TOKYO -- The Japanese retail group behind 7-Eleven has decided to sell off part of its stake in Tokyo-based home decor chain Francfranc so it can concentrate on its mainstay convenience stores.

The move represents a change for Seven & i Holdings, which has never divested shares of a group company since embarking on a diversification strategy in the 2000s. Potential buyers include Tokyo-based investment funds Integral and the Japan Growth Investments Alliance, with the transaction expected to be completed as soon as July.

YANGON/BANGKOK -- Myanmar's military on Feb. 1 detained State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint in the country's first coup since 1988, bringing an end to a decade of civilian rule.

The Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy had won a landslide in a general election in November . But the military has claimed the election was marred by fraud.

For all our coverage, visit our Myanmar Coup page.

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NEW YORK -- China does not have the military capability or the intent to seize Taiwan by force in the immediate future, the top uniformed officer of the U.S. military told Congress Thursday.

"China has a ways to go to develop the actual no-kidding capability to conduct military operations to seize, through military means, the entire island of Taiwan, if they wanted to do that," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

He was asked by

TOKYO -- Hitachi plans to invest 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in research and development in the medical and health care sector, as well as find opportunities for mergers and acquisitions in those businesses between now and the end of fiscal 2023, Nikkei has learned.

Hitachi will concentrate investment and management resources in fields where data analysis technologies can be utilized, such as in the risk assessment of contracting particular diseases and the development of regenerative medicines. The move is part of the company

SHANGHAI -- China launched a spacecraft on Thursday carrying three astronauts on a mission to construct its maiden space station.

The Shenzhou-12 or "divine vessel" spacecraft left the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwestern Gobi Desert at about 9:22 a.m. Beijing time, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

At about 4:00 p.m., state media reported that the craft had successfully docked with the core capsule of the space station, which was launched in April.

TOKYO -- "There are strange victories, but no strange defeats."

This remark by the late Katsuya Nomura, a professional baseball manager, is a well-known witticism in Japan. The gist is that there are always inevitable factors that lead to defeats.

That truth is not limited to baseball. It applies to all games or battles, politics included. For example, Donald Trump's loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 U.S. presidential election was largely due to his failure to

TOKYO -- The Japanese government on Thursday decided to lift the state of emergency in nine prefectures from Monday, and place seven areas such as Tokyo and Osaka under in a quasi emergency state through July 11.

During a COVID response headquarters meeting, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government will take a flexible approach such as strengthening countermeasures if infections increase or there are signs of the potential collapse of medical systems.

Restaurants in the target areas will be requested to close at 8 p.m., with the serving of

TOKYO -- Taiwanese suppliers have expanded their presence inside Apple's high-end tablet, gaining ground on their South Korean rivals. A teardown of the latest iPad Pro found that Taiwanese electronics parts makers are responsible for some 20% of all the components in value terms, second only to South Korean suppliers.

Taiwanese suppliers make key parts for what Apple calls the Liquid Retina XDR display. The core chip for Apple's flagship tablet computer, designed by the tech giant itself, is also made by a Taiwanese

Criselda Yabes is a journalist based in the Philippines. She is author of "The Battle of Marawi," her 10th book, which was published last year.

Nearly 10 years ago, the Philippines stamped a new name on our archipelago's map: the West Philippine Sea.

The maritime territory that was around or adjacent to the tiny Philippine-held island of Thitu in the middle of the hotly disputed Spratly Islands was meant to add significance to Philippine patrimony, as well as counter China's nine