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November 21, 2024
 

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FOOD

“Butter” author Asako Yuzuki was inspired by the real-life story of Kanae Kijima, who was nicknamed the “Black Widow” and the “Konkatsu Killer” by the media for killing three men she dated to maintain her luxurious lifestyle of gourmet meals and a high-end cooking school.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 12, 2024
Asako Yuzuki's 'Butter' is a heady serving of food culture and feminism
The author's foodie femme fatale character was inspired by a real-life "black widow" case that caught the public's attention in 2009.
Health experts say the beni kōji supplement scandal should not be treated as a one-off incident. Instead, it should be seen as a cautionary tale about how such health food items could pose more risks than benefits.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma’s slow response to scandal spotlights deeper issues
Health experts say the scandal should be seen as a cautionary tale, and not a one-off incident.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's headquarters in Osaka
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 11, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma troubles reverberate in Taiwan as firm assists with recall
Taiwan is the only place outside of Japan to have seen reports of people falling ill after consuming the company's beni kōji.
Hiroshima Kanon Senior High School in the city of Hiroshima opened a cafeteria serving authentic Italian cuisine in December last year after Hoyu, which had been entrusted with cafeteria operations, went bankrupt in September.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 10, 2024
Business stability screenings urged for school lunch operators
The directive followed the abrupt suspension of meal services at schools across the country by Hoyu, a cooking service company.
Workers prepare processed crickets at Hygente Technology in Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture, in November.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Apr 8, 2024
Next-gen protein sources explored as meat replacements in Tohoku
While proponents tout the benefits of edible insects and plant-based meat, getting consumers to change their eating habits remains an uphill task.
Artificial intelligence is peering into restaurant garbage pails and crunching grocery-store data to try to figure out how to send less uneaten food into dumpsters.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 6, 2024
AI is spying on the food we throw away
The tech is being used to try to reduce the amount of uneaten food that ends up in dumpsters.
As they prepare lunch boxes, volunteer residents discuss anything from local supermarket offerings to life in the evacuation sites.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2024
Making lunch boxes for quake victims brings Noto community together
A spirit of camaraderie pervades among volunteer residents as they put together homemade delicacies for neighbors and fellow volunteers.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's Tokyo office. An investigation into the cause of the health issues is underway, with partner companies attempting to recall products that could include the batch of beni kōji said to have caused kidney problems.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 4, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma's wide supply chain complicates search for tainted products
Looking at the overall market, one study showed that around 33,000 companies have sold and distributed products using the firm's red yeast rice.
A vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on Tuesday
WORLD
Apr 4, 2024
World Central Kitchen chef says Israel targeted his aid workers 'systematically'
Chef Jose Andres said the charity group he founded had clear communication with the Israeli military, which he said knew his aid workers' movements.
Chef Jose Andres (center) and local chefs stir large pots of paella destined for people struggling to find enough to eat in the wake of Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in October 2017.
WORLD / Society
Apr 3, 2024
How Jose Andres and his corps of cooks became leaders in disaster aid
The idea for World Central Kitchen came to Andres in 2010, when he cooked with Haitians who were living in a camp after an earthquake.
Leftover premium-brand chocolate, originally slated for disposal, is made available for purchase at a discount in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Feb. 15, the day after Valentine's Day.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2024
Efforts to reduce food waste find support in Japan but still face challenges
Initiatives are being introduced to avoid the waste of seasonal delicacies, but challenges such as entrenched commercial customs persist.
Warnings have been issued for people to safely use household appliances, including gas stoves.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2024
Warnings issued for household safety in Japan's new fiscal year
The guidelines aim to raise awareness on product safety and mitigate potential risks surrounding household appliances.
A worker stands on a pile of rice sacks as the other worker carries a sack of rice at the warehouse in Jakarta on Feb.13. Dry weather fueled by El Nino has led to a rice shortage and sent prices to record highs.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 1, 2024
As El Nino bites, Indonesians struggle with record-high rice prices
Rice has been an integral part of Indonesian history and culture since ancient times, and is one of the country's most important agricultural commodities.
The giant green signs of this supermarket chain can be slightly intimidating, but chefs of all stripes are welcome in Gyomu's aisles.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 31, 2024
In praise of Gyomu Super, a gem of Japanese grocery shopping
With a name that translates to something like “commercial supermarket,” you might assume Gyomu is just a restaurant supply chain.
A man works at a supermarket in Tokyo last month. Price increases backed by higher ingredient costs have started to come back due to unstable weather, Teikoku Databank has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 30, 2024
Japan to see prices of 2,806 food items raised in April
The figure exceeds 2,000 for the first time since October last year, though down 48.1% from April last year, when prices increased for 5,404 items.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical President Akihiro Kobayashi (second from left) and other executives apologize for the deaths and other health damage associated with its dietary supplements, in the city of Osaka on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 29, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma says blue mold compound may be cause of health problems
The beni kо̄ji red yeast rice dietary supplements are now linked to five deaths and 114 hospitalizations.
Packs of dietary supplements designated as functional food by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. Consumer rights groups have for years argued that the functional food label is thin in scientific evidence and potentially harmful to health.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 29, 2024
Kobayashi Pharma scandal reignites debate on ‘functional food’ labels
The labels have been criticized for years over the lack of sufficient scientific proof of safety and efficacy accompanying their use.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's Osaka manufacturing facility in the city of Osaka on Wednesday
JAPAN / Science & Health / EXPLAINER
Mar 28, 2024
What we know so far about Kobayashi Pharma's supplement deaths
The Osaka-based drugmaker is finding itself under further scrutiny as the search to pinpoint the cause of the deaths continues.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has announced a recall of its products.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 27, 2024
Concerns mount after two deaths linked to Kobayashi Pharma supplement
A government probe is being conducted to establish whether the supplement, which contains beni kо̄ji red fermented rice, led to the deaths.
Akihiro Kobayashi (left), president of major drugmaker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, speaks to reporters along with other executives in Osaka on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Mar 24, 2024
Osaka drugmaker recalls dietary supplements linked to kidney disorders
The Osaka-based drugmaker announced Friday that, of the six hospitalized, two suffered symptoms serious enough to require temporary dialysis.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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