Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Business Topics
Business Sep 30, 2013
Toyota maintains Interbrand ranking at No. 10 in world
by Masaaki Kameda
Seven Japanese firms made it onto the list of the top 100 most valuable brands in the world for 2013 compiled by U.S. consultancy Interbrand. Toyota Motor Corp. came in 10th, unchanged from last year, with a value of $35.3 billion, the best showing ...
Economy Sep 30, 2013
Abe betting this tax hike will be different
by Isabel Reynolds and Toru Fujioka
It’s different this time. The four most dangerous words in markets, according to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. With the consumption tax set to be raised for the first time since 1997, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political future rides on a different outcome ...
Corporate 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 ...
Economy 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 ...
Tech 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 ...
Business 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 ...
Business 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. ...
Economy Sep 30, 2013
Economy likely to suffer triple hit from simultaneous price, tax hikes
The economy is likely to take a hit from planned hikes in commodity and services prices, as well as pension system-related taxes from Tuesday as a threat from the rise in the consumption tax looms, economists say. “There is a risk that sharp price ...
Economy Sep 30, 2013
Tax hike counter-stimulus approaches ¥6 trillion
A stimulus package designed to buffer the economy from next year's consumption tax hike will be worth ¥6 trillion, officials say.
Business 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 ...
Economy Sep 29, 2013
Boxed in by tax hike, Abe bets on business
by Shingo Ito
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision on the tax hike this week is a major gamble, but his biggest challenge may be convincing companies to hike wages.
Business 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 ...