Search - 2022

 
 
Chinese leader Xi Jinping meets with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, on Nov. 14, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 29, 2023

U.S. and China agree to work toward Biden-Xi meeting next month

U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized the need to manage the U.S.-China rivalry "responsibly” during a rare meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Samuel Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX, testifies during a Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in February 2022.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 28, 2023

FTX founder admits 'mistakes' but testifies he didn't defraud anyone

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried insisted he did not steal billions of dollars from customers when the cryptocurrency exchange collapsed last year.
A Ukrainian soldier in a trench in a front-line position near Lyman in the Donetsk Region of eastern Ukraine on Friday.
WORLD
Oct 28, 2023

Surging falsehoods seek to dent Western aid to Ukraine

The falsehoods, experts say, are aimed at provoking anti-Ukraine sentiment in Western countries.
Tigers third baseman Teruaki Sato steals second against the Buffaloes in the third inning during Game 1 of the Japan Series at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Saturday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 28, 2023

Tigers take bite out of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Japan Series opener

The Tigers got off to a fast start against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Buffaloes in the Japan Series.
An assembly engineer works on a lithography system at chipmaker ASML in Veldhoven, Netherlands, on June 16.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 2, 2023

How can the EU strengthen its strategic autonomy regarding chips?

The bloc has felt a sense of crisis over the fact that its growth strategy has been largely dependent on third countries.
Buffaloes reliever Yuki Udagawa pumps his fist after striking out Tigers shortstop Seiya Kinami in the eighth inning of Orix's 5-4 win in Game 3 of the Japan Series on Tuesday at Koshien Stadium.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 1, 2023

How Yuki Udagawa’s steely nerves quieted Koshien’s raucous crowd

Instead of being rattled, Yuki Udagawa fed off the electric energy pulsating through the stadium as he protected a one-run lead in a 5-4 win.
Under President Vladimir Putin rule, reason, logic, and humanity appear to have been systematically eroded from Russian life, similar to the era of Stalin and his gulags. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2023

Russian life imitates dystopian art

The state in Russia has always tended toward absolutism and its coercive and penal arms have rarely wielded as much power as they do now.
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023

Japan's 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year

From the year's scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation's hope, fears and diversions.
A Grab food delivery cyclist makes a delivery in Singapore on Aug. 21.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2023

Consolidation looms for Southeast Asia’s food delivery giants

With growth in the sector slowing, companies are slimming down or bolstering their ties with other operators.
A WeWork co-working space in New York
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2023

WeWork's troubles darken outlook for embattled office market

Media reports suggest the New York-listed flexible workspace provider — once valued at $47 billion — may petition for bankruptcy next week.
U.S. President Joe Biden attends an event at the White House in Washington on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 6, 2023

Trump leads in five critical states as voters blast Biden, poll finds

Voters in U.S. battleground states said they trusted Donald Trump over Joe Biden on the economy, foreign policy and immigration.
China's dominance in the electric vehicle market has prompted the European Union to take action regarding economic security.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 7, 2023

How electric vehicles became subject to EU economic security

The bloc has felt the pressure from China in the EV market, leading it to take steps to better protect vehicles, batteries and materials.
Seiko Noda (right), head of a suprapartisan group of lawmakers discussing assisted reproductive technology, addresses the group's general meeting held in the Diet building on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2023

Bill on sperm and egg donors seeks disclosure of some information

The draft seeks to allow information that is not personally identifiable, such as height, blood type and age, to be disclosed without donor's consent
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa speak during G7 foreign ministers' meetings in Tokyo on Wednesday. Blinken plans to fly to Seoul after the meetings conclude.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2023

U.S. top envoy to visit Seoul as North Korea and Russia draw closer

The United States, South Korea and Japan have condemned what they say is the supply of military equipment by North Korea to Russia.
Abortion rights activists and counterprotesters demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court in June on the first anniversary of the court ruling in the Dobbs vs. Women’s Health Organization case, overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2023

U.S. abortions haven’t dropped since Dobbs ruling

The #WeCount project says the number of U.S. abortions increased by about 2,000 between June 2022 and June 2023 compared with the prior 12-month period.
Buildings in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai. China's yuan weakened past the closely watched 7.2-per-dollar level as investor sentiment soured on a lack of aggressive stimulus and Beijing signaled a level of comfort about the declines.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 9, 2023

China is struggling woo back foreign investors

The lack of investment among global firms in China may have far reaching effects on the world’s second-largest economy.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 10, 2023

Biden, Xi and other things to watch at next week's APEC summit

The event will mark a key moment for Chinese President Xi Jinping who is making his first visit to U.S. soil since 2017.
A JD.com advertisement in Beijing promoting the Singles Day shopping festival
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023

China’s Singles Day downbeat amid slumping consumer confidence

Shoppers are increasingly seeking value, looking for cheaper brands amid an overall mood of restraint.
As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2023

Tokyo to install quake-resistant pipe joints to avoid water outages

As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
Charles Q. Brown Jr.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2023

Top U.S. general doubts China's Xi planning to take Taiwan by force

Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Chinese leader would "try to use other ways to do this.”
A man, who said he was jailed for two years, speaks on condition of anonymity in temporary housing for former prisoners in Tokyo. Criminal recruits in Japan are being "exploited and disposed of as pawns" by gang leaders, the National Police Agency has said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 24, 2023

Why Japan's gangs are recruiting online

For Japan's criminal underworld, social media offers an anonymous way to connect with anyone willing to commit crimes to earn money.
The government aims to have 50% of new fathers take child care leave by 2025 and 85% by 2030.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 13, 2023

Japan panel proposes child care plan covering 100% of income

The 100% allowance would only be offered for up to 28 days, with the amount for any further leave being around 80% of income.
South Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (center) speaks to his players during a training session at Mokdong Stadium on Nov. 13, ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between South Korea and Singapore.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2023

Warning for Japan as Asian heavyweights begin World Cup qualifying

A record eight direct spots and one intercontinental playoff berth are up for grabs for Asian Football Confederation sides at the expanded event in 2026.
India's exports represent about 40% of rice's global trade. New Delhi has banned or taxed rice and wheat exports to counter domestic food inflation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2023

India pushes the world toward another rice crisis

Spooked by volatile foodgrain prices ahead of a general election next year, India’s government has banned or taxed rice and wheat exports.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday for a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

Biden says China has 'real problems' ahead of key summit with Xi

The leaders of the world's two largest economies will huddle on the sidelines of the APEC summit in California for their first encounter in a year.
The Formula One track in Las Vegas is lit up ahead of the Grand Prix on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 16, 2023

Formula One’s Las Vegas race isn’t living up to the hype

Liberty Media, the owner of F1, has started to lower profit expectations for the race, blaming unexpected costs.
A residential building damaged by a Russian missile strike in the Serhiivka, in Ukraine's Odesa region, in July 2022. Daria Krokva, a doctor, fled Ukraine for Japan in April 2022 after being advised to evacuate by a cousin in Kobe.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2023

Ukrainian doctor aims for national license in Japan

Daria Krokva is working hard on her Japanese proficiency in order to qualify for taking the national examination for medical practitioners.
Tunnel construction for the Hokkaido Shinkansen has proved slow in some areas due to geological reasons and the difficulty of blasting through the earth.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Nov 20, 2023

Tight labor market puts Hokkaido Shinkansen 2030 goal in doubt

The 212-kilometer route now under construction will link cities between Hakodate, at the southern tip of the prefecture, and Sapporo.
Petroleum pipelines and fuel storage tanks at a refinery near Manama, Bahrain, in 2017
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 18, 2023

To meet climate goals, Gulf countries will have to overhaul everything

The growing oil-rich region faces myriad challenges as the world pushes to decarbonize.
Eom Dong-hwan, South Korea's minister for its defense acquisition program and administration, speaks at a ceremony marking Poland's receiving of its first delivery of South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers in Gdynia, Poland, in December 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2023

South Korea’s defense ambitions can be met by tech

Decades of facing down North Korea has forced Seoul to slowly build its own arms-producing capabilities instead of relying heavily on the U.S.

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