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Mariko Yasu
For Mariko Yasu's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2014
$73 billion payoff for SoftBank's ventures fuels push into Japan startups
Japan's biggest companies have a case of SoftBank envy, and that's good for entrepreneurs like 23-year-old Takumi Shimizu.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2014
Sony revision spurs credibility crisis for Hirai
Kazuo Hirai, who took the helm at Sony Corp. two years ago to revive the Japanese icon, is losing credibility with investors who think he's not up to the job.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2014
Venture capitalist eyes new $300 million fund
Gen Isayama grew up in Tokyo and then spent a decade working in the venture-capital business in Northern California. Now he's starting a $300 million fund aimed at blending the best of Silicon Valley and Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 24, 2014
Sony expected to lower profit outlook again
Nintendo Co. shocked investors last week by lowering its profit forecast for the year. Analysts are concerned Sony Corp. could be next.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 21, 2014
Nintendo chief under fire over Wii washout
Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata, who tripled revenue by introducing hits like the Wii console, is coming under fire from investors and analysts after the company's latest game machine flopped.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2013
Sony's Hirai mixes camera, phone geeks to catch Apple
For Kazuo Hirai, creating Sony Corp.'s flagship smartphone was too important to be left to the company's mobile phone experts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2013
Sony ex-boss seeks to boost start-ups
Nobuyuki Idei once embodied Japan's corporate establishment, the leader of technology giant Sony Corp. Now 75, he's aiming to reinvent himself as a cross between a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Hollywood mogul.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 30, 2013
Sony's newest hit tucked away in top smartphones, cameras
Sony Corp. has a hit product on its hands. Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. will be happy to sell it to you.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2013
Girl-group fans help push Japan music sales past U.S.
Ritsuhiko Tajima has about 100 CDs by his favorite band, girl group AKB48, many of them copies of the same disc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2012
James Bond can't fix Sony as Japan makers hit lows
Even James Bond and Spider-Man can't rescue Sony Corp.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2012
Sharp needs Hon Hai ties, if only for Apple
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2012
Alliance between Sharp, Hon Hai tested by severe share-price drop
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.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2012
DoCoMo targets 50% stake in smartphones
NTT DoCoMo Inc., the nation's biggest mobile-phone company, expects to increase its smartphone sales to more than half of the national total this fiscal year as it introduces new models, the company's finance chief said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2011
K-pop stars luring Japan to buy Korean products
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2011
Solar-panel producers stand to benefit from nuke fears
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2011
Silver lining in sight for makers of solar panels
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2010
Porn stars in 3-D lure buyers to new TVs
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2009
Sony head sees big things for 3-D
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2009
Rich turn to solar power for latest status symbols
Forget the 58-inch flat-panel TV, the new domestic status symbol for Japan's rich is a cooker.
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2008
Private equity deals still flow amid credit crisis
Japan's private equity market will see a "steady flow" of transactions even as rising funding costs cripple deals elsewhere, said the cofounder of the nation's largest buyout fund.

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