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The yen's exchange rate against the dollar on Wednesday. The yen declined from ¥103 against the dollar in 2020 to as little as ¥151 in late 2023.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 11, 2024

Is a weak yen good for Japan’s economy?

The yen's fast depreciation is boosting overseas investment and sectors like tourism, but could also trigger inflation. In response, the BOJ should raise interest rates.
Instead of hoping seats are free and scrambling to find luggage space on the shinkansen, what if you could fly charter across Japan on your next trip instead?
LIFE / Travel
Jan 13, 2024

Can charter flights connect rich tourists with rural Japan?

The tours, which fly to cities in western, central and northern Japan, will be priced from around ¥1.5 million per person for a group of four people staying two nights.
Hiromi Uetake has future plans to turn some of the currently unused rooms of the former elementary school into taprooms for visiting customers.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 14, 2024

Craft beer’s hoppy road to the deep north

Beer drinkers in these occasionally frozen lands now enjoy flavors infused with deep stories and their home prefectures’ splendid natural beauty.
People take part in a first aid and emergency training course by the Taiwanese civil defense group the Forward Alliance.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Jan 12, 2024

Taiwan civil defense groups push for more resilience as China threat grows

The organizations offer training courses in first aid, media literacy, disaster response as well as in understanding the different layers of modern warfare.
J-pop duo Yoasobi performed its 2023-defining hit, “Idol," during the 74th edition of NHK’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” giving the show its best moment — and drawing anger from netizens.
CULTURE / Sound Off
Jan 12, 2024

Yoasobi delivered the standout moment of ‘Kohaku.’ Why did some music fans hate it?

The J-pop duo brought artists from J-pop and K-pop together on stage for the night's best performance, but it didn’t take long for negative voices to emerge on social media.
Climate activists install a portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron at Trocadero Square in front of the Eiffel tower to mark the fifth anniversary of the 2015 United Nations Paris Agreement, in December 2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2024

We need to remain true to the pillars of green wisdom

While the Group of Seven countries bear the greatest CO2 responsibility, China, which is now the second-largest emitter in history, must be fully committed, too.
John Kerry at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021. Kerry, U.S. President Joe Biden's special envoy for climate, plans to step down from the Biden administration.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 14, 2024

John Kerry to step down as Biden’s climate envoy

Kerry, 80, plans to transition out of the U.S. government and help the re-election campaign of U.S. President Joe Biden, a report said.
Texans wide receiver Nico Collins races past a defender during the second quarter of Houston's win over Cleveland on Saturday in Houston.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 14, 2024

C.J. Stroud makes history as Texans win wild-card game over Browns

Stroud completed 16 of 21 passes for 274 yards as Houston won in the postseason for the first time since Jan. 4, 2020.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko (left), Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak (center) and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov attend a news conference during the World Economic Forum in Davos on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2024

Ukraine says China is needed for peace process

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation in Davos this week, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Bern, Switzerland on Monday.
Participants take part in a 'senior cafeteria' event at a nursing home in Tokyo's Meguro Ward on Dec. 14.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 21, 2024

‘Senior cafeterias’ gaining steam to support elderly

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government launched a subsidy program this fiscal year for municipalities promoting local dining events.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (right) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on her visit to Kyiv on Jan. 7.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 15, 2024

Kamikawa’s surprise visit to Ukraine sent an important signal

As international support for Ukraine's war effort wavers, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa's visit to Kyiv last week showed that Japan remains a key Kyiv ally.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, speak during a news conference in Dubai on Dec.13.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 16, 2024

U.S. and China start new climate era after veteran envoys step down

The challenge now is building a system that can continue even without the connection shared by the departing envoys.
A worker carries a tray containing steamed kamaboko at a factory in Ise, Mie Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 22, 2024

As costs rise, kamaboko producers struggle to stay afloat

Many have little choice but to raise the prices of their own products after having exhausted other measures.
A vehicle carrying Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang arrives during an official visit in Kehrsatz, near Bern, in Switzerland, on Monday. Li is visiting Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 16, 2024

China set to woo global elites with large delegation at Davos forum

Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang will make a special address on Tuesday, and will be the most senior Chinese official to attend Davos since President Xi Jinping in 2017.
Prosecutors raid the office of the Liberal Democratic Party's Abe faction in Tokyo on Dec. 19. The decision to not indict the faction leaders comes after all underwent voluntary questioning by the special investigation department of the Tokyo prosecutor’s office.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2024

Abe faction's seven senior members won't be prosecuted, reports say

Proving a criminal conspiracy between them and the group's treasurer to not report excess income from fundraising parties has been deemed too difficult by investigators.
Volkswagen is casting its net wider in pursuit of a potentially game-changing technology: a "solid-state" electric car battery
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024

Volkswagen and rivals plug away at solid-state battery puzzle

An array of technical hurdles are holding back wider development of solid-state technology, seen by its backers as the "holy grail" of EV batteries.
The caucus system is increasingly out of step with how modern America lives and picks its presidential candidates and how modern campaigns roll.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2024

It’s time to scrap the Iowa caucus

The concept behind the Iowa Caucus was both noble and novel when it debuted in 1972. Now many people think it has no place in modern politics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 17, 2024

Putin meets North Korea’s top envoy as arms flow builds

Putin held talks with Choe Son Hui on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow, the Tass news agency reported
The gallery and judges for the trial of Yuki Endo over a 2021 murder case, in Kofu District Court in Yamanashi Prefecture on Thursday
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2024

In first, 'specified juvenile' handed death sentence over Kofu murder

It is the first time a defendant age 18 or 19 at the time of a crime has been given the death penalty following the lowering of the age of adulthood.
TSMC's plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, is set to open on Feb. 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 18, 2024

Taiwan's TSMC to launch Kumamoto chipmaking plant in February

TSMC — whose clients include Apple and Nvidia — controls more than half the world's output of silicon wafers, used in everything from smartphones to cars to missiles.
Locals in the Cook Islands are cynical about the growing attention fixed on their small country, with many saying they don't necessarily trust either superpower to do the right thing by them.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

U.S.-China fight for one Pacific nation mirrors a regional battle

The success of Beijing’s strategy in the Pacific was reinforced just this week when Nauru became the latest island nation to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Polish military vehicles are transported during NATO exercises in Klusy, Poland, in November 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 19, 2024

NATO to hold biggest drills since Cold War with 90,000 troops

More than 50 ships from aircraft carriers to destroyers will take part, as well as more than 80 fighter jets, helicopters and drones and at least 1,100 combat vehicles.
A mid-19th century ukiyo-e woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicts Xu Fu’s voyage in search of the elixir of life. He can be seen near the left side of the image, with what looks to be Penglai, or Mount Fuji, in the background.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Jan 20, 2024

Eternal pursuits: A history of Japanese quests for immortality

Whether it's a permanent state of meditation or feasting on mermaid, the quest for immortality in Japan isn't too far off from those in other cultures.
A cut out of Lord Ram on a street ahead of the grand opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, India, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 20, 2024

A Hindu temple embodies the rise of Modi and India's deep divisions

With national elections a few months away, the inauguration of a controversial temple is symbolic of a changing India and marks the capstone of Modi’s 10 years in power.
A woman prays while reading condolence messages attached to the wall of a narrow alley of Itaewon, where the deadly Halloween crush that killed more than 150 in October happened, in Seoul, in December 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 20, 2024

Seoul police chief charged over deadly Halloween crush

Kim Kwang-ho, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, was charged with professional negligence resulting in injury or death.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz serves against China's Shang Juncheng during the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Saturday.
TENNIS
Jan 20, 2024

Awesome Alcaraz reaches second week at Melbourne for first time

In the unusual position of playing someone younger than himself, two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz simply dominated 18-year-old Shang.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson rushes in for a touchdown during Baltimore's playoff win over Houston on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 21, 2024

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens blow by Texans

The Ravens will host either the Bills or Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Buffalo and Kansas City are set to play Sunday in the other AFC contest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur region on Sept. 13.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 21, 2024

In signal of closer ties, Putin to visit North Korea at 'early date'

A visit by Putin would be his first since he traveled to Pyongyang nearly 23 years ago for talks with current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il.
Japan Airlines launched a new project in March 2021 in which about 1,000 flight attendants engage in promoting tourist resources in Japan's 47 prefectures.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 22, 2024

Regional business creators system picks up steam in Japan

The system allows local governments to leverage private-sector know-how in areas including tourism promotion and digitalization.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had two touchdown catches against the Bills during Kansas City's 27-24 playoff win in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 22, 2024

Chiefs hold off Bills to reach sixth straight AFC title game

The Chiefs are headed to the AFC championship game for the sixth straight year.

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