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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses the U.N.-sponsored Internet Governance Forum held in Kyoto on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2023

G7 to draw up AI code of conduct this autumn: Kishida

Part of the plan will deal with battling disinformation by establishing systems to verify who has created content using AI.
An online banking system used by 11 banks including MUFG Bank and Resona Bank has been disrupted by a glitch, impacting transfers, the Japanese Bankers Association has said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2023

Glitch at Japan's clearing system prevents transfers at 11 banks

It's not clear when it will be possible to restore the system, the Japanese Bankers Association has said.
Japan had hoped to progress to the knockout phase of the Rugby World Cup on international soil for the first time.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 10, 2023

Japanese rugby faces murky future following World Cup exit

The 2019 Rugby World Cup, and all that it promised, feels like a long time ago after the Brave Blossoms' pool-stage exit in France.
A notification of a banking system glitch at an MUFG Bank's branch in Tokyo's Taito Ward on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2023

Disruption of Japan's payments clearing network continues

The issue affecting 11 lenders, including MUFG Bank, has disrupted at least 1.4 million transactions.
Fundamentals bode well for financial firms amid speculation the Bank of Japan will move toward ending negative rates, with banks and insurers among the best performers on the Topix, climbing more than 30% since the start of April.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 11, 2023

Buffett watchers tout Japan financial firms as next value play

The famed U.S. investor is known for taking long-term stakes in companies with low valuations, which many Japanese insurers and banks have.
European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. European nations have been dealing with a range of geoeconomic changes.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 12, 2023

European Union being shaken by geoeconomic changes

European countries previously did not see China as a security threat due to their geographical distance. That is starting to change.
A Molten basketball designed exclusively for the 2023 World Cup finals
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2023

World Cup feat spurs basketball merchandise sales in Japan

The number of junior and senior high school students taking basketball lesson courses is also experiencing a sharp increase.
The U.K.'s decision to cut back on its HS2 high-speed rail network runs contrary to the path taken by Japan, which stuck to a long-term infrastructure plan.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 11, 2023

U.K. effort to imitate Japan's shinkansen falls short

There is value of sticking to a long-term infrastructure plan, as Japan has done for almost 50 years with its high-speed rail system.
Signage for Japan's top banks, MUFG Bank, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 12, 2023

Japan’s top banks pay women about half of what men earn

The country has a relatively high labor participation rate for women, but many of the positions they occupy have little prospect of better pay.
The number of skiers and snowboarders in Japan has been declining, and is down about 75% in 2020 from its peak in the late 1990s, according to the Japan Productivity Center.
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2023

Skiing in Japan is getting a $1.4 billion upgrade

Ken Chan, the former Japan head of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, aims to invest $1.4 billion in the resort of Myoko, Niigata Prefecture.
The classic Japanese ghost story often features a vengeful female ghost.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 12, 2023

[Rebroadcast] Japan’s got ghosts

This week we discuss a few horror movies before “Uncanny Japan” podcast host Thersa Matsuura tells a classic Japanese ghost story.
Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai in August
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2023

Most Japanese companies pessimistic on China’s economy

A quarter of firms said they wouldn’t invest in China this year, while another 22% said they would reduce the amount they invest, a report has shown.
There are expectations that Japan’s life insurers may increase purchases of Japanese government bonds as yields rise at home along with signs that the central bank is edging toward a normalization of monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 13, 2023

Japan’s rising yields and yen hedging costs drive insurers to JGBs

Japanese government bonds are drawing interest amid signs that the central bank is edging toward a normalization of monetary policy.
Asuka (left) and Mai Hatta. Their business, Hasora, near New Delhi, as partnered up with local organic vegetable farmers to sell fresh produce.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 24, 2023

Japanese sisters bring organic produce to residents in India

Mai and Asuka Hatta launched their firm after hearing from Japanese residents in India that they had difficulty obtaining fresh and safe vegetables.
The BayStars' Shugo Maki addresses the crowd after the team's final home game of the regular season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Oct 13, 2023

Third-place squads face long road to Japan Series

Only two teams have reached the Japan Series after finishing the regular season in third place.
A representative of Chevalier Brewery presents a bottle of its sake adapted to French drinkers' tastes.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 15, 2023

Sake fights an uphill battle for France’s wine lovers

Among many French drinkers, sake is still associated with cheap, low-quality alcohol only served at the end of meals in Japanese restaurants.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (front right) arrives for a news conference during the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, in Marrakech, Morocco, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 14, 2023

Japan tells G20 it may need to act in FX market

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki's remarks came as the yen renewed its declines against the dollar.
Booking.com has issued a statement on their website apologizing for “updates to their payment system” that are causing issues for some of their partners, including many hotels in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2023

Japanese hotel owners plan to sue Booking.com over payment failure

Hotel owners say that over the past few months, Booking.com has failed to promptly transfer customer payments to hotels.
The Iriomote cat, native to the island of the same name in Okinawa Prefecture, is remarkable for its resilience: It occupies the smallest habitat of any wildcat on Earth.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Oct 15, 2023

The last of Japan's wildcats

Only about 100 animals of each species survive today, putting both on the brink of extinction along with more than 3,700 other species nationwide.
A field of kochia plants is lit up in the colors of the rainbow at Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki Prefecture, in September.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 15, 2023

Ibaraki regains ignominious crown as least attractive prefecture

This marks the 12th time the prefecture ranked last since the survey began in 2009 — after being dethroned by Saga in 2022.
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force troops fire a howitzer during a training exercise near Mt. Fuji in August 2018.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 15, 2023

LDP and Komeito to resume talks on defense equipment export rules

The focus of the talks on military equipment and ammunition will be on the handling of those that are produced under license in Japan.
The International Monetary Fund says it sees no factors for Japan to intervene in the foreign exchange market to support the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 16, 2023

IMF sees no conditions for Japan to intervene in currency market

Whether Japan will intervene to support the yen has been a key focus lately, with the currency staying near ¥150 per dollar.
Thanks to a rally in Japanese stocks, even some "bad governance” companies have been unfairly benefiting from the wave, a fund manager has said.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 16, 2023

Time to short Japan’s ‘bad governance’ stocks, hedge fund says

A rally in Japanese stocks has unfairly benefited companies that are flouting the bourse’s campaign to boost valuations, according to a fund manager.
The late Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, is depicted on a leaflet marking the first anniversary of his death in September 2012
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 16, 2023

Japan's media has to account for its failures, too

The Unification Church is set to be dissolved and Johnny & Associates is undergoing structural reforms. What role did the media play, or not play?
Accepting foreign workers with expertise and skills "helps boost Japan's economy and society," Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi says.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 17, 2023

Justice minister counting on skilled foreign workers

Accepting foreign workers with expertise and skills "helps boost Japan's economy and society," Minister Ryuji Koizumi said.
Oil storage tanks in the Keihin industrial area in Kanagawa Prefecture. Japan relies on the Middle East for over 95% of its oil.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2023

Japan still relies on Middle East oil 50 years on from crisis

Japan's alternative oil suppliers, such as Indonesia, have seen their ability to export reduced by their own economic growth.
South Korea's Aegis-equipped destroyer Yulgok Yi I (right), the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (top), the Aegis-equipped USS Shoup destroyer (bottom center), the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Hyuga destroyer (left) and the South Korean Navy's Cheonji (center) sail in formation during a joint maritime drill in international waters southeast of South Korea's Jeju Island on Oct. 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 17, 2023

Military deterrence alone will not dissuade China, experts warn

Governments must be proactive in pressing for diplomatic solutions, as a focus on military power won't make the world safer, analysts say.
Palestinian refugees flee to Rafah, in southern Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023

Japan must uphold humanitarianism in the Middle East

War cries from Israel and Hamas must be met with appeals for the defense of human life, a position Japan has historically held.
Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp.'s Japanese office in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2023

Taiwan's Powerchip considering five sites in Japan for factory

Powerchip announced in July that it was setting up a joint venture with financial firm SBI Holdings with the aim of securing government subsidies.
On Oct. 17, the world's best bartenders gathered in Singapore for a celebration of cocktails and the announcement of this year's global rankings.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 17, 2023

Japan's SG Club, Ben Fiddich named to World’s 50 Best Bars list

Aside from the rankings, the impact of Japan's elite cocktail culture was a visible influence throughout the evening.

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