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Carl Reiner Dead: Comedy Legend, Dick Van Dyke Show Creator Dies at 98

Carmel Dagan reports: Carl Reiner, the writer, producer, director and actor who was part of Sid Caesar’s legendary team and went on to create “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and direct several hit films, has died. He was 98. He died of natural [...]

Gin is In: Japanese Gin Makers Introduce Regional Botanicals into Flourishing New Domestic Market

Custom-blended regionally-sourced botanicals are introducing a fresh local approach to a traditional craft. Hiroiki Hashimoto reports: While gin is widely used at bars in cocktails in Japan, sipping the tipple only at counters would not lead to an [...]

New Wave of Infections Threatens to Collapse Japan Hospitals

TOKYO (AP) — Hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people as the country struggles with surging coronavirus infections and its emergency medical system collapses. In one recent case, an ambulance carrying a man with a fever and [...]

Are Japan’s Hospitals and Health Care System Ready for a COVID-19 Storm?

Ryusei Takahashi reports: With the number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo having nearly quadrupled in 10 days, it seems no longer a question of whether Japan will declare a national emergency, but when and how. Officials and experts fear the capital [...]

As Virus Cases Surge, Tokyo Governor says Lockdown May Be Only Way to Stem Rise

Ryusei Takahashi reports: Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Monday that a citywide lockdown may become “the only option left” if various measures fail to prevent an explosive rise in the novel coronavirus in the capital. “Cities around the world [...]

Abe ‘Willing to Accept’ Postponement of Tokyo Games if Virus Keeps Spreading

Yomiuri Shinbun reports: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he is willing to accept the need to postpone the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics if the new coronavirus continues to spread. “The judgment of the IOC is in line with my decision to [...]

A Coronavirus Explosion Was Expected In Japan, But Where It?

TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) – Japan was one of first countries outside of China hit by the coronavirus and now, it is one of the least-affected among developed nations. That’s puzzling health experts. Unlike China’s draconian isolation [...]

China Coronavirus is at Center of Hong Kong Protests

Mary Hui reports: Hong Kong’s leader has given another reason for people to be angry. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across China and worldwide, with the number of confirmed cases growing at a rapid rate, Hong Kong is bracing [...]

Robert Evans Dead: ‘Chinatown’ Producer Dies at 89

Richard Natale and Carmel Dagan report: Robert Evans, the Paramount executive who produced “Chinatown” and “Urban Cowboy,” and whose life became as melodramatic and jaw-dropping as any of his films, died on Saturday night. He was 89. Even [...]

Iwate: ‘Village of Folktales’ Home to Modern Ventures

TONO, Iwate — Koichi Saijo reports: Partway up a hill in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, is the majestic, amazing sight of a massive rock sitting atop smaller rocks that act as a pedestal. “There’s a legend that the warrior monk Musashibo Benkei put [...]

Beijing is Manufacturing the Circumstances to Justify Brutal Intervention in Hong Kong

Michael Shoebridge reports: Scenes of protesters with sticks chasing police through Hong Kong streets and police officers pulling out their guns and pointing them at protesters show that the Hong Kong authorities are losing control of the city. [...]

Japan’s Digital Pop Stars Blur Line Between Virtual and Reality

Known as VTubers, they act as live performers, corporate PR officials and surrogate children. Suryatapa Bhattacharya and River Davis report: In live appearances on YouTube, the kimono-clad Kuon character, voiced by an actor hired by Mr. Takehisa, [...]

Worried Hong Kong Residents Are Moving Money Out as Protests Escalate

The local currency has weakened rapidly since early July, a move analysts attribute partly to outflows. Steven Russolillo, Joanne Chiu and Eli Binder report: Money is leaking out of Hong Kong as months of protests raise concerns about the [...]

Hong Kong protests: Chaos as Activists Occupy Terminal

Another day of pro-democracy protests has been held at Hong Kong International Airport, leading to flight disruptions and violent clashes between demonstrators and police. Travellers arriving at the airport – one of the world’s busiest [...]

‘Prepared to Die’: Hong Kong Protesters Embrace Hard-Core Tactics, Challenge Beijing

The resistance, which has mainstream support, is the biggest rebellion against China’s government since President Xi took power. Natasha Khan and Wenxin Fan report: This summer, the civil servant, who is in her 20s, has zip tied metal barriers [...]

CNN Parent Company Sued for $50 Million By Chinese Billionaire Claiming Defamation

Ashley Cullins reports: A Chinese billionaire and Mar-a-Lago member is suing WarnerMedia over a CNN segment that he claims falsely implies he committed espionage and was on the verge of being deported. Guo Wengui, who’s known as Miles Kwok in [...]

[VIDEO] ‘The Irishman’ Trailer: Scorsese Reunites De Niro, Pacino, Pesce

Scorsese’s return to the gangster genre is perhaps the most anticipated film of the fall movie season. After debuting a first look at Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” earlier this week, Netflix has unveiled the sprawling teaser trailer [...]

‘Blade Runner’ Star Rutger Hauer Dead at 75

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, best known for his role as Harrison Ford’s nemesis in Ridley Scott’s 1982 film ‘Blade Runner,’ has died. He was 75. According to Hauer’s agent, the actor died at his Dutch home after ‘a [...]

Death Toll in Kyoto Animation Studio Climbs to 33, Suspect to Police: Company Stole my Idea for Novel

KYOTO — The Yomiuri Shimbun reports: The death toll from an apparently deliberate fire at a studio of animation production company Kyoto Animation Co. in Kyoto has climbed to 33, while 35 people were injured and at least four among the injured [...]

Brazilians Mourn Death of Bossa Nova Pioneer João Gilberto, 88

Brazilians — most of them at least — are mourning the loss of Joao Gilberto, one of the inventors of bossa nova music, which gained worldwide popularity in the 1960s. Gilberto passed away in his home in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. He was 88. [...]

Line Just Went Orwellian on Japanese Users with its Social Credit Score

Michael Grothaus reports: It appears other countries besides China are heading toward a bleak dystopian future where a human being is scored by their online activities. Only this time, it’s a tech company and not a government implementing the [...]

The Pros and Cons of Retiring Abroad

Jaimie Seaton reports: After working as an environmental engineer for nearly 40 years, Ann Kuffner had had enough of corporate politics. She and her husband, Michael Brunette, who owned a contracting business, were overworked and burned out. [...]

People Are Calling for Zuckerberg’s Resignation. Here Are Just Five of the Reasons Why

Facebook has been beset by scandals over the last year and many believe that nothing will change until its founder and CEO is gone. Charlotte Jee reports: A petition has been launched with one simple objective: to force Mark Zuckerberg to resign as [...]

Coming events give Japan chance to shine as travel destination — if it can rise to the occasion, says tourism chief

TOMOHIRO OSAKI reports: Once a tourism underachiever, Japan is riding high like never before. Last year, the nation attracted a record 31 million foreign tourists, topping 30 million for the first time and pulling off nearly a fourfold jump from [...]