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In recent years, less than 1% of overall U.S. job growth came from manufacturing. Meanwhile, 9 out of 10 new jobs came from the service sector — nearly half of them in education and health services.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2024

A lot of ‘unskilled’ workers actually aren’t

Often people have incredible skills; they just aren’t skills currently in high demand.
Shinjuku Mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi (left) and Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Society
Oct 7, 2024

Tokyo mayors ask people to follow rules during Halloween

Shibuya and Shinjuku wards have each set an ordinance to prohibit drinking on the streets.
Even with the success of "Crazy Rich Asians" and improvements in on-screen representation, Asian actors still comprise just 18.4% of film roles, which is an improvement compared to 3.4% in 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 9, 2024

To win back audiences, put more Asians behind the camera

The movie industry is losing out at a time when it can ill-afford to do so. Betting on Asian talent would help.
The Taro Nasu gallery in Tokyo, with work by the French artist Benoit Pieron on view.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 10, 2024

In Tokyo, the Taro Nasu gallery focuses on conceptual art

Striving to be unique, the small gallery is bringing attention to artists from around the world whose works have rarely been seen in Japan.
Performers at Stand Up Indonesia Tokyo shows crack plenty of jokes, but the main purpose behind the group, organizers say, is to provide a space where Indonesian expats can express themselves about any struggles they may have about living abroad.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 14, 2024

Tokyo’s Indonesians get through life abroad with a couple of laughs

Stand Up Indonesia Tokyo is a community of comedians, comedy fans and others with connections to Indonesia seeking a reminder of home.
Nobuyo Oyama
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 11, 2024

Long-time 'Doraemon' voice actor Nobuyo Oyama dies at 90

Oyama voiced the nation's beloved blue cat-robot in her own inimitable way from the time the show debuted in 1979 until 2005.
A Starlink satellite communication system installed on the training ship Kashima of the Maritime Self-Defense Force for test operations at the Harumi Pier in Tokyo on May 15.
JAPAN
Oct 12, 2024

Japan's MSDF eyeing Starlink for better internet connectivity at sea

Hoping to create an environment where MSDF members can freely use the internet while at sea, the MSDF plans to introduce the Starlink service on its vessels.
Indonesia adopted a measure in 2014 requiring halal labeling for restaurants and food products.
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2024

Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears

The world's biggest Muslim-majority country adopted a measure in 2014 requiring the labeling for restaurants and food products.
McLaren driver Lando Norris has finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen in four consecutive races.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 17, 2024

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris set to renew F1 title chase in Austin

There is still everything to play for as the 24-race season starts its decisive final quarter.
The Hong Kong skyline on Jan. 3, 2022. In 2018, Hong Kong received a record 65 million tourists. In 2023, it welcomed a little more than half that.
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2024

Tourism has rebounded worldwide but not in Hong Kong.

The rebound of international travel to the city continues to lag far behind the tourist activity reported at most other Asian destinations.
Items confiscated by police in connection with several girls bars in Tokyo that operated without authorization in violation of the adult entertainment business law
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2024

17 Vietnamese women arrested over illegal girls bars in Tokyo

The Metropolitan Police Department has received a total of 23 complaints since 2020 about the five bars where the women were arrested.
Abercrombie & Fitch chairman and CEO Mike Jeffries addresses stockholders during the company's annual meeting at the company's headquarters in New Albany, Ohio, on May 22, 2003.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 23, 2024

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries charged with sex trafficking

If convicted, Jeffries faces a possible life sentence and mandatory minimum 15-year prison terms for the sex trafficking charges.
Ryoma Takeuchi (right) is perfectly cast as Kazuma Kiryu, a Jack Reacher-esque character of impermeable physicality in Amazon Prime’s new series “Like a Dragon: Yakuza.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 25, 2024

Amazon’s ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza’ pulls its biggest punch

Amazon’s new series based on the long-running Ryu Ga Gotoku games flattens the quirkiest elements of the Kamurocho red-light district for a run-of-the-mill crime drama.
Nanako Fujita competes during a race in 2019. The recent news of Fujita quitting after her suspension for breaking horse racing's strict phone rules shows that bad habits related to smartphone use don't discriminate.
MORE SPORTS / Horse Racing
Oct 25, 2024

Horse racing in Japan has a smartphone problem

Nanako Fujita's recent retirement over breaches of smartphone rules put a spotlight on a big issue for horse racing in Japan.
Police officers Sunday investigate a building in Tokyo's Minato Ward that houses bar where a female employee was stabbed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 27, 2024

Female employee at Tokyo girls bar stabbed to death

Police officers arrested the man at the scene and are still investigating motives.
Police officers control traffic in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2024

Fewer Halloween revelers seen in Tokyo following street drinking ban

Measures taken that include the street drinking ban to prevent problems are "beginning to produce results," Shibuya's mayor said.
Tesla CEO Elon Mus joins former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the site of the first assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 5.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2024

The growing shadow of big money in U.S. politics

Changes in federal election law have made it easier for candidates like Donald Trump to trade influence for donations.
Quincy Jones attends a reception in his honor at the Residence de France in Los Angeles on April 25, 2017.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 4, 2024

Quincy Jones, renaissance man of American music, dies at 91

Jones died at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family, according to a statement from his publicist.
Investigators from the Osaka Prefectural Police conduct a search last month at the high-end Japanese restaurant Tenhime, operated by Tateki Okuda, in the city of Osaka.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 6, 2024

Osaka brothel owner arrested for allegedly forcing 150 into prostitution

The suspect, who had already been arrested for facilitating prostitution, was newly arrested along with four others for offering venues for prostitution.
The film character Godzilla poses on the red carpet during a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, in November 2004.  
COMMENTARY
Nov 6, 2024

After nearly three-quarters of a century, Godzilla’s monstrous empire is thriving

The famed Japanese monster went from serious metaphor for nuclear destruction to a kitschy pop culture icon.
A cruel twist of fate upends the life of Jin Ai-hsia (Sylvia Chang) in "Daughter's Daughter," director Huang Xi's meditation on maternal grief.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2024

Chinese ghosts and grief compete at Tokyo International Film Festival

A slate of evocative features at Tokyo's major film event showcased established and upcoming directors from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
According to his team, Donald Trump will fill key jobs in the "days and weeks ahead."
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2024

A look at the top contenders to staff Trump's government

Susie Wiles, his election campaign chief, became Donald Trump's first appointment when she was unveiled as his chief-of-staff, as widely expected.
Sanwa Koutsu's Kuroko Taxi service has drivers dressed in traditional stagehand garb communicate with passengers only through gestures and written messages.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024

The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services

“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” one customer says. "I think it’s a pretty smart business move."
Daihachi Yoshida receives the Tokyo Grand Prix award for his film, “Teki Cometh,” at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival on Nov. 6.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 8, 2024

Festival glory for a dark Japanese comedy

With sold-out screenings, international stars and an increase in guests, this year's Tokyo International Film Festival revived its rep as a global cinematic gathering.
People demonstrate in Sydney in March 2021 in response to the treatment of women in politics as part of the Women's March 4 Justice, a series of protest events.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2024

Entrenched sexism is very Australian. Let’s uproot it

Australia, despite its progressive history on women’s rights and high levels of female education, is slipping in global gender gap rankings.
Saudi Arabia fans in the stands at King Abdullah Sport City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 10
SOCCER
Nov 12, 2024

FIFA must halt Saudi World Cup bid over human rights, says Amnesty

Saudi Arabia is the lone bidder for the 2034 edition.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump with the then-leader of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi in February 2019
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 12, 2024

Vietnam may find it harder to profit from new U.S.-China trade war

Its growing trade surplus with the U.S. — which is fourth-largest, after China, Mexico and Canada — will likely put it in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's sights.
Daisuke Tanaka's profile photo on his Instagram account
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 13, 2024

Host arrested on suspicion of coercing client into prostitution

A host club employee in Tokyo’s Kabukicho entertainment district was arrested for allegedly attempting to force a female client into prostitution.
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Nov 18, 2024

In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation

The latest edition of the Japan Writers Conference was a friendly forum for anglophone writers to connect and converse.
The first phase of growth for Warner Bros. in Asia will come from partnerships with local streaming platforms and telecom operators, with the Max standalone app only being launched once the company thinks it has a big enough audience.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 18, 2024

Warner Brothers brings Max to Asia with cautious Hollywood-first strategy

Warner is relying on established franchises like Harry Potter and Friends to draw viewers across the region, setting it apart from rivals Netflix and Disney.

Longform

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