Search - 2022

 
 
A building that houses the Fukuoka District Court
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 28, 2024

Man in Fukuoka given 20 years in prison for stalking and murdering ex-girlfriend

The man admitted to stabbing Miki Kawano, 38, to death but denied the stalking charge, saying he stabbed her in a sudden outburst.
Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture, in December
JAPAN / Society
Jun 28, 2024

Deportations over immigration violations in Japan up 65% in 2023

Foreign nationals subject to deportation procedures nearly doubled to 18,198.
The University of Tokyo, the only Japanese institution in the Times university rankings’ top 50, is considering raising tuition fees.
EDITORIALS
Jun 28, 2024

Japan’s universities must prepare for tough changes

Higher education institutions in Japan rarely rank among the world's top universities. To rise, they should tackle long-term issues like growing costs and fewer students.
An image of U.S. President Joe Biden is displayed as his Republican challenger, former U.S. President Donald Trump, holds a campaign event, in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Fearful and doubting Biden, Democrats face an uncertain path forward

Some began to reconsider their support after his rough debate showing, but there was no agreement on how, or whether, to urge him to step off the ticket.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ride in an Aurus car in Pyongyang in this image released on June 20.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Russian-made car that Putin gifted to Kim uses South Korean parts, data shows

Customs records show that the company that builds the car uses millions of dollars in imported parts, many arriving in Russia from South Korea.
In a recently released report, a U.N. group has urged Japanese companies to draw up policies vowing to fulfill their responsibility in protecting human rights.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2024

U.N. voices concern over rights violations in Japan workplaces

While noting "important advancements" on the issue, a report expressed concerns about difficulties in addressing deeply embedded harmful gender and social norms.
The U.S. Supreme Court justices pose for a group photo in Washington in October 2022. Two recent rulings by the Republican-appointed majority add to its steady pursuit of enfeebling the ability of the administrative state to impose rules on powerful business interests.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 29, 2024

Weakening regulatory agencies to be key legacy of conservative U.S. Supreme Court

Two recent rulings add to its steady pursuit of enfeebling the ability of the administrative state to impose rules on powerful business interests.
German midfielder Jamal Musiala celebrates scoring his team's second goal during Germany's win over Denmark on Saturday in Dortmund.
SOCCER
Jun 30, 2024

The German soccer team is back after a rare lean spell

After a long drought for the soccer power, Germany deservedly ran out as a 2-0 winner in Dortmund to reach a first major tournament quarterfinal in eight years.
Iranian presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist, waves at supporters during a campaign event at a stadium in Tehran on June 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2024

Reformist to face ultraconservative in Iran presidency runoff

The poll had been scheduled to take place in 2025 but was brought forward by the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.
Wind turbines near New Brighton, England. According to the International Energy Agency, Japan could produce over 900% of its energy demand with offshore wind alone.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jun 30, 2024

Japan looks farther out to sea for overdue wind power boost

A bill enabling development in the country's exclusive economic zone is seen as key to Japan achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
A drum sits inside the Korea Exchange in Seoul on June 13. South Korea is extending a ban on stock short selling through March 30 next year and planning harsher penalties for illegal trades.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2024

High-speed traders and short sellers face growing Asia crackdown

Recent developments show the difficulty of keeping up with increasingly sophisticated trading strategies and their market impact — challenges set to grow further with AI.
Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at an EU-Japan trade summit in Brussels in 2019. Abe was an early believer in the need for Japan to strengthen relations with Europe based on shared values and interests.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2024

Strong Europe-Japan relations are a legacy of Shinzo Abe

Late former Prime Minister Abe was an early believer in the need for Japan to strengthen its relationship with Europe based on shared values and mutual interests.
Business sentiment among large manufacturers in Japan in the April-June quarter improved for the first time in two quarters, but the mood among big service-sector firms worsened for the first time in four years, according to a Bank of Japan survey.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2024

Japan's shaky business mood and GDP downgrade cloud BOJ hike timing

A mixed economic outlook complicates the BOJ's decision on how soon to raise interest rates, analysts say.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura will be a key part of Japan's Olympic ambitions this summer.
BASKETBALL
Jul 1, 2024

Japan’s basketball stars set sights on glory at Paris Games

Some think Akatsuki Japan is sending the best team it has ever assembled to the Olympics.
Naoki Ogi (second from left), head of a committee set up by the city of Asahikawa, Hokkaido, to reinvestigate the death of a 14-year-old junior high school girl reports the results to Asahikawa Mayor Hirosuke Imazu (left) in Asahikawa on Sunday.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 1, 2024

Reinvestigation finds Hokkaido girl's suicide caused by bullying

The reinvestigation committee said the girl, who was found frozen at a park in Asahikawa in March 2021, developed post-traumatic stress disorder from the bullying.
The number of lawmakers with income of over ¥100 million totaled seven, all Liberal Democratic Party members, in 2023, up from two in the previous year.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2024

Lawmakers' average income rises for the first time in 5 years

The number of lawmakers with an annual income of over ¥100 million increased to seven in 2023, up from two in the previous year.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping with French President Emmanuel Macron in France in May. As part of a charm offensive, Xi visited France and other European countries in the spring.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 1, 2024

Expectations vs. reality of Xi Jinping's charm offensive

Beijing is trying to win back favor in several countries to tackle its economic woes, with Xi courting bilateral relations with leaders in Europe and beyond.
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo (center) is comforted by goalkeeper Rui Patricio after failing to score a penalty during a UEFA Euro 2024 clash against Slovenia in Frankfurt on Monday.
SOCCER
Jul 2, 2024

Tearful Ronaldo a frustrated great battling with Father Time

The image of a tearful Ronaldo being comforted after a missing a penalty on Monday stunned fans around the world.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during the launch of the party's general election manifesto in Manchester, England, on June 13.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 2, 2024

Labour win in U.K. election would likely mean continuity for Asia

While the party has focused on domestic challenges in the run-up to Thursday's election, it maintains a deep interest in the region, experts say.
Security officers escort Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan as he appeared before the Islamabad High Court, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on May 12, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2024

Pakistani prime minister's detention is unlawful, U.N. group says

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been in jail since last August and was convicted in some cases ahead of a national election in February.
Elliott Investment Management's sizable stake in Sumitomo reflects a growing shareholder activism in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2024

Activist investor campaigns hit record high, driven by Japan

The number of new activists campaigns totaled 147, up 7% from 138 in the same period in 2023 and 29% above the five-year average.
Junya Ito in Reims, France in March.
SOCCER
Jul 2, 2024

Prosecutors likely to drop sexual assault case against Japan midfielder Junya Ito

Investigators have raised suspicions that the two women filed a criminal complaint based on false or incorrect accounts, sources said.
The supply of super-long Japanese debt is projected to total almost ¥30 trillion in the fiscal year that started on April 1.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 2, 2024

Big risks hound Japan’s longest bonds despite move to cut supply

Japan's government appears to be striving to calm down a market that’s wracked by rising yields.
Japan skateboarding national team coach Daisuke Hayakawa performs at a skateboard training area in Tokyo on June 12.
OLYMPICS / Skateboarding
Jul 2, 2024

Japan's skateboarding youth turn street culture into Olympic gold

National team coach Daisuke Hayakawa said that the number of skaters in Japan had tripled since the Tokyo Games.
The focus on artificial intelligence comes as the Self-Defense Forces grapple with concerns about recruitment and its abilities to harness the power of new technologies.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2024

Japan’s Defense Ministry unveils first basic policy on use of AI

The new policy comes as Japan looks to stave off a manpower shortage and keep pace with China and the U.S. on the technology’s military applications.
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a panel meeting on economic security information at the Prime Minister's Office last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2024

Takaichi gearing up for LDP presidential election this autumn

The economic security minister is set to deliver a speech in Tokyo on July 16, followed by ones in Miyagi on July 21, Okinawa on July 28 and in Hyogo on Aug. 3.
A firefighter in the aftermath of an attack in the Starokostiantyniv, Khmelnytskyi Region, Ukraine, on Aug. 6, 2023
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

China can end Russia’s war in Ukraine with a phone call, Finland says

Finnish President Alexander Stubb's comments reflect growing frustration among Ukraine’s allies over China’s perceived support for Russia.
U.S. President Joe Biden departs after delivering remarks at the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

Who could replace Biden if he withdraws from race?

While the possibility of his withdrawal remains unlikely, here is a look at the names being circulated.
Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova hits a backhand during her first-round defeat to Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Tuesday in London.
TENNIS
Jul 3, 2024

Defending champion Vondrousova out with a whimper as Djokovic cruises

The Czech sixth seed slumped to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat as her reign ended with a whimper and there was also crushing disappointment for two-time champion Andy Murray.
The Defense Ministry holds a lecture for military and police officials from Pacific island countries at the ministry on Friday as part of its security-related capacity-building support.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2024

Japan Defense Ministry boosting aid to Pacific island nations

Only three out of 14 Pacific island nations — Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga — have armed forces.

Longform

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