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Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives for the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November. Xi is set to skip this year's G20 summit in India, marking a major shift in how he operates.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 4, 2023

Xi’s G20 snub marks shift from statesman to China ‘emperor’

Chinese leader eyes different approach to diplomacy, reinforcing investor concerns that Beijing is becoming increasingly unpredictable.
Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso (right) receives flowers in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday after winning a fifth term as governor.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2023

Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso wins fifth term

Voter turnout rose to 56.63% from the record low of 53.46% logged in the previous election four years ago.
Fishermen work at a port in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Aug. 24.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2023

Japan boosts fishing sector aid after Fukushima water release

The increased aid comes as more than 100 fishermen and locals living near Fukushima prepare to file a lawsuit this week seeking to stop the discharge.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (second from right) and Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi agree to cooperate in elections for Tokyo districts.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2023

LDP and Komeito patch up rift over Tokyo candidacies

Whether the agreement can heal the growing rift between the two parties and lead to support at the polls is still unclear.
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.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel talks to local fishermen on Thursday to show his support for the water discharge from the nearby Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 5, 2023

Fukushima water disposal is leadership opportunity for Japan

Some 1,000 storage tanks that hold the water are almost full and more tanks can’t be installed as they would interfere with the plant’s decommissioning.
Tourists visit Venice as the municipality prepares to charge them up to 10 Euro for entry into the city in order to cut down the number of visitors.
WORLD
Sep 6, 2023

Venice to trial ticketing system from spring 2024

Residents, commuters, students, and children under the age of 14 will be exempt, as will tourists who stay in the city overnight.
Personnel from the Self-Defense Forces take part in a nuclear, biological and chemical weapons exercise at New Chitose airport in Hokkaido in July 2012.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 7, 2023

Japan has plenty to offer in the field of detecting threats

With the spread of chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, the time is right to put domestic tech to good use.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura (center left) attends a meeting on the Osaka Expo in Tokyo on Aug. 31.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 6, 2023

Nippon Ishin’s political path in focus amid differing party views

There are growing differences over the party’s future direction, including whether to remain an opposition party or consider joining the ruling coalition.
People make their way through Tokyo's Ameyoko shopping district. In a sign rising inflation is already taking a toll on consumption, Japan's household spending suffered its biggest drop in nearly 2½ years in July.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 7, 2023

China's economic gloom hangs over Japan's long-awaited recovery

If Beijing fails to shore up demand with meaningful stimulus, that could potentially delay an exit from the Bank of Japan's ultraloose monetary policy.
Cuban American soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as Violetta in a restaging of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” directed by Sofia Coppola in her opera directing debut in 2016
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 8, 2023

Rome Opera's tragic heroes resonate in modern times

For its Japan tour, the company will perform lavish productions of "La Traviata," directed by Sofia Coppola, and "Tosca," by Franco Zeffirelli.
The AI initiative is part of Morgan Stanley's strategy to drive its wealth division, where net revenue surged 16% to a record in the second quarter and new client assets grew $90 billion.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 8, 2023

Morgan Stanley to launch AI chatbot to woo wealthy

The bank will roll out a generative artificial intelligence bot this month, developed with the makers of ChatGPT, OpenAI
Flavorless (?) Candy spurred debate over what the "taste of nothingness" tastes like, if anything.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 10, 2023

Sucking on Japan's flavorless candy for a 'state of nothingness'

The candy was developed for people who wanted to moisten mouths that had gone dry from all-day mask wearing but without a sugar rush.
Former Johnny & Associates performer Kauan Okamoto, who publicly accused Johnny Kitagawa of sexually abusing him after a BBC documentary on the Johnny & Associates founder in March, sheds tears during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 8, 2023

Kauan Okamoto finds some closure after recognition of Kitagawa abuse

“I felt a bit better. There’s nothing more I want to say to Johnny & Associates,” Okamoto said.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi offers prayers in front of a church in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 9, 2023

Japan top diplomat makes first visit to Ukraine since war's start

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met with a number of high-ranking officials in Kyiv, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Indian leader Narendra Modi shakes hand with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of the Group of 20 leaders' summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2023

G20 leaders paper over divisions on Ukraine and climate

Amid deep divisions, the grouping avoided direct criticism of Moscow and any concrete pledge to phase out polluting fossil fuels.
Brave Blossoms captain Kazuki Himeno trains away from his teammates ahead of the team's Rugby World Cup opener against Chile in Toulouse, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023

Leg injury puts Kazuki Himeno in doubt for World Cup opener

Amanaki Saumaki is considered ready to fill in for Japan's captain against Rugby World Cup debutant Chile in Toulouse.
Ren Matsumoto, 18, serves as an umpire at a baseball game.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 18, 2023

Fukushima baseball federation seeks young umpires amid shortage

The recent shortage of umpires is attributable to their aging and the difficulty of keeping their schedules open on weekends.
A sign reading "Anti-inflation challenge, second price cut" is seen near shelves at a supermarket in Nice, France, in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2023

The inflation crisis is fraying Europe’s climate consensus

Polls show most European voters are reluctant to bear the cost of switching to less-polluting technology.
A villager amongst the rubble of destroyed buildings following an earthquake near the town of Amizmiz, in the Al Haouz region of Morocco, on Sunday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 12, 2023

Morocco planning to hold IMF-World Bank meetings despite quake

The meetings in Marrakech were originally scheduled for 2021, but were postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and economic security minister Sanae Takaichi attend a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2023

Kishida to shake up Cabinet, but keep veterans and rivals in key posts

Reports indicated that Kishida would replace Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and defense chief Yasukazu Hamada.
An increasing number of companies are saying they won't use Johnny & Associates performers in new commercials.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2023

More companies move away from Johnny’s over sex abuse scandal

Many firms say they won't work with the agency again until it hears how Johnny's will help the victims and prevent further incidents.
The sudden resignation of BP CEO Bernard Looney may mark a crossroads clean energy, as Looney was seen as pushing for a transition more aggressively than his industry peers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

BP chief’s surprise exit leaves questions over green strategy

BP said Tuesday that the 53-year-old CEO was departing after failing to fully disclose to the company board past relationships with colleagues.
Visitors inspect a BYD electric sedan at a motor show in Munich
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2023

Did Europe just start a trade war with China over electric cars?

The EU launched a probe into Beijing’s financial support for the EV industry amid fears that Chinese exports are putting auto jobs at risk.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and members of his new Cabinet at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 14, 2023

More flash than substance in Kishida’s Cabinet reshuffle

The reshuffle was consistent with past Liberal Democratic Party practices and portends a continuation of status quo policies and initiatives.
People look on at what remains of Derna, Libya, on Thursday.
WORLD / Society
Sep 15, 2023

Libyans come together for flood aid effort despite conflict

Inside Derna, where a torrent washed away whole districts, volunteers from Misrata, Tripoli and Benghazi were distributing clothes and food packages.
Emperor Naruhito greets newly appointed reconstruction minister Shinako Tsuchiya during the attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Wednesday following Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet reshuffle.
EDITORIALS
Sep 15, 2023

Kishida's Cabinet shuffle will make little difference

It will take more than new faces — and inexperienced ministers — to address the issues that bedevil the Kishida government and the country.
Kabul is diverse and culturally rich, like the rest of Afghanistan. Yet the country has struggled with political inclusivity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 15, 2023

Japan can help pave the way for an inclusive Afghanistan

A new generation of Afghan leaders wants to be included in the country's future. Japan is well-positioned to facilitate dialogue with the Taliban.
A junior high school team poses for a picture on Oct. 30, 1929, the fourth day of the fifth Meiji Shrine Games.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Sep 16, 2023

Rugby turns 200: A history of the sport in Japan

As the sport of rugby turns 200, Japan hopes to celebrate its own success in a game that first arrived in the 1860s.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel (left) laughs as he welcomes Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves during the G77+China summit at the Convention Palace in Havana on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 16, 2023

G77+China summit in Cuba calls for new global order

The grouping of developing and emerging countries representing 80% of the world's population kicked off a summit in Cuba on Friday.

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