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Yuki Hagiwara
For Yuki Hagiwara's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 26, 2015
Suzuki aims to take some Maruti turf in India
After trust issues doomed Suzuki Motor Corp.'s alliance with Volkswagen AG, the Japanese carmaker now has to win over shareholders skeptical of plans for its crucial partnership with India's largest carmaker.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2015
Takata braces for exodus of air bag customers after losing Honda
Takata Corp. is bracing for further defections after Honda Motor Co., its top customer, began turning its back on the distressed Japanese air bag maker.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 27, 2015
Futuristic hydrogen cars come with a curfew — for now
Hiroshi Matsushita brims with pride about the staring and pointing that goes along with driving his dream car, Toyota's hydrogen-powered Mirai fuel cell sedan. There's just one problem: his new set of wheels came with a curfew.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 6, 2015
Toyota's driverless car is put through paces in Tokyo
Touch a button on the steering wheel and put your hands up — this Toyota will take it from here.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 10, 2015
In Japan, 1 in 6 children lives in poverty, putting education, future at stake
"Abenomics" may have helped double stock prices and enabled companies like Toyota Motor Corp. to post record profits in Japan, but one segment of the economy remains behind: the poor.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2015
Golf's slide in Japan sees course owners taking a swing at noncorporate clients
After decades of stagnation and decline, Japan is trying to break the traditional male-dominated elitism of the bubble days and usher in a new era of growth. We're talking about golf.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 6, 2015
Lexus turns to German engineering to create working hoverboard
Imagine, if you will, being handed what looks like a skateboard that almost magically hovers an inch or three above the ground.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Aug 4, 2015
Loeb makes fourth foray in Japan, declares new activists' age
Billionaire Daniel Loeb is starting to make a habit of looking for bargains in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2015
Loss of Toyota's first female executive is blow to Japan's diversity drive
The resignation of Toyota Motor Corp.'s first female executive, who lasted just 90 days in the job, is a blow to Toyota's drive to make management ranks more international and accepting of female executives.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 15, 2015
Reeling from recalls, Honda again opts for insider as new CEO
Honda Motor Co. is turning to an insider who has spent his entire career at the company to navigate its exit from a global auto safety crisis, after seven people died in its cars.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2015
Toyota backs Prius in next-gen auto wars
When Scott Fisher bought his 2006 Prius, there weren't many other choices that gave him use of the carpool lanes on his drive to work in New York. That changed last year when the Long Island lawyer traded in his car for a Honda Accord Hybrid.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 10, 2015
'Red purge' during MacArthur era hurt unions now pushing on wages
As annual wage talks climax this month, one of the obstacles to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's campaign for outsize pay raises has its roots in the 1940s: a stunted union movement.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2015
Tokyo to spend ¥45 billion on hydrogen stations, subsidies ahead of Olympics
Tokyo plans to spend ¥45.2 billion on fuel-cell vehicle subsidies and hydrogen stations for the 2020 Olympics as part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to reduce the nation's reliance on nuclear power.
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.

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