author

 
 

Meta

Kevin Buckland
For Kevin Buckland's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2017
Toyota to U.S. workers: Made-in-Japan Camrys are more profitable
Toyota Motor Corp. issued an unsettling warning to Kentucky workers building its top-selling Camry sedan: Cut costs now or face an uncertain future.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 13, 2017
Kobe Steel cheating scandal driven by competition to improve metals, especially for automakers
Behind the scandal engulfing Kobe Steel Ltd. over the falsification of data for some of the materials it supplied is a harsh reality for Japanese steel companies: the need to provide higher and higher quality metals to compete.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Oct 11, 2017
Scandals seen shredding Japan Inc.'s once revered image for quality
Kobe Steel Ltd. raises fresh concern about the integrity of Japanese manufacturers after disclosing it falsified data on aluminum used in products ranging from cars to bullet trains.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2017
Toyota invests in Japanese startups to catch up in autonomous car race
When it comes to cracking the code for self-driving cars, startups have an edge on big businesses, says computer scientist Katsuya Uenoyama.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 5, 2017
As electric vehicles gain momentum worldwide, Horiba CEO maintains emissions-reliant business is sound
What is the market leader in equipment for measuring automobile emissions to do if the vehicles of the future don't spew exhaust? Horiba Ltd., whose tech was central in exposing Volkswagen AG's diesel-cheating scandal, believes that day will never come.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2017
Japan's 'Monkey Bike' nears extinction as country cuts tailpipe emissions
Inside the maze of fishmongers and sushi shops of Tokyo's Tsukiji district, buyers and tourists are assailed by more than just the smell of fresh seafood. There's also the incessant buzzing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2017
Takata bankruptcy filing might put auto industry's biggest recall at risk
The expected bankruptcy of troubled air bag maker Takata Corp. isn't just a crisis for its employees and suppliers — it also throws a wild card into one of the most complicated recalls in automotive history.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2017
With plans for electric versions of its vehicles, Subaru avoids reinventing the wheel
Subaru Corp. is considering electric versions of its existing models for the carmaker's first foray into the technology, as it joins peers around the world in pouring cash into battery-powered vehicles amid tightening emissions rules.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 7, 2017
Trade heat from Trump makes Toyota's test in U.S. even tougher
Toyota Motor Corp. recently ceded its title as the world's best-selling automaker to archrival Volkswagen AG. Yet the company's biggest adversary this year may be U.S. President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Aug 31, 2016
Talk persists of 'helicopter money' despite Kuroda denials
Speculation of so-called helicopter money refuses to die in Japan, despite repeated denials by Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 24, 2015
JPMorgan says Japan Inc. must prepare for yen at less than ¥100 a dollar
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is making two contrarian calls: first that the yen will strengthen toward 100 per dollar and second that such a rally will not destroy the world's third-largest economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2015
Abe's deflation fight has automated foes on nearly every Tokyo street corner
They stand resolutely on street corners around Japan, proclaiming that deflation has not been vanquished, much as the Abe administration and the central bank have tried.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2015
BOJ easing seen as blunt tool by one fund, blowing bubbles by another
TCW Group Inc. says the Bank of Japan has made a mistake and should exit quantitative easing as soon as possible. Invesco Ltd. says the only error was not starting sooner.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 2, 2015
Trump's 'Japan Is back' rhetoric signals campaign focus on alleged currency manipulation
Donald Trump's claim that "Japan is back" isn't the dominant view among economists. Apparently, the Bank of Japan agrees with his assessment.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2015
BOJ's CPI overhaul suggests bond-buying slowdown, analysts say
The Bank of Japan's drive to change the way inflation is measured suggests a tapering of bond-buying stimulus will come sooner than markets think.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 23, 2015
Bank of Japan research casts doubt on Kuroda's comfort on bonds
The Bank of Japan's own researchers are undermining Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's view that the market is functioning well as the central bank buys an unprecedented amount of debt.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2015
BOJ doesn't need more stimulus: top-rated economist
Japan's top-rated economist says the central bank doesn't need more stimulus, defying the consensus.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Dec 30, 2014
Yen's slump seen longest since gold standard ended
If your New Year's wish is for more yen weakness, get ready to celebrate.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 6, 2014
BOJ has ECB in a bind as euro soars versus yen
Mario Draghi had something new to worry about as he prepared for Thursday's European Central Bank policy meeting: the euro-yen exchange rate.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 8, 2014
Abe recasting Cabinet cuts risk to six-year low
The Cabinet overhaul has revived failing public support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies and invigorated markets that have shown more confidence in him than his predecessors.

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces