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Tourists in Tokyo's Asakusa district earlier this month
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2023

Visitors to Japan in October exceed pre-COVID level for first time

Visitor numbers improved to 100.8% of levels seen in 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19 led to travel curbs around the world.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Filoli estate in Woodside, California, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

Xi and Biden agree to restart high-level military-to-military talks

The leaders of the two superpowers looked to stabilize a relationship that has been in freefall amid fears it could devolve into outright conflict.
A worker rides a scooter past an unfinished bridge near the center of the Qianhai new district in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

China's not-so-special economic zone embodies a harsh new reality

Qianhai is struggling to stand out among 2,500 other special zones across China.
Haneda Innovation City, a new business hub near Tokyo's Haneda Airport, held its grand opening on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 16, 2023

Haneda’s new business hub holds grand opening

While Tokyo has a number of business hub facilities, Haneda Innovation City's proximity to an airport makes it unique.
Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after a go-ahead, two-run home run against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas, on June 12.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 17, 2023

Shohei Ohtani wins second American League MVP award

Shohei Ohtani was named the AL MVP for the second time in three seasons.
The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington. While the ongoing stasis in Congress has yet to do any serious damage to the buoyant U.S. economy, the regular budget standoffs are already having an impact.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

America's budget dysfunction poses long-term economic risks

Two out of the three major American ratings agencies have cut their credit rating for U.S. government debt, and the third recently downgraded its outlook.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a family photo during an APEC summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

Kishida and Xi aim for trade progress despite lingering tensions

Their talks signaled initial momentum toward a cautious detente, although the two countries appeared to prioritize an improvement in economic ties.
Tyson Fury (left) and Oleksandr Usyk will meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Nov 17, 2023

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to meet for undisputed title

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, 2024.
Indian cricket is struggling against climate change-induced heat and rain and the last thing it needs is oil-rich Saudi Arabia buying into the league.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2023

The last thing cricket needs is Saudi money

Indian cricket is struggling against climate change-induced heat and rain. A partnership with oil-rich Saudi Arabia would lead to a certain defeat.
The risk of unsecure nuclear weapons or a vengeful leader such as Vladimir Putin going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but the world must prepare for the worst-case scenario. 
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2023

Preparing for a Russian nuclear meltdown

The risk of “loose nukes” or a vengeful leader going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but the chances are not zero.
A woman sits where her apartment once stood in Lahaina, Hawaii, after the city was devastated by a wildfire, on Aug. 11.
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 17, 2023

Nowhere is safe from worsening climate change, new U.S. report warns

The report comes at a time of record-shattering heat, with recent months ranking as the hottest on record across the world.
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework leaders pose for a family photo at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 18, 2023

Indo-Pacific trade deal prospects dim as U.S. election year looms

Election-year pressures and resistance to tough commitments from some countries make a deal unlikely anytime soon, observers say.
A worker uses a vacuum cleaner inside a bullet train at Suseo Station in Seoul on Nov. 13. South Korea is launching a four-week campaign against bedbugs after multiple reports of infestations sparked widespread public anxiety.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Nov 19, 2023

Bedbug anxiety comes for Asia, and the pest killers are here for it

Outbreaks in France and South Korea have people across Asia on high alert for bedbugs. Exterminators in the region say business is booming.
Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring a goal for France during Euro 2024 qualifying against Gibraltar in Nice on Saturday.
SOCCER
Nov 19, 2023

France breaks records as trio of teams qualify for Euro 2024

Les Bleus set a new record for margin of victory in European qualifying and a national record during the game in Nice.
An Apple Store in Shanghai in September
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Nov 19, 2023

Asian regulators turn focus to Big Tech

Across the region, there are indications that Big Tech may soon have to comply with standards that could become international benchmarks.
A Tiffany store in Shanghai. Luxury companies are targeting VIC's, or very important clients, as China's post-pandemic economic slowdown dries up the spending power of the middle class.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 20, 2023

Exclusivity the name of the game as firms target China's wealthiest

Brands are focusing on selling fewer, more valuable items, relying on luxury consumers.
Kyle Vogt speaks on stage at the launch of the Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle in San Francisco in January 2020.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 20, 2023

CEO of GM's Cruise robo taxi unit resigns amid U.S. safety review

His resignation follows weeks of turmoil at the unit, which is undergoing a safety review after one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian.
Children with their parents pray in a temporary church at a camp for internally displaced people in Demoso township in Myanmar's Kayah state.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 20, 2023

Myanmar's displaced pray and teach under deadly skies

The junta has battered Kayah with airstrikes from its Russian and Chinese-built jets, and more than 100,000 people are now displaced in the state.
The trip to Kyiv is U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's second since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 20, 2023

Pentagon chief visits Ukraine to reassure Kyiv on U.S. support

Austin's trip comes amid opposition from hard-line Republican lawmakers, which has raised doubts about the future of American assistance.
Japan’s national bar exam was held on Nov. 8 with a pass rate of 45%. Though for decades the pass rate was much lower, this seeming improvement has come on the back of several regulatory blunders.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2023

The failure behind Japan’s bar exam pass rate

The pass rate for Japan's bar exam has fluctuated, with this year's level coming on the back of several misguided interventions.
A resurgence in market activity has already helped to boost earnings at Barclays’ Japanese securities arm this year, which is likely to surpass 2022’s record profit of ¥15.1 billion.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023

Barclays expects bumper Japan profit amid struggles elsewhere

The British bank is expecting another year of record profit in Japan on the back of the country’s debt and rates market trading resurgence.
Japanese stock markets have already rallied to around their highest since 1990, with consumer and financial stocks outperforming domestic indexes.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Nov 21, 2023

Japan's inflation comeback prompts investors to tear up playbooks

Investors are tearing up their playbooks to focus on expected higher interest rates, more generous dividends and a revival in consumer spending.
“Bubble Universe” contains dynamic lights inside spheres that interact with visitors and each other.
CULTURE / Art
Nov 21, 2023

A first look inside teamLab’s new Borderless museum

The international art collective unveiled two installations that will appear in the digital museum’s new space in Azabudai Hills in 2024.
Cabs not in operation are parked at a taxi company in Naha in October. Finding a taxi in parts of Okinawa Prefecture is becoming increasingly difficult because of a shortage of drivers.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Nov 27, 2023

Getting a taxi in Okinawa harder than ever amid driver shortage

The number of cab drivers working in the prefecture peaked at 10,041 in 2009 and declined to 5,246 in 2021.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has been meeting with Japanese buyers, as well as overseas suppliers, to urge the signing of more long-term LNG contracts.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2023

Japan urges LNG buyers to sign long-term deals for fuel security

The push is meant to insulate Japan from future supply shocks, as well as potentially harsher sanctions against Russian fuel exports.
A wind turbine and an electricity pylon in Finedon, Britain. Developers can no longer use financial modeling that assumes gas power plants are used constantly throughout their 20-year-plus lifetime, analysts said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 21, 2023

Giant batteries drain economics of gas power plants

Batteries that ensure stable power supply are becoming cheap enough to make developers abandon scores of projects for gas-fired generation worldwide.
A redacted online resume of a North Korean IT worker is shown in this screenshot obtained on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 21, 2023

North Koreans use fake names to land remote IT work for cash

Landing a job outside North Korea to secretly earn hard currency for the country demands highly-developed strategies to convince Western firms.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. The central bank has yet to step into the real estate investment trusts market this year, after purchases every year since 2010 to help lower risks in the property market.
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2023

BOJ pulls back from risk asset buying in sign of normalization

The lack of buying comes amid simmering speculation that the Bank of Japan will scrap its negative interest rate and control of government bond yields.
Cough medicine seized by police in connection with the case of unauthorized sales of the drug in the Toyoko area of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2023

4 youths nabbed for unauthorized cough medicine sales

Reports indicate that more young people in Japan are overdosing on over-the-counter drugs such as cold pills and cough medicine.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is exploring more investments in mid- and late-stage tech startups, seeing room for expansion into a field that historically was shunned by relatively conservative giant lenders.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2023

Top Japanese bank builds startup fund as policy push lures lenders

Mars Growth Capital, co-run by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, now has around 40 to 50 potential investment deals for its recently launched equity fund.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?