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July 06, 2025
 

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Mariko Yasu
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2014
$73 billion payoff for SoftBank's ventures fuels push into Japan startups
Japan's biggest companies have a case of SoftBank envy, and that's good for entrepreneurs like 23-year-old Takumi Shimizu.
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2014
Venture capitalist eyes new $300 million fund
Gen Isayama grew up in Tokyo and then spent a decade working in the venture-capital business in Northern California. Now he's starting a $300 million fund aimed at blending the best of Silicon Valley and Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 24, 2014
Sony expected to lower profit outlook again
Nintendo Co. shocked investors last week by lowering its profit forecast for the year. Analysts are concerned Sony Corp. could be next.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 21, 2014
Nintendo chief under fire over Wii washout
Nintendo Co. President Satoru Iwata, who tripled revenue by introducing hits like the Wii console, is coming under fire from investors and analysts after the company's latest game machine flopped.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2013
Sony's Hirai mixes camera, phone geeks to catch Apple
For Kazuo Hirai, creating Sony Corp.'s flagship smartphone was too important to be left to the company's mobile phone experts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2013
Sony ex-boss seeks to boost start-ups
Nobuyuki Idei once embodied Japan's corporate establishment, the leader of technology giant Sony Corp. Now 75, he's aiming to reinvent himself as a cross between a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and Hollywood mogul.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 30, 2013
Sony's newest hit tucked away in top smartphones, cameras
Sony Corp. has a hit product on its hands. Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. will be happy to sell it to you.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2013
Girl-group fans help push Japan music sales past U.S.
Ritsuhiko Tajima has about 100 CDs by his favorite band, girl group AKB48, many of them copies of the same disc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2012
James Bond can't fix Sony as Japan makers hit lows
Even James Bond and Spider-Man can't rescue Sony Corp.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2012
Sharp needs Hon Hai ties, if only for Apple
Taiwan billionaire Terry Gou built a manufacturing empire that assembles iPhones and iPads. His Foxconn Technology Group may be key to ensuring Sharp Corp.'s survival and a stable supply of components for Apple Inc.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2012
Alliance between Sharp, Hon Hai tested by severe share-price drop
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the assembler of Apple Inc. iPads, may seek to renegotiate a planned ¥133 billion alliance with Sharp Corp. after the Japanese TV maker's shares fell to their lowest in 34 years.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2012
DoCoMo targets 50% stake in smartphones
NTT DoCoMo Inc., the nation's biggest mobile-phone company, expects to increase its smartphone sales to more than half of the national total this fiscal year as it introduces new models, the company's finance chief said.
BUSINESS
Jul 27, 2011
K-pop stars luring Japan to buy Korean products
Yuko Ishii, a 53-year-old factory worker in central Japan, used to feel reluctant about buying products made in South Korea. That changed after she became a fan of pop stars such as boy band TVXQ.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2011
Solar-panel producers stand to benefit from nuke fears
Akiko Hirai says the Hamaoka power station 3 km from her home evokes such dread of the crippled Fukushima plant that she would spend ¥500,000 installing solar panels if it helped make Japan nuclear-free.
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2011
Silver lining in sight for makers of solar panels
Akiko Hirai says the Hamaoka power station 3 km from her home evokes such dread of the crippled Fukushima plant that she would spend ¥500,000 installing solar panels if it helped make Japan nuclear-free.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2010
Porn stars in 3-D lure buyers to new TVs
Porn star Mika Kayama is at the frontier of a push to develop videos and content in Japan that Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. need to lure customers for their new 3-D televisions.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2009
Sony head sees big things for 3-D
Sony Corp. Chairman Howard Stringer forecast 3-D movies, pictures and games will be the electronics maker's next $10 billion business, challenging investors and analysts who say the technology isn't ready to become mainstream.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2009
Rich turn to solar power for latest status symbols
Forget the 58-inch flat-panel TV, the new domestic status symbol for Japan's rich is a cooker.
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2008
Private equity deals still flow amid credit crisis
Japan's private equity market will see a "steady flow" of transactions even as rising funding costs cripple deals elsewhere, said the cofounder of the nation's largest buyout fund.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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