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U.S. President Joe Biden signs orders that increase tariffs on China during an event at the White House on Tuesday. The escalating trade tensions risk slowing the transition to green technologies by boosting production costs.
EDITORIALS
May 17, 2024

Looming U.S.-China 'trade war' bodes ill for green tech

China has denounced the new U.S. tariffs as bullying and warned of potential retaliation, arguing that they could harm global green economic transition efforts.
The Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee approves legislation to introduce a new training scheme for foreign workers on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024

Japan parliamentary panel OKs bill on training foreign workers

It will replace the foreign technical intern program with a new training scheme to allow foreigners to work in Japan for the medium to long term.
Samples of cannabis edibles are offered during The 1st Phuket Cannabis Cup in Phuket, Thailand, in March 2023. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said marijuana should soon be classified as a narcotic again and its use limited to medical and health purposes.
COMMENTARY
May 17, 2024

Thailand’s cannabis U-turn is a cautionary tale

Banning the drug outright will no doubt cause a lot of pain to farmers, small business owners and consumers. A middle-ground approach to return to medical usage would be wise.

A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2024

America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them

A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”
CULTURE / Stage
May 18, 2024

Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community

For contributor Laura Pollacco, companies such as Tokyo International Players and Sheepdog Theatre offer a home away from home.
A tactical ballistic missile with a new autonomous navigation system is test-fired at an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 18, 2024

North Korea confirms missile launch and vows bolstered nuclear force

North Korea has test-fired a tactical ballistic missile equipped with a "new autonomous navigation system," state media said Saturday.
Supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump, including Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (center), Republican Florida Rep. Cory Mills (center right) and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (second from right), listen as Trump speaks after court proceedings ended for the day in his trial at Manhattan criminal court, on Tuesday in New York.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2024

Rule No. 1 to be Trump’s running mate: Defend him, but don’t steal the show

Donald Trump’s search is still in its early stages, but he is said to be leaning toward more experienced options who can help the ticket without seizing his precious spotlight.
As the Russo-Ukrainian war grinds into its third year, visas issued to first arrivals are approaching expiry just as the U.K. labor market cools and general interest in helping Ukrainians wanes.
WORLD / Society
May 19, 2024

Ukraine refugees face dwindling job opportunities in the U.K.

As the war enters its third year, the visas of first arrivals approach expiry just as the British labor market cools.
Vietnamese Public Security Minister To Lam speaks at a meeting at the National Assembly House in Hanoi last December.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 19, 2024

Vietnam Communist Party names police minister as state president

Police minister To Lam has been named as the state president, while a new head of the parliament was also nominated in a major leadership reshuffle.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with commanders of troops of military districts, in Moscow on May 15.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024

The technocrat who’s taking control of Putin’s war effort

While other technocrats in Russian President Vladimir Putin's orbit privately see his geopolitical moves as problematic, the new defense minister is a true believer.
Ebrahim Raisi visiting the site of a road and rail bridge project in Azerbaijan on May 19
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2024

Who will be Iran’s next president following Raisi’s death?

One of the big questions raised by Ebrahim Raisi’s death is how his absence is likely to affect the battle over who succeeds Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader.
At the factory of 4R Energy Corp. in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, a lithium-ion electric vehicle battery is disassembled to be reused. Batteries and EVs are among the strategic industries governments around the world aim to support through their industrial policies.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 20, 2024

Grasping industrial policy in the age of economic security

A new era of industrial policies is structured around three P's: promoting strategic industries, protecting emerging technologies and partnering with like-minded countries.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (left) and then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the Kremlin on May 7. While President Vladimir Putin has no real challengers, powerful actors within his government are vying against each other.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2024

The battle of ministries in Putin’s Russia

Historical parallels suggest that Putin’s top-down approach, like Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization and Gorbachev’s perestroika, risks sparking opposition by causing intra-elite infighting.
Tesla is offering discounts and service improvements to appease European leasing companies upset by price cuts and repair issues.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024

Tesla giving discounts to European fleet buyers in damage-control drive

After years of sharp growth, Tesla's global sales and profits are declining, with an 8.5% drop in deliveries during the first quarter, marking its first decrease in four years.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola poses with the Premier League trophy at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Sunday.
SOCCER
May 21, 2024

Guardiola casts doubt over long-term Man City future

The manager has seen the team secure six top-flight titles in seven seasons.
Passengers onboard a self-driving vehicle in Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture, last year
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2024

Japan targets 30% share in next-generation cars

The 30% target was included in a new strategy released by the ministries for software development for next-generation vehicles with advanced digital technologies.
A worker installs a mesh barrier to block the view of Mount Fuji emerging from behind a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Tuesday. The measure follows complaints of bad behaviors by tourists seeking the perfect photo at the location.
JAPAN / Society
May 21, 2024

Weary of overtourism, Japan town blocks one popular view of Mount Fuji

The large mesh barrier was put up at the popular photo-taking spot in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, in response to misbehaving tourists.
Russia's Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia addresses the Security Council during a meeting on the maintenance of International Peace and Security Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

Russia fails in rival U.N. bid on nuclear and other weapons in space

The draft failed to get the minimum nine votes needed: seven members voted in favor and seven against, while one abstained.
Martin Gruenberg, chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington on May 16.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024

FDIC chair says he’ll step down after toxic workplace report

The chair faced mounting pressure to quit following a scathing report that detailed allegations of harassment and discrimination at the bank regulator during his tenure.
People in Tehran demonstrate in support of Iran's attack on Israel on April 15. After the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the question is whether his successor will take a similar foreign policy path by keeping slivers of communication open and avoiding direct conflict with the United States.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

Aggression or caution: The choice facing Iran’s next leaders

After the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister it will be possible to maintain communications between Washington and Tehran?
Kim Do-hoon is set to lead South Korea in World Cup qualifiers against Singapore and China in June.
SOCCER
May 21, 2024

South Korea appoints another interim coach for World Cup qualifiers

Jurgen Klinsmann was sacked in February after his team crashed out in the semifinals of the Asian Cup.
Missile systems form part of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9. The FBI tries to maintain a tricky balance in spy operations: the more access informants have to valuable intelligence, the higher the risk that they could be compromised.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

FBI shed informants linked to Russian influence operations

After a secret review several years ago, the bureau cut off confidential sources thought to be connected to Russian disinformation.
A member of the National Animal Health and Production Research Institute takes a swab from a duck during surveillance of the poultry section of the Orussey market, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 7.
WORLD
May 21, 2024

The disease detectives trying to keep the world safe from bird flu

Front-line work in low-income countries is increasingly vital to a global system to detect viruses that jump between animals and humans, the way COVID-19 did.
Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 21, 2024

Japan's revised immigration bill clears Lower House

Permanent residency holders may have their status revoked if they deliberately fail to pay their taxes, impacting only those "with malicious intent."
Mourners gather in Tehran's Valiasr Square on Monday to honor President Ebrahim Raisi and others who died in a helicopter crash a day earlier.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2024

Iranian President Raisi's failed experiment in ideological purity

Yet totalitarian regimes such as Iran don’t need their populations to be content, so long as they have security forces willing to kill to suppress dissent.
Shinichiro Kashima
ESG CONSORTIUM
May 22, 2024

Nippon Life engages to encourage green transition

Engaging with high-emitting companies to spur transformation of their business rather than divesting from them is becoming increasingly important to combat climate change, said an executive officer of Japan’s biggest insurance company. “Thinking about society as a whole, it is important that we asset...
Japanese Paralympic Committee Chairman Junichi Kawai says this summer's Paris Games offer an opportunity to pass on the legacy of the Tokyo Paralympics.
OLYMPICS
May 22, 2024

Paris Games a chance to pass on Tokyo's legacy: Paralympics head

Japanese Paralympic Committee chairman says increasing the number of medalists is more important than the number of medals.
The entrance to Maruyama Park, one of Sapporo's most popular parks for summer recreation. The Maruyama Park area is part of a designated region where Sapporo plans tougher bear countermeasures, including the possible use of bear traps.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
May 27, 2024

From coexistence to separation: Sapporo's battle with bears

An increasing number of bears in Hokkaido is forcing the prefectural capital to change its strategy for dealing with the animals.
Demonstrators during a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Tuesday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2024

Taiwan lawmakers defy protesters as they look to pass bill Friday

Opposition lawmakers will make a final push to pass legislation aimed at reining in new President Lai Ching-te’s administration.
New Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks on stage during his inauguration ceremony outside the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 22, 2024

Japan protests Chinese envoy's 'inappropriate remarks' over Taiwan

Ambassador Wu Jianghao appeared to insinuate that the Japanese people would be “brought into the fire” of conflict over support for self-ruled Taiwan.

Longform

Passengers that were on a morning train attacked by members of the Aum Shinrikyo group wait for medical assistance outside Kasumigaseki Station on March 20,1995.
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo