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Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Apr 4, 2002

Win for Tigers in 2002 pennant race may spark Kansai recovery: analyst

OSAKA -- As a rabid Hanshin Tigers fan, Daiwa Research Institute President Koichi Kunisada seems pretty sure of the destiny of this year's Central League pennant -- it is bound for Osaka.
LIFE / Digital
Dec 20, 2000

Government, industry reassess potential harm of video games

SEATTLE -- Can games desensitize children and teach them how to kill? Video and computer game violence is such a hot topic in the United States that the U.S. Senate has held two sets of hearings on the matter, and several senior senators each year host a conference in which they discuss problems with...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 1999

More reform needed to underpin Japan's economic recovery

Japan has made important progress in recent years in the area of regulatory and other structural reforms, but there is an urgent need for further and more rapid progress to strengthen future Japanese growth and prosperity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Feb 6, 2023

Gaming disorder among youths surging amid smartphone use and pandemic

“Patients are having difficulties in their lives and are feeling lonely, and they turn to games to relieve such feelings,” said the director of a psychiatric hospital.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 11, 2022

U.S. rethinks approach to China tariffs in wake of Taiwan response

The president's team has been wrestling for months with various ways to ease the costs of duties imposed on Chinese imports during predecessor Donald Trump's tenure.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2022

Polls open in Upper House election upended by Abe's death

The vote is expected to determine if Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can win the mandate he needs to push forward with his agenda in the coming years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2022

Europe’s economy on a knife edge

Europe's recovery from the damage caused by COVID-19 was solidifying. But now European policymakers have exactly zero control over whether their economies' rebound continues.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 18, 2021

U.S. asks Japan, China and others to consider tapping oil reserves, sources say

The unusual request comes as Biden fends off political pressure over rising pump prices and other consumer costs driven by a rebound in economic activity.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2020

‘It’s hard to prove’: Why antitrust suits against Facebook face hurdles

Any company breakup may face the skepticism of courts, which have been hesitant about undoing mergers because that can sometimes cause more harm to consumers than good.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2020

Sony presents 'world’s first' image sensors with built-in AI

The new technology promises to make data-gathering tasks much faster and more secure.
A memorial for Brodee Champlain Kingman on the corner of El Camino Real and Santa Fe Drive in Encinitas, California, on Thursday. The e-bike industry is booming, but many vehicles are not legal for teenagers, and accidents are on the rise.
WORLD / Society
Jul 30, 2023

‘A dangerous combination’: Teens’ accidents expose e-bike risks

The e-bike industry is booming, but a spate of fatal accidents has raised questions about how safe e-bikes are, especially for teenagers.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda gives a news conference in Tokyo on Friday. The BOJ jolted financial markets by loosening its grip on bond yields.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2023

BOJ yields some control, but also throws a curveball

In trying to keep several plates spinning as it pertains to monetary policy and inflation, BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda steps on his message.
A sign reading "suspend the sale of all fish products imported from Japan" in an area of Japanese restaurants in Beijing
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2023

China’s actions on Japan and religion are cut from the same cloth

Beijing’s stoking of anti-Japanese sentiment based on unscientific accusations mirrors its suppression of religious freedom in Xinjiang.
Tourists walk in front of Crown and Anchor pub on Neal Street in London in 2018. Pubs are big part of British culture.
WORLD / Society
Sep 4, 2023

What’s really killing Britain’s historic pubs

With each time-honored spot that’s shuttered, another little piece of British history is lost.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 18, 2023

Wall Street comes to grips with how wrong it’s been in 2023

Stock-market strategists who were largely wrong about this year’s rally are finally starting to come to face their mistake.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2023

Janet Yellen defends climate progress as critics push harder

The U.S. Treasury chief has made climate change a top priority. For some that’s a great relief. For others, it’s a distinction that’s too easy to claim.
A young boy watches a screen showing Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Military Museum in Beijing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

Xi Jinping is asserting tighter control of finance in China

The Communist Party expects banks, pension funds, insurers and other financial organizations in China to follow Marxist principles.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s future is uncertain as a fund-raising scandal casts a shadow over who will lead the Liberal Democratic Party. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 8, 2023

Unpacking the scandal rocking the LDP to its core

What may be termed as the “faction parties scandal” is a shock to the system that will have deep implications for the Japanese political landscape.
In the U.S., proof that inflation remains sticky and the labor market sound has convinced traders to embrace the Federal Reserve’s pushback against market bets on near-term easing.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 19, 2024

Cracks start to emerge in global central bank synchronicity

The synchronization among central banks might be about to weaken as domestic drivers take over from global trends in determining price outlooks.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
May 17, 2024

BOJ could raise rates as soon as June, ex-chief economist says

An increasing number of analysts have flagged the risk of a summer hike as the sinking yen raises the risks of the price trend moving higher.
Several examples of rare and expensive fruits at Melissa’s Produce in Los Angeles on May 22.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2024

The world of luxury fruit: Does a $156 melon taste sweeter?

The United States is developing an appetite for luxury fruits long known in countries like Japan and South Korea.
As investors look for opportunities in the new environment created by the Bank of Japan and the resulting market turmoil, there is broad consensus that they will have to reevaluate what they thought they knew about the country.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 7, 2024

Japan morphs into the center of worry for global investors

In less than a week, Japan has completely upended the world’s expectations for its markets and economy.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 16 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

iPhone 16 to land in Japan without Apple Intelligence 

The new feature, which uses generative artificial intelligence to analyze text and photos, will only be activated in 2025 in several markets, including Japan.
Managers, in their effort to avoid appearing sexist, often provide women with insincere or inconsistent feedback during performance reviews.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 15, 2024

Women don’t always get the candid feedback they deserve

Managers, in their effort to avoid appearing sexist, often provide women with insincere or inconsistent feedback during performance reviews.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks to a reporter on Sept. 27. Aggressive acts toward front-line workers, dubbed "customer harassment," have become a growing problem.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 4, 2024

Tokyo passes nation's first customer harassment ordinance

The ordinance, however, does not include any criminal punishment for those accused of harassment.
Suspects in a badger game scheme allegedly forced victims to pay money by threatening them, locking them up, assaulting them and pursuing them via consumer credit companies.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2024

Tokyo police arrest nine people over alleged badger scheme

The individuals were arrested on charges for extorting about ¥2 million in cash from four male customers in their 20s to 40s between April and July.
People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 6, 2024

Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?

Japan’s suspect remedies make up 20% of the world’s market for hangover cures, but their success lies more in marketing than science.

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition