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Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speaks during a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June.
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2023

China hacked sensitive Japanese defense networks, report says

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Tuesday that Tokyo has not confirmed that top secret information was leaked.
The Azabudai Hills development in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 8, 2023

Mori Building to open Azabudai Hills complex in Tokyo in November

The company hopes the project will boost the capital’s competitive edge over metropolises overseas.
Onboard snack carts on shinkansen services between Tokyo and Osaka will end on Oct. 31, Central Japan Railway has said.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2023

End of the line for snack carts on Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen

End of popular service comes amid a looming labor shortage and the trend of more people buying food before boarding.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) and Digital Minister Taro Kono observe digitized administrative procedures in the city of Fukuoka on July 27.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2023

My Number report highlights errors by insurers and local governments

Roughly 20% of surveyed local governments followed the wrong procedures when linking My Number with disability records.
Shohei Ohtani's free agency is expected to be among the wildest pursuits of a player in baseball history.
BASEBALL
Aug 9, 2023

Angels hoping to stay in the Shohei Ohtani business

Whether the two-way phenom remains an Angel for two more months, or the rest of his career, is an open question.
A popular dinosaur exhibit at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 9, 2023

Crowdfunding success at Japan science museum sends mixed message

While such initiatives provide much-needed cash, they are also a sign of limited government funding for science.
The Pentagon on Tuesday looked to soften the blow of an explosive report that Chinese hackers had infiltrated Japan's most sensitive defense networks, saying that it was "confident” about sharing intelligence with Tokyo.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2023

U.S. ‘confident’ in Japan intel sharing, but Taiwan concerns linger

The Pentagon has moved to soften the blow of a report that said that “shockingly bad” hacking had been uncovered by the U.S. in the fall of 2020.
Now in their fourth year, Hong Kong's security crackdowns have led to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in grave manpower shortages and a stain on the city's image as place to do business.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 9, 2023

Hong Kong needs to protect its image as a financial center

In Lee’s view, while reviving Hong Kong’s role as a global financial center, it is vital to continue the crackdown on perceived threats.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with NATO’s leaders at the bloc’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12. 
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 10, 2023

How Russia could benefit from Ukraine’s NATO membership

While Russian leaders have cited NATO enlargement as a justification for invading Ukraine, ordinary Russians have much to gain from Ukrainian membership.
Speculation over the timing of an anticipated cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida puts it somewhere from mid-September to late in the month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 10, 2023

Schedule tightens for Kishida to reshuffle Cabinet and LDP chiefs

The prime minister plans to use the reshuffle as an opportunity to boost his popularity, people familiar with his thinking said.
Boxers Anthony Joshua (left) and Robert Helenius face off during a news conference on Wednesday to promote their upcoming bout.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 10, 2023

Anthony Joshua calls on boxing to find solution to doping problem

Anthony Joshua is certain boxing faces a doping problem but the former world heavyweight champion is uncertain whether longer bans are an ideal solution.
Jamie Joseph has led Japan's national rugby team since 2015.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 10, 2023

Brave Blossoms coach Jamie Joseph to return to Highlanders

Joseph said the four-year deal with the Highlanders was a great opportunity to "give back" to the club and the region.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 10, 2023

Kim dismisses military chief and calls for war preparations

Kim dismissed Chief of the General Staff Pak Su Il, replacing him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, who previously held that position.
The Gacha Pop playlist on Spotify offers a wonderfully scattered collection of J-pop chart-toppers, long-running favorites and next-generation names, reflecting the global ambitions of homegrown artists.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 11, 2023

The summer of Gacha Pop

Spotify’s curated playlist encapsulates J-pop’s diverse range, but more than that, it shows how Japanese music travels in the world today.
Policemen stand guard outside the hospital where presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was taken after being shot at a rally in Quito on Wednesday. Mr. Villavicencio, a 59-year-old journalist, was one of eight candidates in the Aug. 20 presidential election.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 10, 2023

Ecuador presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio assassinated

A suspect in the crime later died of injuries sustained in a shoot-out. The violence injured nine others, including a candidate for the legislature.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) sits next to digital minister Taro Kono while speaking at a government review meeting on the My Number national identification cards.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 10, 2023

Why is modernizing Japan so darn tough?

Reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to break down how Japan’s digitalization hiccups risk exposing how backward things are.
A view of Lahaina after wildfires driven by high winds burned across most of the town several days ago, in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, on Thursday
WORLD
Aug 11, 2023

Hawaii recovery to take years as Maui wildfire death toll rises

The fast-moving inferno spread from the brush outside of town and ravaged the historic city of Lahaina that was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Japan midfielder Yui Hasegawa controls the ball during a training session in Auckland on Tuesday.
SOCCER / Women's World cup
Aug 11, 2023

Rejuvenated Nadeshiko Japan 'ready to fight against anyone'

Japan, a sagging power suddenly revived, might be the most impressive contender remaining in the Women's World Cup.
Workers at a WeWork coworking office in London
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 11, 2023

Flexible work will survive despite gloomy corporate signals

A growing body of research, trend data and surveys show that flexibility matters, and that work is now a thing we do, not a place we go.
U.S. President Joe Biden recent comments about China are some of his most direct criticisms yet about the U.S.’s top geopolitical and economic rival.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 12, 2023

Biden fears Chinese economy is ‘ticking time bomb’

Biden's comments included several major inaccuracies about the world’s second-largest economy.
Parents of private high school students in Osaka submit a letter to education minister Keiko Nagaoka (center, left) late last month.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 12, 2023

Idea to make all Osaka high schools free sparks controversy

Private schools in Osaka Prefecture have voiced opposition to the plan, fearing increased financial burdens.
Leaders at Sweden's Psychological Defense Agency, a state agency, in Stockholm
WORLD / Society
Aug 14, 2023

Sweden is not staying neutral in Russia’s information war

Officials say the Kremlin has targeted Sweden with a concerted psychological campaign to discredit the country and undermine its bid to join NATO.
Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tetsuo Saito (left) speaks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida before a Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in July.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2023

LDP increasingly wants land minister post back from Komeito

Calls are growing within the LDP to get the post of land minister back from Komeito just as Kishida considers a possible Cabinet reshuffle.
The South Korean Embassy in Tokyo's Minato Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 14, 2023

South Korean embassy in Tokyo reports bomb threat

The embassy is investigating the possibility of the threat being a hoax, but it has also asked Japanese police to provide stepped up security.
Electric signs are turned off at Nagoya Station on Tuesday amid the suspension of shinkansen services between Nagoya and Okayama stations.
JAPAN
Aug 15, 2023

Typhoon Lan brings damage and power outages to western Kansai

In the wake of the storm, the city of Tottori released water from the Saji River Dam late afternoon Tuesday due to fears that the dam would overflow.
Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio launch the 'Keep Florida Free' tour on primary night. In May, DeSantis signed a sweeping anti-ESG bill he says targets the "woke” bias of the finance industry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 15, 2023

Even as the term is 'weaponized,' bankers still pay heed to ESG

About two-thirds of survey respondents said the anti-ESG movement will force firms to stop using those three letters in conversations with clients.
Japan’s economy has expanded at a much faster pace than forecast, despite weak domestic consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 15, 2023

Japan’s GDP grows at 6% on strong exports as consumption falters

Capital spending by businesses was flat, versus forecasts of a 0.4% increase, while private consumption unexpectedly declined by 0.5%.
What remains of a home destroyed by wildfire on Maui island, Hawaii
WORLD
Aug 15, 2023

Maui teams search through ashes as many await news of loved ones

Destruction and ongoing hazards left by wildfires stymie search operations as hundreds of people in Lahaina, on Maui island, remain unaccounted for.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea, on July 27.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 16, 2023

South Korea leader seeks breakthrough in deterring Kim Jong Un

Yoon expects the summit with Kishida and Biden will lead to agreement on ways to enhance their response to nuclear threats from North Korea.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 16, 2023

Yen option traders unfazed by risk of intervention from Japan

Option traders see little likelihood of intervention even if the yen weakens to ¥145.90 against the dollar.

Longform

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