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The United States has cautioned Pacific Islands nations against assistance from China after reports surfaced that Chinese police are working in Kiribati.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 28, 2024

U.S. cautions after Hawaii neighbor Kiribati gets Chinese police

The news comes as Beijing renews a push to expand security ties in the Pacific Islands in an intensifying rivalry with the United States.
1924
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Mar 1, 2024

Japan Times 1924: Japan nice but men dress in queer ways

A piece by women visiting Tokyo gives us a century-old take on what tourists in the 1920s thought of "weird Japan."
An employee organizes baby supplies at a store in Siheung, South Korea, on Tuesday. A lack of babies is speeding up the aging of South Korean society, generating concerns about the growing fiscal burden of public pensions and healthcare.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 28, 2024

South Korea keeps shattering its own record for lowest fertility rate

The number of babies expected per woman in a lifetime fell to 0.72 last year from 0.78 in 2022.
SOCCER
Feb 28, 2024

Japan beats North Korea to clinch Olympic spot

The two sides drew 0-0 in Saturday's first leg on neutral ground in Saudi Arabia.
Red Bull's Christian Horner was cleared following an investigation into complaints of inappropriate behavior made against him by a female team member.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 29, 2024

Red Bull boss Christian Horner cleared of inappropriate behavior

A statement from Austrian energy drink brand Red Bull, the parent company of the world champion Formula One team, said the "grievance has been dismissed."
Donald Trump supporters wait for the former U.S. president to speak at a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 29, 2024

Wake up America! What happened to your exceptionalism?

What is tragic is that both the Democratic and Republican parties effectively decided on their final presidential nominees long before the primaries began.
The revamped BYD Atto 3 in Tokyo. A perceived resistance in Japan to battery EVs and foreign brands is seen as a major barrier for BYD.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2024

BYD bolsters Japan push with EV lineup and dealership network

The Chinese carmaker has sold less than 1,500 passenger cars in 2023 in the Japanese market, which is dominated by hybrids.
Anthony Kim, seen in 2010, is returning to the sport with LIV Golf.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 1, 2024

Anthony Kim comes out of retirement 'on a mission' with LIV Golf

Kim, 38, will compete in the LIV Golf League as a season-long wildcard.
Factions, cliques, caucuses — whatever they may be called, groupings in legislatures are not unusual in many countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Mar 2, 2024

Is the funding scandal unraveling the LDP?

The media is caught up in the money-politics scandal of the moment, framing factions as all good or all bad. Things are a lot more nuanced than that.
A housing development next to the Sasol’s petrochemicals plant in Sasolburg, South Africa.
ENVIRONMENT
Mar 2, 2024

What it's like to live in the most polluted place on Earth

Coal and steel plants offer steady work for residents in South Africa's Vaal Triangle, yet they’re also pumping out harmful emissions.
Elon Musk arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington to participate in the A.I. Forum in September of last year.
BUSINESS
Mar 2, 2024

Elon Musk sues OpenAI and Sam Altman for violating the company’s principles

Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, accusing them of breaching a contract by putting profits ahead of the public good.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his Australian Open semifinal match against Italy's Jannik Sinner in Melbourne on Jan. 26.
TENNIS
Mar 5, 2024

Djokovic returns as Gauff hopes for a U.S. win at Indian Wells

Djokovic hasn't competed at the BNP Paribas Open since 2019 due to U.S. travel restrictions related to COVID-19.
The U.S and Japan are working together to secure a stable semiconductor supply chain and maintain their leading position in this critical technology amid concerns over China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 5, 2024

Semiconductors are back to center stage in the Japan-U.S. alliance

It is impossible to overestimate the importance of semiconductors to the 21st century. They’re everywhere and in every digital item.
Bitcoin showed its boom-or-bust character Tuesday with volatile price swings.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 6, 2024

Record surge marks new revival for Bitcoin

The cryptocurrency has experienced a breathtaking rebound this year amid strong demand from new U.S. exchange-traded funds.
Floating solar panels at the Canoe Brook water treatment plant in Short Hills, New Jersey
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Mar 6, 2024

Pressed for space, solar farms are getting creative

There are solar arrays on top of big-box stores, solar arrays on yachts and solar farms that float.
On the amateur circuit, domestic tournaments such as the Dream Girls Cup, which took place in Tokyo last month, have generated significant publicity for youth sumo.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 6, 2024

Sumo's popularity is booming. The recruitment of new pros is not.

Sumo is not immune to the labor shortages plaguing the rest of aging Japan.
Naoya Inoue, who has a 26-0 record with 23 knockouts, speaks at an event in Tokyo last month.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Mar 6, 2024

'Monster' Inoue officially set to face Nery at Tokyo Dome in May

The unbeaten Inoue will be back in action for the first time since beating Marlon Tapales of the Philippines in December.
Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia rides during preseason testing at Lusail International Circuit near Doha on Feb. 20.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Mar 6, 2024

'Elegant' Bagnaia on quest for third title as MotoGP turns 75

Unlike Formula One, there are multiple contenders for the title as MotoGP opens its season in Qatar.
Three years ago, Sean Ono Lennon became intrigued by the possibility of expanding the message of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” the 1971 protest song by his parents, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, through a narrative film. The resulting work is the 11-minute film “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” directed by Dave Mullins.
CULTURE
Mar 7, 2024

How Sean Ono Lennon helped his parents send a message

To keep their legacy relevant for a new generation, he worked on the short “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko.” Now it’s up for an Oscar.
Lewis Hamilton (left) and Fernando Alonso drive during the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2.
MORE SPORTS
Mar 7, 2024

Lewis Hamilton says F1 faces 'pivotal moment' as it battles controversies

Multiple controversies have marred the start of the Formula One season.
Motoki Taniguchi (left) and one of his clients, Maurice Shelton, hope their lawsuit can change alleged police practices involving stop-and-search.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 8, 2024

A lawsuit puts alleged racial profiling by police on trial in Japan

Three residents with foreign roots have filed a lawsuit claiming Japanese police target visible minorities. We discuss what they hope to achieve.
Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk says the Japanese public needs to know more about obesity rates before the weight-loss drug can take off in the country.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 9, 2024

Is Japan as thin as it thinks? Weight-loss drug maker says no.

In Japan, some 33% of men and 22% of women have a BMI of 25 — the crucial threshold — or more.
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama waves during his first day of a teaching session at the Kalachakra Ground in the village of Bodhgaya, in the Indian state of Bihar, in December 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 8, 2024

Will reincarnation or realpolitik determine the Dalai Lama's successor?

Esoteric questions of rebirth rarely have political consequences, but many fear the search for the next Dalai Lama could inflame regional rivalries.
Akira Toriyama
CULTURE
Mar 8, 2024

'Dragon Ball' creator Akira Toriyama dies at 68

A post announcing his death said Toriyama was “working on many projects” and that “there was so much more that he wanted to accomplish.”
A war survivor details vivid recollections of World War II in footage never before made public. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has released parts of a collection of interviews with over 300 war survivors for public viewing this month.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 8, 2024

Witness accounts recall 1945 firebombing of Tokyo

The Tokyo government is screening a collection of interviews of survivors for the first time to serve as a reminder of the destruction of war.
An ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniteru depicts the assault of Asano Naganori on Kira Yoshinaka, an incident that triggered the tragedy of the 47 Ronin and one that was re-created in the play “Chushingura.”
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Mar 8, 2024

Revenge: A dish seldom served in Japanese history but still cold as ice

When Confucius was asked, "Should we kill those who are evil?" The response came, "What need is there for you to kill?"
Both China and Russia may believe there will never be a more opportune moment to overthrow American dominance than now. And should the two combine their forces, they could represent the most serious challenge to the global economic and strategic order since 1945.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2024

The threat to American hegemony is real

Russia and China might be tempted to threaten America's hegemony with a simultaneous and coordinated challenge.
A solar farm owned by the Huaneng Group in Shilin, China on March 2. Beijing is set to further increase its manufacturing and installation of solar panels, as it seeks to master global markets and wean itself from imports.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 9, 2024

China racing ahead on plans to dominate solar energy industry

Beijing is set to further increase its manufacturing and installation of solar panels as it seeks to master global markets and wean itself from imports.
Masaki Takahashi, Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya and Tatsuji Nojima celebrated winning the Oscar for best visual effects on the Dolby Theatre stage in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2024

Oscars 2024: A night to remember for Japanese cinema

Filmmaking peers in Hollywood honor the excellence of two Japanese titans: Studio Ghibli and Godzilla
Barrels stored at the Energy Fuels White Mesa Mill uranium production facility in Utah
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 11, 2024

Uranium firms revive forgotten mines as price of nuclear fuel soars

Mines were idled in the aftermath of Fukushima, when uranium prices crashed and countries like Germany and Japan initiated plans to phase out reactors.

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?