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Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Mar 5, 2022

How Washington is pushing back against Russian propaganda

Unlike its European allies, the U.S. is not directly pushing the giant American tech and social media companies that control the flow of information to billions of people.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 19, 2022

Fix structural problems now or face SOFA revision later

The bottom line, however, is that without transparency, accountability and trust, the U.S.-Japan alliance will not enjoy the full support of the public.
The Bing website on a smartphone. Microsoft has received a wave of criticism from human rights groups on how its search engine works in China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2024

Microsoft is attracting growing criticism for censoring Bing in China

Bing is reportedly removing information about human rights, democracy, climate change and other topics.
Beijing-based Chinese influencer Chang Feifei has taken on many jobs to promote travel destinations in Japan, including from Universal Studios Japan and the Hankyu and Hanshin department stores.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 28, 2024

Influencers — Japan’s secret weapon to promote niche tourism spots

Followers' trust in — and reliance on — social media for travel info, even when the content is sponsored, is a key factor.
The 2024 grand prix winner was Zerogravity, a marine activity provider with a focus on accessible tours and accommodation.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 29, 2024

Japan Travel Awards promote inclusive tourism

While currently far from a global player, the Japan Travel Awards is filling a void for recommendations on forward-looking travel-centric organizations.
An audio work by Saga University's Art Works to Listen and Imagine project is available on the internet.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Apr 8, 2024

Experiencing art exhibitions through listening

Events and exhibitions are being held to encourage visitors to appreciate artworks with their ears and imagination.
The problem many developing countries have in repaying their debts might be even bigger than the world realizes, as many sovereign debts are hidden.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 10, 2024

Tackling the world’s hidden debt problem

Low-income countries are struggling to repay their debts. Better transparency and accounting systems could help them tackle this challenge.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (third from left) attends a ceremony last month for the Ground Self-Defense Force's systems communications and cyber school.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 26, 2024

The glitch in Japan's plans to bolster U.S. defense

Japan has suffered high-profile hacks in recent years that have elevated concerns over whether Tokyo can fully support its security partners.
Some programmers are gearing up for what they expect to be an era of tighter controls after Russian President Vladimir Putin secured a mandate until at least 2030 with a landslide win at elections last month.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 27, 2024

Russian programmers play 'cat and mouse' game to outsmart censors

Some of them employing techniques learnt from Chinese hackers' efforts to evade the even more stringent 'Great Firewall' there.
Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, during a rally in Gaza City on April 14, 2023
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024

Secret Hamas files show how it spied on everyday Palestinians

A 62-slide presentation on the activities of the General Security Service reveals the degree to which Hamas penetrated the lives of Palestinians.
During the attacks, private data on JAXA employees as well as information on external parties might have leaked, it has been reported.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2024

Japan’s space agency hit by repeated cyberattacks since last year

JAXA has begun a probe to determine the scope of the damage caused and taken measures to shut down the networks that may have been involved.
The investigation into the Chinese telcos is the latest effort by Washington to prevent Beijing from exploiting Chinese firms' access to U.S. data to harm U.S. companies, Americans or its national security as part of a deepening tech war between the geopolitical rivals.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 25, 2024

U.S. probing Chinese telcos over internet and cloud risks

Their cloud services and routing of wholesale U.S. internet traffic raise concerns that they could exploit access to American data by providing it to Beijing.
This screen grab taken from video posted on the WikiLeaks X account on Tuesday shows WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange looking out the window of a private jet as he flies from London to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands after reaching a plea deal with the U.S. authorities.
WORLD / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Jun 26, 2024

Assange walks free, but plea deal sets a chilling precedent

The Committee to Protect Journalists says the prosecution had grave implications for journalists and press freedom worldwide.
An image of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released on social media on Tuesday. Assange pleaded guilty to a single charge of disseminating classified documents in a plea bargain that leaves him a free man.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2024

Julian Assange’s saga will forever exist in a legal gray area

WikiLeaks founder Assange’s case lies on the boundary between espionage and protected speech. Its outcome has done nothing to shed light on this gray zone.
Kadokawa is investigating the authenticity of a claim by hackers, who stole data from the firm through a cyberattack, that they leaked additional stolen information.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2024

Hackers behind Kadokawa cyberattack claim new info leak

The company said it is investigating the authenticity of the claim, and called on people not to share any such data on social media.
People protest in Tokyo on Tuesday against sexual abuse cases by U.S. servicemen stationed in Okinawa Prefecture and the fact that the central government failed to quickly inform local officials of the cases.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2024

More sexual offense cases disclosed involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa

The three other cases occurred in February and August last year and in January this year, with all of them being dismissed.
Protesters rally in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government building in Naha on Thursday following recent revelations of sexual abuse cases involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 5, 2024

Info-sharing on U.S. soldiers' crimes to improve, Kamikawa says

The central government will also strengthen measures to prevent U.S. servicemen from committing sex crimes in Japan, the foreign minister said.
Traditional boat parties on the Sumida River in Tokyo are popular for informal gatherings among professionals that deal in Japanese government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2024

Tokyo’s exclusive circle of government bond traders in demand amid policy shift

The world’s top hedge funds are shaking up the closed community that was, for a time, a sleepy backwater of global finance.
Ground Self-Defense Force members participate in a seminar to prevent harassment at Camp Asaka in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 10, 2024

Spate of scandals threaten to tarnish Defense Ministry and SDF’s reputation

The emergence of multiple scandals is the latest challenge for the Defense Ministry as it seeks to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities.
An Air Self-Defense Force base in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2024

Image of likely ASDF missile model posted online

The ASDF is currently investigating whether any of its personnel were involved, officials said.
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Kanto region on Friday evening.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2024

Magnitude 5.3 quake strikes Kanto region

The quake, with an epicenter in western Kanagawa Prefecture, occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers. There was no threat of a tsunami.
A growing number of ransomware attacks has forced Japanese firms to take measures to combat computer viruses that encrypt data until a ransom is paid.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 17, 2024

Ransomware attacks force companies to take precautionary measures

In many cases, attackers apparently gain entry via network devices for remote work, through clients and affiliated companies or systems at data centers.
An influencer uses a phone at the United Center, ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), in Chicago on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

At DNC, influencers battle journalists for space and access

The Democratic National Convention has credentialed more than 200 "content creators" to cover the four-day event.
Typhoon Shanshan is expected to become more powerful and hit western Japan on Tuesday, after which it is forecast to make its way north throughout the week.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024

Typhoon Shanshan to hit western Japan on Tuesday

By Wednesday, the maximum wind speed is expected to reach up to 162 kilometers per hour around Amami Oshima island and southern Kyushu.
Japan's flag flies at half mast at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Thursday after a Japanese schoolboy was stabbed to death in the southern city of Shenzhen.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2024

The death of a Japanese school student: Is this just a tip of an iceberg?

Despite the fact that an innocent 10-year-old boy was brutally murdered, the reaction of the Japanese government and media was predictably restrained.
Community leaders discuss the role of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in ending the HIV/AIDS threat to public health by 2030 at a seminar hosted by Gilead Sciences in Tokyo on Sept. 25.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 1, 2024

HIV prevention drug remains out of reach for many in Japan despite approval

The drug's high cost together with insufficient knowledge and awareness are hindering efforts to broaden access to it, experts and community leaders say.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency is responsible for most of Japan's overseas aid known as official development assistance.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 16, 2024

JICA staffer suspected of leaking info on Philippines railway project

The employee is thought to have intended to secure a contractor in advance to prevent delays to the ¥38.1 billion project.
A male employee of the Tokyo Stock Exchange is suspected of leaking undisclosed information, including on a company's takeover bid, to a relative this year, according to sources.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 23, 2024

TSE employee probed on suspicions of insider trading

The male employee is suspected of leaking undisclosed information to a relative who allegedly used the knowledge to conduct stock trades.
The probe into a Tokyo Stock Exchange worker is the first time an employee has become subject to a compulsory investigation for alleged insider trading.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 24, 2024

TSE worker under insider trading probe handled timely disclosures

According to sources, the employee allegedly leaked undisclosed information about multiple companies.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also LDP president, dissolved the Lower House only eight days after assuming office on Oct. 1
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024

Why Ishiba’s strategy of a surprise battle backfired

His dissolution of the Lower House only eight days after assuming office and backtracking on previously touted policies left voters with little to base votes on.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake