51³Ô¹ÏÍø

author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 24, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Jennifer Creery
Jack Daniel¡¯s Whiskey at the Brown-Forman Corp. distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2026
Why these are sobering times for alcohol companies
For years, the industry relied on drinking remaining deeply woven into social life and consumer culture, but health concerns and tighter budgets are prompting people to drink less.
Water bottles and flavored beverages, including Evian, Volvic and Font Vella. Mineral water is big business, and companies are constantly vying to win market share.
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2026
Can water sommeliers convince us to pay more for premium H2O?
Mineral water is big business, and companies are constantly vying to win market share.
Bourbon-maker Jim Beam plans to pause production at its main U.S. distillery for all of 2026.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 23, 2025
Jim Beam halts production at key U.S. distillery amid bourbon glut
The brand, owned by Japanese alcohol giant Suntory, said it¡¯s halting whiskey distillation at the James B. Beam campus in Clermont, Kentucky.
To mitigate China¡¯s growing tech influence and establish a foothold in the budding artificial intelligence ecosystem, Taiwan budgeted some 17.4 billion New Taiwan dollars ($555.6 million) through 2026 to develop expertise and tools in the industry.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 26, 2024
Taiwan builds own AI language model to counter China¡¯s influence
Taiwan is spending $7.4 million for a tool free of China¡¯s political influence
Taiwan's roughly three decades of democracy have fostered a growing sense of self-identity, according to a long-running study by National Chengchi University.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 24, 2024
Taiwan¡¯s China-backing party faces crisis after election defeat
Many voters are distrustful of the KMT¡¯s commitment to eventual unification with China, a goal shared by just a minority in the island.
Voters wait in line outside a polling station during the last presidential and legislative elections, in Taipei in January 2020. Taiwan is one of only 53 political systems that require in-person voting.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 10, 2024
To protect election from China, Taiwan disenfranchises thousands of voters
In-person voting is hard to infiltrate, but it also deprives those who can¡¯t leave their posts or overseas Taiwanese unable to return from casting ballots.
Taiwan¡¯s presidential election will not only shape cross-strait relations for decades, but will impact the nature of the U.S.¡¯ already tense ties with China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 24, 2023
Taiwan opposition alliance collapses and Terry Gou quits race
The prospects of a China-friendly unity ticket for the upcoming presidential election now lie shattered after the public mudslinging.
Buildings in Xiamen, China, seen from Kinmen, Taiwan
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 6, 2023
Even China¡¯s closest supporters in Taiwan are turning wary
The shifting attitudes reflect a generational change, with younger people wanting to protect freedom and democracy.
Hou Yu-ih, Taiwan presidential candidate and mayor of New Taipei City, speaks during a news conference in New York on Sept. 16. The Kuomintang, Taiwan's main opposition party, picked Hou Yu-ih, a popular local leader with little foreign policy experience, as its candidate for next year's presidential election.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 21, 2023
Taiwan¡¯s former top cop wants China talks if voted president
¡°I have participated in countless gun battles and I always stood on the front line.¡±
The expansionist era is over for Taiwan's life insurance industry.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2023
U.S. interest rate hikes haunt Taiwan¡¯s $1 trillion life insurance industry
Over the past year, local regulators have repeatedly loosened operating rules after a cocktail of unrealized investment losses.
Clothes displayed at Shein¡¯s headquarters in Singapore
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2023
Fast fashion report cards show what¡¯s really in your clothes
Consumers¡¯ drive for quantity over quality is transforming the world¡¯s textile industry, sparking an almost doubling in global fiber production over the past two decades.
Hou Yu-ih, mayor of New Taipei City, during a protest against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei, on July 16. Taiwanese voters are preparing to choose their next president in January, in a vote that will define cross-strait and U.S.-China relations for years to come.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 21, 2023
Popular Taiwan mayor stumbles in bid to lead in U.S.-China hotspot
His failure to articulate a critical policy at the bedrock of Taiwan¡¯s international status drew widespread criticism online.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 30, 2022
China¡¯s COVID wave sparks scramble for vital drugs across Asia
Beijing¡¯s decision to abruptly remove most pandemic restrictions with little preparation is driving an unprecedented number of cases, leaving hospitals and funeral homes overwhelmed.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 13, 2022
Hong Kong ends curbs on arrivals and scraps contact tracing app
COVID-19 curbs have hobbled the city¡¯s economy and hurt its outlook as a financial hub.
Reader Mail
Oct 18, 2007
Korean leaders deserve respect
Regarding Tom Plate¡¯s Oct. 11 article, ¡± ¡®Silly (Korean) summit¡¯ produced serious results¡°: If one ignores Plate¡¯s reprehensible mockery and blatant abuse -- an apparently congenital and incurable feature of smug American punditry on global events -- of the two Korean leaders, his views on the recent...
Reader Mail
Oct 4, 2007
Sudden turnabout for Japan
Why did it take last week¡¯s murder of a Japanese photojournalist during demonstrations in Myanmar (also known as Burma) for the Japanese government to take the repressive regime in that country seriously?
Reader Mail
Oct 4, 2007
More dangerous than Iraq
The ¡°Asashoryu fiasco¡± touched upon in the Sept. 30 Sports Scope is indeed a molehill compared to stable master Tokitsukaze¡¯s cracking a beer bottle over young rikishi Takashi Saito¡¯s head and allowing other wrestlers to thrash him.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Intervention is the word after yen moves beyond ?163 and sits there
The government could prop up the yen at any moment, though its signaling is hard to read.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
The members of Maya Ongaku ¡ª (from left) Tsutomu Sonoda, Shoei Ikeda and Ryota Takano ¡ª grew up on the Shonan Coast south of Tokyo and have been friends since their school days.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER