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Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nintendo Aims to Match Switch Success with New Console
AFP-Jiji file photo This photograph shows a Nintendo Switch 2 video-game console system of Japanese video-game company Nintendo displayed with the start screen of the Mariokart World game at the Grand Palais in Paris on April 2. TOKYO (AFP-Jiji) – Nintendo hopes to match the runaway success of the Switch when its levelled-up new console hits shelves Thursday, with strong early sales expected despite the gadget's high price. Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the Switch 2 is an upgrade to its predecessor, which has sold 152 million units since launching in 2017 — making it the third best-selling video game console of all time. But despite buzz among fans and robust demand for pre-orders, headwinds for Nintendo include uncertainty over US trade tariffs and whether enough people are willing to shell out. The Switch 2 'is priced relatively high' compared to the original device, company president Shuntaro Furukawa said at a financial results briefing in May. 'So even if there is momentum around the launch, we know it will not be easy to keep that momentum going over the long term,' he warned. Sales of the Switch, which can connect to a TV or be played on the go, were boosted by the popularity of games like 'Animal Crossing' as a pandemic lockdown pastime. The Japanese company forecasts it will shift 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, roughly equal to the original in the same period after its release. The new device costs $449.99 in the United States, over a third more than the Switch. A Japan-only version is cheaper, at ¥49,980 ($350).New Switch 2 games such as 'Donkey Kong Bonanza' and 'Mario Kart World' — which allows players to go exploring off-grid — are also more expensive than existing Switch titles. Most original Switch games can be played on the Switch 2, and some Switch blockbusters such as 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild' will have enhanced editions released for the new incarnation. 'Super excited' 'People were a bit shocked by the price of 'Mario Kart World', the first $80 game that we've ever seen,' said Krysta Yang of the Nintendo-focused Kit & Krysta Podcast. While the company is 'going to have to do some work' to convince more casual gamers that it's worth upgrading, Nintendo fans are 'super excited', she told AFP. The Switch 2 will have eight times the memory of the first Switch, and its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse. Although the new console is not radically different, 'a lot of people [are] saying, 'this is what I wanted, I wanted a more powerful Switch — don't mess with a good thing',' said Yang, a former Nintendo employee. New functions allowing users to chat as they play online and temporarily share games with friends could also be a big draw, said David Gibson of MST Financial. 'It's a way to appeal to an audience which has got used much more to the idea of streaming games and watching games, as well as playing games,' he told AFP, predicting that the Switch 2 will break records in terms of early sales.
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
China Displaces Old Foe Japan in South Koreans' Minds Ahead of Vote
Ichiro Ohara / The Yomiuri Shimbun Citizens gather for a rally in Seoul on Saturday. SEOUL(AFP-Jiji) — Shops selling steaming snacks line the streets of Seoul's Daerim neighbourhood, home to thousands of ethnic Chinese, some feeling the pressure from mounting anti-Beijing sentiment ahead of South Korea's election. China has displaced longtime foe and former colonial power Japan in many South Koreans' minds as the country's most distrusted neighbour in recent years. And ahead of Tuesday's vote, anti-Chinese feeling has spread among South Koreans — online, at right-wing rallies and in Seoul's Chinatown. Many of the quarter's Chinese residents, such as 74-year-old Yu Shunzi, flocked to South Korea seeking economic opportunities in the 1990s and 2000s. 'A lot of Koreans still think China is a very backward country and discriminate against Chinese a lot,' she told AFP. Yu, who arrived in 2007 from the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang, said the situation is so bad that she planned to move back when the economy allowed. 'I want to go home, but with the exchange rate being this low, I'd lose a lot of money,' she said. While former colonial master Japan has long had a difficult relationship with South Korea, Seoul's ties with China have increasingly come under the spotlight. In 2022, polling conducted by Hankook Research showed for the first time that South Koreans distrusted China more than they did Japan — a trend that has continued in recent years. 'No affinity' towards China Former leader Yoon Suk Yeol referred to vague allegations of Chinese spying when he tried to justify his declaration of martial law, which led to his ousting. Conspiracy theories have since run rampant among the South Korean right, fuelling the distrust. But analysts also say that a series of clashes between Beijing and Seoul in recent years over history, territory and defence are the deeper cause of the schism. 'China's growing assertiveness is the main reason behind South Korea's negative views about the country,' said Ramon Pacheco Pardo from King's College London. 'Most South Koreans have no affinity towards today's China,' the international relations professor told AFP. Seoul has long trodden a fine line between top trading partner China and defence guarantor the United States. Relations with China nosedived in 2016 following the South's decision to deploy the US-made THAAD missile defence system. Beijing saw it as a threat to its own security and reacted furiously, imposing a string of restrictions on South Korean businesses and banning group tours as part of sweeping economic retaliation. A series of public spats about the origins of Korean cultural staples such as kimchi, which China had claimed as its own, also left a bitter taste. Yoon's administration deepened that divide, cleaving close to the United States and seeking to improve ties with Japan. 'Under his leadership, Seoul made its position unmistakably clear: it stood with Washington and its allies, not Beijing,' Claudia Kim, assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong, told AFP. Opposition leader and election frontrunner Lee Jae-myung has publicly hinted that a softer line might be in the works if he wins. Beijing won't 'miss the opportunity to improve relations with the South' if Lee wins, Cheong Seong-chang at Seoul's Sejong Institute told AFP, suggesting a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping could even take place. Lee has also raised alarm bells by saying that a future conflict between China and Taiwan would not be South Korea's concern. That could put him on a collision course with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has made containing China a cornerstone of its bid to reshape the international order. 'Trump's focus on deterring China may lead to a mismatch of foreign policy priorities with Lee,' Edward Howell, a lecturer in politics at the University of Oxford, told AFP. Fake news thrives Compounding deepening distrust of China has been a surge of conspiracy theories. Analysis by AFP revealed many of the most widely-circulated pieces of misinformation tap into fears of meddling by China. Rallies in support of ex-president Yoon have featured calls to oust alleged 'pro-Chinese Communist Party' forces, as well as posters with anti-Chinese slurs and slogans advocating for Chinese nationals to be deported. A recent editorial in Beijing's state-run nationalist tabloid Global Times condemned 'far-right' forces in South Korea for 'stirring up xenophobia' against Chinese people. In Seoul's Chinatown, Li Jinzi, 73, complained about a culture of 'misinformation' that was breeding negative feelings towards her home country. 'Fake news breeds misunderstandings,' she said.
The Star
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Thai, Cambodian army chiefs to meet over border clash
A Cambodian military vehicle in Phnom Penh on Wednesday (May 28, 2025). - Photo: AFP-Jiji BANGKOK: The military chiefs of Thailand and Cambodia will meet Thursday (May 29), both governments said, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border clash. Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters on Thursday that "both sides should remain calm and discuss to see what we can agree", and called for peaceful discussion. Her Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet wrote on Facebook that he hoped the meeting between the two army commanders "will yield positive results". Thai Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told journalists the talks will be held on Thursday afternoon, adding that there had been a "misunderstanding by both sides". A Cambodian soldier was killed on Wednesday during an exchange of gunfire with the Thai army at the border, a Cambodian army spokesman said. His death -- a rare fatality along the long-sensitive frontier -- came after Cambodian and Thai leaders attended a Southeast Asian summit where the regional Asean grouping vowed greater cooperation. Thailand's military said Wednesday that its soldiers fired in response to gunshots from Cambodia's border force, leading to an exchange lasting around 10 minutes before the Thai saide said the Cambodians requested a ceasefire. Cambodian Royal Army spokesman Mao Phalla confirmed the clash on Wednesday, but said Thai soldiers had attacked Cambodian troops who were on border patrol duty in northern Preah Vihear province. "Our soldier died in the trenches. The Thais came to attack us," Mao Phalla said. - 'Remain calm' - Cambodia and Thailand have long been at odds over their more than 800-kilometre-long (500-mile) border, which was largely drawn during the French occupation of Indochina. Bloody military clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted in 2008 over the Preah Vihear temple near their shared border. The row over a patch of land next to the 900-year-old temple led to several years of sporadic violence, resulting in at least 28 deaths before the International Court of Justice ruled the disputed area belonged to Cambodia. In February, Bangkok formally protested to Phnom Penh after a video of women singing a patriotic Khmer song in front of another disputed temple was posted on social media. On Thursday, influential former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen -- Hun Manet's father, and an ally of Paetongtarn's father, ex-Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra -- urged calm and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing border issues between the two countries. Paetongtarn travelled to Cambodia in April for a two-day visit, during which she met Hun Manet to discuss cross-border cooperation on issues such as online scams and air pollution. - AFP
Yomiuri Shimbun
22-05-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Climate Change Takes Spice from Eastern Indonesia Clove Farms
AFP-Jiji Cloves being sifted and impurities being removed by a machine at a warehouse in Ternate, Indonesia, on April 11 TERNATE, Indonesia (AFP-Jiji) — Colonial powers once sought to wipe out cloves grown by locals on the eastern Indonesian island of Ternate to safeguard their monopoly over the prized crop. Today farmers say the gravest threat to their plants is climate change. 'Today … rainfall is high. It's okay for planting, but it's uncertain for harvesting. It's often unpredictable,' farmer Jauhar Mahmud, 61, told AFP. Nestled on the fertile foothills of Indonesia's Mt. Gamalama volcano, Jauhar proudly shows off his favorite clove tree, which once reliably delivered profitable produce. The fragrant flower buds that form the spice can only deliver their prized smell and taste in specific temperature and humidity ranges. In a good season, the best of Jauhar's 150 towering trunks can spurt 30 kilograms of the aromatic spice used for medicine, perfumes, cigarettes and food flavorings. But bad weather is becoming more frequent, causing uncertainty that makes prices fluctuate from $5.30 to $7.40 per kilogram and life increasingly tough for farmers. Food and Agriculture Organization data from the past two decades shows Indonesia's clove yields vary significantly, more than rival producers. The yield in 2023, the last year data is available, was almost a quarter lower than a 2010 peak. 'We're actually losing money. Cloves do not bear fruit every year. They depend on the season,' said Jauhar, who represents 36 clove farmers on the island. Many are taking on other jobs as yields that typically arrive in August and September dwindle. Jauhar sells spice-infused drinks and bamboo on the side to make ends meet, and some are considering abandoning the crop altogether. 'Farmers are now reluctant to harvest because of the high cost and minimal return,' he said. Indonesia accounts for more than two-thirds of global clove production, according to the FAO, though the majority is consumed domestically. Since 2020, it has fallen behind Madagascar as the world's top exporter of the spice, World Bank trade data shows. Rainfall rise Centuries ago, Ternate's farmers defied colonial orders to eradicate their clove production by planting out of sight of the Dutch. The island's then-favorable climate kept the crop alive. AFP-Jiji One of the world's oldest clove trees Clove trees can take more than a decade to mature, and flowers can only be harvested in a small window that depends heavily on weather conditions. But climate change caused mainly by burning fossil fuels like coal has changed global weather patterns. Ternate is drier overall, but when rain does come, it is often in intense, damaging bursts. That is consistent with broader trends linked to climate change. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and rain can fall erratically and in large amounts when it comes. Farmers like Lakina, who owns 10 clove trees, say the crop no longer offers the same returns. 'In the past, I could get five to six sacks in one harvest,' said the 52-year-old. Now she fills two to three sacks, she said. The changing weather affects other aspects of the trade. Imba, a 62-year-old clove farmer with 70 trees, says it used to take 3½ days to dry the cloves, but 'because of the rain' it now takes at least five days. Scientific research bears out the farmers' observations. In 2023, researchers at Indonesia's University of Pattimura found clove yields were falling on Haruku island south of Ternate. They said rainfall increased 15% in recent decades, along with extreme weather events that harm crops. It has left clove farmers struggling. 'Communities living in coastal areas and small islands are especially vulnerable,' said Arie Rompas, Greenpeace's forest campaign team leader. 'The productivity of their precious clove and nutmeg trees is dropping, and they are facing post-harvest problems with increased heat and humidity.' 'Pride to future generations' At a spice sorting shop, the pungent, warm smell of clove fills the air as workers scoop a pile into bags for weighing. The men send them off to a warehouse where a mechanical sorting tray shakes the cloves, removing dirt and unwanted foliage before export to China. For these clove sellers, climate change means lower quality and falling prices. 'If it's too hot, the crop is no good. Too much rain, no crop. This year there was too much rain,' said supplier Rumen The. He says prices almost halved from the start of last year from 150,000 rupiah per kilogram to 80,000 in the harvest season, but were back up to 115,000 today as supply dwindled. Production 'is probably 30% to 40%' down on recent years, he added. Jauhur urges rich spice-importing countries 'to think about global climate issues' that threaten its future. Despite the challenges, he says there are powerful 'historical and emotional reasons' to continue farming. 'Our parents maintained cloves in clove's oldest region in the world,' he said. 'They planted … to bring pride to future generations.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
16-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Booming Tourism, Climate Change Threaten Albania's Coast
AFP-Jiji A pine tree toppled by erosion on the coast of Kune near the city of Lezhe, Albania. Photos were taken on April 15. TIRANA (AFP-Jiji) — Albania's coast is being hit by a double whammy of climate change and chaotic tourist development. From Velipoja in the north, where the waves are swallowing a century-old forest, to the tourist hotspot of Golem, where galloping construction of hotels and restaurants is accelerating erosion, the country's often spectacular Adriatic coast is under threat. 'Out of Albania's 273 kilometers of coastline some 154 are affected by erosion,' urban planning specialist Besjana Shehu told AFP. Tourism in the Balkan nation is booming, from 5.1 million visitors in 2018 to 10.1 million in 2023. But new hotels, restaurants and beach bars are also taking their toll on nature. Rising sea level due to climate change is further complicating the situation. In Velipoja, a protected area close to the border with Montenegro, the sea is advancing more than five meters a year. It has already eaten 210 meters into the coastal forest, threatening an entire ecosystem that cannot live in salt water. Dozens of pine trunks lie strewn on the sand, many uprooted by violent storms late last month. 'Velipoja Park is shrinking,' warned Agim Dardha, head of the protected areas agency for the Shkodra region. 'In the past 10 years alone it has lost more than 30 hectares,' he said. Death of an island Franz Jozeph island, at the mouth of the nearby Buna River, still figures on the maps and tourist guides. But it actually vanished in 2012 after being swallowed by the sea. AFP-Jiji Dikes built along the coast to curb coastal erosion in Durres. Named by Austrian cartographers in 1870 after Emperor Franz Joseph I, the island was made up of rich alluvial soil. Located only 150 meters from the coast, its 19.5 hectares were covered with trees and wild vegetation. 'A paradise for many species of seabirds, a haven of peace for us too … it is totally gone,' lamented Lule Coli, who runs a small beach bar nearby. The construction of dams and hydroelectric power plants in the area hastened its death, said Ervis Krymi, geography professor at the Shkodra University. In Kune, a few kilometers further south, locals are also worried. There are more big storms every year, and the shore now looks like a tree graveyard. 'As a result of climate change in recent years, the sea has become very aggressive, advancing towards the land at a frantic pace that exceeds all forecasts,' said Jak Gjini, an environment expert. In some areas it is pushing 20 meters inland every year, he added. Flooding Communist-era bunkers built along the coast in the 1970s have disappeared under the waves. But the storms also took small seaside bars run by locals. The force of the sea was so strong the sandbag barriers they put up were useless. 'There used to be two bunkers here. Now they're submerged,' said Vera Faslliaj, who runs a small restaurant called Poseidon, named after the Greek god of the sea. AFP-Jiji Trees uprooted by coastal erosion on the beach of Velipoja near the city of Shkoder 'The sea is coming and will take everything … in four or five years there won't be anything left here,' she added. Albanian authorities say that rising sea levels pose severe flood risks to many of the country's urban areas. By the end of the decade more than a third of coastal areas will suffer direct consequences of flooding, according to the national civil protection agency. In Golem, just south of the resort city of Durres, hotel owners are worried about the authorities' seeming indifference to finding solutions and curbing uncontrolled building along the coast. 'The sea cannot wait for the authorities to wake up,' hotel administrator Edvin Dule said. Around 70 meters of Golem's beach has been lost in the past 16 years. Hotels springing up like mushrooms have further exacerbated the erosion and are shrinking the beaches on which they depend to attract tourists, locals say. 'It's a very worrying phenomenon that directly impacts the economy and tourism,' Dule said. 'If we cannot offer what tourists expect — umbrellas, deckchairs and activities on the sand — we reduce the quality of what we offer, which will translate into lower visitor numbers.'
