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April 24, 2024
 

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David Welch
For David Welch's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
GMC Hummer electric vehicles on the production line at General Motors' Factory ZERO all-electric vehicle assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2023
GM commits billions to shareholder returns as EV push stalls
"We have confidence in the cash generation of this company”
Tesla Model 3 vehicles at the company's factory in Shanghai in January 2020
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2023
Cooling EV sales have Tesla, GM and Ford rethinking investments
While the battery-powered vehicle market is still expanding, the pace of growth has slowed considerably.
United Auto Workers members strike at a General Motors assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2023
General Motors hit with more strikes while Stellantis reaches deal with UAW
More than six weeks after the historic strikes began, GM is now the only one of the companies that doesn’t have a deal with the union.
Striking UAW autoworkers demonstrate at a rally in downtown Detroit on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 18, 2023
How auto executives misread the UAW and ignited a historic strike
UAW president Shawn Fain’s aggressiveness reflects the mood of the American worker: anxious about job security and angry about a ballooning wealth gap.
An autonomous truck in Stack AV’s test fleet
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2023
SoftBank backs autonomous trucking firm started by ex-Ford execs
The new firm, named Stack AV, is led by three executives who previously ran Argo AI, the self-driving operation that Ford and VW shut down last year.
A Cruise autonomous taxi in San Francisco on Aug. 10. Cruise is one of only two firms in California allowed to run paid robotaxi services around the clock.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 25, 2023
Robotaxis are making enemies as they go around San Francisco
Mishaps are adding to traffic and safety concerns over driverless vehicles, which zip around the city’s streets surrounded by sensors and cameras.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 6, 2022
GM and Honda announce tie-up to develop affordable electric vehicles
The move will dramatically deepen an existing partnership that already spans gas-powered models, batteries and self-driving technology.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 10, 2022
Canada protest starts to bite as Ford is forced to close engine plant
The blockade of the Ambassador Bridge between the U.S. and Canada by protesters angry over COVID-19 restrictions is in its third day, with no end in sight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 5, 2022
Toyota surpasses GM to take U.S. sales crown for first time
To retake its leadership position, GM will have to return to something closer to the 2.5 million vehicles the company delivered in 2020.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 20, 2021
COVID-19 once spared the young. Now more are being hospitalized.
The new variants of the virus are more contagious and appear to hit young people harder than the original strain that emerged more than a year ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2020
Honda and GM seek North America alliance to share car platforms
Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co. are laying the groundwork for a deeper partnership in North America to jointly develop gasoline engines and crossover SUVs, seeking to cut costs as the auto industry moves toward electric vehicles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2018
SEC probe raises once unthinkable prospect of a Tesla without Elon Musk
It is nearly impossible to imagine Tesla Inc. without Elon Musk — its chairman, CEO, largest shareholder and public face.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 22, 2017
Lexus slides in quality rankings as Kia and Hyundai grab top spots
Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus line has slipped below the industry average in a closely watched study of new-car quality, while South Korean automakers that only recently supplanted Japanese and German brands gained more momentum.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2016
Takata lifelines scrutinized by carmakers stuck in cost bind
Takata Corp. and some of the world's biggest carmakers face an extensive, expensive to-do list as they try to resolve the worst safety crisis in the auto industry's history.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2016
Bain, PAG Asia get in line for potential Takata purchase
Bain Capital and PAG Asia Capital are evaluating bids for Takata Corp., joining KKR & Co. among private equity firms with an interest in the Japanese air bag supplier behind a record safety recall, according to people familiar with the matter. Takata's shares surged.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2015
New York motor show stealing Detroit's thunder
Detroit may be where cars are made, but New York is becoming the town to show them off.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
An AI star seeks to bring self-driving cars to Japan by 2030
Japanese startup Turing plans to unveil a self-driving car with at least 30 minutes’ driving range next year and develop a fully autonomous car by 2030.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo
Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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