Business Topics

Son says quality of network 'is critical'

Sep 30, 2013

Son says quality of network 'is critical'

by Kazuaki Nagata

Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son said Monday that providing a quality communications network will be even more critical now that all three major carriers are selling the iPhone. “The scene of the cellphone industry is changing,” Son said during an event unveiling Softbank’s winter-spring ...

Industrial output dipped in August

Sep 30, 2013

Industrial output dipped in August

Industrial production fell 0.7 percent in August from the previous month as domestic demand turned sluggish in some sectors, according to data released Monday by trade ministry. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, however, maintained its basic assessment in the preliminary report, saying ...

Sep 30, 2013

Fake online reviews face court cases and big fines

by Rob Lever

Fake online product reviews have been around for years, fueled by unscrupulous marketers seeking to boost sales. But a recent crackdown by authorities in New York could be the shock needed for the online sector to clean up its act. The New York state ...

Uniqlo opens huge Shanghai store

Sep 30, 2013

Uniqlo opens huge Shanghai store

Fast Retailing Co. opened its largest Uniqlo outlet in the world Monday in central Shanghai. The building also houses outlets for four other Fast Retailing brands, including GU, and demonstrates the group’s growing presence in Shanghai, home to many global casual fashion brands. The ...

Sep 30, 2013

Toshiba to halve global TV workers

Toshiba Corp.will halve the number of workers in its television operations outside Japan to 3,000 as it outsources more production. As much as 70 percent of the company’s TV output will come from other manufacturers by business 2014, Toshiba said in a statement Monday. ...

Ho set to roll dice on Japan casinos

Sep 30, 2013

Ho set to roll dice on Japan casinos

by Vinicy Chan and Yuki Yamaguchi

Lawrence Ho, son of Macau gambling tycoon Stanley Ho, plans to invest more than $5 billion in Japan if Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. receives permission to build a casino here as he sees constraints on development at home. Ho’s maneuver to build projects in ...

Abe's overture to Wall Street lost in translation

Sep 29, 2013

Abe's overture to Wall Street lost in translation

by William Pesek

Something was definitely lost in translation when Shinzo Abe spoke in New York on Thursday. First, Japan’s self-described reformist prime minister raised the specter of Gordon Gekko, the greed-is-good villain of Oliver Stone’s 1987 film “Wall Street.” Speaking at the New York Stock Exchange ...