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Korean skincare routines tend to be more complex than Japan’s counterpart beauty industry of “less is more,” making K-beauty something of a sweet spot between Japan and the West.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 9, 2024

K-beauty or J-beauty? The two 'are not so different these days.'

In early 2024, imports of Korean beauty products to Japan topped French cosmetics for the first time.
People wait for the main act to begin at Summer Sonic, which holds simultaneous music festivals for those in Tokyo and Osaka.
CULTURE / Music / Longform
Jun 9, 2024

Can Japan's summer music festivals adapt to a post-pandemic reality?

Soaring temperatures, the cheap yen and a dearth of headline options may require reshaping the outdoor concert formula.
Lee Kyoung-hyun, a popular YouTuber shaman, at her shaman parlor in Seoul on May 13
WORLD / Society
Jun 10, 2024

South Korea's young shamans revive ancient tradition with social media

Google Trends shows that searches on YouTube for "shaman" and "fortune-telling" in Korean have nearly doubled over the past five years.
From left: Promoter Frank Warren, fighter Anthony Joshua and Saudi official Turki al-Sheikh attend a fight between Dmitry Bivol and Malik Zinad in Riyadh on June 1.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jun 12, 2024

Saudi Arabia wealth fund holding talks to create boxing league, sources say

PIF is looking to invest in a joint venture with some of the sport's stakeholders that would feature more boxing bouts.
The Metropolitan Police Department said that among 23 men arrested, two were supervisors, three were store managers and the remaining 18, their employees.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 17, 2024

Tokyo police arrest 23 men over brokering of prostitution

The group allegedly ran four outlets in the capital that dispatched sex workers to clients at the location of their choosing.
Water is sprayed over the stage at a Taylor Swift concert in Rio de Janeiro in November 2023.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jun 19, 2024

On a warming planet, outdoor concerts need a new safety playbook

Climate change is ushering in more extreme weather worldwide, and with it, greater risks for outdoor events.
Balaji Srinivasan addresses the Singapore Fintech Festival in November 2022. A techno-libertarian, Srinivasan, who made his name as an anti-government crusader, tried to attach himself to the U.S. government when he was under consideration for a position in the Donald Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 19, 2024

How techno-libertarians fell in love with big government

When faced with the prospect of the government becoming a major client for Silicon Valley techno-libertarians, once-principled opposition to state power dissipates.
A person walks among the giant columns supporting the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel in Saitama Prefecture.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 20, 2024

Tokyo underground: The city beneath our feet

Join us this week on Deep Dive as we discuss with Alex K.T. Martin the expansive subterranean world of Tokyo’s ever-changing underground.
Nissan's Leaf electric vehicle, equipped with autonomous driving technology, during a test ride in the Yokohama Minato Mirai area in Yokohama in May
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2024

Japan focuses on smart cars as automakers fall behind U.S. and China

While driving assistance technology and map navigation features are installed in Japanese cars, they lack more advanced features.
Office employees drink outdoors in Kabukicho. Street drinking at night will be banned in certain areas of Shinjuku on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. However, the ban has no penalties.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2024

Tokyo's Shinjuku bans street drinking at night on Halloween

The move comes as Shinjuku has faced increased disturbances and other nuisances from young people moving from neighboring Shibuya.
Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan
WORLD
Jun 24, 2024

Gunmen attack church and synagogue in Russia's North Caucasus

The attacks by unidentified gunmen left an Orthodox priest and multiple police officers dead, the region's head said.
Dagestan region governor Sergei Melikov (left), who on Monday visited the synagogue and church that were attacked in Derbent, said that foreign forces were involved in the planning of the attacks, but gave no details.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 25, 2024

Death toll rises to 20 after gunmen attack Russia's Dagestan

No one has claimed responsibility over the coordinated attacks on churches and synagogues, but a local leader claims foreign forces were involved in their planning.
Chipmaker Nvidia’s stellar growth to become the world’s most valuable company masks growing skepticism about AI’s usefulness as a general purpose tool.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2024

Nvidia’s explosive growth masks AI disillusionment

Businesses shouldn't believe tech companies' pitch that AI can solve all problems, everywhere, all at once. Figuring out its niche applications is the recipe for success.
Voters listen to a stump speech in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Candidates turn to AI in Tokyo governor race

Experts warn that while social media give voters more insight into candidates, there are risks of information bias.
Tour guide and history buff Rory Dent left his job at a U.K.-based tour operator to move to Japan and start his own business.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Jun 30, 2024

Guiding Japan through the challenges of overtourism

With the number of overseas tourists breaking records, guides and tour operators are seeing their businesses flourish.
Comedian Daisuke Muramoto has been shunned by the Japanese media for taking his act into political territory. Filmmaker Fumiari Hyuga traces his post-pandemic search for a place in show business in "I Am a Comedian."
CULTURE / Film
Jul 3, 2024

‘I Am a Comedian’: A documentary following Daisuke Muramoto’s rocky comedy journey

Documentarian Fumiari Hyuga captures the story of an uncouth Japanese comedian’s efforts to say what can’t be said.
Workers collect detritus after the Britain's Glastonbury Festival on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jul 4, 2024

Music festivals seek greener footprint

The world's top 1,000 DJs took 51,000 flights in 2019, equivalent to 35,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to climate group Clean Scene.
Lakers forward LeBron James during a play-in game on April 16
BASKETBALL / NBA
Jul 5, 2024

LeBron James cements his billionaire status with record contract

James agreed to a two-year, $104 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, the most ever for someone his age.
Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku, Tokyo. According to data recently published by Mercer, Tokyo fell 30 places from 2023 and is now the 49th most expensive city in the world, just ahead of Houston.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 9, 2024

Tokyo is cheaper to live in than San Juan, according to global survey

The capital fell a full 30 places from 2023. It was No. 3 in 2020 and No. 1 as recently as 2012.
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.
A mystery-solving event with clues embedded in constellations projected on a dome is held at a planetarium in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on June 7.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2024

Japan's planetarium operators shoot for the stars with new events

The number of planetarium visitors in fiscal 2022 totaled 7.9 million, recovering to about 90% of the level before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games' opening ceremony, which will be held outside of a stadium for the first time in history, has attracted a lot of interest from Japanese fans.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 10, 2024

Japan fans shun pricey Olympics tickets even as top-tier packages sell out

Travel agencies report a noticeable drop in demand for Paris Olympics tours amid a weakening of the yen and the introduction of a new booking system.
George Clooney attends a premiere for the film "The Boys in the Boat" in Beverly Hills, California, on Dec. 11, 2023. Clooney, a lifelong Democrat who helped raised $30 million for U.S. President Joe Biden at an event last month, has now advocated for a new candidate.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 11, 2024

Hollywood turns against Biden as George Clooney warns ‘dam has broken’

Heavy hitters, including Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings and author Stephen King, have joined the chorus calling on Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid.
The members of Glay — (from left) Jiro, Teru, Takuro and Hisashi — are celebrating 30 years of rocking out as a band.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 12, 2024

Glay celebrates three decades of rock greatness

The band's 12-month-long Glay Expo takes the idea of a concert tour to the next level for the anniversary of its major label debut.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others at a position of Ukrainian servicemen in the town of Kupiansk last November.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2024

Being Volodymyr Zelenskyy: How war has changed Ukraine's leader

His ambition when he was elected in 2019 had been to help Ukraine become a modern democracy, before that was shattered by Russia's invasion in 2022.
Fans celebrate BTS' 11th debut anniversary during 2024 FESTA, an event for fans of the K-pop boy band a day after band member Jin was discharged from the South Korean army after 18 months of military service, in Seoul on June 13.
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2024

TikTok sees K-culture spend doubling to $143 billion by 2030

In the U.S. and Southeast Asia, research has found that about 80% of social media users have found Korean culture through TikTok.
With 25 Emmy nominations, FX’s historical drama “Shogun” leads the competition with the most nods, including nominations for actors (from left) Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 18, 2024

'Shogun' tops Emmy nominations with 25 nods

As well as a nomination for best drama, “Shogun” received nods for stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai in the lead drama actor and actress categories.
U.S. gymnast Simone Biles competes in the uneven bars during the U.S. Olympic trials in Minneapolis on June 30.
OLYMPICS
Jul 18, 2024

Paris Olympics marketing blitz powered by female athletes

While the Olympics has long been considered the pinnacle of women’s sports, increased attention has prompted more brands to feature female athletes.
The Sado Gold Mine, so heavily tapped that the mountain bearing it has been cleaved in two, is up for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 20, 2024

Land of punishment, land of gold

The Sado Gold Mine may soon become Japan’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site, but the island’s history is much more complicated than a single tourist destination.
U.S. rugby player Ilona Maher poses for a portrait during the Team USA media summit ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, at an event in New York on April 15.
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2024

Athlete influencers compete for likes as well as medals in Paris

In years past, athletes might have needed a manager to negotiate deals with brands. Now, a company will reach out directly to strike a deal.

Longform

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