Japan

[ad_1] Marumori, Miyagi Pref. – A ceremony was held in Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday to remember victims of flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rain from Typhoon Hagibis five years ago. "We still have vivid memories even now, five years later," Kunio Hoshina, the mayor of Marumori, where 11 people died in the disaster, said in a speech at the ceremony that was attended by about 60 people, including […]

[ad_1] SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE – China's highly anticipated announcement of financial stimulus plans on Saturday was big on intent but low on the measurable details that investors need to ratify their recent return to the world's second-biggest stock market.Saturday's news conference by Finance Minister Lan Foan reiterated Beijing's broad plans to revive the ailing economy, with promises made on significant increases to government debt and support for consumers and the property sector.But […]

[ad_1] Convenience store operators Lawson and FamilyMart posted higher consolidated net profits for their fiscal first half ended in August, driven by strong sales of store-brand products, as consumers have been struggling with higher prices. Lawson reported record operating revenue and net profit for the first half as its customer number and per-customer revenue grew after the company beefed up its sales promotion and home delivery services. Lawson's operating revenue […]

[ad_1] Keiichi Ishii, new head of Komeito, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's ally, sees a maintaining at least a majority of seats in the Lower House as the make-or-break line for the ruling coalition in the upcoming general election.In a recent interview, Ishii offered the view that public criticism of the LDP's political funds scandal remains too severe to allow the ruling bloc to enjoy a big victory in the […]

[ad_1] Nihon Hidankyo, an atomic bomb survivors group based in Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefectures, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons — the first time in 50 years that a Japanese recipient has been awarded the prize.Joergen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said it awarded the organization with the honor for demonstrating through witness testimony […]

[ad_1] “For tonight’s story, we take a trip to Namibia in Africa, where I traveled a long time ago,” a narrator says gently, ambient organ music playing in the background, as she recalls her visit to Etosha National Park.“The brown, arid land stretches 360 degrees around the park, and you can see everything from a great distance. You can even see grasslands rustling far away ...”So begins the 10-minute episode, […]

[ad_1] A famous proverb says time is money. So too is sleep, it seems.A study published in Rand Health Quarterly in 2017 examined the economic burden of insufficient sleep across five OECD countries: Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It estimated that the various health and mortality risks from lack of sleep could lead to substantial loss — up to $411 billion annually, or 2.28% of […]

[ad_1] STANFORD, California – Iran and Israel have long been locked in a volatile confrontation — a cold war chronically in danger of turning hot.Weaponizing a peculiar brand of Islam that denigrates nationalism in favor of an Islamic state, Iran’s clerical regime has partly defined its divine mission as requiring Israel’s elimination. To that end, Iran has created and armed proxies across the region, from Gaza and Lebanon to Syria […]

[ad_1] The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Thursday to advance in the MLB playoffs as the Cleveland Guardians kept their season alive with a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton drove in runs for the Yankees, and pitching ace Gerrit Cole surrendered just one run over seven sparkling innings as New York clinched its best-of-five American League Division Series […]