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Yuji Okada
For Yuji Okada's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Mori Building CEO Shingo Tsuji speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Nov. 30.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2023
Mori’s CEO eyeing the next Roppongi Hills, casino resort in Tokyo
The real estate developer behind the towers that have reshaped central Tokyo’s skyline isn’t done yet.
The number of skiers and snowboarders in Japan has been declining, and is down about 75% in 2020 from its peak in the late 1990s, according to the Japan Productivity Center.
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2023
Skiing in Japan is getting a $1.4 billion upgrade
Ken Chan, the former Japan head of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, aims to invest $1.4 billion in the resort of Myoko, Niigata Prefecture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 30, 2022
Singapore sovereign wealth fund eyes Japan property deals as yen falls and tourists return
Hotels, resorts and inns in key cities are among the types of properties being evaluated.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2019
Japan startup making paper from stone seeks more pre-IPO funding
Making paper out of rock isn't just a novel idea — it saves water, is both recyclable and biodegradable and uses a mineral resource available anywhere on Earth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 22, 2014
Refiners Idemistu and Showa Shell in talks for tie-up
Shares in Japanese refiners surged on Monday after two of the largest said they were discussing a tie-up, as falling demand for fuels spurs the industry to consider consolidation.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2013
Hanford offers Tepco lesson in cleaning up Fukushima
Hanford Engineer Works produced the 9 kg of plutonium for the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. It's among the most toxic nuclear waste sites and the place Japan is turning to for help dealing with the melted reactors in Fukushima.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2013
Tepco minutes reveal staff exodus concerns
Tokyo Electric Power Co. executives spent dozens of meetings fretting about the utility's future as hundreds of younger employees quit over salary cuts after the Fukushima No. 1 reactor meltdowns, according to minutes obtained by Bloomberg News.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2013
Japan must boost credibility of bonds as exodus to stocks hikes rates: Amari
Japan's government must demonstrate a commitment to fiscal rehabilitation to boost the credibility of government bonds and prevent a spike in long-term yields as soaring stocks damp the allure of the nation's sovereign debt, Economy Minister Akira Amari said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 30, 2012
Oil consumption hits four-year high as LNG use peaks to cover reactors
Japan is consuming the most oil in four years as it runs out of capacity to use liquefied natural gas as a stopgap for idled nuclear power plants.
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2011
Sumitomo to double water biz workers
Sumitomo Corp. will double the head count of its global water division within seven years in a bid to boost the size of its water assets eightfold through investment and acquisitions.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2009
Amano faces defiant Tehran, Pyongyang
, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks with Malaysia's Mohd Arshad bin Monzoor Hussein, chairman of the IAEA's Board of Governors, as departing IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei looks on at Vienna's International Center on Friday. AP PHOTO
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 9, 2009
IPO eyed for Showa Shell solar-panel unit
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. is considering selling shares in a solar-panel unit to fund an expansion of its renewable energy business and cut reliance on fuel sales.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2009
Cheap tolls may worsen traffic jams
Prime Minister Taro Aso's economic stimulus measures are about to unleash the nation's worst highway traffic jams, toll operators and police say.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2009
Battery deal sought with EU
Japan will seek an agreement with the European Union to jointly develop solar cells and new ultralight batteries for electric cars that can deliver three times the power of current technology, a Japanese official said Thursday, prior to a meeting that began Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2009
Refiners plan more capacity cuts
Oil refiners led by Nippon Oil Corp. plan to shut down more capacity during the peak spring maintenance season this year, lowering demand for crude oil imports by Japan, the world's third-biggest user.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2007
Sudan abuses may spur oil ban; utilities probe impact
The trade ministry is studying the effect of a possible ban on Sudanese oil imports, anticipating increased public pressure to halt trade with the African nation because of concern about human rights abuses, officials said.

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