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Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, holds a news conference after the LDP leadership election, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 29, 2024

Ishiba calls for loose monetary policy amid fragile economic recovery

On fiscal policy, Ishiba said he will aim to compile a package of measures at an early date to cushion the economic blow from rising living costs.
Shigeru Ishiba, newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a news conference after winning the party's leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 29, 2024

Ishiba's foreign policy vision to face immediate tests as he takes helm

The new Japanese leader will be greeted immediately with the challenge of reining in escalating regional tensions and building up the U.S. alliance.
The logo of Tokyo-based chipmaker Rapidus
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 29, 2024

Sony and others to make extra investments in Rapidus

The Tokyo-based chipmaker hopes to secure the necessary funds to start mass production of next-generation semiconductors as early as 2027.
In 2023, SBI, PSMC and the Miyagi Prefectural Government formed a basic agreement to construct a chipmaking plant in the village of Ohira, but SBI has announced that the tie-up with PSMC ended.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 29, 2024

SBI to end plant construction tie-up with Taiwanese chipmaker

The Japanese online financial group has vowed to carry out the semiconductor plant project by finding new partners.
A man holds pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) and Hassan Nasrallah (left), the late leader of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah who was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut days earlier, in Baghdad's eastern suburb of Sadr City on Sunday.
WORLD
Sep 30, 2024

Israel strikes Yemen port and keeps up Lebanon assault

The airstrikes on Yemen's port of Hodeidah come amid fears that Middle East fighting could spin out of control and draw in Iran and the United States.
New members of the Metropolitan Police Department's (MPD) riot squad hold a drill in Tokyo on Thursday. The MPD plans to set up a section to specialize in the investigation of lone wolf terrorists.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2024

Tokyo police to set up specialist section for lone wolf terrorists

The section will form part of the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau via a reorganization in April to strengthen information gathering.
A tugboat passes shipping containers being unloaded and stacked on a pier at Port Newark, New Jersey, in 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2024

U.S. East Coast port strike set to start on Tuesday, union says

If union members walk off the job, it would be the first coast-wide strike since 1977, affecting ports that handle about half of the U.S.' ocean shipping.
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, as seen from Sin El Fil, Lebanon, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 30, 2024

Three Palestinian leaders killed in Israel strike in Beirut

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, another group fighting Israel, said its three leaders were killed in a strike that targeted Beirut's Kola district.
An employee works on the production line of Nio electric vehicles at a JAC-NIO manufacturing plant in Hefei, Anhui province, in China in 2022.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2024

China's factory and service sectors skid as stimulus calls grow

The data showed China's manufacturing industry remains a pain point for policymakers, who acknowledged the economy faces "new problems."
Supporters wave flags and salute during the broadcast of a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in November 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 30, 2024

Iran looks to regroup as Middle East braces for country's next move

Tehran is expected to focus on rebuilding Hezbollah in Lebanon and keeping its network of proxies in action for as long as possible.
Prices of nearly 3,000 food and beverage products will rise in October, due to the soaring costs of ingredients.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2024

Food price hikes in Japan in October to be largest so far in 2024

Prices of 2,911 products from 195 major food and beverage manufacturers will be raised in October, surpassing April’s figure.
A scene from "Whale Restaurant," a documentary film about whale food culture in Japan
JAPAN / Society
Sep 30, 2024

Documentary on whale food culture in Japan showing in U.S.

Director Keiko Yagi said she found it difficult to find theaters that would agree to show the film.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to sign a memorandum on intellectual property tariffs on high-tech Chinese goods at the White House in March 2018.
COMMENTARY
Sep 30, 2024

Trumpism, Stalinism and the tariff debate

Trump loyalists — which these days means almost the entire Republican Party — insist as a group that foreigners, not American consumers, pay taxes on imports.
The former treasurer of the Liberal Democratic Party's former largest faction has been found guilty in a case tied to a major political funds scandal that the party has been mired in since late last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2024

Former Abe faction treasurer given suspended three-year prison term

Junichiro Matsumoto underreported political funds totaling ¥670 million between 2018 and 2022.
Dikembe Mutombo was one of the NBA's most fearsome shot blockers and earned defensive player of the year honors four times.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 1, 2024

'Larger than life' Hall of Famer Mutombo dies at 58

Mutombo's gregarious personality made him a fan favorite as he played 18 seasons with six different teams.
LeBron James of the Lakers speaks to members of the media in El Segundo, California, on Monday.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Oct 1, 2024

LeBron James 'given life' by playing alongside son and winning Olympic gold

James said he felt reinvigorated by the "pure joy" of being able to go work with one of his children.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani on deck in the ninth inning against the Rockies in Denver on Sept. 28.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 1, 2024

How far will Japanese players go in this year’s MLB playoffs?

The 2024 postseason begins on Tuesday, when another group of players will have the chance to join the ranks of Japanese World Series champions.
People walk on an overpass with a display of stock information in front of buildings in the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai on Aug. 6.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 1, 2024

Global investors call time on their exodus from China

Beijing's moves to entice more cash into equities and jolt consumer spending have boosted the appeal of still-low Chinese company valuations.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola addresses a news conference in Bratislava on Monday.
SOCCER
Oct 1, 2024

Guardiola promises strong City side in Slovan Champions League tie

Team will play without Rodri, who will miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury.
A U.S. Marine participates in counterdrone training in June 2021.
WORLD
Oct 1, 2024

Pentagon’s Replicator 2 to focus on countering threat from small drones

U.S. military facilities around the globe, including those in Japan and South Korea, are expected to benefit from the initiative.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte takes over as NATO secretary-general from Jens Stoltenberg of Norway at a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 1, 2024

Mark Rutte set to assume NATO top job amid Ukraine and U.S. uncertainty

Rutte is expected to continue rallying support for Ukraine, pushing members to spend more on defense and keeping the U.S. engaged in European security.
A woman receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot in Tokyo on Tuesday as this year's routine vaccination program for people age 65 or older began.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 1, 2024

Routine COVID-19 vaccinations begin for elderly in Japan

The program mainly targets people age 65 or older. It began on Tuesday and will run until March 31 next year.
JR Tokai officials send off the Nozomi No. 1 bullet train bound for Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, at Tokyo Station on Tuesday as the Tokaido Shinkansen marked the 60th anniversary of its services the same day.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2024

Tokaido Shinkansen marks 60th anniversary

A commemorative ceremony was held by Central Japan Railway at Tokyo Station to send off the first train of the day.
Google's plan to invest $1 billion in data centers in Thailand underscores a push by Southeast Asia’s governments to attract foreign tech firms.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 1, 2024

Google to spend $1 billion in Thailand in Southeast Asia AI push

The outlay could help add $4 billion to Thailand’s economy by 2029 and support 14,000 jobs annually over the next five years, Google says.
An electronic stock board displays the 225-issue Nikkei average and the rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar outside a securities firm in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 1, 2024

Ishiba cool on Abenomics, pragmatic and a bit of a mystery

Analysts argue that the new prime minister will be more like former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida than former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 10. The governor has signed a law that aims to prevent instances of stalking and harassment using sophisticated car features such as location tracking and remote control.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 1, 2024

California enacts car data privacy law to curb domestic violence

The move aims to prevent stalking and harassment using features such as location tracking and remote control as automakers add more sophisticated tech to their cars.
A nuclear accident that took place on Sept. 30 makes the front page of The Japan Times on Oct. 1, 1999.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Oct 1, 2024

Japan Times 1999: Nuclear accident hits critical mass

A second incident 25 years ago at the Tokai Nuclear Power Plant in Ibaraki Prefecture that exposes workers to radiation causes concern and challenges.
A pedestrian walks past a 7-Eleven convenience store in Tokyo. The Japanese model for a convenience store is gaining fans overseas where similar stores sell mostly gasoline and junk food.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 1, 2024

Making a habit of describing your morning convenience store run

Hitting up the local convenience store before or after work can wind up becoming habitual, and there are a number of grammar points to help describe it.
Israel's Iron Dome antimissile system intercepts rockets after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Oct 2, 2024

Israel beefs up forces on Lebanon border as Hezbollah reports clashes

The Israeli military said regular infantry and armored units were joining its ground operations in Lebanon.
A drone view shows a damaged area following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Lake Lure, North Carolina, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Oct 2, 2024

Flooded farms, fouled rivers, dozens dead: Helene’s rising toll

The sweep of Helene’s damage — much of it occurring far from shore, in mountain towns and inland fields — took many by surprise.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan