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Firms in Japan are becoming more proactive to fend off global rivals and activist investors showing renewed interest in the country after decades of stagnant growth.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2025

Japan’s ¥36.4 trillion M&A boom expected to grow as activist investors circle

Firms are becoming more proactive to fend off global rivals and activist investors showing renewed interest in the country after decades of stagnant growth.
A surge in management buyouts has come amid increasing pressure from activist investors to improve corporate value, and the burden of maintaining a listing.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 5, 2025

Japan weighs tougher management buyout rules to protect minority shareholders

A surge in buyouts has come amid increasing pressure from activist investors to improve corporate value.
Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto, South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Indian American vocalist Chandrika Tandon won a Grammy on Sunday for their album “Triveni.”
CULTURE / Music
Feb 5, 2025

Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto awarded Grammy for best new age album

Alongside South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Indian American vocalist Chandrika Tandon, Matsumoto took home the accolade for the trio’s album “Triveni.”
Both priest and participant bow in recognition and readiness for the practice of zazen.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 25, 2025

The art of taking a pause: Discover the 1,000-year-old meditation technique of zazen in Tokyo's temples

Thousands of years later, in Japan the practice continues under the name "zazen."
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to pass against the Jaguars during their game in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 15, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Apr 18, 2025

Aaron Rodgers noncommittal about NFL future due to issues in personal life

Rodgers said he was somewhat taken by surprise when the Jets opted to release him in March.
Max Verstappen speaks during a news conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Apr 18, 2025

Red Bull star Max Verstappen feeling ‘very relaxed’ amid rampant speculation

Verstappen, who won the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6, finished sixth in Bahrain last week.
U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin competes during the men's short program at the ISU World Team Trophy at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Apr 18, 2025

Malinin, Liu help U.S. take early lead at skating's World Team Trophy

Malinin, who won his second world title last month in Boston, topped the men's short program in Tokyo with a score of 106.08.
Marriage proposals in Japan look a lot like those in other countries, but there are traditions that are specific to the country that some people still adhere to.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 18, 2025

Voicing intentions and a peek into a traditional Japanese engagement ceremony

While the basics of a marriage proposal are similar to what happens in most countries, an extra ceremony requires specific gifts.
Ryosei Akazawa (third from right), Japan's tariffs negotiator, in a meeting with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent (second from right) and other senior government officials on Wednesday in Washington
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2025

Trump reiterates opposition to Nippon Steel’s purchase of U.S. Steel

Whether there is interplay between the tariff negotiations and the Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal has never been made clear.
Jerome Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, during an Economic Club of Chicago event in Chicago on Wednesday
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2025

Trump mulls firing Fed chair Powell over rate policy dispute

Trump’s threat to oust Powell draws warnings from economists and aides about risks to markets and Fed credibility.
Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun (left) congratulates Alex Ovechkin after his goal against the Penguins on in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Ice hockey
Apr 18, 2025

Capitals great Alex Ovechkin seeks ultimate prize to cap historic season

The race for the history books captivated fans and propelled the Capitals to the top of their division for the first time in five years.
American rapper Post Malone performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 17, 2025

Music, revolution and Y2K: Coachella 2025 takeaways

Highlights from the California music festival included an appearance from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and an increase in leather pants.
An anti-U.S. mural on a building in Tehran earlier this month
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2025

With his promises of peace unmet in Gaza and Ukraine, Trump may find Iran just as tough

Adding to regional tensions is Trump's repeated threat to bomb Iran's nuclear sites if a deal cannot be reached.
Young girls practice taekwondo as they prepare for an event at Kalobeyei Sports Complex at the Kalobeyei refugee settlement in Kenya on March 28.
MORE SPORTS / Taekwondo
Apr 18, 2025

Refugee girls in Kenya find strength in taekwondo

Kakuma is Kenya's second-largest refugee camp and home to over 300,000 people.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Thursday
BUSINESS
Apr 18, 2025

Trump’s tariff policies are hurting the businesses he’s trying to help

Some firms are putting hiring and expansion plans on hold while they come up with short-term plans to cope with the tariffs.
The U.S. Justice Department and a group of states sued Google in 2023, arguing the company illegally monopolized three separate markets related to the technology used for online display advertising: ad servers, exchanges and networks.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 18, 2025

Google loses key antitrust case over ad tech practices

Google has lost a key antitrust case over its ad tech dominance, as a judge found it used exclusionary tactics that hurt rivals, publishers, and consumers.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.2% from a year ago in March, accelerating from a 3% increase in the previous month, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2025

Japan’s inflation quickens as rice prices gain the most in over 50 years

The price of the nation’s staple grain rose 92.1% in March from a year earlier, the fastest pace in data going back to 1971.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on April 5
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2025

Zelenskyy accuses China of supplying Russia with weapons

Kyiv-Beijing ties were already strained after Zelenskyy made public this month its capture of two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia.
Tourists look at skulls of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime in a stupa at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields Memorial in Phnom Penh on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 18, 2025

Khmer Rouge anniversary marked, but without public prayers

The 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s march into Phnom Penh passed without survivor-led ceremonies.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato listens to a question during an interview at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2025

Japan's finance minister is 'deeply concerned' over impact of Trump's tariffs

The minister also voiced concern over volatile market moves that Trump's tariffs triggered, saying they could hurt Japan's economic recovery.
A 2024 survey by a think tank in Tokyo found that Japanese adults are exercising less, with 69.8% of respondents saying they engaged in some kind of physical activity at least once a year, the first reading below 70% since 2006.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 18, 2025

Japanese people are exercising less, survey shows

The proportion of people exercising at least once a year peaked at 76% in 2010 before a gradual downtrend started, a Tokyo-based think tank that did the survey found.
The head of Godzilla, a Japanese monster movie character, is seen on a building of Toho Cinema in Tokyo. Toho is one tariff-defensive stock being recommended by brokers.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 18, 2025

Tokyo broker advises Trump-proofing portfolios with Godzilla-creator Toho

Investor sentiment may favor Japanese companies that continue to issue earnings forecasts, especially during this period of uncertainty and market volatility.
New to the Tokyo version of the globe-trotting exhibition is a Ministry of Magic set, which includes an imposing replica of the Magic Is Might monument representing magical fascism.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 18, 2025

Calling all Potterheads: ‘The Goblet of Fire’ comes to Tokyo

The grand scale and attention to detail is likely to impress — just make sure to withdraw some galleons at Gringotts before coming.
The community pool is a great place for exercise and meeting your neighbors.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jul 31, 2023

Figuring out the rules at a Japanese community pool can be an ongoing education

If you’re headed for the community pool, be prepared: Japanese pool rules are an ongoing education.
The financial district of San Francisco in May 2022
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2023

Not all firms are ready for a four-day week — yet, says expert

The largest-ever trial of the four-day work week found that most U.K. businesses participating don’t want to return to the five-day standard.
Director Hirobumi Watanabe (second from left) stars alongside his brother Yuji (far right), who has served as composer on all of his films, in his new feature “Techno Brothers,” which follows a sibling trio on the road to Tokyo to find success in the music business.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 21, 2023

Foolish Piggies Films keeps humor at its heart

Indie director Hirobumi Watanabe looks back on 10 years of making distinctive, micro-budget films with his brother and seeking out new challenges on and off screen.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.