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May 03, 2024
 

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Grace Huang
For Grace Huang's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 23, 2016
Are bargain burgers quickening Japan's deflationary tailspin?
Fast-food lunches in Japan are starting to get cheaper as consumers look to trim their dining expenses, a worrying sign for the central bank as it tries to bring about inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2016
7-Eleven's new boss bides time on turnaround as stock falls
After his appointment in May, the president of 7-Eleven's floundering parent company promised to deliver a turnaround plan in about 100 days. Ryuichi Isaka is on day 112 and counting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2016
Amazon takes on Alibaba from Japan with Chinese-language website
Just before the stores open in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, buses pull up, unleashing Chinese tourists and their credit cards to snap up televisions, rice cookers and other gadgets. Walk into any department store and there they are, buying mascara, T-shirts and other merchandise.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2016
Shoppers tighten purse strings, making Japan retailers see red
Japan's discount-seeking shoppers drove some retailers into the red last quarter as an uncertain economic outlook persuaded consumers to tighten their purse strings.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2016
Lawson looking to buy U.S. convenience chains in overseas push
Lawson Inc., the nation's second-biggest convenience store operator, is looking to buy chains in the U.S. as it speeds up overseas expansion with the aim of boosting its number of overseas outlets by about a quarter within a year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2016
Asahi eyes U.S. beer expansion with ¥400 billion war chest
Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., the brewer that's buying European brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev NV worth $2.9 billion, is now pursuing deals in the U.S. that would help boost distribution of its Super Dry beer in the world's largest economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 23, 2015
Toshiba faces turnaround that strikes at heart of its identity
Toshiba Corp. is embarking on a revamp that will leave the one-time technology pioneer a shadow of its former self. An accounting scandal has left the conglomerate in tatters, facing record losses, thousands of job cuts and potential spinoffs that may include the consumer electronics unit that made it a global player.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 26, 2015
Sony CEO aims to build on recovery with Toshiba sensor deal
Sony Corp. is looking to expand on its dominant position in making the chips used to capture smartphone pictures, as President Kazuo Hirai makes progress in his turnaround effort at the struggling consumer electronics maker.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 7, 2015
Sony developing 1,000-pictures-a-second sensor
Sony Corp. built a dominant position in image sensors by helping people take high-quality photos with smartphones. Now, the company is focusing on sensors that take photos at least 10 times faster than the human eye can see.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 30, 2015
Sharp's quarterly smartphone stumble seen paring annual outlook
Sharp Corp.'s expected first-quarter loss may deepen skepticism that demand for smartphone displays will fuel a recovery strong enough to meet its full-year profit target.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2015
Sony's ¥440 billion fundraising opens way to finance unit buyout
Sony Corp.'s first share sale in 26 years is fueling speculation the company may buy full control of Sony Financial Holdings Inc., a move that could save taxes and help the parent meet performance targets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2015
Sony CEO Hirai's strategy questioned by former executive Iba
Kazuo Hirai is being criticized by a former Sony Corp. director who says the company's chief executive officer is abandoning its traditional engineering focus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 23, 2015
Meet the man who helped Sony get its game back
"How many people came for video games?" asks a keynote presenter at Sony Corp.'s PlayStation bash in Las Vegas last December. The crowd roars. "And how many came to give Shu Yoshida a hug?" The roar gets even louder.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Feb 6, 2015
Revival in Sony shares credited to ascent of CFO Yoshida
Investors' newfound enthusiasm for bloated Sony owes much to ascendant CFO Kenichiro Yoshida's ability to cut jobs, exit money-losing businesses and rein in its outsized ambitions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 29, 2014
Sony bulls looking beyond hackings to lucrative turnaround play
It may not be as far-fetched as the CIA dispatching a celebrity tabloid show host and his producer to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Yet a 43 percent rally in the shares of money-losing Sony Corp. is pretty remarkable.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2014
Paper watch to test Sony's innovation revamp
Sony Corp. is developing a watch made out of electronic paper for release as soon as next year in a trial of the company's new venture-style approach to creating products, according to people familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2014
Sony breakup 'long overdue,' analysts say
One year and about $2 billion in lost market value later, it may be time for Sony Corp. to take Daniel Loeb's advice about breaking up.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2014
Sony PS4 sales top 7 million mark
Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 4 sales are proving a bright spot for Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai, who is cutting costs to spur a revival at a company hit by falling demand for its televisions and cameras.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 28, 2014
Line built its empire with surprising speed
How do you create a ¥1.5 trillion company in an industry that gives its primary product away?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2014
Sony revision spurs credibility crisis for Hirai
Kazuo Hirai, who took the helm at Sony Corp. two years ago to revive the Japanese icon, is losing credibility with investors who think he's not up to the job.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.

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