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US

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 2, 2024
U.S. market swings reveal inflation uncertainty ahead of key data
Some may be less likely to take the Fed chair at his word this time around after a dovish pivot in December was followed by months of upside surprises.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
JAPAN / Politics
May 2, 2024
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
One of the reasons the U.S. economy is growing is because of immigrants, which countries like Japan shun, President Joe Biden said at a fundraising event.
A senior U.S. official on Thursday called on China and Russia to commit to ensuring that decisions about deploying nuclear weapons are made solely by humans, not artificial intelligence.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2024
U.S. official urges China and Russia to declare only humans, not AI, control nuclear weapons
The push comes as U.S. President Joe Biden tries to deepen discussions with China over nuclear weapons policy and the growth of artificial intelligence.
Although current FX interventions are not yet a significant concern for the U.S. Treasury market, large-scale interventions by major holders like Japan or China could pose risks in the future.
COMMENTARY
May 2, 2024
U.S. bonds brace for impact of Japan’s currency moves
Japan holds substantial dollar reserves, but if depleted, it might resort to selling U.S. bonds, though other measures would likely be considered first.
A World Anti-Doping Agency logo is seen at the WADA Symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 12, 2024.
MORE SPORTS
May 2, 2024
USADA slams WADA for making 'half-truths' in China doping case
WADA has been under fire since last month, when the New York Times reported 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine before the Tokyo Games.
Counter-protesters strike a barricade at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus on Wednesday.
WORLD
May 2, 2024
Violence flares at UCLA as police end protests at New York's Columbia
Police said UCLA had called them to restore order and maintain public safety "due to multiple acts of violence" within the encampment.
Local residents look at damage at a site of a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2024
U.S. issues hundreds of sanctions targeting Russia and takes aim at Chinese firms
Of the nearly 300 targets onto which the U.S. imposed sanctions, 20 are companies based in China and Hong Kong.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2024
U.S. and Saudi Arabia near defense pact meant to reshape Middle East
Though many obstacles remain, there is optimism Washington and Riyadh could reach a framework defense deal within weeks.
Members of a group representing family members of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea hold a news conference in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 1, 2024
'No objection' from U.S. to Japan ending sanctions if abductees return
The head of an abductees family group said he wanted Tokyo to carry out "strong diplomatic negotiations behind closed doors."
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (left) and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles (third from left) escort South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (second from left) and Defense Minister Shin Won-sik for a meeting of the two countries' foreign and defense ministers in Melbourne on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 1, 2024
South Korea discusses participating in AUKUS tech pillar
Talks over Seoul's inclusion in the defense technology pillar of the security pact come weeks after Japan also said it was in discussions to join.
A worker organizes cannabis flowers before the opening of the first legal recreational marijuana dispensary, located in the East Village in the Manhattan borough of New York, on Dec. 29, 2022.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 1, 2024
Marijuana could be reclassified in U.S. as less dangerous
The rumored move would ease access to cannabis for patients and researchers studying its medical applications without decriminalizing it.
Visitors walk past an image of Chinese leader Xi Jinping inspecting the Shandong aircraft carrier, at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Museum on the 75th founding anniversary of the PLA Navy, in Qingdao, China, on April 23.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2024
China's newest aircraft carrier begins first sea trials
Experts say the Fujian aircraft carrier — Beijing's most advanced yet — will take it closer to its goal of projecting its military far beyond its shores.
Former Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao arrives at federal court in Seattle, Washington, on Tuesday. Zhao, the founder and former chief executive of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was sentenced today to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating laws against money laundering.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2024
Binance crypto founder Zhao sentenced to four months in prison
Once considered the most powerful crypto industry figure, Zhao, known as "CZ," is the second major crypto boss to be sentenced to prison.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California, on March 13, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
May 1, 2024
U.S. reduces arms licensing burden for U.K. and Australia to boost AUKUS
The U.S. State Department unveiled its proposal to reduce licensing requirements for transferring military equipment as part of the AUKUS defense project.
The trial hearing of Masumi Hayashi, who denied killing four people and poisoning 63 at a festival by lacing a pot of curry with arsenic, was the focus of The Japan Times’ front page of May 14, 1999.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
May 1, 2024
Japan Times 1999: Hayashi admits fraud, denies curry murders
The disturbing case of the Wakayama curry killer would continue for years, resulting in the eventual execution of the woman convicted of the crime.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara takes part in an arrival ceremony with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington last October.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 30, 2024
‘Collective capacity’ to top agenda at four-way defense talks in Hawaii
One thing will be on Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's mind: how to deepen military and security cooperation with allies to counter China.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2024
U.S.-China tensions rise as the tides begin shifting
Irritation colored last week’s visit to China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken amid amplified Chinese anxiety.
The United Nations Security Council votes on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and unconditional release of all hostages, at the U.N.'s headquarters in New York on March 25. So far, such resolutions have proven ineffective.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2024
Can ‘minilaterals’ save the world?
Minilateral partnerships offer a new approach to addressing regional challenges effectively and ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
A screen shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, at the GAC Motor booth at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2024
Xi seems on a mission to drive a wedge between Europe and the U.S.
During his five-day trip to France, Serbia and Hungary on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to show the EU how much China can offer them.
One problem with globalization is American leaders have the power to disrupt numerous economies by severing supply chains or manipulating financial flows, but citizens of those countries have no influence over U.S. elections.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 29, 2024
Democracy and authoritarianism in a modern, globalized world
The bedrock principle of democracy is that people affected by the decisions of political leaders should have a say in selecting those leaders.

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