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Vivek Ramaswamy (left) and Elon Musk (right) will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency tasked to slashing government bureaucracy and waste, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

Trump names Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead 'DOGE' efficiency department

The appointments to the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency reward two Trump supporters from the private sector.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington. The U.S. Constitution assigns to the Senate the power to confirm a president's nominees for life-tenured seats on the federal judiciary.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 13, 2024

U.S. Senate Democrats rush to confirm judges before Trump takes office

Democrats are on a crusade to confirm as many new federal judges nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden as possible.
Masato Kanda, then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, in January 2022
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2024

As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan's ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action

Kanda's warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ¥155 to the dollar.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping after a signing ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in April 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Lula’s embrace of Xi sets up a clash over Trump’s China policy

Brazil’s geography and colonial history meant that it has traditionally looked to the Atlantic for commerce. Now it’s deepening ties with the Asia Pacific.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk walks on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

How will Musk's new U.S. government efficiency panel work?

Although the U.S. president-elect has said little about how the group will operate, Elon Musk previously set a goal of cutting $2 trillion of federal spending.
An oil pump jack in Midland, Texas
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Nov 14, 2024

Republican sweep opens way to boost oil and gas development

Oil producers, however, may be reluctant to drill new wells with U.S. output already at a record high.
The Japanese government and the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party are discussing a plan to set the date for convening an extraordinary session of parliament on Nov. 28.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2024

Japan eyes extraordinary session of parliament from Nov. 28

The session will be convened to discuss a fiscal 2024 supplementary budget that will finance a planned economic package.
The Azerbaijan pavilion during the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 14, 2024

Hopes pinned on low-key COP29 to thrash out climate-finance details

The Baku summit aims to reach new agreement for climate-related transfers from rich to poor countries, intended to replace a $100 billion annual target set in 2009.
While baldness can often be the butt of jokes in Japan, it can also be a powerfully freeing act of self-acceptance for those struggling with hair loss.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 16, 2024

Thinning up top? Hair loss in Japan is not the end.

Among Asian countries, Japan has the highest rate of alopecia at around 26%, as well as 7.8% of women experiencing some form of hair thinning.
Originally from Hiroshima, chef Kenichi Nishi moved to Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, to have better access to the top-flight seafood of Sasue Maeda.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Nov 17, 2024

Chisou Nishi Kenichi: Modern French with unrivaled Shizuoka seafood

When a chef relocates to be within walking distance of his favorite fishmonger, you know the fish must be truly special.
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Nov 18, 2024

In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation

The latest edition of the Japan Writers Conference was a friendly forum for anglophone writers to connect and converse.
France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont runs with the ball during his team's game against Japan at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Nov. 9.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 15, 2024

All Blacks hope to nullify 'freakish' Antoine Dupont during clash against France

New Zealand center Anton Lienert-Brown described France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont as a "freakish player."
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Nov. 13.
WORLD
Nov 17, 2024

Israel pummels south Beirut as Hezbollah targets Haifa area

Israel's military reported a "heavy rocket barrage" on Haifa and said a synagogue was hit, wounding two civilians.
Ukraine’s government has turbocharged its pitch for international help in land-mine clearance, attracting a rush of special machinery from Japan and funds from philanthropist Howard Buffett with astonishing results.
WORLD
Nov 17, 2024

Ukraine supercharges mine-clearing push to revive war-torn farms

Safe access to farmland is essential for a country known as Europe’s breadbasket and demining Ukraine could take decades.
Rice fields in the town of Ozu, Kumamoto Prefecture. The water-filled paddies glistening under the sun is a symbol of a long-running effort to preserve the prefecture’s groundwater.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Nov 17, 2024

Japan's chipmaking rush pressures Kumamoto's special water supply

TSMC and others hope that support for existing projects and proper wastewater management can avoid undermining water development efforts lauded by the U.N.
Masahide Endo, chief consultant at Daiwa Institute of Research noted that Alimentation Couche-Tard's bid for Seven & I Holdings had spawned a sense of crisis in other industries over sudden takeover proposals.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 18, 2024

Japanese companies increasingly targeted in foreign M&A bids

The total value of inbound acquisitions from overseas is up about 3.7 times year on year.
Japan’s megabanks have resumed trading activities with Nomura Holdings, people with knowledge of the matter said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 18, 2024

Nomura's trading clients return after market manipulation probe

Many of the firms returned to Nomura after the brokerage explained measures it is taking to prevent a recurrence of the breach, sources said.
Donald Trump, the then-Republican presidential candidate and now the president-elect, visits the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, in February. His appointments to key positions in his new administration show he is moving aggressively on mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2024

Trump's mass deportation plan has its leaders in place

Even before Trump’s victory, Tom Homan, the former acting director for ICE, promised to "run the biggest deportation operation this country's ever seen.”
Many of the acts making their debut at this year's "Kohaku" song contest came out for the lineup announcement at NHK's studios in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 19, 2024

NHK announces Number_i, Illit and Glay for ‘Kohaku’ lineup

Acts from the former Johnny’s were frozen out for a second year as NHK opts for new names and old favorites.
People arrive with flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the Zhuhai Sports Center in the city of Zhuhai, in China's Guangdong province, on Nov. 13, two days after 35 people were killed when a man drove a car into a crowd.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 19, 2024

A mass killing tests China's crime narrative

A spate of random acts of violence is challenging the Communist Party's it-knows-best narrative.
Motohiko Saito speaks at a news conference in Kobe on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 19, 2024

Reelected Hyogo governor vows to serve with a 'humble heart'

Motohiko Saito returned for the first time in more than a month after being ousted from office over allegations of workplace harassment.
With Labor Thanksgiving Day approaching in Japan, it's a good time to show some appreciation to your colleagues.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 20, 2024

You don’t need an onion bouquet to say thanks — just the right words

Nov. 23 is Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan and Nov. 28 is Thanksgiving in the United States. That makes it a good time to learn how to show your appreciation.
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addresses the joint extraordinary leaders summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh on Nov. 11. A 93-page report from Human Rights Watch describes how Crown Prince Mohammed has asserted control over the kingdom's Public Investment Fund.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 20, 2024

Saudi prince uses fund to expand power and commit abuses: Human Rights Watch

The group accuses the 39-year-old crown prince of seizing companies and assets from elite Saudis rounded up during anti-corruption operations beginning in 2017.
A strait-laced tax officer (Seiyo Uchino) teams up with a gang of con artists to take down a crooked property developer in “Angry Squad: Civil Servant and Seven Swindlers.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 21, 2024

‘Angry Squad’: A caper comedy with a lot of heart

The film’s two-hour running time breezes by as a strait-laced tax officer joins a colorful crew of con artists.
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2024

Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas

It would be hard to paint Ishiba's trip as a success, with the prime minister committing a series of diplomatic faux pas.
Originally debuting on a coin purse, Hello Kitty became a national phenomenon in Japan and is now the second highest-grossing media franchise worldwide.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2024

Hello Kitty looks pretty at 50 (and is worth more than ever)

Kitty’s broad appeal, especially to adults, helped popularize the Japanese concept of kawaii (cuteness), which has since become a global trend.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shake hands during a signing event in Brasilia on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024

Xi and Lula elevate China-Brazil ties in state visit

The state visit capped a regional tour by Xi that showcased Beijing's growing diplomatic clout during a tricky government transition in Washington.
Funding for the proposed buyout of Japan's Seven & i Holdings by its founding family will be finalized by the end of December, sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2024

Seven & I buyout funding to be finalized by next month, sources say

The retailer is caught in a three-way tug-of-war between a foreign suitor, its founding family and company management.
Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk speaks while on stage with Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump during a rally at the site of the July assassination attempt against Trump, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 21, 2024

U.S. government efficiency panel to use Supreme Court rulings for agency cuts

The panel will be led by Elon Musk, billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Vivek Ramaswamy, founder of biotech firm Roivant Sciences.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen (left) speaks with McLaren's Lando Norris after the sprint race during the weekend of the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo on Nov. 2.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 21, 2024

Verstappen in sight of exclusive club of four-time F1 champions

Red Bull's three-time champion needs only to stay ahead of Lando Norris to secure the title.

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