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Crunchyroll, now owned by Sony Group Corp., is setting its sights on India as a major growth market.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 15, 2023

Former piracy site Crunchyroll cashes in on anime's global appeal

Crunchyroll expects the anime industry will have more than 800 million fans globally by 2025 outside markets in China and Japan.
A sign warning for the presence of mines inside a cemetery in Sviatohirsk, Ukraine, in June
WORLD
Jul 29, 2023

In Ukraine, land mines left by Russian forces pose deadly threat

As Ukraine forces push ahead with their offensive after over a year of shifting battle lines, the military and civilians face a deadly problem: mines.
A lifeguard asks a young man to leave the beach in Los Cabos in Mexico's Baja California state as Hurricane Hilary brings heavy rains to the area.
WORLD
Aug 20, 2023

Hurricane Hilary hits Mexico and California with heavy rains

The storm had weakened Saturday from a powerful Category 4 to Category 2, but it was still deemed capable of "extensive damage."
Delivery trucks at a parking area along the highway in Chiba Prefecture in April
JAPAN / Society
Sep 14, 2023

Japan set to expand visa framework to tackle driver shortage

The planned expansion of the visa framework is to attract foreign nationals to the logistics industries and to address the driver shortage problem.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 20, 2023

Two Japanese researchers picked as 2023 Citation Laureates

Clarivate names researchers as Citation Laureates if they have made Nobel Prize-level research achievements and their papers are cited frequently.
From happōshu to real beer, Japan’s tax changes aim to improve brewing quality and prices.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 6, 2023

Amid rising costs, why is Japan making beer cheaper?

A 350-milliliter can of brew costs drinkers about ¥7 (5 cents) less from October, thanks to changes in the country’s tax system.
Funding for AI companies has outpaced every other category of tech.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 18, 2023

AI funding soars to $17.9 billion while rest of tech slumps

Multibillion-dollar investments in artificial intelligence startups have become almost commonplace in Silicon Valley.
Akina Shu has visited around 50 countries as a speaker and ambassador on the digital nomad lifestyle since 2020.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2023

Japan is enticing for digital nomads, but visa hurdles remain

While the country does not offer a digital nomad visa, the government is working on introducing one sometime in 2024.
University students attend a job fair. If Japanese companies continue hiring people based on the university they graduated from, acquiring extra qualifications or reskilling won't impact candidates' job prospects.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 29, 2023

Kishida’s stimulus package needs rethinking, not reskilling

The government aims to promote reskilling for nonregular workers to boost their job prospects, but this won't matter if hiring practices don't change.
Yuki Fukui (center) squares up against a student during a training session at a judo dojo in Thimphu, Bhutan.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 2, 2023

'The people of Bhutan think differently, and that has changed me'

Originally from Sendai, 26-year-old Yuki Fukui is the fifth Japanese judo coach for the Bhutanese national team.
Japan's 'itameshi' (Japanized Italian cuisine) has as many detractors as proponents, but you can elevate your pasta beyond the criticism with this edamame-infused dish.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Dec 3, 2023

Recipe: Edamame 'mollicata' pasta

Known in Basilicata as 'mollicata,' this rustic preparation can be served with or without cheese.
The Shimbashi area of Tokyo's Minato Ward is crowded with office workers on Friday.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2023

Pubs in Japan thriving again as year-end parties return

On Friday night, many drinking places in the Shimbashi district of Tokyo's Minato Ward were packed with customers.
Japanese model Dulmi, 24, was selected as one of eight models in Vogue Open Casting's class of 2023.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 3, 2024

Dulmi: The biracial model bringing change to modeling in Japan and beyond

In a still-rare recognition of the diversity that exists in Japan, the Osaka native was chosen for the 2023 class of Vogue's Open Casting initiative.
Women attend a protest in 2018 against the rape of three girls, an 8-year-old, an 11-year-old and a teenager, in different parts of India. The country experiences alarming rates of sexual violence against women.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2024

Why is India failing to protect its women?

India is plagued by sexual violence, with many horrific cases in the spotlight over the years. Despite reforms, cultural norms are hindering progress.
New regulations took effect this month to cap the working hours of hospital doctors, with the health ministry also specifying that hours spent on duties and self-development directly associated with education and research should be considered work hours.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 1, 2024

Japan starts work style reform to cap doctors' overtime

Medical services in Japan have historically relied to some extent on the self-sacrifice of doctors.
A lone Tesla charges in the basement of a commercial property in Tokyo. One of Japan’s biggest obstacles to electric vehicles is subpar charging infrastructure.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2024

How three high-tech countries became laggards in electric vehicles

Japan's slow adoption traces back to a decade-old bet on hydrogen fuel-cell technology, while U.S. and South Korea have hit bottlenecks.
One analyst said Japanese policymakers "hid the intervention well," pointing to the ways they may have used to fund currency interventions recently.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 6, 2024

Market hunts for signs of yen intervention in Fed accounts

Recent data suggests that Japanese policymakers may have funded currency interventions using a Fed facility where central banks stash overnight cash.
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.
Vinesh Phogat of India (in red) wrestles Yusneylis Guzman Lopez of Cuba in the women's 50-kg semifinals on Tuesday at the Paris Olympics. Phogat was later disqualified for being 100 grams over the weight limit.
OLYMPICS
Aug 8, 2024

Disqualification costs India a medal, but its Olympic future still looks bright

Vinesh Phogat had a chance to win a first Olympic gold for Indian women. But even after he disqualification, the country's female athletes have a promising future.
South Africa's 49-year-old skateboarding Olympian, Dallas Oberholzer, competes in the men's prelims during the Paris Games on Aug. 7.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2024

The oldest Olympians might hold the key to slowing down aging

As we age, the number of mitochondria in our cells declines, but that happens much more slowly in people who continue to do strenuous exercise.
Indonesian powerlifter Ni Nengah Widiasih has won two Paralympic medals during her career.
PARALYMPICS
Aug 26, 2024

Indonesia's top Paralympic powerlifter set to chase more glory in Paris

The three-time Paralympian, diagnosed with polio as a child and unable to use her legs, began powerlifting in elementary school.
Shohei Ohtani walks through the dugout with his dog Decoy before the Dodgers' game against the Orioles at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 29, 2024

Shohei Ohtani signs exclusive trading card deal with Topps

Ohtani has had a nonexclusive relationship with Topps since 2018.
Pedestrians cross an intersection in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Japan has experienced a postpandemic travel boom, with tourists pouring back in after restrictions closed the country’s borders to travelers.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2024

Japan jumps to No. 2, from sixth place, in Best Countries index

It jumped from 6th place on the 2023 list as a post-COVID boom and reforms helped bump it up on the subindexes used to calculate the overall score.
Japanese actress Anna Sawai, winner of the outstanding lead actress in a drama series award for "Shogun," and Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, winner of the outstanding lead actor in a drama series award for the show, pose in the press room during the 76th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 16, 2024

'Shogun' becomes first non-English-language winner of best drama Emmy

Veteran leading man Hiroyuki Sanada and co-lead Anna Sawai also took home acting awards for their roles in the show.
Toyota Gazoo Racing fans cheer on the team at the start of the 6 Hours of Fuji race on Sunday at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 20, 2024

For Toyota and its rivals, WEC becomes important arena amid major industry shift

Carmakers' involvement in endurance racing has taken on a new level of importance as the auto industry faces a once-a-generation sea change.
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.
At France's Kura Master competition, top honors went to "Shirayuki Daiginjo Itami Morohaku" (left) and "Araroka Matsufuji."
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 3, 2024

Award ceremony for Japanese alcohol held in Paris

1,223 sake products and 197 shōchū and awamori products were put up for the competition.
A couple from Orlando walks along a street covered in sand as a result of Hurricane Helene in Clearwater, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected midweek landfall.
WORLD / Society
Oct 7, 2024

FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation as Florida braces for Milton

The head of the U.S. disaster relief agency lashed out at a "dangerous" misinformation war being waged over the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
People line up to buy wood to protect their assets before the hurricane Milton, in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Oct 9, 2024

After Helene devastation, over 1 million people flee path of Hurricane Milton

Milton, which exploded Monday into one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record, was forecast to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Heavy rain in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton approaches
WORLD
Oct 10, 2024

Hurricane Milton marches across central Florida, destroying homes and knocking out power

In a state already battered by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, as many as 2 million people were ordered to evacuate.

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