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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 30, 2022

Russia looks to avoid default with last-minute dollar bond payment

Russia's $40 billion of international bonds have become the focus of a game of financial chicken amid sweeping Western sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 20, 2022

Taiwan TV channel apologizes for false report on China invasion

Taipei-based Chinese Television Systems ran a ticker Wednesday along the bottom of the screen saying that China had attacked several areas of New Taipei City.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 4, 2022

Growing ties between Pakistan and China raise concern in Washington and New Delhi

China's supply of advanced military equipment to Pakistan is part of an intensifying military and intelligence cooperation that reflects the growing level of trust between the two sides.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 23, 2022

To counter China influence, U.S. names envoy to lead Pacific Island talks

The appointment of former senior diplomat Joseph Yun to lead the Pacific Island talks is a sign that countering China remains a top U.S. priority despite Russia's war in Ukraine.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 25, 2022

With the Ukraine invasion, NATO is suddenly vulnerable

A Russia in control of Ukraine and Belarus would change the security architecture of Europe. Can the alliance respond effectively?
A couple looks out onto the Fukuoka nightscape. Due to its distance from Tokyo and its close proximity to South Korea and China, professor Tomoya Mori believes that Fukuoka is one of the few metropolitan regions of Japan that will see some form of growth in the decades to come.
JAPAN / Society / Perspectives
May 20, 2024

Why half of Japan's cities are at risk of disappearing in 100 years

Professor Tomoya Mori believes depopulation will alter the urban landscape of Japan in an unexpected way.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa delivers a video message during a meeting of the International Group of Eminent Persons for a World without Nuclear Weapons in Yokohama on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2024

Yokohama meeting on nuclear disarmament ends with call for focus on AI

The 15 participating experts came from states both with and without nuclear weapons, including superpowers such as the United States, Russia and China.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s ERA in nine starts since returning from Seoul is 2.38.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 23, 2024

Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto finds rhythm on mound after early stumble

Yamamoto has impressed even the organization that went out and committed $375 million (including posting fees) to add him to its roster this winter.
A protester holds a placard stating "Sunak Supports Genocide" in support of Palestinians as police stand guard during a visit from Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak to Cannock College, in Cannock, Staffordshire, England, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
May 25, 2024

Sometimes U.S. and U.K. politics seem in lock step. Not this year.

In 2016, Britain voted for Brexit and America for Trump, heralding a populist wave. Both countries face pivotal elections this year — but their paths appear to have diverged.
A government panel in charge of promoting women's active engagement in professional life has said gender wage gaps may be behind the outflows of young women from rural areas in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
May 28, 2024

Gender wage gaps seen behind outflows of women from rural areas

Experts have said that local governments need to make wage gap rectification part of regional revitalization efforts in order to stem outflows of women.
"Paris" is projected onto the Arc de Triomphe to celebrate the entry into the Olympic year, during the New Year's celebrations on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Jan. 1, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024

Russian bots use fake Tom Cruise for Olympic disinformation

The video also included falsified endorsements from media outlets including The New York Times and the BBC.
Renho speaks to reporters on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 13, 2024

Renho, the liberal politician who might dethrone Tokyo's Koike

Her candidacy in July's gubernatorial race presents voters in the capital with two choices: Change or stability.
Recently, Japan designated Hokkaido Prefecture (including its capital, Sapporo), Fukuoka, Tokyo and Osaka as special zones for financial and asset management businesses. Kumamoto Prefecture was also named a national strategic zone for semiconductors.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 14, 2024

International social infrastructure key to Japan’s high-tech future

Across the globe there is an ongoing search for talent, especially in high-tech sectors, and Japan is no different.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin take part in a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 23, 2024

Playing a risky 21st-century game of ‘Russian roulette’

The U.S. and its allies should reinforce the rule of law and resist the destabilizing efforts of Russia, North Korea, China and Iran.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle in memory of the victims of the Crocus City Hall attack, on the day of national mourning in a church at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on March 24.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2024

Dagestan shootings spotlight rising Islamist threat for Putin

The latest violence, with at least 20 killed in coordinated shootings in Russia's far south on Sunday, raises tough questions for its intelligence and security services.
Hyundai Wia robotic arms on the production line at the Kia plant in Gwangmyeong, South Korea, on Jan. 3
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2024

How one of the world's strongest car unions is dealing with EV job losses

Hyundai Motor and Kia’s moves toward electrification are provoking anxiety in South Korea’s highly active and organized labor movement.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump has some immunity from election interference charges, though most of the charges are likely to stand.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 4, 2024

Hold up, Trump is still in serious legal trouble

Most of the election interference case against Trump stems from 'unofficial' acts not shielded from prosecution by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
The People's Bank of China building in Beijing on May 29
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 5, 2024

China's central bank readies bonds to sell by tapping major banks

The bank said it has hundreds of billions of yuan worth of medium- and long-term bonds at its disposal to borrow.
Starting from September, foreign employees on a work visa must abide by a new points-based system to keep working in Singapore.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2024

Singapore is making life tougher for global talent

The city-state could lose its position as a global business hub if it keeps tightening the rules for overseas employees in a political bid to appease local residents.
Dolphins Arena in Nagoya. While the new IG Arena will almost certainly provide a more enjoyable experience for fans, the hope is that action on the raised ring will retain the heat that Dolphins Arena has long been famous for.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jul 10, 2024

A farewell to a Nagoya sumo arena known for heat — inside and outside the ring

The upcoming Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament will be the last to be held at Dolphins Arena, which has been the scene of numerous memorable moments over the years.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in February 2019. At the summit, Trump lost his patience and cut negotiations with Kim short just as they were gaining momentum.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2024

Blame Trump for North Korea’s saber-rattling

What would have happened if Donald Trump hadn't failed to capitalize on Kim Jong Un's willingness to deescalate by losing his patience on that fateful February day?
The child care program under discussion is aimed at addressing the issue of isolation of parents raising young children and fostering their growth through interactions with other kids.
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2024

Japan discussing details of day care for all infants

Under the program, set to launch by fiscal 2025, day care services will be available for all children aged 6 months to 2 years.
Members of Japan's women's Tokyo 2020 Olympic volleyball team. Along with table tennis and hockey, volleyball is set to be one of the sports at the 2024 Paris Games in which Japan's female players will don new uniforms that help protect them against secret photography while they compete.
OLYMPICS
Jul 16, 2024

New uniforms to help protect athletes against secret photography

The clothes will be used by Japanese athletes in volleyball, table tennis and hockey at the Paris Games.
Recent events in U.S. politics, including an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, a favorable court ruling and his nomination at the Republican National Convention, have strengthened the perception he may be “untouchable,” yet nothing is set in stone.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2024

Trump’s wild week and a changing U.S. presidential race

Recent events have reinforced the idea of the “Teflon Don,” an extraordinarily lucky man for whom the laws of politics do not apply.
Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jul 21, 2024

As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals

Can a 700-year-old dance have an effect on extreme heat or torrential rain? Probably not. When you're feeling powerless, though, any little thing helps.
Devices used in a scam center in Manila that has been shut down by police. Scam centers have mushroomed across Southeast Asia, with crime syndicates luring, kidnapping or coercing workers into predatory online activity and raking in billions of dollars.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jul 25, 2024

Raid on Philippine gambling hub unravels elaborate scheme implicating mayor

The scandal has fueled calls for a ban on the online gambling industry over its links to financial scams, kidnapping, prostitution, human trafficking, torture and murder.
Norwegian and Australian players take part in a practice session ahead of the opening of the Paris Olympics at Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on Wednesday.
OLYMPICS
Jul 25, 2024

After joyless silence in Tokyo, Paris is ready to get the Olympic party started

No COVID-19 testing, no bubbles and no more locking out the fans. Paris marks a return to normal for an event that, like many, was brought to its knees by the pandemic.
Though some in the country rejected their wartime associations, the Japanese government made the Hinomaru flag and "Kimigayo" anthem official 25 years ago.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Aug 1, 2024

Japan Times 1999: Flag, anthem now official

After some controversy, the Hinomaru flag was made official alongside the country's national anthem, "Kimigayo."

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?