Japan

[ad_1] Sapporo – A popular annual snow festival kicked off in Sapporo on Sunday, with food and drink areas set up after being canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's Sapporo Snow Festival, set to run until Feb. 11, features a total of 196 snow and ice sculptures at three venues. Sculptures at the main Odori venue include those based on themes such as "Golden Kamuy," a popular manga series […]

[ad_1] The U.S. has hit 85 targets in Iraq and Syria with more to come in response to last weekend’s killing of three U.S. reservists by Iran-backed militias, and it took no time for critics to declare the Biden administration’s action too weak to deter further attacks.They’re right about that, but the belief that the answer is to bomb Iran itself is magical thinking.Deterrence is too often seen just as […]

[ad_1] Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref. – The powerful New Year's Day earthquake that ravaged a remote central Japan region has left its famed, centuries-old sake-making industry facing the danger of losing some of the craftsmanship it has nurtured to produce quality brands.All the 11 main sake brewers in the northern part of the Noto Peninsula were severely affected by the magnitude 7.6 quake and have been forced to suspend their operations […]

[ad_1] Steel traders, automotive customers and even United States Steel workers are hailing the iconic American company’s decision to sell to a Japanese rival. That has left the steel industry wondering why politicians in Washington are eager to cast doubt on the $14.1 billion deal.Nippon Steel’s December offer to buy U.S. Steel — and the subsequent political pushback — was the hot topic when the industry gathered in Florida last […]

[ad_1] The support rate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet fell 2.8 percentage points to 24.5%, marking its second-lowest rating, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday, with most respondents indicating discontent with his fact-finding efforts regarding the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's political funds scandal. Some 84.9% said LDP lawmakers who failed to report income from fundraising parties should explain what they used the funds for, while 87% expect the party's […]

[ad_1] The Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military named China as a hypothetical enemy for the first time in their joint command post exercise, government sources said Sunday, amid rising concerns over a potential invasion of Taiwan by Beijing in the future.The computer simulation exercise, which began on Feb. 1 and is slated to be held through Thursday, envisions an emergency in Taiwan. A provisional name was previously used […]

[ad_1] MOSCOW – Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko on Sunday set a world record for total time spent in space, surpassing his compatriot Gennady Padalka who logged more than 878 days in orbit, Russia's space corporation said.At 0830 GMT Kononenko broke the record, Roscosmos said. Kononenko is expected to reach a total of 1,000 days in space on June 5 and by late September he will have clocked 1,110 days."I fly […]

[ad_1] DOHA – Japan's quarterfinal exit from the Asian Cup in Qatar may have been a predictable end to the tournament for a team that never lived up to its billing as favorites.Before a ball had been kicked, some of the team's Europe-based stars had openly questioned the scheduling of a competition that forced them to leave their clubs at a crucial stage of the season.Their comments reflected the dilemma […]

[ad_1] SINGAPORE – The global economic landscape is changing fast.Scarring from the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened potential growth, making slower income gains the new normal for many countries. Geopolitical tensions — especially the trade and technology “war” between the United States and China — are threatening not only to halt globalization, a key enabler of growth over the last few decades, but also to split the world economy into separate […]