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Takashi Mochizuki
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2023
Demand rising amid AI frenzy, says chip-testing maker Advantest
A global race to develop powerful computing clusters and next-generation AI-training systems is spurring chipmakers to buy many more of the Tokyo-based company’s testing tools.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 6, 2023
Japan to bolster support for chipmaker Rapidus in semiconductor push
Domestic production of advanced chips is essential for the country to excel in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving, trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Apr 5, 2023
U.S. gets new levers from Japan to curb China’s chip ambitions
Japanese companies control key steps in the semiconductor supply chain, which could be used as potential chokepoints against China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 20, 2023
TSMC’s container maker is the hidden jewel of Japan’s chip industry
Valqua makes specialized, superclean containers for storing essential chipmaking chemicals, and it expects to hit its highest sales ever this fiscal year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 9, 2023
Tokyo Electron raises outlook on stronger-than-expected demand
The Tokyo-based supplier to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Intel lifted its forecast for the year to March above expectations to ¥580 billion ($4.4 billion).
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2023
Nintendo cuts outlook on Switch but raises salaries as Japan inflation climbs
Nintendo has sat out the rally in tech stocks this year and may remain stuck in the doldrums until it unveils a successor to its Switch game console.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2023
Sony to promote veteran CFO to role overseeing global operations
Hiroki Totoki will become president and chief operating officer of Sony on April 1, the company said Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2023
Sony slashes PlayStation VR2 headset output after pre-orders disappoint
The company halved its forecast for shipments of the PSVR2, which is set for a Feb. 22 release, this quarter to about a million units.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2023
Japan’s 'king of deals' looks for currency at ¥120 to launch global M&A
Yoshihisa Kainuma anticipates the yen will soon appreciate from a current level of around ¥128 per dollar because the Fed is likely to slow the pace of monetary policy tightening.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 19, 2023
TSMC supplier Resonac prepares for billion-dollar chip deals
The firm aims to capitalize on a much-needed consolidation of the $580 billion semiconductor industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 22, 2022
No sign of smartphone recovery until late 2023, TDK CEO warns
Tokyo-based TDK sees little indication of a rebound following major declines in handset sales, especially in the key market of China.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 13, 2022
Japan to join U.S. efforts to tighten chip exports to China
Japan will likely announce soon that it will adopt at least some of the measures the U.S. rolled out in October to restrict the sale of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 8, 2022
Key iPhone supplier expects orders to drop on weak tech demand
Apple has trimmed iPhone output on softening demand and may slash production further.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2022
Sony to launch ¥49,500 wearables to animate users' movements in the metaverse
The new Mocopi system consists of six pucks worn around the user's wrists, ankles, head and hips, that will work with various metaverse apps on Android phones or Apple iPhones.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 8, 2022
Nintendo cuts Switch sales forecast even as chip shortage seen to be easing
The company says it's now front-loading production to maximize delivery in the holiday shopping season, and that production output has been improving since September.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 2, 2022
Sony bumps up profit outlook as weak yen juices sales
A boost in streaming sales from its music publishing business helped fuel the earnings revision, making up for lackluster momentum in its games and image sensor businesses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2022
Smartphone storage space is the new turf war for game-makers
Japanese games publisher Gree expects a reckoning over escalating costs and ballooning file sizes as developers pack their games with increasingly intricate graphics and storylines.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 20, 2022
Key iPhone supplier warns smartphone demand will continue to fall
Kyoto-based Murata Manufacturing expects this year's drop in smartphone sales to keep going well into 2023, led by a sharp downturn in China.

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