This is Beirut

Trump Secures "Massive" Trade Deal with Japan as Deadline Looms for Global Tariff Threats

This is Beirut, 23/07 08:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump announced Tuesday a "massive" trade deal with Japan, marking a key breakthrough for major US trade partners as they scramble to strike agreements before the end of the month. In an attempt to slash his country's colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive "reciprocal" tariffs if they do ...

What If AI Could Let You Watch Your Dreams Like a Movie?

Bélinda Ibrahim, 17/07 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

AI Dreams Film Japan Neuroscientists

Sleep, dream… and soon, wake up and watch your dreams like a movie? While it may still sound like science fiction, this technology is taking shape in research labs. At Kyoto’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, neuroscientist Yukiyasu Kamitani and his team have created an AI system that decodes brain activity during REM sleep—the ...

Nintendo Announces Lead Cast for Epic "Legend of Zelda" Movie

This is Beirut, 17/07 12:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Games Legend of Zelda Film Britain Japan Culture

Two British actors will play the lead roles in the hotly anticipated live-action film adaptation of the Legend of Zelda video game franchise, Japan's Nintendo announced. The film's release is set for May 2027, joining a stream of game adaptations from Super Mario to Sonic the Hedgehog that have stormed the box office in recent years. Bo Bragason ...

Trump Pushes Japan to Import More American Rice, a Major Political Challenge for Tokyo

This is Beirut, 10/07 10:50 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States Japan Rice

Donald Trump’s demand that Japan, described as “spoiled”, buy more American rice is creating additional pressure for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is already facing a tough election that could bring his time in office to an end after less than a year. Japan is one of more than 20 countries receiving letters this week from the US ...

Trump Slaps Allies Japan, South Korea with 25% Tariffs

This is Beirut, 07/07 20:48 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States South Korea Tariffs Japan

US President Donald Trump said Monday he was slapping 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea in his first letters to trading partners ahead of a deadline to reach a deal with Washington. Trump had said at the weekend that starting from Monday he would send a first batch of up to 15 letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose ...

Hokusai’s Masterpieces on Display in France for the First Time

This is Beirut, 27/06 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Exhibition Art Hokusai Japan France Culture

For the first time, 160 works by Japanese painter and printmaking master Katsushika Hokusai are leaving Japan to be exhibited in France. The Nantes History Museum, in western France, will host the show starting this Saturday, running throughout the summer. The collection of prints, paintings, drawings, and folding screens comes from the ...

The World Wants Matcha but Japan Struggles to Keep Up

This is Beirut, 26/06 16:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Matcha Japan

The global matcha craze is putting serious pressure on Japanese producers. In Los Angeles, some matcha bars are nearly out of stock. Now, Japan faces the challenge of meeting demand while preserving tradition.

Record-Breaking Japan Striker 'King Kazu' Plays at 58

This is Beirut, 16/06 16:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

King Kazu Japan Football

The record-breaking striker Kazuyoshi Miura played in Japan's fourth tier at aged 58 for his 40th season as a professional footballer. Former international Miura, fondly known as "King Kazu", is the oldest professional in Japan and almost certainly beyond. He came on as an 82nd-minute substitute for Atletico Suzuka Club on Sunday and helped them ...

Nintendo’s Switch 2 Becomes Fastest-Selling Console in History

This is Beirut, 11/06 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nintendo Japan Gaming Switch 2

The Switch 2 has smashed records to become the fastest-selling console ever after gamers snapped up 3.5 million units in its first four days, Nintendo said Wednesday. Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the console is an upgrade to the original Switch – the third best-selling console of all time. It was released last Thursday ...

Four Injured in Explosion at US air Base in Japan

This is Beirut, 09/06 09:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Japan

An explosion injured four men at a Japanese facility for storing unexploded bombs at a US air base in Okinawa on Monday, a fire official said, with their condition reportedly not critical. Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) members at the facility at Kadena Air Base were trying to wipe rust off items at the facility to re-assess if they were bombs, ...

Ghibli at 40: Beloved, Award-Winning, But Uncertain Future

This is Beirut, 06/06 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ghibli Japan Animation Culture Art Drawing

Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans, young and old, won over by its complex plots and fantastical hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with the latest hit, The Boy and the Heron, likely — but not certainly — the final feature from celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. The studio ...

Gamers Get Hold of Nintendo's Hotly Awaited Switch 2

This is Beirut, 05/06 12:05 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Japan Nintendo Switch 2

Gamers finally got their hands on Nintendo's new Switch 2 on Thursday, the console that could score record early sales for the Japanese "Super Mario" creator. The device, which features a bigger screen and more processing power, is an upgrade to the Switch that became a global phenomenon with hit games such as "Animal ...

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