Ritsuhiko Tajima has about 100 CDs by his favorite band, girl group AKB48, many of them copies of the same disc. The attraction? The CDs often include tickets to events where he can briefly meet his idols. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired ...

Even James Bond and Spider-Man can’t rescue Sony Corp. In “Skyfall,” actor Daniel Craig’s 007 uses Sony’s Xperia T smartphone, while Andrew Garfield’s title character in “The Amazing Spider-Man” wields an Xperia X10 Mini Pro. The two movies, released by Sony this year, have ...

Taiwan billionaire Terry Gou built a manufacturing empire that assembles iPhones and iPads. His Foxconn Technology Group may be key to ensuring Sharp Corp.’s survival and a stable supply of components for Apple Inc. Sharp’s shares collapsed to their lowest in 37 years in ...

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the assembler of Apple Inc. iPads, may seek to renegotiate a planned ¥133 billion alliance with Sharp Corp. after the Japanese TV maker’s shares fell to their lowest in 34 years. Hon Hai agreed to buy 9.9 percent of ...

Yuko Ishii, a 53-year-old factory worker in central Japan, used to feel reluctant about buying products made in South Korea. That changed after she became a fan of pop stars such as boy band TVXQ. “I used to rule out Korean products, but now ...

Akiko Hirai says the Hamaoka power station 3 km from her home evokes such dread of the crippled Fukushima plant that she would spend ¥500,000 installing solar panels if it helped make Japan nuclear-free. “Who can really guarantee that they’re 100 percent safe? I ...

Akiko Hirai says the Hamaoka power station 3 km from her home evokes such dread of the crippled Fukushima plant that she would spend ¥500,000 installing solar panels if it helped make Japan nuclear-free. “Who can really guarantee that they’re 100 percent safe? I ...

Porn star Mika Kayama is at the frontier of a push to develop videos and content in Japan that Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. need to lure customers for their new 3-D televisions. Kayama and Yuma Asami, the top actresses of adult-movie maker S1 ...

Sony Corp. Chairman Howard Stringer forecast 3-D movies, pictures and games will be the electronics maker’s next $10 billion business, challenging investors and analysts who say the technology isn’t ready to become mainstream. The maker of Bravia televisions and PlayStation 3 game consoles said ...

Forget the 58-inch flat-panel TV, the new domestic status symbol for Japan’s rich is a cooker. Housewife Yasuyo Takizawa, whose husband runs a public relations company, spent as much as ¥4 million on systems that combine solar power with energy-efficient water and room heaters ...