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☆ Sabae: The ‘eyeglasses capital’ of Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Milly Chan | Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Among them is the small city of Sabae, in Fukui prefecture, about a 3.5-hour train ride from Tokyo. An eyeglasses sculpture in Sabae, Japan. Fukui prefecture has four stations on the extended Shinkansen line – Awara Onsen Station, Fukui Station, Echizen-Takefu Station and Tsuruga Station. (Travelers can hop on a separate train from Fukui Station for the 15-minute ride to Sabae.) GI15702993/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesIn addition to being home to the eyeglasses capital of Japan, Fukui prefecture is filled with well-preserved ancient architecture, historic sites and temples, as well as newer attractions, including Nishiyama Zoo, famed for its red pandas.

Persons: Buddhika Weerasinghe, Sabae, Takeshi Yamae, “, ”, Futa Nagao, Takeshi, Sabae’s, It’s, There’s, sakura, Soto, you’re Organizations: CNN, CNN —, Bloomberg, Getty, Boston Club, Sabae’s Megane, Asahi Shimbun, Fukui, Takefu, Tsuruga, Nishiyama Zoo, Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Soto Zen, Food, Museum Locations: Sabae, Fukui prefecture, Tokyo, Japan, Honshu, Fukui, Japan’s Hokuriku, Toyama, Niigata, Ishikawa, Kyoto, Echizen, Maruoka, Tojinbo, Mikata, Wakasa, Tsuruga

☆ Japan’s government in flux after election gives no party majority
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

TOKYO — The makeup of Japan’s future government was in flux on Monday after voters punished Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s scandal-tainted ruling coalition in a weekend election, leaving no party with a clear mandate to lead the world’s fourth-largest economy. The biggest winner of the night, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), had 148 seats, up from 98 previously, but also still well short of the 233 majority. But days before the vote, a newspaper affiliated with the Japan Communist Party reported that the party had provided campaign funds to branches headed by non-endorsed candidates. “LDP’s payments to branches show utter lack of care for public image,” ran an editorial in the influential Asahi newspaper two days before the election. In one bright spot, a record 73 women were elected into Japan’s male-dominated parliament, surpassing 54 at the 2009 election.

Persons: Shigeru Ishiba’s, “, Ishiba, Komeito, Keiichi Ishii, ”, Tobias Harris, Yoshihiko Noda, Fumio Kishida, Yuichiro Tamaki, Nobuyuki Baba, Rintaro Nishimura, Masakazu Tokura Organizations: U.S, Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Japan Foresight, LDP, Japan Communist Party, Asahi, Democratic Party for, People, Japan Innovation Party, DPP, Bank of Japan, Asia, Komeito Locations: TOKYO, China, North Korea, Japan

☆ Japan votes in election expected to punish PM Ishiba's coalition
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

TOPSHOT - Officials look on as people vote during the general election at a polling station set up at a local school in Tokyo on October 27, 2024. Japan voted on October 27 in its tightest election in years, with new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his juggernaut Liberal Democratic Party facing potentially their worst result since 2009. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP) (Photo by RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)Japan's voters decide the fate of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government on Sunday in an election expected to punish his coalition over a funding scandal and inflation, potentially ending a decade of dominance for his Liberal Democratic Party. Political wrangling could roil markets and be a headache for the Bank of Japan, if Ishiba chooses a partner that favours maintaining near-zero interest rates when the central bank wants to gradually raise them. "That's basically the scenario for 'sell Japan'," as investors ponder how the outcome could affect fiscal and monetary policy, said Naka Matsuzawa, chief macro strategist at Nomura Securities.

Persons: Shigeru Ishiba, Richard A, Brooks, RICHARD A, BROOKS, Shigeru Ishiba's, Komeito, Ishiba, Jeffrey Hall, That's, Naka Matsuzawa Organizations: Liberal Democratic Party, Getty, LDP, Bank of Japan, Kanda University of International Studies, Asahi, Nomura Securities, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Locations: Tokyo, Japan, AFP, China

☆ Breakfast with Ohtani: In Japan, watching this World Series may be the national pastime
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Rustin Dodd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

At World Series Media Day on Thursday, no one was a bigger draw than Ohtani. Ninomiya, 59, grew up in the city of Oita, obsessing over books about Japanese baseball history. The comings and goings of Mamiko Tanaka and Ohtani are regular fodder for Japanese morning shows. In Japan, Ohtani is the face of countless advertising campaigns. Ohtani’s presence — along with starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto — could help the Japanese World Series audience approach those heights.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, Tatsuo Shinke, Ohtani, Shinke, Emiko, ” Shinke, “, She’s, Katharine Lotze, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, doesn’t, ”, Robert Whiting, —, Rahm Emanuel, Chicago ”, Jordan, ” Emanuel, Whiting, Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Nomo, Japan — Whiting, Suzuki, Yu Darvish, Tomoki Negishi, I’ve, ” Negishi, Masanori, Negishi, I’m, Chen Liang, Ninomiya, ” Ninomiya, ” Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara, Mizuhara, It’s, Mamiko Tanaka, Stringer, Hiroshi Kitamura, William & Mary, Aaron, Judge, Fernando, Tatis, Ronald, Acuna, Foster Griffin, Griffin, ” Griffin, Ryan Yamazaki, Bobby Valentine, Yoshinobu Yamamoto —, Rob Manfred, “ Smart, ” Yamazaki, Shigeru Ishiba, Machiko Kondo, Kondo, Ichiro, ” Whiting, she’s, Andy McCullough, Sam Blum, Dan Goldfarb, Jayne Kamin Organizations: Mint, Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani’s Dodgers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, Padres, National League, Nikkei, Yankees, Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s Pacific League, Ninomiya, UCLA, NHK, Hokkaido, Ham Fighters, Angels, MLB, Pacific, William &, Kansas City Royals, Yomiuri Giants, Mets, Chiba Lotte Marines, Baseball, WBC, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Athletic, Fuji, United Nations Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Ohtani, United States, America, American, U.S, Chicago, —, Ōta, Oita, ”, Hokkaido Nippon, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, South Korea

☆ Dollar hits one-month peak to yen as Fed seen taking time with rate cuts
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The euro languished not far from a three-week trough reached in the previous session, after normally hawkish European Central Bank policymaker Isabel Schnabel took a dovish tone on inflation, cementing bets for a rate cut this month. Currently, traders lay 34.6% odds of another 50 basis-point U.S. rate cut on Nov. 7, after the Fed kicked off its easing cycle with a super-sized reduction last month. "I do think that if the payrolls report overall is not too shabby tomorrow night, then we will see that pricing (for a 50 basis-point cut) coming in quite significantly." The dollar added 0.09% to 146.575 yen after earlier reaching 146.885 for the first time since Sept. 3. The euro was little changed at $1.10455, sitting not far from Wednesday's low of $1.10325, a level last seen on Sept. 12.

Persons: European Central Bank policymaker Isabel Schnabel, Ray Attrill, Attrill, Asahi Noguchi, Sterling Organizations: Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Private U.S, ADP, Fed, National Australia Bank, Dovish Bank of Japan Locations: U.S, Iran, Israel

☆ Japan still expected to stick to hiking cycle despite PM Ishiba's dovish turn
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Despite dovish comments from Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba leading to a sharp plunge in the yen , market analysts aren't budging from their Bank of Japan policy expectations for the longer term. The yen slid to as weak as 147.15 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday, after Ishiba told reporters that the current economic climate does not require an additional rate increase. The prime minister's comments marked a drastic change in tone compared with the messaging on his recent campaign trail. On Thursday morning, BOJ board member Asahi Noguchi said that the central bank should continue its accommodative monetary policy for the time being. He noted that it will take a while to change the public's perception that prices will not increase significantly in the future.

Persons: Shigeru Ishiba, aren't budging, Ishiba, Kazuo Ueda —, Abe Shinzo's, Stefan Angrick, Angrick, Asahi Noguchi Organizations: Bank of, U.S, Bank of Japan, Liberal Democratic Party, Moody's, CNBC Locations: Bank of Japan

☆ Japan's exports slow sharply, machinery orders shrink in blow to economic recovery
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

He said a boost from the weak yen to exports has faded as the Japanese currency rebounded sharply in August. Total exports rose 5.6% year-on-year in August, up for a ninth straight month, data showed on Wednesday, well below a median market forecast for a 10% increase and following a 10.3% rise in July. Exports to the United States dipped 0.7%, the first monthly decline in nearly three years, as auto sales slumped 14.2%. Those to China, Japan's biggest trading partner, rose 5.2% in August from a year earlier. The value of imports grew 2.3% in August from a year earlier, versus a 13.4% increase expected by economists.

Persons: Takeshi Minami Organizations: Asahi, Co, Bloomberg, Getty, U.S, Norinchukin Research Locations: Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, U.S, China, United States

CNN —Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has died at the age of 86 after a long battle with cancer, his daughter Keiko Fujimori said Wednesday night. “After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord. We ask those who loved him to accompany us with a prayer for the eternal rest of his soul,” Keiko Fujimori wrote on X.Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000, had been fighting for his health, his primary care physician Alejandro Aguinaga said earlier on Wednesday in brief statements to reporters outside the home of Keiko Fujimori. After the pair divorced, Fujimori installed the couple’s eldest daughter Keiko as Peru’s first lady ahead of his second term. Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori speaks during an interview with the Asahi Shimbun newspaper on June 7, 1994, in Tokyo, Japan.

Persons: Alberto Fujimori, Keiko Fujimori, ” Keiko Fujimori, X, Fujimori, Alejandro Aguinaga, –, Mario Vargas Llosa, Abimael Guzman, Peru's, Ernesto Benavides, Fujimori’s, Susana Higuchi, Keiko, Peru’s, Montesinos, ”, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Fujimori “, ” Fujimori Organizations: CNN, Former, Getty, Asahi Shimbun, Twitter, Andina Locations: Former Peruvian, Peru, Peruvian, Lima, France, Latin America, AFP, Japan, Chile, Tokyo, Pativilca

☆ Nankei Trough advisory: Japan is bracing for a once-in-a-century earthquake. Does it need to?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hanako Montgomery | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

A special committee warned that another “major earthquake” could hit in the coming week – the first time in its history the body had issued this type of nationwide advisory. Then there’s the looming threat of the Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake – the most powerful of its kind, with magnitudes that can exceed 9. Japan’s government has warned of the possible Nankai Trough quake for so many years that the possibility of it occurring has become common knowledge. The ‘big one’The Nankai Trough is a 700-kilometer long (435-mile) subduction zone, which refers to when tectonic plates slip beneath each other. “I tell (my students), the Nankai Trough earthquake will definitely come, whether it’s your generation or your children’s generation,” he said.

Persons: ”, Shoichi Yoshioka, ” Yoshioka, Kim Jae, it’s, “, Robert Geller, It’s, Yoshioka, Geller, ” Geller, Yota, Mashiro Ogawa, Megumi Sugimoto, “ It’s, Shuhei Yokoyama, there’s, Sugimoto Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Japan’s Kobe University, “, Residents, Getty, government’s Earthquake Research, Kobe University, University of Tokyo, Asahi Shimbun, Osaka University Locations: Japan, Europe, United States, Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, AFP, Nankai, Philippine, Tokyo, Noto Peninsula, Wajima City, Noto, Fukuoka, Kyushu, Kumamoto

☆ Japan’s Yui Susaki: The first ‘grand slam’ wrestler in history aiming to dominate at Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Andrew Mcnicol | Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —She only recently turned 25, but Yui Susaki is already a reigning Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, and is widely touted as the best pound-for-pound freestyle wrestler in the world. Yui Susaki celebrates with her coaches after winning gold in the Women's Freestyle 50kg final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Asahi Shimbun/Getty ImagesShe is also the first wrestler in history to achieve a “grand slam” in the sport – becoming world champion at U15s, U17s, U20s, U23s, senior and Olympic level. The Russian is the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s 74kg category. But the three-time world champion will not compete in Paris, focusing instead on his transition to mixed martial arts.

Persons: Yui Susaki, –, ” Susaki, Shoko Yoshimura, Susaki, ”, “, Zaurbek, I’ve, ” Sidakov, ” Yui Susaki, Sachiko Hotaka ‘, Mayu Mukaida, Risako Kawai, Yukako Kawai, Himari Semans Organizations: CNN, Paris, Games, ”, Tokyo Games, Asahi Shimbun, U15s, U17s, U20s, U23s, Olympic, Wrestling, Team Japan Locations: Tokyo, Paris, Chiba prefecture, Los Angeles, Brisbane, Dagestan, Russian, Niigata, Japan

☆ Asia's governments seem to think declining birth rates have to do just with dating and sex. That's not the full story.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

AdvertisementDeclining birth rates have been a huge bugbear for Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. Vanessa LeeLee, who owns two dogs and a cat, said that governments may be overestimating the effectiveness of one-off interventions in bolstering birth rates. AdvertisementShe added that a shift in societal mindsets toward work and family needs to occur for her peers to consider having children. But it also doesn't guarantee that having sex brings children and that not having sex is the only reason why people are not having children," Gietel-Basten said. Low birth rates, according to HKUST's Gietel-Basten, are a "barometer of the challenges in society" and should thus be seen as "symptoms of problems in a society."

Persons: —, Vanessa Lee, Lee, Elon Musk, Paulin Straughan, Poh Lin Tan, Tan, Jonas Hue, Vanessa Lee Lee, It's, Emily Huang, Stuart Gietel, Basten, SMU's Straughan, Straughan, HKUST's, we're Organizations: Service, Business, Internal, Ministry, Asahi Shimbun, South, Singapore Management University, Singapore's Institute of Policy, Nordic, Hong Kong University of Science, Technology Locations: Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Korea, Tokyo, Seoul, Sweden, Finland, Hong Kong, Basten

☆ Olympics 2024: What to watch at the gymnastics in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Paris CNN —As competition gets well and truly underway in Paris, all eyes will turn shortly to one of the Olympic Games’ signature sports: Gymnastics. Biles comes to Paris aiming to wash away the disappointment of that Games, and has been on an absolute tear heading into Paris. She returns in Paris looking to match the feat of Czechoslovak gymnast Vera Caslavska in 1964 and 1968. While Biles and Lee are competing against each other in Paris, the two will also be teammates in the team competition that gets underway on Tuesday. Daiki Hashimoto is also aiming to equal his countryman Kohei Uchimura’s accomplishments in London and Rio de Janeiro by winning his second straight all-around gold medal.

Persons: Simone Biles, ”, USA’s, –, Biles, She’ll, Suni Lee, Lee, Vera Caslavska, Japan’s, Daiki Hashimoto, Kohei Uchimura’s, Varfolomeev Organizations: Paris CNN —, Olympic, Bercy, Team USA, US, Russian Olympic, Paris Games, Rio de Janeiro, Japan, NBC, USA, Globo •, CBC, •, ARD, ZDF, Fuji, NHK, Nippon, SKY, SuperSport • United, BBC, Discovery Eurosport Locations: Paris, Tokyo, American, Russia, Russian, Japan, London, Rio de, China, Rio, German, City of Light, Brazil, Globo • Canada, France, • Germany, New Zealand, Africa, SuperSport • United Kingdom, Europe

☆ Volatile yen keeps markets on edge as intervention risks swirl
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A sheet of newly-designed Japanese 10,000 yen banknotes at the National Printing Bureau Tokyo plant in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. The Japanese currency swung between gains and losses in early trading before trading slightly weaker. It spiked nearly 3% to as high as 157.40 immediately after the consumer inflation report on Thursday. "Currency interventions should certainty be rare in a floating rate market, but we'll need to respond appropriately to excessive volatility or disorderly moves," Kanda said. Tokyo intervened at the end of April and in early May, spending roughly 9.8 trillion yen ($61.55 billion) to support the currency.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Kanda, It's, Siong Sim, Charu Chanana, Matt Simpson, Menon, Donald Trump, Sterling Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Asahi, Nikkei, Bank of Singapore, U.S, CPI, Saxo, Federal Reserve, City, Traders, Presidential, Trump Locations: National Printing Bureau Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, U.S

More than a year later, she is still in debt and resorting to sex work to pay her bills. But now she would have to repay him – with sex work the only way to raise the cash. Yu is one of hundreds of women coerced to sell their bodies after frequenting Japan’s so-called “host clubs,” experts told CNN. Of those detained, 40% told police they were soliciting to repay debts run up at host clubs, NHK reported. “It’s a romance scam, basically,” said Ayaka Shiomura, a member of Japan’s upper house of parliament, who has unsuccessfully pushed for better safeguards against exploitative host clubs.

Persons: Tokyo CNN — Yu, she’d, Yu, ’ ”, “, ” Yu, Daniel Campisi, Behrouz Meheri, ”, Ayaka Shiomura, Mikami Rui, ” Mikami Rui, Hidemori, Gen, Shiomura, “ let’s, ” –, ‘, ’ ” Yu, –, Rui, “ I’m Organizations: Tokyo CNN, CNN, Getty, Tokyo, NHK, Asahi Shimbun, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders Locations: Japan’s, Kabukicho, Tokyo, AFP, Japan, Okinawa, Macao, Hong Kong

☆ Japanese officials push dating apps in effort to boost birth rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Japanese officials are encouraging their single citizens to get out and mingle through the promotion of dating apps in a bid to foster marriage amid record low birth rates. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been at the forefront of such efforts and is expected to launch its own government-backed dating app as early as this year. Already, it has been running a dating app test program called "Tokyo Futari Story," which aims to match individuals using artificial intelligence. Tokyo Futari Story asks participants to submit various identification documents, including tax forms verifying annual income and an official certificate of single status. Users also take a diagnostic test so the app can learn about their values and what they're looking for in a partner.

Organizations: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Asahi Shimbun Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Why I Quit Goldman Sachs' Rigid, Male-Dominated Culture
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Lindsay Macmillan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The lack of female leadership in the financial industry is nothing new, but many companies have been making strides. But as I watch senior women continue their exodus from Goldman, I'm not sure the company actually wants to change. While many companies have modernized to embrace hybrid and remote work, Goldman has not. Rather than changing its "be in the office every day and grind it out" culture to better suit women, Goldman puts the onus on us to change ourselves to fit the model. But Goldman leadership seems to want the benefits of gender diversity without the hard work of supporting diverse leadership styles.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, —, Dina Powell McCormick, Beth Hammack, Stephanie Cohen, Goldman, I'd, It's, it's, Morgan Stanley, Jamie Dimon, David Solomon, I'm, hadn't, Julia Boorstin, — Goldman, I've, she's, Asahi Pompey, Yassaman Salas, Rebecca Anderton, Davies, Lindsay MacMillan Organizations: Street Journal, Goldman, Citi, JPMorgan, International Workplace, McKinsey, LinkedIn, CNBC, Deloitte, Asahi Locations: Canada, London, New York

☆ Dollar steady ahead of jobs data; yen hits two-week high
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The yen, while still close to the 152 range, hit a two-week high against the greenback as safe-haven bids and fresh warnings from Japanese authorities buoyed the currency. The dollar has had a turbulent week, falling from a five-month high to a two-week low after an unexpected slowdown in U.S. services growth supported expectations of bringing interest rates down. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, was last largely unchanged at 104.18. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki on Friday reiterated the government's resolve to take appropriate action against sharp yen falls. The yen strengthened 0.29% versus the greenback to a two-week high of 150.92.

Persons: payrolls, Neel Kashkari, Jerome Powell, Charu Chanana, Joe Biden, Matt Simpson, Shunichi Suzuki, Kazuo Ueda, bitcoin Organizations: U.S, The U.S, greenback, Minneapolis Federal, Saxo, Biden, Finance, Bank of Japan, Asahi Locations: The, Minneapolis, Gaza, Iran

☆ A factory in Japan is ramping up measures to avoid animals sneaking in after a cat fell in a toxic vat and went on the loose
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A cat snuck into a factory in Fukuyama, Japan, and fell into a toxic vat before escaping. AdvertisementOfficials in Fukuyama, Japan, put the city on alert after a cat snuck into a metal plating factory and fell into a toxic vat before then escaping. The factory, Nomura Plating, now plans to ramp up security measures to prevent animals from causing problems in the future. AdvertisementA spokesperson told AFP that it immediately alerted police, city officials, and neighboring buildings. In turn, the city's environmental division warned residents of the potential health risks, urging them to keep their distance if they spotted the toxic cat.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Nomura, Asahi Shimbun, UK Health Security Agency, Agence France, Press, Business, AFP, Agency, Toxic Substances, Japan's Nippon TV Locations: Fukuyama, Japan

☆ If you've always dreamed of wandering the alleys in the famous geisha district in Kyoto, your time might be running out
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gion, a historic district in Kyoto, is set to bar tourists from entering its private streets from April. Gion is famed for its traditional teahouses where geisha work and entertain guests. AdvertisementGion, Japan's popular geisha district in Kyoto, will be barring tourists from entering certain alleys, the news agency AFP reported on Friday. The district council comprises several residents of Gion. While Gion's private streets will be closed, tourists will still be allowed to enter the main Hanamikoji Street, which is public, per AFP.

Persons: Gion, —, Isokazu Ota, Ota, It's, Kotaro Nagaski Organizations: Service, AFP, Asahi Shimbun Locations: Kyoto, Gion, Ota, Japan, Yamanashi, Fuji

☆ Japan’s millennia-old ‘naked man festival’ ending because of population decline
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Chris Lau | Himari Semans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

They now face a ballooning elderly population and shrinking workforce, in a challenge to fund pensions and health care as demand from the aging population surges. Participants wearing only "Fundoshi" loincloths at the Somin-sai festival at Kokusekiji Temple in Iwate prefecture, Japan, on February 17, 2024. The Asahi Shimbun/Getty ImagesThe Somin-sai festival was one of three major “naked man” or Hadaka Matsuri festivals held in the country. It took place annually on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year at the Kokusekiji Temple in the northeastern prefecture of Iwate. Participants purify themselves with cold water on Yamauchigawa river during Somin-sai festival at Kokusekiji Temple in Iwate prefecture, Japan on February 17, 2024.

Persons: Japan’s, Daigo Fujinami, Priest, “, Kikuchi Toshiaki, ” Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Asahi Shimbun, NHK Locations: Kokusekiji, Japan, Iwate prefecture, Iwate, Okayama prefecture, Kuronuma, Fukushima

☆ Goldman's head of corporate engagement on what others can learn from Black Heritage Month
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGoldman's head of corporate engagement on what others can learn from Black Heritage MonthGoldman Sachs Global Head of Corporate Engagement Asahi Pompey says American history is black history.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Asahi Pompey Organizations: Black Heritage, Goldman

☆ Lolita style, explained: Why the Japanese-born, Victorian-inspired street style enchants women around the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Her youthful obsession realized in front of her, Ella was inspired to buy her first piece of Lolita fashion in 2015, from the popular Lolita e-tailer Angel Pretty. While Lolita style is named after Vladimir Nabokov’s eponymous teen in the controversial 1955 novel, the overlap ends there. Even 1950s-style American prom dresses, with their extravagant skirts and bodices, influence contemporary Lolita fashion, he said. The skirt's fullness, achieved through the use of a petticoat, is a key characteristic of Lolita fashion. Ella says her personal Lolita style is a blend of classic and sweet, with a healthy dose of prints and patterns.

Persons: Ella hadn’t, waltzed, ”, Ella, Lauren, Shelby Knowles, Pretty, ” —, She’s, it’s, Michelle Liu Carriger, Bianca, Kandace, Vladimir Nabokov’s, Masafumi, Monden, accessorized, Lolitas, Marie Antoinette, Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, ” Monden, ” Liu Carriger, lacy Lolita, Kei, don’t, Liu Carriger, Nghi, Mary, Jane heels, substyles Organizations: CNN, American, UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, Television, University of Sydney, New, Asahi Shimbun, Pink House Locations: California’s Bay, Japan, America, San Francisco , California, US, Oakland , California, Australia, British, Otaru, Hokkaido, Tokyo, Lolitas, California

☆ The Olympics tap its first-ever beer sponsor
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev is becoming the first-ever beer sponsor for the next three Olympics and Paralympic Games — with a non-alcoholic brand taking the torch. The deal will cover the upcoming Summer Games in Paris, the Milan Winter Games in 2026, and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, which will be the first Summer Olympics to be held in the US in about three decades. Prior to this, the Olympics never had a global beer sponsorship, but local organizing committees had enlisted beer brands in the past. “Beer and sports are better together, so we are proud to be the first beer sponsor for the Olympics at the Worldwide Olympic Partner level,” said AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris in a statement. Global sales of non-alcoholic beer have been soaring in recent years as drinkers embrace moderation with alcohol.

Persons: Bud, Corona, “, ”, Michel Doukeris, isn’t, Marcel Marcondes, ” Doukeris, CNN’s George Ramsay Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bud Light, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Paralympic, InBev, Olympic, Milan Winter Games, Asahi Breweries, Olympics, Corona Cero, Modelo, Constellation Brands, Corona, ”, CNN, Team USA, Budweiser Locations: New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Spain, Germany, Europe, Mexico

☆ BOJ's Noguchi: Japan yet to achieve wage-driven rise in inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japanese national flag is hoisted atop the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2023. "It's true the impact of elevated global inflation is reaching Japan's economy with consumer inflation exceeding the BOJ's 2% target since the spring of 2022," Noguchi said, according to the text of his speech posted on the BOJ's website. "But the rise (in inflation) is mostly due to cost-push factors amid higher import prices," contrary to the wage-driven price increases seen in the United States and Europe, he said. "To achieve our 2% inflation target, we must see price rises backed by sustained wage increases," Noguchi said. With inflation exceeding the BOJ's 2% target for more than a year, market expectations are heightening that the central bank will exit ultra-loose monetary policy next year.

Persons: Issei Kato, Asahi Noguchi, Noguchi, we've, Kazuo Ueda, Leika, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United States, Europe

☆ I split my time between Tokyo and Singapore. I don't consider myself a digital nomad, I'm a 'shuttler.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Austin Zeng is a freelancer who splits his time evenly between Singapore and Tokyo. He calls himself a "shuttler," and thinks it has clear benefits compared to being a digital nomad. I'm not a digital nomad, I'm a shuttler. While digital nomads jump from place to place to place, I spend my time shuttling between just two cities: Singapore and Tokyo. Unlike me, a digital nomad would be unlikely to stay in Japan during the dead of winter.

Persons: Austin Zeng, it's, —, I'm, Tokyo Austin Zeng, Shinjuku Austin Zeng I'm, It's, Zeng, FOMO Austin Zeng, Austin Zeng FOMO, I've, you'll Organizations: Service, Asahi Locations: Singapore, Tokyo, Shinjuku Austin, Japan, Shinjuku, —, It's, Airbnbs, I'm

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