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December 03, 2023
 

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Takashi Mochizuki
For Takashi Mochizuki's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s factory currently under construction in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 21, 2023
TSMC eyes third Japan chip plant with cutting-edge 3 nanometer tech
Another plant in Japan, this one making advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) chips, would potentially turn Japan into a major global chipmaking hub.
An Omron X-ray scanner VT-X750 at the company’s Ayabe Factory in Kyoto
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2023
X-rays are becoming an essential health check-up in chipmaking
Omron, a Japanese provider of health care equipment and factory automation, is setting its sights on the lucrative chipmaking gear market to fuel future growth.
Nintendo reported operating profit of ¥94.5 billion and revenue of ¥334.9 billion in the September quarter, both beating analyst expectations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2023
Nintendo lifts annual profit forecasts
The Kyoto-based entertainment company said it now expects operating income of ¥500 billion ($3.3 billion), up from ¥450 billion previously.
Fujio Mitarai, chief executive officer of Canon, during an interview in Tokyo on Oct. 30
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2023
Canon’s chipmaking technology promises advanced chips for less
The Tokyo-based firm’s new nano-imprint technology could open doors for smaller semiconductor manufacturers.
The Capcom booth at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba last week
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2023
Capcom sets sights on India's growing game market
Capcom targets selling more than 100 million copies of games a year.
A Final Fantasy XVI video game displayed at a PlayStation pop-up shop in Seoul. The game's maker Square Enix is on a streak of misfires in attempts to build another hit series to buttress sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023
Final Fantasy maker’s 30% plunge may be just the beginning
Investors wonder whether one of the games industry’s most remarkable runs is coming to an end.
Rapidus CEO Atsuyoshi Koike says his ambition is to realize a "Hokkaido Valley" that can compete against Silicon Valley in size.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2023
Japan's Rapidus aims to create a chipmaking 'Hokkaido Valley'
The startup, backed with billions of dollars in taxpayer funds, is plotting a course to mass-produce 2-nanometer logic chips by 2027.
Eiko Higuchi at her microphone production station at Sony Taiyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 25, 2023
A tiny factory is handcrafting mics for Justin Bieber and Dr. Dre
Sony Taiyo, a Sony Group subsidiary, is designed to give people with disabilities a fair chance in the workplace.
Sony, a key supplier of image sensors to Apple and other device-makers, has said it doesn’t expect demand in the mobile phone market to bounce back until next year at the earliest.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2023
Sony falls most in a year as smartphone demand fails to recover
The Tokyo-based company’s operating income fell 31% in the first fiscal quarter because of sharp declines in the movie and sensor groups.
A man plays video games in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday. As AI platforms advance at breakneck speeds, hundreds of thousands of jobs in the gaming sector become at risk of being replaced by the technology.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2023
AI is rewriting the rules of $200 billion games industry
One major Japanese studio believes that half of the company’s programmers and designers could become redundant within the next five years.
Attendees gather in front of a stage at the Capcom booth during the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba in 2018.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 26, 2023
Game publisher Capcom sees 1,200% gain over decade
The company’s shares are up by a third this year, outpacing the broader Tokyo market and capping off a remarkable 1,200% surge over the past decade.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2023
IBM throws weight behind Japan chip startup it sees as vital
Rapidus, a venture backed by some of Japan’s biggest electronics firms, is turning IBM’s 2-nanometer chip design into production-ready silicon.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2023
Sega COO quashes talk of Microsoft deal in favor of independence
Microsoft has been keen to strengthen ties with Japanese video game publishers to upgrade its U.S.-centric catalog.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2023
TSMC's first factory in Japan has to contend with horrible traffic
While construction on the facility in Kumamoto Prefecture proceeds at breakneck speed, little has been done to improve conditions on the area’s roads.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2023
Sony eyes factory expansion in Kumamoto, aiming to grow image-sensor business
The Tokyo-based company has said it’s in talks to acquire 27 hectares of land for expansion in the city of Koshi in Kumamoto Prefecture, to the northwest of an existing factory.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 24, 2023
Goldman backs Japan’s biggest taxi app at $1 billion valuation
Goldman began investing in global startups from a dedicated vehicle in 2022, and Go marks its biggest outlay in Japan under that initiative.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2023
Sony considers listing giant financial arm to aid big investment push
The entertainment conglomerate will consider such a plan over the rest of this fiscal year before making a decision.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 10, 2023
Government-funded chip venture aims to restore Japan's glory days
Rapidus is trying to do what experts argued the country should have done decades ago as it began to lose its edge in the semiconductor industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 9, 2023
Nintendo warns sales of Switch consoles to slow further this year
Nintendo said on Tuesday that it sold 17.9 million Switch units in the year to March and reported operating profit of ¥93.8 billion for the quarter on Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2023
Sony casts doubt on PlayStation momentum with cagey outlook
The Tokyo-based firm said it expects operating income of ¥1.17 trillion ($8.7 billion) in the year ending March 2024, below average analyst estimates of ¥1.27 trillion.
We already know what will happen at COP28
Activists dressed up like CEOs take part in a fake banquet near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday where they feign the celebration of company profits over climate responsibility.
Japan air conditioner king Daikin eyes custom chips for energy savings
Daikin plans to start introducing the custom chips in high-end air conditioners from 2025 and is looking at using them in about a fifth of units by the end of the decade.
U.S. forces dispatch two Ospreys for rescue operations after fatal crash
A U.S. military Osprey at the Futenma base in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, in 2022
Four teams remain in Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, report says
The Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and the two Los Angeles teams — the Dodgers and Angels — remain active in the sweepstakes to land Shohei Ohtani.
Abe's former faction in focus as LDP political fund scandal deepens
A fundraising party for the LDP's largest faction, which was lead by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe until his death
The entertainment story of the year is long overdue
The talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates announced it would change its name after acknowledging the long history of abuse company founder Johnny Kitagawa inflicted on young men. The news was followed by the removal of company signage bearing Kitagawa’s name.
Japan’s 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning
Tigers manager Akinobu Okada speaks during a news conference in Tokyo after the buzzword of the year was announced on Friday. The team's slogan, an indirect reference to victory, took the top spot.
U.S. Osprey crash rekindles safety concerns in Japan
A CV-22 Osprey at the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in September 2018
Shibuya Sakura Stage to cap once-in-a-century redevelopment around station
A view of a plaza within Shibuya Sakura Stage, what Tokyu Land Corporation is calling the final puzzle piece in its redevelopment of the area around Shibuya Station.
Xi’s Shanghai visit sells city’s ‘innovation’ image
Pedestrians along the Bund in Shanghai on Oct. 29. The Chinese government is pushing a narrative that the city will play an important role in reinvigorating the nation’s economy.

Podcast

Pages from a new Otaku Dictionary catalog the lexicons of Japan’s various subcultures.
A problematic otaku dictionary and the Japanese approach to sitting

Longform

Yoshiko Koide sits in a classroom at Nagoya College where she teaches a Japanese-language observation seminar.
How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku
By Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue

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