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The weak yen continues to attract visitors from abroad, while travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2024

Weak yen slows overseas summer travel recovery

While the currency's weakness continues to attract visitors from abroad, travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
Although air travel in Asia has picked up since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still below 2019 levels, with many passengers preferring to travel shorter distances.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2024

Asian airlines face a cold summer

Despite seemingly positive results, air travel in Asia hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, with many of the continent's travelers preferring to stay closer to home.
Toyota Customizing & Development, a Toyota subsidiary, broke the subcontract payment law, the Fair Trade Commission said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 5, 2024

Toyota unit violated subcontractor protection law: regulator

Yokohama-based Toyota Customizing & Development broke the law by having dozens of suppliers store metal die casts and other items without paying any storage fees.
New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses the nation on Friday in London.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 5, 2024

U.K.’s election is a rare win against anti-climate campaigns

Keir Starmer’s Labour has a manifesto that puts climate and clean energy front and center, unlike some parties in Europe and the U.S.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers the first speech of his premiership outside No. 10 Downing St. in London on Friday, following his Labour Party's win in the general election.
WORLD
Jul 6, 2024

New U.K. PM Keir Starmer speaks to world leaders and names top team

Starmer named Rachel Reeves the U.K.'s first female finance minister and appointed David Lammy as foreign secretary, among other Cabinet choices.
Several support networks have launched to help startup founders in Japan whose native language isn't Japanese.
BUSINESS / Companies / Longform
Jul 8, 2024

As Japan's startup ecosystem grows, so does a supportive community of entrepreneurs

Interest in startups is outpacing ecosystem capabilities, which has led more founders to turn to each other for guidance and support.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a news conference following his first Cabinet meeting on Saturday in London.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 7, 2024

Britain’s new leader is about to get a crash course in statecraft

Some experts say the shift to Labour was less about ideology and more about fatigue with the Tories and a distrust of political institutions in general.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after defeating Ugo Humbert at Wimbledon in London on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jul 8, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner remain on collision course at Wimbledon

Women's No. 2 seed Coco Gauff was sent tumbling out on a soggy Sunday.
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the company’s plant in Renton, Washington, on June 25.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 8, 2024

Boeing to plead guilty to fraud in U.S. probe of fatal 737 MAX crashes

Boeing will plead guilty to lying to the FAA about a software feature on the MAX, which saved money by reducing pilot training requirements.
Asami Yoshida (center) practices with Japan at the National Training Center in Tokyo in January.
OLYMPICS / Basketball
Jul 8, 2024

Asami Yoshida bringing experience and swagger to Akatsuki Japan for Paris Olympics

The veteran point guard was Japan's captain at the 2016 Olympics.
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are assembled at the company’s plant in Renton, Washington, on June 25.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 9, 2024

Boeing in talks with U.S. Defense Department on impact of guilty plea

The plea in relation to two fatal crashes involving its planes in 2018 and 2019 potentially threatens the company's ability to secure lucrative government contracts.
Yumiko Takano, chief executive officer of Oriental Land, speaks during a news conference in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, on Tuesday. Oriental Land has secured a deal with Disney Enterprises to launch Disney Cruises in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2024

Disney to add new ship in Tokyo to expanding cruise business

The new ship will be modeled after the Wish, the largest vessel in Disney's fleet.
Tokyo police have arrested a 27-year-old woman for posting online personal information of a professional baseball player along with violent messages.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 10, 2024

Ex-Nippon Life staffer arrested over leak of Giants player's information

The suspect, Satomi Amano, has denied the charges, claiming she doesn't remember her actions due to having made “so many posts.”
A conceptual design of a potential Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO). HOSPO is aiming to become one of Japan’s major domestic spaceports for launching satellite-equipped rockets and spacecraft as well as for the aerospace industry to conduct research and development.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jul 22, 2024

Small Hokkaido town looks to the stars for future growth

Taiki, population 5,300, is home to what is billed as Asia’s first privately operated spaceport — Hokkaido Spaceport.
Olympic rings and the Paris 2024 logo adorn Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris.
WORLD
Jul 10, 2024

Strike call threatens Paris airports' Olympics preparations

Unions announced a one-day stoppage on July 17 to press for bigger Olympics bonuses and staff recruitment.
Plaintiffs in a series of lawsuits over forced sterilization and their lawyers hold banners that read "victory ruling," after the Supreme Court ruled in their favor in Tokyo on July 3.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 10, 2024

Amid discrimination, Japan's eugenics missteps could be repeated, expert warns

After a landmark ruling that finally declared Japan's defunct eugenics law unconstitutional, some may ask how Japanese society openly endorsed eugenics.
Many second-generation Indian migrants decide to leave Japan for higher education — with Indians making up less than 1% of the country’s student population — but there is evidence that this cohort’s interest in attending Japanese universities is growing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 10, 2024

Do university-bound Indian migrants actually stay in Japan?

Can Japan retain second-generation Indian migrants who are seeking a college education? The evidence is mixed, showing an uptick that still has a long way to grow.
In addition to standup comedy, Anthony Jeselnik co-hosts the podcast “The Jeselnik and Rosenthal Vanity Project” with NFL analyst Gregg Rosenthal.
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 11, 2024

Standup comic Anthony Jeselnik, known for fierce roasts, to play first Japan show

The comedian will hit Tokyo as part of the Asia stretch of his worldwide “Bones and All” tour.
The Clippers' Kawhi Leonard will skip the Paris Olympics to focus on his preparations for the upcoming NBA season.
OLYMPICS / Basketball
Jul 11, 2024

Kawhi Leonard withdraws from Olympics; Derrick White added to Team USA roster

Celtics guard Derrick White will play for Team USA in place of the Clippers star.
A Yamato Transport delivery center in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. Japan's parcel delivery firms are expanding drop-off services amid a rise in their redelivery rate and a shortage of truck drivers.
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2024

Availability of parcel drop-off services increasing in Japan

The services are expected to help reduce redeliveries to lessen the heavy burden on delivery vehicle drivers.
U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a U.S. House representative from Texas
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 12, 2024

U.S. lawmakers raise concerns over Microsoft deal with Emirati AI firm

The Republican lawmakers' letter is a sign of growing concern about the lack of regulations around the export of sensitive artificial intelligence models.
Yuta Watanabe played in 34 NBA games this season, including five for the Grizzlies.
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jul 12, 2024

Jets signs former NBA player Yuta Watanabe for upcoming season

The 29-year-old forward and the team have a "basic agreement" on a contract for the 2024-25 season.
Kentaro Kitagawa
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 12, 2024

Ex-senior Japanese prosecutor indicted for sexual assault

He is suspected of sexually assaulting the woman at his then official residence while serving as the chief prosecutor of the Osaka district prosecutor's office.
Japanese businessman Kazunori Takishima, seen at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, has attended four Summer Games and four Winter Games since his first in 2006.
OLYMPICS
Jul 12, 2024

Japanese superfan with Olympic-sized wallet eager to make new memories in Paris

The 48-year-old Tokyo native spends large chunks of his disposable income on Olympic tickets.
Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy speaks in New Delhi in 2020. Roy is currently facing prosecution in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an anti-terrorism law, for comments she made back in 2010 about Kashmir.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2024

The show trial of India's Arundhati Roy

Comments made by Roy, a Booker Prize-winning author, 14 years ago have put her in the crosshairs of the BJP, which is wielding an anti-terrorism law to punish her.
Marketing and PR Director at MSC Cruises Japan Kathy Knowles believes inbound tourism in Japan is likely to increase, and hopes more people will want to explore the country by sea.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 13, 2024

Kathy Knowles: ‘I would never have been able to see so much if it weren't for this job’

Going on a cruise can be a fun summer travel option, so much so that this industry executive has made a career out of it.
Armin Papperger, CEO of German weapons producer and automotive supplier Rheinmetall, during a virtual news conference. The United States foiled a Russian plot earlier this year to assassinate Papperger, CNN has reported.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 13, 2024

Germany says it won't be cowed after reported Russian plot to kill arms firm CEO

U.S. intelligence officials warned German authorities that Russia was plotting to kill Armin Papperger, the head of Europe’s biggest weapons producer.
A Shinto priest leads prayers for safety before the opening of Kitaizumi beach in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 13, 2024

Fukushima beach opens for first time since treated water release

The Fukushima Prefectural Government said last month that no tritium was detected in seawater at eight beaches in the prefecture set to open this year.
Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates with coach Luis de la Fuente after winning the Euro 2024 in Berlin on Sunday.
SOCCER
Jul 15, 2024

Spain's Euro 2024 glory built on selfless group mentality

The team had many under-the-radar players with uplifting stories, eventually grinding out seven wins in seven matches.
An air conditioning unit being installed in Kotor, Montenegro, on June 22. Life almost stopped in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica earlier this summer, with cars and buses getting stuck in gridlock as traffic lights went out, the internet crashed and security alarms blared in reaction to a sudden loss of power supply.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jul 15, 2024

The world’s power grids are failing as the planet warms

Hotter summers cause spikes in demand for cooling, but upgrades to power infrastructure haven’t kept pace with climate change.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.