Search - 2022

 
 
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Karolina Muchova during the second round of the U.S. Open in New York on Thursday.
TENNIS
Aug 30, 2024

Naomi Osaka reflects after losing to Karolina Muchova in second round of U.S. Open

Osaka, who won the title in 2018 and 2020, missed last year's edition after the birth of her daughter.
Vadim Morus, a Russian professional skater and trainer, practices for his performance in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 19.
WORLD / Society
Sep 11, 2024

A mini-Russia emerges in Serbia as thousands flee war

Russian-owned clubs, kindergartens and medical practices have sprung up in Belgrade, a city of less than two million people.
Migrant workers and union members hold a demonstration in favor of fair working conditions in the Made in Italy supply chain, in Geneva on Sept. 11.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2024

How migrant workers suffer to craft the 'Made in Italy' luxury label

Brands rely on a chain of contractors and subcontractors, with checks on conditions and the treatment of workers virtually nonexistent.
Indian soldiers participate in a mock drill exercise in New Delhi in 2016. The transfer of Indian munitions to support Ukraine's defense against Russia has occurred for more than a year, according to the sources and customs data.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 19, 2024

Ammunition from India enters Ukraine, raising Russian ire

The transfer of munitions to support Ukraine's defense against Russia has occurred for more than a year, according to the sources and the customs data.
A man mourns at the memorial altar for victims of a crowd crush that killed over 150 people in the party district of Itaewon in Seoul.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2024

Ex-police chief jailed three years over deadly South Korea crowd crush

Former Yongsan district police chief Lee Im-jae was convicted of failing to prevent the Halloween 2022 crush in the Itaewon district that killed over 150.
A funeral is held for Russian military personnel and civilians killed in the war with Ukraine, at a cemetery in Luhansk, in Russian-controlled Ukraine, in May 2023. The U.S. estimates that 120,000 Russian soldiers have been killed and another 180,000 injured, further worsening the nation's manpower shortages and economic output.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 4, 2024

The Russian war economy’s days are numbered

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his cronies boast that the sanctions make Russia stronger, but they incessantly call for all restrictions to be lifted.
The surge in spending came as countries across Africa, including Uganda, attempted to introduce legislation targeting LGBTQ+ people.
WORLD / Society
Nov 6, 2024

U.S. anti-LGBTQ+ groups' spending in Africa soars, report finds

The Institute for Journalism and Social Change found that seventeen American groups spent $5.2 million in 2022, up 47% compared to 2019.
A national flag of Saudi Arabia at their pavilion at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 14
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 18, 2024

Saudi Arabia executes more than 100 foreigners in 2024

Saudi Arabia has faced persistent criticism over its use of the death penalty, which human rights groups have condemned as excessive.
Employees of a fishing net manufacturer, including Ainu Indigenous people, work at a facility in Urahoro, Hokkaido, in June.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET
Jul 23, 2023

In Hokkaido, an Ainu group's lawsuit and climate change converge on salmon fishing

The Raporo Ainu Nation in Hokkaido is fighting for its Indigenous rights to fish for salmon. But warming waters are raising questions about future fish stocks.
A friendly between England and the United States drew a crowd of 78,000 at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 7, 2022.
SPORTS
Jul 20, 2023

Women's sports experiencing steady growth in popularity and value

Women's sports are growing in popularity and value. Better yet, that growth is no longer dependent upon quadrennial events like the Olympics or World Cups.
An apartment building construction site in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on July 19. Officials at Daito Trust Construction, which oversees the building project, say heatstroke dangers are a top concern given their aging workforce.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Jul 30, 2023

In Japan, extreme heat and an aging population are a deadly mix

Heat waves combined with high humidity are weighing particularly heavily on the nation’s 36 million people age 65 and over, who are at much greater risk of severe illness and death.
Signs hang on a gate as people hike in the Pen y Pass at the foot of Mount Snowdon near Llanberis, Wales, in 2020. For residents of deprived urban areas, going to natural green spaces can be prohibitively expensive.
WORLD
Aug 2, 2023

Isolated from nature, U.K.'s ethnic minorities hit harder by heat

Experts say ethnic minorities will be affected most as they often live in dense, poorly insulated households near fewer parks and less vegetation.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hand with Tesla chief executive Elon Musk in New York on June 20, 2023.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2023

In India, it's advantage Tesla as Chinese automakers face heat

Tesla has had a red-carpet welcome from India for its proposal to invest in the country, while China has been stopped cold.
A Shein office in Singapore. The meteoric rise of shopping platforms selling Chinese-made goods has been fueled by a decades-old loophole that allows cheap products to land in U.S. mailboxes tariff-free.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023

Key trade loophole keeps cheap Chinese products flowing to U.S.

The fact that Chinese goods and China-founded companies are benefiting from the loophole has frustrated some U.S. lawmakers.
Masatoshi Akimoto at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 7, 2023

Scandal-hit ex-LDP member a major backer of renewable energy

Masatoshi Akimoto opposes building new nuclear reactors or replacing current ones, and has said that wind power in particular has much potential.
Even as some countries have moved to legalize or decriminalize marijuana, Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on the drug, prohibiting its possession or sale.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Aug 7, 2023

Navigating Japan's maze of cannabis-related laws

Japan has maintained a zero tolerance policy on cannabis, but the legality of other products on the market, including ones sold as CBD, is murkier.
The U.S. Federal Reserve building in Washington
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 14, 2023

The Fed is playing a waiting game to try to avoid a recession

An increasing number of economists — including the Federal Reserve’s own staff — are predicting the U.S. will escape a recession.
Koenji-based dance troupe Tengu-ren performs at an Awa odori event in Tokyo's Kagurazaka neighborhood a month before the Koenji Awa Odori.
CULTURE / Longform
Aug 26, 2023

The party returns to Koenji

While the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary pause to one of Tokyo’s biggest festivals, its dancers never stopped practicing their steps.
A Mazda MX-30 at a dealership in the city of Hiroshima. The MX-30 is the only electric vehicle model Mazda currently sells in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Aug 28, 2023

Mazda accelerates EV shift in China, reshaping ties with suppliers

Mazda’s sales in China in the year from April 2022 halved from the previous year to 84,000 units due to a thin lineup of EVs.
Tohoku University in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
JAPAN / Society
Sep 5, 2023

Why Tohoku University was picked as first beneficiary of new university fund

The fact it was picked as the sole recipient, and over two prestigious universities seen as front-runners, has shocked Japan's academic community.
Paul Pogba had expected to return to action for Juventus before the midfielder received a provisional suspension for doping.
SOCCER
Sep 12, 2023

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba provisionally suspended for doping

Pogba could face a four-year ban if the "B" sample also tests positive for testosterone.
Olive producers check a tree surrounded by a living cover crop in an olive grove in Santiesteban del Puerto, near Jaen, Spain.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 15, 2023

In climate fight, Europe's farmers turn to tech and tradition

Spain and Italy are the world's top producers of olive oil, but the industry is under threat from desertification and drought.
Plaintiffs and supporters opposed to the expansion of a coal-fired power plant in Kobe protest after the Kobe District Court dismissed their civil case in March.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 17, 2023

Climate litigation remains a tough sell in Japan despite wins overseas

So far, Japan has seen just four climate lawsuits, all concerning the construction and operation of coal-fired power plants.
Oleg Panchurin, 32, head of the Union of Veterans of the Special Military Operation, speaks during an interview in the town of Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, on Aug. 25.
WORLD
Sep 18, 2023

Back from Ukraine war, Russia's veterans begin reintegration

In the last few months, Russian media have reported a rise in incidents involving veterans from the front.
Orix Buffaloes players pose for a commemorative photo after securing the PL pennant with their victory against Chiba Lotte Marines at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Sep 21, 2023

Buffaloes' fans finally get to experience team's resurgence

Fans packed Kyocera Dome Osaka for the sellout game in hopes of finally seeing a clinching victory with their own eyes.
Takao Masuda, executive vice president of research management at Hokkaido University, speaks at a news conference in Sapporo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 21, 2023

Hokkaido University admits misconduct by chemistry research team

Unnatural gaps and signs of data manipulation were found in research related to artificial catalysts used to facilitate chemical reactions.
Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 21, 2023

Does a university cannabis scandal point to a larger trend?

A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise.
Diane Hawley Nagatomo at her home office in Chiba. Born in the U.K., Diane has called Japan “home” for more than 40 years.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 23, 2023

Diane Hawley Nagatomo: ‘The only way to improve writing is to write’

After retiring from her position as a professor in 2022, Diane Hawley Nagatomo has just released her first novel, “The Butterfly Cafe.”
The Chinese Navy's nuclear-powered Long March 11 submarine takes part in a naval parade off the eastern port city of Qingdao, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, in April 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 23, 2023

U.S. revives Cold War submarine spy program to counter China

The multibillion-dollar effort, known as the Integrated Undersea Surveillance System, comes as China ramps up activities near Taiwan.
The Nikkei stock index on June 1. Japan equity has gained 95% since 2020, the highest rate among G7 nations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2023

Japan shows how to defeat secular stagnation

Outperforming other G7 countries on several economic indicators, Japan is demonstrating how prosperity can grow despite a shrinking population.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat