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Decades after Bhutan introduced its Gross National Happiness index, the idea that gross domestic product is an inadequate indicator of human well-being and social progress is gaining ground.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2024

Is gross national happiness the way forward?

The World Happiness Report's top-ranked countries tended to be smaller Western countries, led by Finland. Larger Western economies tend to perform worse.
Former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, takes part in a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 22, 2024

Koizumi enjoys most support among lawmakers in LDP race: Jiji survey

Ahead of Friday's voting, Koizumi, 43, was backed by over 50 LDP lawmakers, according to the survey of LDP lawmakers and others conducted by Sunday.
Former environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a candidate for ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, speaks during a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2024

Does Shinjiro Koizumi have what it takes to lead Japan?

The 43-year-old is determined to put his past missteps behind him, promising to be a leader who can steer the country through rough waters.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to kill thousands of barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to protect the endangered spotted owl.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 23, 2024

If killing one species might save another, should we do it?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to kill thousands of barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to protect the endangered spotted owl.
The top three U.S. money managers — State Street, Vanguard, and BlackRock — have dramatically reduced support for environmental and social proposals.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 23, 2024

Big three money managers cut support for climate proposals

Total shareholder support for environmental and social resolutions fell to about 19% during the latest proxy season from roughly 22% in the year-earlier period.
The powertrain of a Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic SUV. A Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle burst into flames in the South Korean city of Incheon in July, fueling public fear over the safety of battery-powered cars in recent months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 23, 2024

A Mercedes-Benz fire could cloud South Korea’s EV shift, or give it a boost

Seoul's push for battery-supplier transparency and parking lot safety could pave the way for a more resilient environment for EVs in the future.
French riot police take position as part of a demonstration by dockers during the inauguration of the first French offshore floating wind turbine, Floatgen, in the port of Saint-Nazaire, France, in 2017.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Sep 24, 2024

Offshore wind opponents in Australia and Europe look to U.S. for advice

Many hope they can transform what was once a disorganized scattering of local activists into an increasingly sophisticated global network.
Subway operator Tokyo Metro said that its initial public offering was aiming to raise around ¥319.6 billion.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 24, 2024

Larger IPOs set to test dominance of smaller listings in Japan

New listings look to be gaining momentum as the Nikkei 225 Stock Average has rebounded more than 20% from this year’s intraday low on Aug. 5.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba reacts during a news conference ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election in Tokyo on Sept. 6.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 24, 2024

Why is Shigeru Ishiba so unpopular among his LDP peers?

The former defense minister is highly regarded among the public and local chapters of the ruling party, but it's a different story when it comes to LDP lawmakers.
A user receives ¥50,000 of their salary through the PayPay app.
JAPAN
Sep 25, 2024

SoftBank makes first salary payments via its digital platform PayPay

Employees asking to receive part of their salaries via cashless payment services received the money through the PayPay platform, operated by a SoftBank Group affiliate.
The Three Mile Island plant made global headlines in 1979 with a partial meltdown at its Unit 2 reactor, the worst nuclear incident in U.S. history.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Sep 25, 2024

U.S. nuclear plants won't power up Big Tech's AI ambitions right away

Plans may be delayed by high regulatory hurdles, potential fuel supply obstacles, and sometimes stiff local and environmental opposition.
A river gauge shows a level of just under 6 meters of the rising Oder River at Ratzdorf, Germany, on Sept. 24.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 25, 2024

Climate change made Europe’s floods worse and more likely, study shows

Global warming is leading to more intense rainfall because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture than a cooler one.
Economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, speaks during a debate in Tokyo on Sept. 14.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2024

Does Sanae Takaichi have a real shot at becoming Japan's first female leader?

After failing to win the party presidency in 2021, Takaichi is trying her luck once again — and this time her chances of winning seem better than before.
Flowers are laid in front of a Japanese school in Shenzhen last Friday. A Japanese boy who was on his way to the school was fatally stabbed last week.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2024

Expat safety seen as a must for Japanese firms to keep doing business in China

Business leaders have underlined the duty of a host country to foreign firms in the wake of a fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen.
Japan's allies are hoping for a leader who will continue the effective foreign policies established by Shinzo Abe while the nation's enemies are looking for inexperience and chaos within the Liberal Democratic Party.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 25, 2024

The LDP election through the eyes of allies, 'frenemies' and foes

Allies hope for a Japanese leader who will continue Shinzo Abe's effective foreign policies, while enemies seek inexperience and chaos within the LDP.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Vietnam's President and ruling Communist Party Chief To Lam on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United National General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 26, 2024

Biden meets with Vietnam leader to counter ties with China and Russia

A senior U.S. official said the two leaders discussed how to accelerate a strategic partnership agreed to last year.
Funafuti, Tuvalu’s most populous island, on Sept. 6
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 26, 2024

Tuvalu fights to retain its maritime rights amid climate change inundation

Tuvalu's economic zone is rich in tuna, but few foreign jurisdictions that fish in the Pacific have supported efforts to safeguard its maritime boundaries.
A poster showing portraits of candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024

Takaichi and Ishiba head to runoff in LDP leadership election

Ishiba, 67, and Takaichi, 63, emerged as the top picks in a crowded field of nine in the race that will decide the country’s next prime minister
Suntory alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2024

Suntory to raise monthly wages by 7% in 2025

Suntory will carry out a 7% raise for the third straight year.
“A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm,” by Canadian artists Caitlind R. C. Brown and Wayne Garrett is an outdoor installation of around 14,000 recycled lenses of varied prescriptions.
CULTURE / Art
Sep 27, 2024

Weather makes for an unpredictable artist at Nagano art festival

Fram Kitagawa’s Northern Alps Art Festival embraces its inconvenient location and the natural elements.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves after he was elected as the new head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party during a leadership vote on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024

Fifth time's a charm: Shigeru Ishiba set to be Japan PM after LDP poll win

Ishiba, who has also served as party secretary-general, won the LDP presidential election on Friday, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi in a runoff vote.
A Tokyo Electric Power Company employee uses a Geiger counter to check for radiation near storage tanks holding contaminated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in the towns of Okuma and Futaba in January 2020.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 27, 2024

Tepco's Fukushima decommissioning effort is challenging — but making progress

Tepco believes that diligent monitoring by it and the IAEA over the past year supports the conclusion that water discharges from the Fukushima No. 1 plant are safe.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes a seat in the Liberal Democratic Party president's office in Tokyo after being elected to the post on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 27, 2024

Ishiba wins: An unusual result for an unusual election

The very lawmakers who long shunned former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba made him president in an unexpected twist to the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.
Adriana Torres performs her monologue during the closing of a stand-up comedy workshop at the El Buen Pastor women's prison in Asuncion.
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 29, 2024

Comedy offers new routine for women prisoners in Paraguay

Inmates took part in a two-month workshop run by the Corazon Libre NGO, which uses comedy to help convicts prepare for life on the outside.
Musician Koshi Inaba is the latest artist to be featured on national broadcaster NHK’s Tiny Desk Concerts Japan. Based on a series from America’s National Public Radio, Japan’s version has spotlighted acts that you likely wouldn’t see stateside, like veteran rockers Kirinji and upstart pop artist yama.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2024

NHK furthers global reach with Tiny Desk Concerts Japan

Musician Koshi Inaba delivered a rollicking set for the stripped-down music series that brings cherry-picked Japanese acts you likely wouldn’t see stateside to new ears.
Shigeru Ishiba holds a news conference in Tokyo on Friday after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2024

Ishiba hints at general election in late October as he starts to form Cabinet

Media reports said that preparations were underway for a snap general election to be held on Oct. 27.
While Shigeru Ishiba’s victory suggests a shift within the Liberal Democratic Party, he still faces challenges from those who remain loyal to the old party guard. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2024

Japan’s perennial political underdog finally gets a win

Ishiba margin of victory was slim, meaning that there is still a sizable portion of the party who will be resistant to his initiatives.
Wozme, founded by dancer and choreographer Wakaba Kohei, is composed of Kana Kitty, Ami Ishii, Akane Watanabe and Natsuki. Its aim is to inject elegance and beauty, traits traditionally associated with femininity, into the sometimes grotesque art form of butoh dance.
CULTURE / Stage / Longform
Sep 29, 2024

Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh

The art form’s younger dancers are experimenting with long-standing approaches to the choreography, marketing and image of this captivating piece of Japanese culture.
Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo after being elected the party's new leader Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 30, 2024

Tokyo stocks fall 4.8% in first day of trading after Ishiba's victory

The surprise result in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election “contributed to meaningful volatility” in the markets.
An employee works on the production line of Nio electric vehicles at a JAC-NIO manufacturing plant in Hefei, Anhui province, in China in 2022.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2024

China's factory and service sectors skid as stimulus calls grow

The data showed China's manufacturing industry remains a pain point for policymakers, who acknowledged the economy faces "new problems."

Longform

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