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Shoko Oda
Jera's liquefied natural gas fired power plant inside the company's Anegasaki Thurmal Power Station in Ichihara, Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2024
Japan firms unite to cut methane emissions from LNG supply
Twenty-two firms are joining an initiative that aims to leverage their buying power to curb methane emissions from liquefied natural gas supply chains.
It is estimated that the cleanup at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant will cost around ¥23 trillion ($157 billion).
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2024
Tepco to demonstrate removal of radioactive debris from Fukushima No. 1
About 880 metric tons of fuel debris remain in the three reactors that suffered a meltdown.
Sumitomo Corp. President Shingo Ueno speaks during an interview at the company's head office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2024
Sumitomo looks to tap U.S. shale boom despite exiting production
The company will seek to boost sales of pipelines used in U.S. shale fields.
Seiji Izumisawa, president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, says the firm is almost finished designing its next-generation nuclear reactor.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2024
Mitsubishi Heavy moving closer to building new reactor in Japan
The firm can start building the facility once a site for it is established and some late-stage tests are completed.
Some overseas airlines scrapped plans to add or increase services to Japanese airports due to the uncertain jet fuel supply, trade minister Ken Saito acknowledged on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024
Jet fuel crunch sees airlines servicing Japan demand more supply
Eneos Holdings has been fielding calls from carriers and is working with the government to ease the problem, a spokesperson said via phone.
Sumitomo headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday
BUSINESS
May 2, 2024
Sumitomo to bolster shareholder returns in new midterm plan
Sumitomo will allocate ¥700 billion ($4.5 billion) of returns over the next three years, with a goal of total shareholder return ratio of 40%.
The weak yen impacts the airline industry multiple ways, as it boosts foreign currency revenue from international flights but negatively affects travelers from Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 2, 2024
Japan firms reach pain threshold as yen keeps testing lows against the dollar
The currency's sustained decline makes planning difficult for all firms and can add costs across the whole supply chain.
Yukio Kani, chairman and global CEO of Jera
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2024
Japan’s top power producer Jera considers IPO to fund green push
The Tokyo-based company plans to develop 20 gigawatts of renewable generation capacity by fiscal 2035.
Japan will need new nuclear power plants to meet its 2050 net zero goal.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2024
Japan needs new nuclear to hit green goals, power sector says
New reactors are needed to help reduce dependence on costly fossil fuel imports and to help boost economic competitiveness.
Mercuria Energy Group is gearing up to engage in physical power trading in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 5, 2024
Mercuria joins trader push into Japan’s spot electricity market
That follows moves by other European energy companies, including BP and Engie, to expand in one of the biggest power-consuming nations.
Japan’s power supply is expected to be sufficient for both the upcoming summer and winter, according to government forecasts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2024
Japan forecasts sufficient power for upcoming summer and winter
Japan’s grid has proven fragile in the past, which has sometimes forced the government to ask households and businesses to conserve electricity.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that United States Steel should be domestically owned, coming out against Nippon Steel's plan to acquire the company as support from labor unions is becoming more significant for his re-election bid.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 15, 2024
Nippon Steel determined to complete U.S. Steel deal
The firm has promised no layoffs or plant closures until at least September 2026.
Vitol, the world's largest independent oil trader, is considering opening an office in Tokyo to trade electricity, sources said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 16, 2024
Vitol considers entering Japan power market with Tokyo office
Japan's power market is attracting more overseas firms due to increased volatility amid shifts away from fossil fuels
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares to speak at a COP28 session in Dubai on Friday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2023
Japan pledges to end construction of new unabated coal plants
The pledge comes after some nations called on attendees at COP28 to agree to immediately end new unabated coal-fired power generation.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says Japanese firms' clean energy technology can speed up the country’s efforts to curb emissions.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 27, 2023
Japan’s tech leaders accelerate its climate actions, ex-PM says
Japan’s companies were once at the cutting edge of green technology but have been surpassed by Chinese producers.
A hydrogen storage tank and loading system at a liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal in Kobe
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 27, 2023
U.K. concerned about Japan’s co-firing plans to curb emissions
The move 'prolongs the life of coal plants and leads to emissions,' said the head of climate change and energy at the British Embassy in Tokyo.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has been meeting with Japanese buyers, as well as overseas suppliers, to urge the signing of more long-term LNG contracts.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2023
Japan urges LNG buyers to sign long-term deals for fuel security
The push is meant to insulate Japan from future supply shocks, as well as potentially harsher sanctions against Russian fuel exports.
A Jera thermal power plant
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 6, 2023
Japan climate group calls for ban on top power firm's emission claims
The group says the ads may mislead consumers as Jera fails to mention that the ammonia the utility plans to use would emit CO2 during production.
A liquefied natural gas tanker is tugged toward a thermal power station in Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, in November 2017
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2023
Japan’s dwindling LNG inventories could prompt new purchases
Storage held by Japan’s power suppliers fell to 1.62 million tons as of Sept. 17, according to data compiled by the trade ministry.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in June raised its stake in Japan's five major trading firms. All of them beat net-income estimates for the first quarter of the fiscal year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2023
Buffett’s favored Japan trading firms post solid earnings
The five major trading firms all beat net-income estimates for the first quarter of the fiscal year in reports issued this week.

Longform

Dul Saroth (left) and Soeum Samrach, deminers with the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, practice using the Advanced Landmine Imaging System in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province in August.
The Japanese tech that could one day make Southeast Asia landmine-free