Japan

[ad_1] The Liberal Democratic Party’s formal departure from decades of faction-based politics has raised questions about its real commitment to political reform and a break from old party politics.The result of only two weeks of debate and hastily approved Thursday just before parliament convenes, the LDP's party reform interim report appears light on firm actions and risks leaving unpleasant repercussions inside the party.Despite all the high-sounding talk and the apparent […]

[ad_1] Sekiwake Kotonowaka took a step toward his first career championship and promotion to the second-highest rank of ozeki Thursday by retaining the sole lead on the 12th day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament. Kotonowaka, who is chasing the 13 wins he likely needs here for ozeki promotion, had little trouble securing his 11th against No. 14 maegashira Onosho (8-4), who has plummeted from title contention with three […]

[ad_1] Behind the global success of Japanese video games lies a delicate task: appealing to overseas players whose expectations on issues such as sexism are increasingly influencing the content of major titles.With the majority of sales for big games now outside Japan, everything from slang words to characters' costumes must be carefully considered for a global audience.It is a complex process that has come a long way since the "Wild […]

[ad_1] The Yakuza gangster series has long been seen as a Japanese version of Grand Theft Auto but Masayoshi Yokoyama, one of the main designers of the hugely successful games, dismisses any such comparison."From the start, we decided not to have a game where you can hit people yourself. All fights start with a provocation from the opponent," says Yokoyama, 47, ahead of the release of the latest installment on […]

[ad_1] A new generation of J-pop artists introduced themselves to the world last year. In 2024, they’re heading out to meet fans in person.Duo Yoasobi’s breakthrough hit, “Idol,” coupled with global streaming success for a variety of other Japanese acts revealed fresh opportunities for the nation’s pop industry. Often an afterthought in the 2010s, overseas interest in Japanese music ballooned last year, with music sales companies such as Luminate highlighting […]

[ad_1] A new generation of J-pop artists introduced themselves to the world last year. In 2024, they’re heading out to meet fans in person.Duo Yoasobi’s breakthrough hit, “Idol,” coupled with global streaming success for a variety of other Japanese acts revealed fresh opportunities for the nation’s pop industry. Often an afterthought in the 2010s, overseas interest in Japanese music ballooned last year, with music sales companies such as Luminate highlighting […]

[ad_1] Los Angeles – MLB.com expects attention to be focused on whether Ichiro Suzuki will be the second unanimous inductee to the United States' National Baseball Hall of Fame when the former Seattle Mariners outfielder is listed on the ballot in 2025. "Ichiro will be on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2025, and the only question isn't whether he's a Hall of Famer," the official […]

[ad_1] Oita – A municipal government in Japan has been criticized on social media for having displayed youth baseball gloves donated by Shohei Ohtani at its office instead of delivering them to elementary school children as he had wished. Yasuhiro Nagano, mayor of Beppu in southwestern Japan, told a news conference on Wednesday that he "wanted to make citizens and children happy" by displaying the gifts from the major league […]

[ad_1] Russia’s war in Ukraine is intensifying an acute deficit of workers that’s hitting businesses from metal refineries to posh Moscow restaurants and igniting a race to increase salaries that threatens the Kremlin’s ability to replenish the armed forces.The competition for employees has pushed wages up at a double-digit pace and made once-relatively lucrative military service less appealing, even after a 10.5% increase in monthly pay to fight in the […]