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☆ Rouen fire: Blaze breaks out in spire of French cathedral
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A fire broke out in the spire of the cathedral in the French city of Rouen on Thursday morning. The blaze erupted at the top of the spire of the gothic Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Rouen, in the northern region of Normandy. The prefecture confirmed on X that the cathedral was evacuated following the outbreak of the flames and that emergency services were working at the scene. “I turn around and I see the cathedral spire, the tarpaulin that was protecting the restoration work, which was burning, big flames, black smoke.”The construction of Rouen cathedral dates from the 12th century and it was built and rebuilt over a period of 800 years. This blaze comes five years after a massive fire broke out in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, devastating large parts of the 850-year-old church.

Persons: Stéphane, Patrick Waeselynck, ’ ”, Claude Monet Organizations: CNN, Assumption, Normandy’s, Reuters, Notre Dame Cathedral Locations: French, Rouen, Normandy, Normandy’s prefecture, Oise, Paris

“Today, I would like to announce that a settlement has been reached in the civil trial with the three perpetrators who were found guilty in the criminal trial,” Gonoi said. Authorities initially seemed unwilling to believe her but Gonoi’s refusal to be silenced eventually prompted prosecutors to reopen investigations in a sweeping probe into sexual harassment across the JSDF. The broad investigation led by Japan’s defense ministry found that Gonoi had suffered physical and verbal sexual harassment daily between late 2020 and August 2021. Not backing downAs a child, Gonoi said she saw JSDF members as heroes. The defense ministry eventually launched a broad investigation into sexual harassment across the JSDF that found Gonoi had suffered physical and verbal sexual harassment daily between late 2020 and August 2021.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Rina Gonoi, ” Gonoi, Gonoi, “, Yoshiaki Saito, Japan’s, Kazuhiro Nogi, Fumio Kishida, Boram Jang, “ Rina Gonoi, ” Jang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, “, Japan Self, Defense Force, NHK, CNN, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, Authorities, Getty, Japanese, Gonoi, Amnesty Locations: Tokyo, Hong Kong, Japan, Higashi, Japan’s, Miyagi, Fukushima, AFP, East Asia

REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights New Tab , opens new tabJuly 10 (Reuters) - Costco Wholesale (COST.O) New Tab , opens new tab said on Wednesday it would hike annual membership fees for the first time in seven years for its U.S. and Canada customers, effective Sept. 1. Costco said the maximum annual 2% reward associated with executive membership will also increase to $1,250 from $1,000. "The market has been expecting (discussion of) a membership fee hike for a couple years ... management historically tends to raise membership rates every 5 to 6 years," said Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors. For fiscal 2023, membership fee revenue accounted for 1.9% of the company's total revenue. New Tab , opens new tabSave Share XFacebookLinkedinEmailLink Purchase Licensing Rights

Persons: Tom Bateman, Costco, Michael Ashley Schulman, Schulman, Granth, Mohammed Safi Shamsi Organizations: Costco, REUTERS, Costco Wholesale, Running, Capital Advisors, Thomson Locations: Meiwa, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Canada, Bengaluru

☆ 3 big mistakes people traveling to Japan make, according to someone who's visited 11 times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewOut of the 34 countries travel blogger Grace Cheng has visited, none has left such a lasting impression than Japan. AdvertisementCheng first visited Japan in 2017, and she's gone 11 times since then. "Tokyo is not Japan," Cheng said. "The best way to experience the streets and just get to know the country itself is just to get lost," Cheng said. "The best restaurants that I've found have come from stumbling upon them just walking the streets," she said.

Persons: —, Grace Cheng, Cheng, she's, Sean Pavone, MIXA, it's, Rasmus Jurkatam, I've Organizations: Service, Business, International Trade Administration, Google Locations: Japan, NYC, Kyoto, Tokyo, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Osaka

☆ Japanese pufferfish: Cup Noodles serves up notoriously poisonous pufferfish
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Chris Lau | Rinka Tonsho | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tokyo CNN —Pufferfish is regarded as a luxury in Japan and a meal featuring the potentially poisonous delicacy can easily cost up to 20,000 yen ($125) at high-end restaurants. But now, adventurous foodies in Japan can get a taste of “fugu” for a fraction of the price, from a Cup Noodle. Japanese instant noodle giant Nissin Foods released the new pufferfish flavor on Monday, expanding its massive lineup. “In recent years … ramen shops specializing in fugu ramen have been popping up, grabbing the hearts of many ramen fans,” it said. An elderly couple in Malaysia died last year after eating pufferfish, prompting an appeal from their daughter for stricter regulations.

Persons: Pufferfish, Nissin, Momofuku Ando Organizations: Tokyo CNN, CNN, Western Australia’s Department of Fisheries, Chefs Locations: Japan, Colombia, Gamagori city, Japan’s, Aichi, Philippines, Malaysia

☆ Japan is determined to keep hunting whales. And now it has a brand new ‘mothership’ to do that
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Heather Chen | Hanako Montgomery | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Demand for whale meat in JapanOver the years, Kyodo Senpaku has launched aggressive public relation campaigns to promote whale meat and win over new generations of young diners. We would react very badly to that.”The owner of a whale meat shop shows a block of whale meat at the Karato fish market in Shimonoseki city. Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP/Getty ImagesThis picture taken on May 20, 2024 shows whale meat sashimi at a 'Nisshinmaru' whale meat restaurant in Shimonoseki city, Yamaguchi prefecture. Located in deep waters surrounding the entire continent of Antarctica, the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary hosts dozens of whale species including humpbacks, blue whales and fin whales. “It’s called the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary for a reason – you don’t kill whales there,” Watson said.

Persons: Tokyo CNN —, Hideki Tokoro, ”, ” Tokoro, Hideko Tokoro, Hanako Montgomery, Paul Watson, “, Daisuke Urakami, Ari Friedlaender, Sutton Hibbert, Shutterstock, ” Donald Rothwell, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Francois Gohier, ” WCA, Tokoro, Nobuhiro Kishigami, ” Kishigami, “ It’s, Yuichi Yamazaki, Mitsuhiro Kishimoto, Juan Barreto, Takaaki Sakamoto, Captain Paul Watson, aren’t, James Anderson, ” Rothwell, Watson, CNN he’s, ” Watson Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Kyodo, CNN, Yomiuri Shimbun, “, International Whaling Commission, IWC, International Convention, Whaling, Australian National University, ANU, Cetacean, Kyodo Senpaku, South Korea –, National Museum of Ethnology, Getty, Shimonoseki City University, Whale, Whaling Affairs, Japan’s Fisheries Agency, Captain Paul Watson Foundation, Whale Defense Agency Locations: Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kangei, Japan, Norway, Iceland, Nisshin, Gulf of Maine, North, Russia, Thailand, South, Osaka, Shimonoseki, AFP, Yamaguchi, Gerlache, Antarctica, …

☆ North Korea says its latest satellite launch exploded in flight
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

North Korean technicians check the Unha-3 rocket at the Sohae Satellite Launch Station in Tongchang-Ri on April 8, 2012. North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight. North Korea fired the projectile on a southern path off its west coast at around 10:44 p.m. (1344 GMT), the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The launch appeared to originate from Dongchang-ri, a northwestern area of the country where North Korea's main space flight centre is based, JCS said. Japan said over its J-Alert broadcasting system that North Korea appeared to have fired a missile, sending out the warning to residents in southern prefecture of Okinawa.

Persons: Yoshimasa Hayashi, Hayashi Organizations: North Korea's National Aerospace Technology Administration, South's, Chiefs, Staff, North, NHK Locations: Tongchang, North Korea, Pyongyang, North, South Korea, Japan, China, Dongchang, Korean, Korea, Okinawa

☆ Japanese town overrun with tourists puts up view-blocking barrier near Mount Fuji
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Japanese town of Fujikawaguchiko has erected a giant black net to block views of Mount Fuji, a reaction to the town’s huge popularity on Instagram and other social media platforms. The small town in Yamanashi prefecture has become the center of an international controversy in recent weeks. Japan’s overtourism problemsThis photo was taken on May 20 in front of Mount Fuji in Fujikawaguchiko -- a day before the black net went up. In this case, it’s not a specific attraction bringing hordes of visitors – it’s a viewpoint where people like to take pictures of Mount Fuji. There have been many accidents involving foreign tourists recently,” Haruhito Tsuchiya, a 49-year-old local who works in the tourism industry, told Reuters.

Persons: ”, Fujikawaguchiko, Kazuhiro Nogi, it’s, “ I’ve, ” Haruhito Tsuchiya, Lawson, Lawson’s Organizations: CNN, Mount, Fuji, Dental Clinic, Clinic, Mount Fuji, Getty, Tokyo –, Reuters, Lawson’s Locations: Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture, Mount Fuji, AFP, Japan, Paris, Hawaii, Tokyo, –, Fuji

☆ Oil prices fall on fear of high U.S. interest rates depressing demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil storage drums stacked in the Keihin industrial area of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Monday, April 15, 2024. Oil prices fell in early Asian trade on Tuesday, with investors anticipating higher-for-longer U.S. inflation and interest rates will depress consumer and industrial demand. "Fears of weaker demand led to selling as the prospect of Fed rate cut became more distant," said analyst Toshitaka Tazawa at Fujitomi Securities. Lower interest rates reduce borrowing costs, freeing up funds which could boost economic growth and demand for oil. OPEC+ could extend some voluntary output cuts if demand fails to pick up, people with knowledge of the matter previously told Reuters.

Persons: Toshitaka Tazawa, Philip Jefferson, Michael Barr, Raphael Bostic, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mohammed Bin Salman, Fujitomi's Tazawa Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, Federal, Fujitomi Securities, Atlanta Fed, Reuters, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Iranian, Investors, Organization of, Petroleum Locations: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, Saudi, OPEC

☆ Now One Fast Train From Tokyo: Culture, Crafts and Hot Springs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Hannah Kirshner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three of these towns — Katayamazu Onsen, Yamashiro Onsen and Yamanaka Onsen — are famous for their onsen, or hot springs. Japanese tourists still flock to Kaga’s onsen towns every fall, when the leaves turn fiery and snow crab is in season. But few foreigners find their way here, in part because the journey from Tokyo has not been easy. A new extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the high-speed train that rockets passengers from Tokyo to this region, now includes a stop at Kagaonsen station. The trip takes less than three hours on a single train.

Persons: Yamanaka, Matsuo Basho Locations: Ishikawa, Japan, Kaga City, Tokyo, Kagaonsen

☆ Pasco Japan: Rat parts found in sliced white bread, sparking recall
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Chris Lau | Himari Semans | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tokyo CNN —A major Japanese food supplier has recalled more than 100,000 packs of a popular brand of sliced white bread after rat parts were found inside some loaves. They were found in a batch of white “chojuku” bread — or super fermented bread, known for its extra chewy texture — manufactured by a factory based in western Tokyo prefecture, according to the company. White bread is a staple for many Japanese people when they feel like a Western-style meal, or “yoshoku,” as an alternative to traditional Japanese food. Founded in 1920, Pasco is a major supplier of baked goods that employs more than 3,700 staff at 12 factories across the country. The 15-second commercial, released months ago, features a family excitingly declaring their love of good toast as breakfast, accompanied by a voice-over saying: “We put nothing unnecessary in it.”“⁠I love chojuku bread.

Persons: Warabeya Nichiyo, ” Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Pasco Shikishima Corporation, CNN, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, Warabeya, Reuters Locations: Pasco, “, Tokyo, Japan, Saitama

☆ Japanese store near Mount Fuji issues apology in response to overtourism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Lawson’s, one of Japan’s largest convenience store chains, has an outpost in the small town of Fujikawaguchiko. Tourists have flooded into Fujikawaguchiko to take one specific picture – a shot of Mount Fuji behind a Lawson’s store, where the mountain’s classic elegance contrasts with the store’s modern neon signage. Although Lawson’s has not encouraged visitors to take pictures of their store, the company nevertheless issued a statement addressing the issue on May 5. Many of them headed to the same destinations, crowding Kyoto’s narrow streets and the walking trails of Mount Fuji. And Lawson’s is not the only Japanese tourist destination that has resorted to putting up signs warning visitors of bad behaviors.

Persons: Fuji –, Lawson’s, Lawson, –, overtourism, Fujikawaguchiko, Semans Organizations: CNN, Fuji, Mount Fuji, ”, Mount, UNESCO Locations: Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture, –, Japan, Mount, Yamanashi

☆ Super-aged Japan now has 9 million vacant homes. And that’s a problem
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Chris Lau | Mayumi Maruyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“This is a symptom of Japan’s population decline,” said Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba. “It’s not really a problem of building too many houses” but “a problem of not having enough people,” he said. According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 14% of all residential properties in Japan are vacant. “When an earthquake or a tsunami occurs, there is a possibility that vacant houses will block evacuation routes as they break down and get destroyed,” he said. In other rural areas with a high concentration of vacant houses, akiya have stalled development, the professor said.

Persons: ”, Jeffrey Hall, “ It’s, don’t, Akio Kon, it’s, “ They’re, Buddhika Weerasinghe, Yuki Akiyama, Akiyama, ” Akiyama Organizations: CNN, Kanda University of International Studies, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Kanda University, “, Bloomberg, Getty, Ministry, Internal Affairs, Communications, Tokyo City University, Homes Locations: Japan, New York City, Tokyo, Kyoto, Chiba, Kanda, Yato, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa prefecture, Tambasasayama, Noto, Ishikawa, Europe, West, “

☆ Mount Fuji: Japanese town putting up eight-foot barrier to block tourist photos
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A picturesque Japanese town is putting up a giant mesh barrier to block a popular selfie spot near Mount Fuji. Fujikawaguchiko, at the foot of the Yoshida Trail to Mount Fuji, has become overrun with foreign tourists trying to get the perfect photo of Japan’s most famous mountain. And now the town has had enough and is putting up the mesh barrier to block the view, a local official told CNN. The town of Fujikawaguchiko is in Yamanashi prefecture, to the north of Fuji and about 62 miles (100 kilometers) west of Tokyo. Many of them head straight to Mount Fuji, an icon of Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage site, leaving garbage and causing erosion along the way.

Persons: Philip Fong, “ Overtourism, Masatake Izumi, – Organizations: CNN, Mount, Getty, UNESCO, CNN Travel, Disney Locations: Mount Fuji, Fujikawaguchiko, AFP, Yamanashi prefecture, Fuji, Tokyo, Japan, Yamanashi, Austrian, Halstatt

☆ Why Less Snow Is Threatening Japan's Expensive Kanzuri Chile Paste
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Enxhi Dylgjeri | Teresa Zhang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Kanzuri is a traditional fermented chile paste that is exclusively produced in Myoko in Japan's Niigata Prefecture by the Tojo family. Before the family started selling the condiment in 1966, it was only made in small batches for household use. Today, a six-year-aged 2.5-ounce bottle sells for almost $20. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

Persons: Tojo Organizations: Business Locations: Myoko, Japan's Niigata Prefecture

☆ Oil prices dip as demand concerns outweigh Middle East supply fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Oil storage drums stacked in the Keihin industrial area of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Monday, April 15, 2024. Oil prices eased in early trade on Wednesday as worries about global demand due to weak economic momentum in China and fading hopes for U.S. interest rate cuts in the near term outweighed supply fears on heightened tensions in the Middle East. Oil prices have softened so far this week as economic headwinds pressured investor sentiment, curbing gains from geopolitical tensions, with eyes on how Israel might respond to Iran's attack on Israeli territory over the weekend. "Demand concerns increased due to expectations that U.S. interest rate cuts are likely to be delayed and weaker-than-expected economic data from China," said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, president of NS Trading, a unit of Nissan Securities. "Since the market had been rising until last week on supply worries amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the relatively restrained Iranian aggression has not provided the ground for buying up," he said.

Persons: Hiroyuki Kikukawa Organizations: Brent, NS, Nissan Securities Locations: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, China, Israel

☆ Companies in Japan are offering workers with bad allergies subsidized trips to low-pollen destinations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementSome employers in Japan are offering "tropical escape" programs, where workers with bad seasonal allergies get subsidized trips to regions with lower pollen counts, according to The Washington Post. Such programs are seen as a way to enhance worker productivity in Japan, where hay fever is much more prevalent than in the US. It started in 2022 because its CEO has bad hay fever. In Japan, hay fever is not only a public health concern but also a challenge to the economy. In February, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida described hay fever as a "national disease" that negatively impacts productivity.

Persons: —, Naoki Shigihara, Aisaac, Fumio Kishida, Mitsuhiro, Okano Organizations: Washington Post, Service, The Washington Post, Post, Business, The Japan, country's Ministry of Environment, Centers for Disease Control, Japan Times, Japan's, Chiba Prefecture's International University of Health, Welfare Narita Hospital, Nikkei Locations: Hay, Japan, Okinawa, Hawaii, Guam, Tokyo, Chiba, Nikkei Asia

☆ What’s it like to dine at Asia’s ‘best’ restaurant?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But his career and trajectory have always been defined by global experience, exposure and a passion for embracing other cultures and cuisines. Back in 2006, Australian Chef Shane Osborn of Hong Kong’s acclaimed Arcane hired Calvert to work at his two Michelin-starred Pied à Terre restaurant in London. The culinary Holy Grail of Paris followed, with a stint at Epicure, which like Per Se is also a three Michelin-starred restaurant. His global culinary journey continued with a move to Hong Kong and the contemporary Parisian bistro Belon, where he earned the restaurant a Michelin star and reached fourth place on the list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Calvert is happy to modestly take the considerable accolade of the best restaurant in Asia with a pinch of salt, as it were.

Persons: Daniel Calvert, “, ”, It’s, Shane Osborn, Hong Kong’s, Arcane, Calvert, who’ve, ” Osborn, Daniel Calvert's, Chef Thomas Keller’s, Paris, “ I’ve, ” Calvert, Hong, André Fu, morel, SÉZANNE Calvert, Ashley Caley, shima, botan ebi, there’s, sommelier Nobuhide Otsuka, “ I’m, ” Chris Dwyer Organizations: CNN, Champions League, Michelin, Sézanne Locations: Sézanne, “ Tokyo, Marunouchi, Tokyo, London, British, London , New York, Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Epicure, France’s Champagne, Hokkaido, France’s Jura, Yamaguchi Prefecture, morel, bouillon, Asia, @chrismdwyer, Instagram

☆ After Ohtani and Kikuchi, Japan high school toasts latest baseball prodigy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Hanako Montgomery | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Banners herald Los Angeles Dodgers megastar Shohei Ohtani and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, their faces greeting every visitor. But now, Hanamaki Higashi High School celebrates a new prodigy in its midst – one whose high-school records beat even those of Ohtani and Kikuchi. “The presence of legends like Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi were a huge factor as to why I got into baseball – I fell in love with the sport,” Sasaki told CNN. Now, with the emergence of three baseball stars from Hanamaki Higashi, Sasaki’s teammates swell with pride at the honor of walking the same corridors. Despite its status as a public school with a modest baseball budget, Hanamaki Higashi has impressively produced three outstanding athletes.

Persons: Shohei, Yusei Kikuchi, Hanamaki, Kikuchi, Rintaro Sasaki doesn’t, ” Sasaki, Sasaki, he’ll, ”, Hiroshi, Ohtani, Shohei Ohtani, “, Taichi Murakami, Hanamaki Higashi, it’s Organizations: Japan CNN —, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, School, baseball, CNN, Stanford University in, Stanford, Los Angeles Angels, Angel, Kyodo, baseball’s, Dodgers, American League Locations: Hanamaki, Japan, Iwate prefecture, Stanford University in California, America, “, Anaheim , California, Higashi, Hanamaki Higashi

☆ Japan’s Indy 200: Remembering the first time IndyCars raced at Fuji Speedway
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Emiko Jozuka For Cnn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

She is the daughter of the Japanese photographer Joe Honda. Joe Honda ArchiveCommercial opportunityIn the 1960s, Japan was emerging as an advanced and high-tech nation following its defeat in WWII. “The groundwork for the Indy 200 was already laid by then, and the Japanese were ready and willing to pay for racing,” he said. Rare intimacyFive months before the Indy 200, Clark had been invited to test-drive the Fuji road course. Joe Honda ArchiveCultural shiftsIn 1966, no Japanese drivers or cars participated in the exhibition Indy 200 race.

Persons: Joe Honda, Japan CNN —, Jim Clark, Honda, Jackie Stewart, Chris Amon, Akira Jin –, –, Shingo Shiozawa, Riki Ohkubo, ”, —, ” Jackie Stewart, Nissan Sunny, Jack K, Yamaguchi, Jin –, Japan –, Shiozawa, Jack Brabham, Clark, Graham Hill, Ohkubo, Honda’s, Colin Chapman, “, ‘, ’ ”, Donald Capps Organizations: CNN, Japan CNN, Jim Clark Motorsport Museum, Indianapolis, IndyCar, Fuji International, Honda, Boys, Indy, Fuji, Japan, Nissan, Prix, Suzuka, Formula, Fuji International Speedway, Bolshoi Ballet, Leningrad Philharmonic, United States Auto, Triple Crown, Motorsport, Monaco, Nippon Auto Club, Speedway, Automotive Society of Historians Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Fuji, Scotland, New Zealand, American, Asia, America, Mie, Indianapolis

☆ ChatGPT’s boss claims nuclear fusion is the answer to AI’s soaring energy needs. Experts say not so fast
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Yet according to Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, there is a clear solution to this tricky dilemma: nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion — the process that powers the sun and other stars — is likely still decades away from being mastered and commercialized on Earth. A section of JT-60SA, a huge experimental nuclear fusion reactor at Naka Fusion Institute in Naka city of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, on January 22, 2024. The sector was responsible for around 2% of global electricity demand in 2022, according to the IEA. But, he cautioned, this doesn’t necessarily mean AI’s electricity demand will fall.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, “, Lex Fridman, ” Altman, —, Alex de Vries, ”, Aneeqa Khan, ” Khan, Philip Fong, Vries, ” de Vries, Michael Khoo, “ We’re, Khoo, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Sen, Ed Markey, ” Markey, ” Khoo Organizations: CNN, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Manchester, “, JT, Naka Fusion, Getty, International Energy Agency, Boston Consulting, Reuters, Microsoft, OpenAI, Boston Consulting Group, Google, Princeton, ” Locations: “, Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, AFP, Pascal, Nicosia, Cyprus

☆ TSMC considering advanced chip packaging capacity in Japan, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Worker walks outside the new semiconductor plant by Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (JASM), a subsidiary of Taiwan's chip giant TSMC, in Kikuyo of the Kikuchi district, Kumamoto prefecture. Taiwan's TSMC is looking at building advanced packaging capacity in Japan, according to two sources familiar with the matter, a move that would add momentum to Japan's efforts to reboot its semiconductor industry. Taiwan's TSMC is looking at building advanced packaging capacity in Japan, according to two sources familiar with the matter, a move that would add momentum to Japan's efforts to reboot its semiconductor industry. One option the chipmaking giant is considering is bringing its chip on wafer on substrate, or CoWoS, packaging technology to Japan, according to one of the sources who was briefed on the matter. Demand for advanced semiconductor packaging has surged globally in tandem with the artificial intelligence boom, spurring chipmakers including TSMC, Samsung Electronics and Intel , to boost capacity.

Persons: TSMC Organizations: Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, TSMC, Samsung Electronics, Intel Locations: Japan, Kikuyo, Kikuchi, Kumamoto prefecture, Taiwan's, Taiwan

☆ Japan launches bullet train service to a region that 'guidebooks rarely mention'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Japan is launching a new high-speed bullet train, or shinkansen, extension on Saturday that will make an under-the-radar prefecture far more accessible to travelers. The new train will pass through the city of Fukui, the town of Awara and other places guidebooks rarely mention, before reaching the port town of Tsuruga, adding some 78 miles to the Hokuriku Shinkansen's existing Tokyo-to-Kanazawa service. A Geisha walks through a performance hall in Awara, Japan. The end of the lineThe new shinkansen service ends in the town of Tsuruga. Kehi-no-Matsubara in Tsuruga, Japan.

Persons: dino, Juratic, Dogen, it's, Buddhika Weerasinghe, Arief, Sugihara Chiune, Sugihara, Matsuo Basho Organizations: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Zen, Getty, Humanity Museum, Mixa Locations: Japan, Fukui Prefecture, Tokyo, Fukui, Awara, Tsuruga, Kanazawa, Katsuyama, Kanaz, Suishouhama, Poland, Lithuania, Nazi

☆ Biden to raise concern over Nippon Steel's deal for U.S. Steel: Reuters
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This picture taken on Feb. 16, 2024 shows a logo of Nippon Steel Corp. at the company's Kyushu manufacturing base in Kitakyushu city of Fukuoka Prefecture. U.S. President Joe Biden plans to express concern over Nippon Steel's proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, pushing the U.S. company's stock nearly 13% lower on bets the deal could face greater political opposition. U.S. President Joe Biden plans to express concern over Nippon Steel's proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, pushing the U.S. company's stock nearly 13% lower on bets the deal could face greater political opposition. In December, Nippon Steel clinched a deal to buy the 122-year-old iconic U.S. steelmaker for a hefty premium, betting that U.S. Steel would benefit from the spending and tax incentives in Biden's infrastructure bill. The White House declined to comment on Wednesday, but a person familiar with the matter said Biden would issue a statement about the planned acquisition before Kishida arrives for his state visit.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Fumio Kishida, Donald Trump, Kishida Organizations: Nippon Steel Corp, Nippon Steel's, U.S . Steel, U.S, Japanese, Nippon Steel, Steel, Democratic, Republican U.S Locations: Kyushu, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture . U.S

☆ Cat’s fall into vat of hazardous chemicals sparks health warning in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | Mai Nishiyama | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Tokyo CNN —A city in Japan is on high alert for a cat that fell into a tank of hazardous chemicals before disappearing into the night. A trail of pawprints discovered by a worker on Monday led to a 3-meter-deep vat of hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing chemical that can induce rashes and inflammation if touched or inhaled, officials said. Akihiro Kobayashi, manager of the Nomura Mekki Fukuyama factory, said a sheet covering the chemical vat was found partially torn when employees returned to work after the weekend. Hexavalent chromium, or Chromium-6, is perhaps best known as the carcinogenic chemical featured in the 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich,” starring Julia Roberts. “Workers may be harmed from exposure to hexavalent chromium,” the CDC says on its website.

Persons: Akihiro Kobayashi, Nomura Mekki Fukuyama, Kobayashi, Erin Brockovich, ”, Julia Roberts Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Fukuyama City, Nomura Mekki, Workers, Factory, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, “ Workers Locations: Japan, Fukuyama , Hiroshima prefecture, Fukuyama, California

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