling end to deflation

Policymakers are focused on ensuring the economy doesn't revert to a protracted period of falling prices, they said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang chat at the end of the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2024

China sets robust economic growth goal but no big bang stimulus

Premier Li Qiang targets growth of about 5% this year but signals continued reluctance to use deficit spending for economic stimulus.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Colorado's attempt to keep Donald Trump off the ballot with an obscure and almost discarded provision that could have determined the outcome of the presidential election.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 5, 2024

Supreme Court buries the fantasy of keeping Trump off the ballot

An obscure, almost discarded provision of the U.S. Constitution shouldn’t have the potential to determine the outcome of a presidential election.
The U.S and Japan are working together to secure a stable semiconductor supply chain and maintain their leading position in this critical technology amid concerns over China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 5, 2024

Semiconductors are back to center stage in the Japan-U.S. alliance

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of semiconductors to the 21st century. They’re everywhere and in every digital item.
PSG's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the team's second goal on Tuesday in San Sebastian, Spain.
SOCCER
Mar 6, 2024

Mbappe double fires PSG past Real Sociedad to Champions League quarters

The electric Mbappe was impossible for Real Sociedad to shackle and his strikes after 15 and 56 minutes pushed PSG into the last eight.
Rescuers clear debris from a multistory building heavily damaged following a Russian drone strike in Odessa on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 6, 2024

ICC issues warrants over Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid

The court has previously targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin with an international arrest warrant over the deportation of Ukrainian children.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks at a forum in Tokyo on Tuesday. Tackling a bloated balance sheet is set to be a challenging hurdle for the central bank.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 6, 2024

Normalizing Bank of Japan's balance sheet will take nine years, says ex-official

Failing to issue guidance on the planned normalization could lead to high market volatility in yields, former Executive Director Kenzo Yamamoto warns.
The Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte waves as he walks past NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during a summit at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels in June 2021.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 6, 2024

‘A safe pair of hands’: Dutch PM emerges as NATO chief front-runner

Although the top contender, Mark Rutte may still have to win over about a third of the alliance’s 31-member states.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs recently recommended that official romanization rules be switched from the Kunrei to Hepburn system.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 6, 2024

Romanization rules are changing. Why Kunrei won’t be missed.

Japan could soon change its romanization rules, opting for the more common Hepburn system. This would benefit Japanese people as much as foreigners.

Longform

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