The car industry is reinventing the wheel to prepare for autonomous vehicles. Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., whose roots stretch back to when Henry Ford was building his Model T, is developing a "smart tire" that can monitor its own air pressure and temperature, and eventually ...

Nissan Motor Co. is opposing renewed efforts by alliance partner Renault SA to merge under a holding company because such a structure won't help turn it around, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions. Talks have been ongoing since Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard ...

Two months after the arrest of its chairman stunned Nissan Motor Co. and the entire global automotive industry, the carmaker is weighing abolishing the role altogether as it steps up reforms to rebuild its governance. Carlos Ghosn's downfall — the auto titan is accused of ...

Inside the maze of fishmongers and sushi shops of Tokyo's Tsukiji district, buyers and tourists are assailed by more than just the smell of fresh seafood. There's also the incessant buzzing. Starting before dawn, the world's biggest fish market resounds with the noise of scooters ...

The expected bankruptcy of troubled air bag maker Takata Corp. isn’t just a crisis for its employees and suppliers — it also throws a wild card into one of the most complicated recalls in automotive history.

Yusuke Goto would have crashed his Toyota Crown five years ago if the premium sedan hadn't detected the 45-year-old was veering off and righted the steering wheel. So when he found similar features in the cheaper Nissan Serena minivan, it was an easy choice. "Earlier ...

Embarrassed by the recall of thousands of kitchenware pots after they appeared to leach lead when heated, discount-furniture king Akio Nitori took an unusual step. He hired a team of auto industry engineers to revamp the quality assurance and testing division. Ten years later, every ...

Nitori Holdings Co. is considering buying an apparel chain in Japan, a move that will pit the furniture seller against rivals including Fast Retailing Co., Asia's largest clothier. The home furnishing retailer will look for a company with 100 to 200 stores as cash from ...

In a small coastal town on the Sea of Japan, Uber Technologies Inc. is deploying an unusual strategy. The average age of an Uber passenger in Kyoto's Tangocho district, population 5,914, is at least 70. Even stranger: Most of these elderly customers don't own a ...

Takata Corp. and some of the world's biggest carmakers face an extensive, expensive to-do list as they try to resolve the worst safety crisis in the auto industry's history. Executives for the Tokyo-based maker of air bags are scheduled to meet in Japan with Honda ...