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Kanoko Matsuyama
For Kanoko Matsuyama's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Seven & I Holdings CEO Ryuichi Isaka
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2024
Japan’s convenience stores can span the globe, 7-Eleven CEO says
Ryuichi Isaka believes Seven-Eleven Japan’s know-how in making cheap, high-quality food will drive growth overseas.
Uniqlo's Round Mini Shoulder Bag on sale at a store in London
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024
Uniqlo sues Chinese fast-fashion rival Shein to defend hit bag
Fast Retailing joins rival Hennes & Mauritz in suing Shein for copyright infringement in Hong Kong where litigation has been underway since 2021.
The government plans to raise the retirement age of drivers of privately owned cabs to 80, from 75 currently, as rural areas in particular suffer from an acute shortage of transportation for the elderly.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 4, 2023
Expanding labor shortage pushes Japan to find new ways to fill jobs
Companies have been forced to come up with new ways to find labor and keep their operations running smoothly, sometimes with novel ideas.
Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and chairman of Insilico Medicine, poses at his research facility in Suzhou, China, on Oct. 31.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 14, 2023
Race for first drug discovered by AI nears key milestone
Insilico Medicine's AI-developed drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is in midstage trials in the U.S. and China.
A Shiseido booth at the third China International Consumer Products Expo, in Haikou, Hainan province, in April
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023
Shiseido slashes profit forecast on Fukushima water release
Cosmetic products were at the center of a viral campaign that spread unproven safety allegations on Chinese social media platforms.
Uniqlo's first Indian store, in New Delhi, in October 2019
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 6, 2023
Uniqlo owner scouts for more Indian partners after 60% sales jump
The Japanese apparel giant is currently working with over 20 sewing factories and mills in India.
Shiseido products on display at a Nykaa Luxe store in Mumbai, India, in November
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2023
Shiseido bets on India growth with first launch in a decade
Japan’s largest cosmetic firm has partnered with Indian retailer Shoppers Stop’s Global SS Beauty Brands and will open 14 stores in New Delhi and Mumbai.
Welcia Holdings, Japan’s largest drugstore chain, is one of the first Japanese companies to respond to China easing its ban on group tours to a raft of countries last week.
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2023
Japan drugstore chain boosts duty-free counters on China bets
The company plans to offer duty-free services at 1,000 stores, up from about 260 currently, and it expects tourists to travel beyond Japan’s major cities.
Hiroshi Mikitani, co-chief executive officer of Rakuten Medical, speaks at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's meeting in Yokohama on Thursday.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2023
Rakuten’s Mikitani spends a fifth of his time on biotech startup
Rakuten Medical, based in San Diego, employs about 200 people and specializes in a therapy that uses light and immunotherapy drugs to fight cancer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 11, 2023
Eisai appoints CEO’s son to lead global Alzheimer drug program
Eisai's former global Alzheimer drug program officer, who led the push for U.S. approval of breakthrough medicine Leqembi, will retire at the end of the month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 7, 2023
AstraZeneca’s Japan partner to go solo on future cancer drugs
Daiichi Sankyo is expanding its sales and development staff overseas, aiming to boost production capacity so that it can handle its cancer drugs business entirely on its own.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 27, 2023
Beer brewer Kirin strikes $1.2 billion deal for Australia’s Blackmores vitamins
Kirin Holdings has agreed to buy Australian vitamin-maker Blackmores for 1.88 billion Australian dollars ($1.24 billion, ¥165.9 billion) in cash, as part of a push by the Japanese brewer into health products to reduce its reliance on beer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2023
Ajinomoto may build new factory for crucial film used in electronic chips
The company may invest more than its planned ¥25 billion if necessary, and will make a decision on any new factory within a few years, its CEO has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2023
Japan Inc. sells record short bonds amid BOJ tightening bets
Issuance of yen corporate notes due in five years or less reached an unprecedented ¥7.4 trillion ($56 billion) in the fiscal year that ended March 31.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2023
Seven-Eleven’s owner says new committee to review spinoffs and IPOs
The committee of outside board members will recommend changes and execute them, the eight independent directors said in a statement.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2023
Masatoshi Ito, founder of Japanese retailer Ito-Yokado, dies at 98
The company Ito founded was the predecessor to Seven & I Holdings, operator of more than 83,000 7-Elevens dotting the globe, with about a fourth of them in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2023
Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda lowers price of dengue shot in Brazil and Indonesia
The cost for Qdenga in Indonesia will be about one-third its European price, far lower than many other innovative vaccines, Takeda CEO Christophe Weber said in an interview.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2023
Japan’s birth rate continues to decline, plunging to new record low
The total number of births was down 5.1% to 799,728, according to preliminary data released by the health ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 21, 2023
After bankruptcy, fast-fashion brand Forever 21 plans upscale Japan relaunch
The move comes as the popularity of fast-fashion juggernaut Shein piles pressure on traditional brands including Forever 21 and H&M and puts a spotlight on sustainability in the industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2023
Uniqlo’s quest to conquer the U.S., one cashmere sweater at a time
The apparel maker, known for its affordable cashmere sweaters and solid basics, wants to go big in one of the world’s toughest consumer markets.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on