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Yuki Hagiwara
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 22, 2014
Abe's election victory means gain for big companies, pain for smaller ones
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's victory in the snap Lower House election earlier this month, an endorsement of his economic policies, may help the nation's biggest companies get richer while extending a surge in bankruptcies among smaller ones.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 27, 2014
Air bag maker in crisis used unique chemical explosive
The emerging crisis over air bags traces back to a little-known Tokyo company that for over 20 years has supplied the safety devices to automakers including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Sep 3, 2014
Nissan's defections continue to mount
Nissan Motor Co.'s loss of its second executive since July is fueling concern that the pool of talent surrounding Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn is drying up.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 30, 2014
Japan's culture of overtime thwarts Abe's plans for more working moms
Hiroko Yano, who's worked 20 years at the same company, was recently told she could become a manager. The mother of three, who puts in an average of two hours of overtime a day, rejected the idea, saying she doesn't want to be stuck in the office until midnight like the other managers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 25, 2014
Toyota's hydrogen car may come with ¥3 million rebate
Japan is raising the bar for subsidizing zero-emission cars as incentives may exceed ¥3 million a vehicle for Toyota Motor Corp.'s first hydrogen-powered sedan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2014
Maserati, others taking on Toyota at home
Maserati, Volkswagen and other foreign automakers are riding their best sales streak in years in Japan, as the economy improves and drivers like Taichi Matsukura try to stand out amid a sea of Toyotas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2014
Scrutiny ushers in era of big recalls
Recall first, ask questions later.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2014
'Gods' edging out robots at Toyota facility
Inside Toyota Motor Corp.'s oldest plant, there's a corner where humans have taken over from robots in thwacking glowing lumps of metal into crankshafts. This is Mitsuru Kawai's vision of the future.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 9, 2013
Honda Fit designed as 'Prius-killer' in challenge to Toyota
Honda Motor Co. wants to remind the world that hybrid means more than the Prius.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 9, 2013
Subaru's record surge leads FHI to debate staying niche player
Which carmaker's stock has risen the most — some fivefold — since the beginning of 2012, besides Tesla Motors Inc.? Subaru producer Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 25, 2013
Honda's Fujino readying 'flying Acura'
Michimasa Fujino began working on Honda Motor Co.'s aviation project 27 years ago at a hangar in Mississippi. Next year, Fujino, now president of the aircraft unit, says the project may finally get off the ground.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2013
Yen's slump fails to stem corporate exodus overseas
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promises that his growth policies will revive the nation's industrial might. For Takumi Tanaka at auto parts maker Uchida Co., times are worse than after the 2011 quake-tsunami catastrophe.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 26, 2013
Nissan's female execs help drive strong sales
Among the 780,000 people employed in Japan's auto industry, only three are women responsible for the rollout of new models. They all work at Nissan Motor Co.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 13, 2012
Mazda leads diesel revival as dirty-clunker label fades
Thirteen years after Shintaro Ishihara killed Japanese interest in diesel cars by barring many of them from Tokyo, the technology is making a comeback as manufacturers adopt innovations that improve its sooty image.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2012
Subaru's lack of China plant pays off
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga has become a market darling for something he failed to do: build a factory in China.
BUSINESS
May 26, 2012
Subaru maker Fuji goes against grain with local output hike
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. is making a contrarian bet: The maker of Subaru cars is cranking up domestic manufacturing at a time when its domestic rivals are expanding overseas to escape the strong yen.
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2011
Exporters say they need still more action to lower yen
Japanese exporters are calling for more action to weaken the near-record high yen even after government intervention prompted the currency's biggest drop since March.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2011
Quake levels playing field for imported cars
The record March 11 earthquake had an unexpected side effect for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG dealer Jun Kubota: His showroom in central Tokyo had its best April in at least three years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2009
Nissan bet on raking in profits with Leaf name
After Nissan Motor Co. tackled technical restrictions on its first electric car involving range, battery life and temperature fluctuations, it still had to come up with a name. Choosing Leaf wasn't easy.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2009
Nissan calls on composers of movie scores to give EVs sound
Toshiyuki Tabata spent 30 years as a Nissan Motor Co. engineer trying to make gasoline-powered cars quieter. Now he's consulting music composers to make electric cars noisier — and safer.

Longform

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