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Japanese firms’ issuance of dollar bonds has surged 60% so far in the fiscal year that started in April, as they target a larger investor base away from the home market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2024

Japan firms rush past global peers in hunt for dollar funds

The rush highlights the changes issuers and investors face as the U.S. Federal Reserve eases rates while the Bank of Japan heads in the opposite direction.
A network camera installed at a nursery school in the city of Chiba monitors children.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2024

Network cameras offer better views in Japan

Cameras with built-in computing functions are gaining popularity as they allow users to easily check video feeds via the internet.
The value of artificial intelligence companies has skyrocketed, fueling talk of a possible AI bubble.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 4, 2024

AI bubble or 'revolution'? OpenAI's big payday fuels debate

To critics, buyers don't really understand the technology, and the market needed for it to thrive is not mature yet.
A Geely assembly line in Chengdu, China, in April 2023
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

EU presses ahead with Chinese EV tariffs after split vote

The proposed duties on Chinese-built EVs of up to 45% would cost carmakers billions of extra dollars to bring cars into the bloc.
Electric vehicles bound for shipment to Europe at the Port of Taicang in Taicang, China.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 5, 2024

EU tests its mettle to take on China with new EV tariff fight

The EU voted on Friday to boost tariffs as high as 45%, arguing that Beijing provides unfair subsidies to its carmakers.
Three-month basis swaps for dollar-yen dropped to negative 53.5 basis points on Thursday, a level not seen since November 2023.
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2024

Boom in samurai bond issuance drives up yen swap costs

Three-month basis swaps for dollar-yen dropped to negative 53.5 basis points on Thursday, a level not seen since November 2023.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has replaced his chief of staff and must now review key tax-raising plans that have been questioned over their viability.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 7, 2024

Starmer forced into messy reset less than 100 days in power

He has replaced his chief of staff, Sue Gray, and is reviewing key tax-raising plans amid questions over their viability.
Takayuki Suzuki won a gold, two silvers and a bronze medal during the Paris Paralympics.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 7, 2024

Paralympic star Takayuki Suzuki hopes to raise visibility of people with disabilities

Takayuki Suzuki won four medals, including one gold, during the Paris Paralympics.
Employees make pastries in the Princi bakery inside the Starbucks Reserve Roastery store in Shanghai in 2018.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 8, 2024

Starbucks cafes in Tokyo almost alone in keeping Princi baked goods

Starbucks is removing Howard Schultz's brand of Italian baked goods from many of its higher-end cafes, stepping back from an initiative championed by longtime leader.
Attendees stand in front of the Google Play booth during the Tokyo Game Show in September 2018 in Chiba.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 8, 2024

Google Play must allow rival Android app stores, judge rules

Epic Games argued that Google Play rules and fees stifled competition and blocked app marketplaces launched by developers.
Russia's gas pipeline export monopoly Gazprom plunged to a net loss of $7 billion in 2023, its first annual loss since 1999, because of the loss of the EU's gas markets.
BUSINESS
Oct 9, 2024

What happens when Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine stops?

Ukraine will not extend its gas transit agreement with Russia after it expires at the end of December, said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
SV League players and Chairman Masaaki Okawa (front, holding a volleyball) during a news conference in Tokyo last month.
MORE SPORTS / Volleyball
Oct 9, 2024

Japan's new volleyball league has big dreams as it gets set to launch

The SV. League replaces the V. League as Japan's top volleyball league and aims to eventually become the best volleyball league in the world.
Even with the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" and improvements in on-screen representation, Asian actors still comprise just 18.4% of film roles, which is an improvement compared to 3.4% in 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

To win back audiences, put more Asians behind the camera

The movie industry is losing out at a time when it can ill-afford to do so. Betting on Asian talent would help.
Mindbody ClassPass CFO Tom Aveston speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2024

ClassPass lands in Japan with eye on domestic fitness market and visitors

The company, which provides access to gyms on a membership basis, started operating on Sept. 19 with 200 partner gyms and fitness studios, mainly in Tokyo.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on July 25.
WORLD
Oct 10, 2024

Looming Israeli strike on Iran offers fresh test of U.S. sway

With Israeli retaliation against Iran expected at any time, the U.S. is finding it has few assurances against further escalation.
A screenshot from a video shows a Taiwanese coast guard ship pursuing a Chinese fishing boat near Taiwan's Qimei island on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 10, 2024

China causing chaos ahead of Lai's keynote address, Taiwan official says

National day in Taiwan — observed on Oct. 10 — marks the 1911 overthrow of the last Chinese dynasty and the ushering in of the Republic of China, Taiwan's formal name.
The history of cooking shows that no country can claim exclusive ownership of a dish, as many iconic foods like kabobs, pizzas, or pad thai have international roots shaped by cultural exchanges.
COMMENTARY
Oct 11, 2024

A battle over the kebab’s nationality

National dishes are often recent constructs, with many foods evolving across regions and influenced by various cultures.
Shohei Ohtani's success symbolizes a broader resurgence in Japanese sports, with contributing factors including increased investment in sports, modern coaching techniques and a generational shift in mindset.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 11, 2024

What baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s success says about Japan

The phenom has had what many are calling the greatest season ever. But his success is also a story of change in his home country.
Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks during a party leaders' debate at the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 11, 2024

Opposition party shakes up Japan’s rate debate with new inflation target

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan calls for redefining the Bank of Japan’s inflation target to “above 0%” from the current 2%.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo’an (center) during a news conference in Beijing on Saturday
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 14, 2024

China leaves economists wanting more action to defeat deflation

The supportive measures announced by Finance Minister Lan Fo'an over the weekend gave little indication Chinese authorities feel any urgency to boost consumption.
A building that houses a museum of penises and an H&M in Reykjavik, Iceland, has become the virtual home to some of the world’s worst perpetrators of identity theft, ransomware, disinformation, and other wrongdoing.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 14, 2024

Some of the web’s sketchiest sites share an address in Iceland

The street address of the Icelandic Phallological Museum is also the registered address for a company that allows people to shield their identities online.
The success of Seven & I's major restructuring plan depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan, and improve profit margins overseas, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2024

7-Eleven's turnaround plan requires heavy lifting to stop takeover bid

Much depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan and improve profit margins overseas.
Indonesia adopted a measure in 2014 requiring halal labeling for restaurants and food products.
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2024

Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears

The world's biggest Muslim-majority country adopted a measure in 2014 requiring the labeling for restaurants and food products.
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, as seen from Hadath, Lebanon, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Oct 16, 2024

Israel strikes Beirut as U.S. says it opposes scope of air assault

Israel issued an evacuation order before the strike that mentioned only one building.
Pagers on display at a meeting room at the Gold Apollo company building in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Sept. 18
WORLD
Oct 17, 2024

How Hezbollah came to possess bulky pagers with concealed explosives

The pager attack, and a second on the following day that activated weaponized walkie-talkies, killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400.
Asahi Breweries' Sumadori Bar Shibuya specializes in low-alcohol drinks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2024

Japanese beverage makers see business opportunity in low-alcohol drinks

Amid increasing concern about the health impact of high alcohol consumption, beverage makers are developing low-alcohol products.
Tourists watch the sunset from the beach in Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia. An IPO by Holywings Group, owner of the luxurious three-hectare Atlas Beach Club in Bali, would add to as many as 95 companies planning to list in Southeast Asia’s biggest stock market, according to data from the Financial Services Authority.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 17, 2024

Owner of Bali’s biggest luxury beach club considering IPO to expand across Asia

The IPO would add to as many as 95 companies planning to list in Southeast Asia’s biggest stock market, according to data from the Financial Services Authority.
Vending machine enthusiast Kenzaburo Ishida
JAPAN / Society
Oct 24, 2024

Useful even in disasters: Japan's ever-evolving vending machines

Vending machine enthusiast Kenzaburo Ishida breaks down their unique appeal, evolution and crucial role in times of disaster.
Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Mets in Game 4 of the NLCS in New York on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 18, 2024

Shohei Ohtani making major impact on viewership numbers during MLB playoffs

Game 5 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres was the most-watched MLB postseason game ever in Japan.
New and strengthened rules aim to make street drinking a thing of the past in Shibuya's nightlife center — but the reality may not be that simple.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Oct 21, 2024

Can you drink in Shibuya and Shinjuku this Halloween? It depends.

Shibuya and Shinjuku are both planning on cracking down on street drinking this Halloween and beyond. But the problem might be bigger than a night of drunken revelry.

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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