Search - 2022

 
 
A contingency in the event that China invades Taiwan is emerging as a key focus in Japan’s new defense policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 17, 2023

Will Japan intervene in a Taiwan contingency? It depends.

If Taiwan puts up a fight against a Chinese invasion, it would likely engender a U.S. intervention that would not be possible without Japan’s assistance.
Ten or more lawmakers of the LDP's largest faction, including former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, may have received over ¥10 million each in kickbacks, according to the sources.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 17, 2023

Ten or more Abe faction members may have received over ¥10 million in kickbacks

Among other LDP factions, Shisuikai, led by former party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, is also suspected of failing to report fundraising revenues .
Packages of tofu on the production line at the Yamami factory in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2023

Tofu-maker Yamami sees shares surge after automating ancient craft

At its newest factory at the foot of Mount Fuji, the company, one of the few that’s listed, can produce 15,000 units of the bean curd each hour.
A pair of wolves carved from wood exhibited at Mitsumine Shrine’s museum in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Longform
Dec 15, 2023

In praise of wolves

Premodern Japan's reverence of wolves mirrors its close bond with nature, a state eventually disrupted by the ecological impact of industrialization.
Prosecutors head to the office of the Liberal Democratic Party faction led by former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2023

Prosecutors search sites linked to scandal-hit LDP factions

Prosecutors searched the biggest faction, once led by late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and another led by former LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai.
Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee said that Russians and Belarusians who qualify in their sport for the Paris 2024 Games can take part as neutrals without flags, emblems or anthems.
OLYMPICS
Dec 19, 2023

Russian athletes still banned, but 'things change,' says Coe

"We made a judgement which we believe was in the best interest of our sport," said Coe, president of World Athletics.
Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, eats scallops from Hokkaido at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2023

U.S. TV commercials to promote Japanese scallops

The move comes after demand from the Chinese market evaporated when China introduced a blanket ban on Japanese fishery products in August this year.
Japan’s passport gives visa-free entry to 192 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. The country lost the top spot to Singapore earlier this year, after leading the list for five straight years.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2023

Japan’s travel industry urges people to get their mighty passports

Japan’s passport gives visa-free entry to 192 global destinations, according to the latest Henley Passport Index.
A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts in Grindavik, Iceland, on Monday.
WORLD
Dec 19, 2023

Volcano erupts near evacuated town in Iceland

The eruption near capital Reykjavík has not affected flights in the country's main international airport.
Customers browse through items sold as part of the Uniqlo Pre-owned Clothes Project at the brand's Harajuku store in Tokyo in October.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2023

Japan revisits used garments as inflation adds to fashion appeal

Awareness of the sector's huge environmental impact has yet to spark much interest in secondhand options in the world third-biggest clothes market.
Today in Russia, a robust consumer world carries on, helping Russian President Vladimir Putin maintain a sense of normalcy despite a war that has proved longer, deadlier and costlier than he predicted.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2023

How Putin turned a Western boycott into a bonanza

If companies want to leave Russia, the president is setting the terms — in ways that benefit his government, his elites and his war.
Buildings in Xiamen on mainland China across the Taiwan Strait from anti-landing barriers on a beach in Kinmen, Taiwan.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2023

Taiwan’s ability to defend against Chinese invasion questioned

For all the support given by Washington, the reality is that when it comes to both civil and military defense, Taiwan still has a lot to do.
A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber
WORLD / Politics
Dec 20, 2023

Putin says Russia’s nuclear arsenal is near fully modernized

The proportion of modern weaponry in its nuclear forces this year "has been brought to 95% and in the naval component almost 100%,” he said.
Recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by the Iran-aligned Houthi militant group have forced shipping companies to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2023

Companies rush to avert Red Sea attacks as shipping rates rise

They are exploring alternative routes to avoid the region where the Houthi militant group is actively targeting vessels.
A 2023 Toyota Prius vehicle during an auto show in New York in April
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2023

In the birthplace of Toyota’s Prius, hybrids now reign supreme

Japan’s biggest carmakers have only recently promised to roll out a wider slate of battery-only models in the next two to three years.
Medical fees will be lowered by 0.12% in fiscal 2024, marking the fifth consecutive reduction in the fees that are reviewed every two years.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2023

Japan fees for medical services and drugs to be lowered by 0.12%

The government will raise its official fees for nursing and disability welfare services by 1.59% and 1.12%, respectively, in fiscal 2024.
Daihatsu said Wednesday that it will suspend shipments of all vehicle models made in Japan and abroad due to an unfolding scandal over misconduct in its crash tests.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2023

Toyota's Daihatsu to halt shipments as safety scandal widens

The results of an investigation suggest the scope of safety concerns, first disclosed in April, is now far greater than previously thought.
While non-Japanese readers have in recent years been spoiled for choice when it comes to Japanese literature in translation, there is still a wealth of notable works that translators would love to see rendered into English.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2023

A wish list of hidden gems for Japanese literature lovers

Eight translators reveal their top Japanese books that English readers have yet to enjoy.
Fishermen land scallops at Nemuro Port in Nemuro, Hokkaido, in April 2022.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2023

Japan to test scallop processing in Mexico

Under the plan scallops will be processed in Ensenada in the Mexican state of Baja California, about 100 kilometers from the border with the U.S.
A 24-year-old convenience store worker (Erika Karata) is drawn out of her shell thanks to a renewed friendship in “When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 21, 2023

‘When Morning Comes, I Feel Empty’: Hidden strengths emerge despite daily grind

With an unhurried pace, Yuho Ishibashi’s drama quietly portrays the pressures of modern work culture and the importance of friendships.
Poland's Iga Swiatek in action during the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, in November.
TENNIS
Dec 21, 2023

Tennis governing bodies aim to combat online abuse of players

The bodies will use Threat Matrix, which uses a combination of AI and open-source data, to provide a rapid threat assessment of personal safety.
Former education minister Kisaburo Tokai, who has been tapped as Liberal Democratic Party policy chief, speaks to reporters Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 21, 2023

Kishida makes more LDP leadership changes in bid to restore trust

The changes come a week after he dismissed four key members of his Cabinet who were also Abe faction members suspected of receiving unreported funds.
Commissioner Yasuhiro Tsuyuki speaks at a news conference at the National Police Agency on Dec. 7.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 2023

Japanese police to restrict online posts on making guns

The National Police Agency plans to penalize malicious online posts regarding the manufacturing and transfer of guns that incite unlawful possession.
Real Madrid's Luka Modric battles for the ball with FC Barcelona's Ilkay Gundogan during a match in October. Plans for a European Super League bringing together elite soccer clubs such as the two Spanish outfits won a surprise boost on Thursday.
SOCCER
Dec 22, 2023

Teams shun European Super League despite shock court victory

UEFA and FIFA are "abusing a dominant position” by applying arbitrary rules on approval, control and sanctions, the top EU court said.
Some analysts say China seeks ambiguity in defense relations to constrain what Beijing sees as U.S. military provocations in the region.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 22, 2023

U.S. and China top brass speak for first time in over a year

U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown and Gen. Liu Zhenli of China's People's Liberation Army touched on "a number of global and regional security issues."
An employee inspects integrated circuit boards at a factory in Suzhou, China.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2023

U.S. to scrutinize Chinese chipmakers as Biden mulls tariffs

Over 100 companies in various sectors to be surveyed on their procurement and use of legacy chips
While Magic: The Gathering is popular with card game aficionados the world over, the community in Japan is split along some unexpected lines.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 23, 2023

Diehards and casuals clash in Tokyo’s Magic: The Gathering community

The Commander format is widely popular across Europe and the United States, but Japan’s Magic community hasn’t quite followed the same path.
A Brazilian of Japanese descent teaches Japanese to foreign nationals in July 2020 at the Homi housing complex in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, which is home to many foreign nationals, mainly of Brazilian heritage.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023

Some foreign fourth generation descendants of Japanese to be given long-term residency

The Immigration Services Agency will revise the residency status system to allow such people to effectively stay in Japan indefinitely.
Takahito Tokita, chief executive officer at Fujitsu, speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 22, 2023

Fujitsu speeds aircon deal as it aims for ¥700 billion boost from AI

The urgency to close the deal rises amid growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
A meeting is held at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Friday to officially replace two of the party's executives.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 22, 2023

In search for top officials, Kishida constrained by funds scandal

The limited number of viable candidates not suspected of misconduct means new appointees look more likely to be stopgap replacements.

Longform

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