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July 05, 2025
 

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Taiga Uranaka
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2020
MUFG taps math expert as CEO to lead digital transformation amid Japan's negative rates
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. named Hironori Kamezawa as chief executive officer on Friday, turning to a math expert to help Japan's biggest bank forge a path in the digital era.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2019
Masayoshi Son's bankers worried about their favorite client
Masayoshi Son's bankers are taking a hard look at their most important client.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2019
Japanese investor has $1 billion to plow into shaky regional banks
Yoshitaka Kitao wants to build a financial empire in an area shunned by investors: the downtrodden ranks of Japan's regional banks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 13, 2019
Free bank accounts may become a thing of the past in Japan
Japan's long-suffering savers have put up with virtually zero interest for years, but at least their bank accounts have remained free.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 8, 2019
Japan regional bank Concordia targets comeback abroad with Southeast Asia foray
One of Japan's biggest regional banks is resuming an expansion overseas, 20 years after the country's financial crisis forced it to retreat.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2019
Negative rates see Japan's regional banks move into structured finance sector
The nation's regional banks have long been relegated to the sidelines in one of the most lucrative corners of the lending market while regular loans got gradually less profitable.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Aug 24, 2018
Mizuho's new leader Tatsufumi Sakai gears up to reform struggling mega-bank
When Tatsufumi Sakai was named chief executive and president of Mizuho Financial Group this year, many bankers and investors were surprised.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2018
'Don't blame BOJ,' FSA chief Toshihide Endo tells struggling regional banks
The nation's top financial regulator said regional banks "should not blame the Bank of Japan" for their woes, urging them to explore ways to survive ultralow interest rates.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2018
Already in decline, Japan's pachinko industry now braces for gambling-addiction regulations
Like many pachinko parlors throughout Japan, Naomi Suzuki's establishment on the outskirts of the city of Fukushima was once full of energy, with the din of bouncing steel balls and garish lights flashing to indicate winnings.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2018
Nippon Life to stop financing coal-fired power
Nippon Life Insurance Co. will no longer extend loans for, or invest in, coal-fired power plants due to environmental concerns, an official at Japan's biggest life insurer said, in the first such move by a major domestic institutional investor.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2014
Japan's 3/11 tsunami evacuees caught in $30 billion money trap
Some ¥3.28 trillion in funding for roads, bridges and thousands of new homes in areas devastated by the tsunami in Tohoku 3½ years ago is still languishing unspent in the bank. That means Keiko Abe is heading into a fourth winter of subzero temperatures in a cramped, temporary dwelling that is succumbing...
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2014
Regional banks face growing pressure to merge
Regulators are increasing the pressure on regional banks to consolidate, worried that shrinking populations outside Japan's major cities will leave lenders too weak to stand on their own.
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2006
Boardroom tussles reflect changes in M&As
The decorum traditionally seen in Japan's mergers and acquisitions has broken down, as hostile takeover attempts have grabbed the spotlight.
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2006
Brokerage business helps lift Rakuten's profit 2.3-fold
Online shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc. reported Thursday 2.3-fold growth in its operating profit for calendar 2005 to 34.89 billion yen, buoyed by its stock brokerage business.
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2006
Corporate character goods harness power of 'cute'
A traditional seasoning flies off store shelves after the bottles begin sporting a cartoon panda. A droplet-shaped character turns a little-known manufacturer into a household name.
BUSINESS
Feb 16, 2006
Don Quijote shocks Origin by boosting stake to 46%
Don Quijote Co. made a surprise announcement Wednesday that it had acquired a 15.28 percent stake in Origin Toshu Co., refusing to give up its quest for the chain of 24-hour boxed-meal stores.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2006
'Manga' industry worried cyberspace bootleggers may spread
Comic book artists and industry officials expressed concern Tuesday about the potential for illegal distribution on the Internet, pointing to cheap and simple technologies that could spawn homemade bootleg factories.
BUSINESS
Feb 15, 2006
Matsushita, Sony unveil new cameras
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Sony Corp. unveiled new digital cameras Tuesday that will go on sale next month in a bid to get out in front of the pack amid intensifying competition.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2006
Livedoor chief says firm could be sold
Backpedaling from his previous position, Livedoor Co. President Kozo Hiramatsu said Monday the firm is preparing for any eventuality, including possibly selling itself to a willing buyer.
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2006
Asahi taps subsidiary head in bid to keep suds on top
Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Friday it had named Hitoshi Ogita, president of Asahi Soft Drinks Co., to replace President Koichi Ikeda, as the country's top brewer faces growing pressure from rival Kirin Brewery Co.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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