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Kathleen Chu
For Kathleen Chu's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 24, 2017
Realtors say Tokyo's housing boom fading as sales to Chinese slow
Evidence is mounting that Tokyo's housing boom is nearing an end.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 1, 2017
Housewife who saved Toyoko hotel chain puts focus on female managers
Maiko Kuroda isn't new to challenges. She was a housewife when her father's hotel chain was embroiled in scandal, forcing her to return to the business almost a decade ago. Having boosted profit tenfold, she's now eyeing markets in Europe and North America.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 22, 2016
Japanese AI hedge fund paves way for evolution of trading
Yoshinori Nomura felt like weeping. It was the morning of June 24, Brexit day, and markets were moving against him.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 19, 2016
As Japanese bond investors hunt yields, hurricanes may be worth the risk
Japan's bond investors are so desperate for yield that more and more of them are putting money in notes from insurers whose value can be wiped out by unexpectedly strong hurricanes or earthquakes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2016
Bank of Japan buying spree inflates world's priciest real estate investment trusts
Japan's real estate investment trusts have soared in value to become the priciest in the world. More purchases by one of the biggest investors in the landlord business — the Bank of Japan — may help propel prices even higher.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2016
Simplex hedge fund takes investing lesson from Tsukiji fish market
Simplex Asset Management Co. is taking some lessons from Tokyo's iconic wholesale fish market as it starts a fund to invest in companies looking to move their listings to the Topix index.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 10, 2016
Unfriendly activist battles Japan CEOs to wrest returns by force
Tsuyoshi Maruki stands out like a lone wolf in Japan, where societal intolerance for aggressive shareholder campaigns has spurred a breed of friendly activists.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2016
Japan Post Insurance to boost foreign debt as JGB yields plunge
Japan Post Insurance Co., the nation's biggest insurer by assets, plans to increase investments in foreign debt to boost returns as the central bank's negative interest rate policy sends government bond yields to unprecedented lows.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 9, 2016
Ten perfect Valentine's Days in 10 global cities
Early stroll: The Limmat River in Zurich, A beautiful place for a morning walk before your big date. Enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the observation tower on Uetliberg Mountain. | BLOOMBERG
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2015
With massive IPO of Japan Post, the nation seeks to shake decades of torpor
As Japan prepares this week for the biggest initial public offering in the world since Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in September 2014, the government hopes that the ¥1.5 trillion privatization of the postal service will help revive the country from its 20-year slump.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 13, 2015
'Island of sanity' lures funds amid Greece, China woes
Van Biema Value Partners LLC, a New York-based fund of hedge funds with $600 million, is looking to increase allocations to Japan because it is a haven from the Greek crisis and China's share-market rout.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2015
Salarymen sidelined as Chinese descend on Japan property market
The trend has already hit Sydney, Vancouver and the U.S. Now it's happening in Japan: busloads of real estate buyers from China are coming in, buying up homes and pushing prices higher.
JAPAN
May 3, 2015
Mori Trust heir shows how women can shine
The daughter of real estate magnate Akira Mori fits the mold for the government's female empowerment campaign and is preparing to take over.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2015
Car-pooling shows growth potential over long distances
Stuck in traffic heading out of Tokyo, Kohei Miwa noticed how few of the cars near him on the expressway were carrying passengers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2014
Blackstone to acquire GE Japan's apartment unit for $1.61 billion
Blackstone Group LP agreed to buy GE Japan Corp.'s residential property business for more than ¥190 billion to expand its apartment holdings in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2014
Billionaire Mikitani builds new Tokyo house as luxury prices gain
Billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani, Japan's fourth-richest man, is building a house in central Tokyo that is estimated to cost at least ¥2.3 billion, underscoring a shortage in the city's luxury housing market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2014
Temp workers threaten housing recovery
Momoko Suzuki quit her sales job in Tokyo and took a temporary position so she could pursue her film ambitions. Suzuki's employment change may force her to abandon another goal — owning a home.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 18, 2013
Vacant homes highlight hole in 'Abenomics'
Pieces of broken wood dangle and sway like autumn leaves from the window frames of vacant homes in the Inariyato district in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, where taped-over mailbox slots tell a story of abandonment.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2013
Tokyo real estate lures Asian bargain hunters
When Julia Chang, a 48-year-old Taiwanese who divides her time between Taiwan and Tokyo, decided to diversify her family's overseas investments, she settled on real estate in the Japanese capital, where prices have slumped for two decades.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2012
Mori plans ¥100 billion in property buys, rent hikes
Billionaire Akira Mori plans to buy as much as ¥100 billion in properties in Tokyo, New York and London, his company's first investment of this scale since 2008, as local real estate values recover and the yen strengthens.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world