Search - 2020

 
 
Students stand during a flag-lowering ceremony on the first day of the new academic year in Shanghai in 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2023

China's private schools struggle amid COVID and regulatory woes

The sector stumbled after Beijing imposed new rules in 2021 and cracked down on the private tutoring business.
Seiko Noda (right), head of a suprapartisan group of lawmakers discussing assisted reproductive technology, addresses the group's general meeting held in the Diet building on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2023

Bill on sperm and egg donors seeks disclosure of some information

The draft seeks to allow information that is not personally identifiable, such as height, blood type and age, to be disclosed without donor's consent
A scheduling conflict resolves the diplomatic issue of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee's participation in the APEC forum being hosted by the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2023

Resolving Hong Kong conundrum key to U.S.-China APEC summit

Four U.S. lawmakers urged the State Department to bar Hong Kong leader John Lee, calling him a “human rights abuser.”
Pedestrians and shoppers walk past a branch of fashion retailer H&M in central Stockholm on July 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 9, 2023

Sustainable cloth-maker Renewcell struggling amid slow adoption

Stock in Renewcell lost over 80% of its value in the last month and the firm has reported an operating loss of $17 million in nine months.
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Falls Church, Virginia, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 9, 2023

U.S. elections show Republicans have clear voter problems

Abortion as an issue that breaks strongly for the Democrats doesn’t seem to be going away at any point soon.
Director Hideo Jojo made the switch from soft-core adult films to more mainstream entertainment with “On the Edge of Their Seats,” a drama about four teenagers watching their high school baseball team lose an important tournament game.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 10, 2023

'Pink film' director Hideo Jojo gets the red carpet treatment

Tokyo's annual film festival named Jojo — who has made over 100 titles, from soft-core adult films to theatrical features — this year's Director in Focus.
ICBC Financial Services said in a statement a ransomware attack resulted in disruption to certain systems and it was conducting an investigation and "progressing its recovery efforts."
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023

China's biggest lender ICBC hit by ransomware attack

The lender said it was investigating the attack that disrupted some of its systems, and making progress toward recovering from it.
As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2023

Tokyo to install quake-resistant pipe joints to avoid water outages

As of the end of March 2022, only 48% of all water pipes in Tokyo were quake-proof.
A bill that would raise the pay for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Cabinet ministers and some civil servants was passed by the  Lower House Cabinet Committee on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2023

Bill that would hike Kishida and Cabinet's pay clears Lower House committee

The plan has been met with fierce backlash from opposition parties, with lawmakers lambasting the government for its “poor political judgment.”
Au Pay offers points for each transaction up to ¥250,000, with users receiving reward points.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 10, 2023

Six arrested in ¥171 million au Pay points scam

The store owner is believed to have been recruiting people on social media to cooperate with him on the fake transactions.
The world’s carbon footprint is split into three roughly equal portions: China, all developed nations and the rest of the world.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2023

How China’s downturn could save the world

The world’s carbon footprint is split into three roughly equal portions: China, all developed nations and the rest of the world.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks with entrepreneur Elon Musk during a chat session on the rewards and risks of artificial intelligence in London, earlier this month.
EDITORIALS
Nov 10, 2023

Can the world harness AI’s fire without getting burned?

Calls are increasing for governance of artificial intelligence, the world-changing tech that bears both major rewards and risks.
Ruby Lilley practices in a skateboard bowl ahead of the Exposure 2023 skateboarding competition in Encinitas, California, on Nov. 2.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 10, 2023

Female skateboarders display skills in continued push for exposure

In the bowls and street skating ledges and rails of U.S. skate parks, women and girls exude pride over their increasingly impressive skateboarding skills and say even the guys who have long dominated the sport are taking notice.
Japanese state-backed fund INCJ has sold all but a token portion of its stake in semiconductor manufacturer Renesas Electronics.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 10, 2023

Japan fund INCJ sells ¥279 billion of Renesas shares

The shares have primarily been sold to overseas institutional investors, INCJ said.
Ozeki Hoshoryu is a match for anyone in sumo despite his occasional bouts with inconsistency.
SUMO
Nov 10, 2023

Young ozeki duo may be ready to step into spotlight at Kyushu Basho

Kirishima and Hoshoryu have generated much of the excitement in Japan’s national sport over the past 12 months.
Young monks practice writing Tibetan at a monastery in Yushu, China. Beijing has restricted the teaching and practice of minority languages and religions.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 13, 2023

China’s new law on religion: A great leap backward

Beijing's new law on religious venues has received little attention but has far-reaching consequences in restricting religious freedom.
A hearse carrying the coffin of England World Cup winner and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton is driven past Old Trafford stadium ahead of his funeral in Manchester on Monday. Charlton, described by Manchester United as a "giant of the game," died on Oct. 21 at the age of 86.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2023

Thousands line Manchester streets to bid farewell to Bobby Charlton

The 1966 World Cup winner, widely regarded as one of England's greatest players, died after an accidental fall at his care home on Oct. 21.
Economists estimate Japan's real gross domestic product shrank at an annualized 0.4% in the three months through September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2023

Japan’s economy likely shrank in summer as recovery sputters

Economists estimate that real gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 0.4% in the three months through September.
Japan’s policy came under scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic, when vaccines approved overseas needed additional testing prior to their approval in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 14, 2023

Japan set to scrap rule requiring testing of new drugs on Japanese

To sell a drug in Japan, pharmaceutical firms are required to conduct additional trials specifically targeting Japanese participants.
Takakeisho (left) wins his opening-day bout on Sunday in Fukuoka. The Hyogo Prefecture native is nearing a promotion to yokozuna.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 15, 2023

Top wrestlers' hot starts set stage for dramatic Kyushu tourney

The opening three days of action at the Fukuoka International Center has seen the six highest-ranked wrestlers that are taking part go a combined 17-1.
The Formula One track in Las Vegas is lit up ahead of the Grand Prix on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 16, 2023

Formula One’s Las Vegas race isn’t living up to the hype

Liberty Media, the owner of F1, has started to lower profit expectations for the race, blaming unexpected costs.
Daniil Medvedev returns a shot to Alexander Zverev during their round-robin match at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Nov 16, 2023

Medvedev books place in ATP Finals semis as Alcaraz gets back on track

World No. 3 Medvedev had to win in straight sets to claim a spot in the semifinals in Turin with a match to spare.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office representative Hsiao Bi-khim waits to be introduced during the opening ceremony of the first ever Taiwan Expo in Washington on Oct. 12, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

Taiwan presidential frontrunner taps U.S. envoy as running mate

Born in Japan to a Taiwanese father and American mother, Hsiao Bi-khim has been Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the U.S. since 2020.
A worker supervises construction work on a wave breaker in the port of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico, on Oct. 9, as part of expansion works on the Interoceanic Railway that connects the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2023

Mexico building rail rival as water shortages drain Panama Canal

By 2028, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec Interoceanic Corridor should see 300,000 cargo containers transit every year, with 1.4 million by 2033.
Haneda Innovation City, a new business hub near Tokyo's Haneda Airport, held its grand opening on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 16, 2023

Haneda’s new business hub holds grand opening

While Tokyo has a number of business hub facilities, Haneda Innovation City's proximity to an airport makes it unique.
Bears doing yoga? If you’re in the city, why not?
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 16, 2023

Bear goes the neighborhood? Japanese wildlife is on the move.

This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss why people are encountering bears, boars and other wildlife in the most unlikely of places.
Shota Morishita (second from right) is congratulated by teammates after his home run in the seventh inning against Taiwan during the Asia Professional Baseball Championship at Tokyo Dome on Thursday.
BASEBALL
Nov 16, 2023

Samurai Japan overcomes slow start to beat Taiwan in APBC opener

Shota Morishita got Japan going with a home run in the seventh inning.
Tyson Fury (left) and Oleksandr Usyk will meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Nov 17, 2023

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to meet for undisputed title

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24, 2024.
A study using a late 20th century baseline determined that glaciers in south Greenland shrank in length by 18% on average, while glaciers in other parts of Greenland retreated by up to 10%.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Nov 17, 2023

Greenland’s glaciers are shrinking at ‘unprecedented’ rate as Earth warms

Over 1,000 peripheral glaciers and ice caps are disappearing twice as fast as they did during the 20th century.
Overflowing trash next to a vending machine in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, which is popular with tourists, in March
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 18, 2023

Trash cans make techie comeback in Japan as tourists flood cities

This week, the tourist-heavy Dotonbori district in Osaka installed around 20 new technologically enabled garbage cans called SmaGO.

Longform

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