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July 07, 2025
 

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Masumi Suga
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2023
Japan’s top steelmaker eyes $700 million ‘green steel’ project
Nippon Steel is looking at Australia and Brazil, where high-grade iron ore is accessible along with cheaper electricity than in Japan, for its new plan.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2023
Investors watch Japan’s spring wage talks for clues on BOJ moves
This year, the outcome of annual wage negotiations matters to bond investors, stock traders and anyone, really, with anything at stake in the country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2023
Sole U.S. rare earth producer will ship to Japan in new deal that skips China
Output from the Mountain Pass mine in California has typically gone to China for processing, with Japanese companies purchasing from there.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2022
Nippon Steel and JFE may further boost output of niche steel for electric vehicles
Electrical steels have enhanced magnetic properties and help limit energy loss in EV motors, and are also used in power-generation equipment and mobile phones.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2022
Toyota-Panasonic battery venture looking for new coastal site
The company, which formally started operations in 2020, also plans to pare production costs by adopting Toyota's so-called kaizen process of increasing productivity via tiny improvements.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 17, 2022
Toyota unveils new Prius, betting hybrids will stick around
The fifth generation of the car, with bigger wheels and a sportier design, offers three different hybrid powertrain options and will go on sale starting this winter.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 28, 2022
One key, not two, for Toyota customers as chip shortage bites
Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, will temporarily give new car buyers in Japan just one smart key instead of two as it seeks to ration semiconductors.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 27, 2022
Japanese Tesla supplier to take on Chinese rivals to tap EV boom
Sumitomo Metal Mining wants to start making materials for a cheaper type of electric vehicle battery that contains no nickel.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2022
Honda speeds up electric motorcycle shift to meet carbon neutrality goals
The carmaker, which also has the biggest global market share in motorbikes, set a target to make all of its bikes carbon neutral before the middle of the century.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 8, 2022
Toyota ranks last in top 10 carmakers for decarbonization efforts
Zero-emission vehicles made up just 0.18% of the firm's total sales last year versus General Motors Co. at 8.18%
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 2, 2022
Steel price hikes to impact Japan’s manufacturers as costs surge
The latest round of price negotiations in Japan comes as the global market takes a hit from the slump in China, which makes more than half of the world's steel.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 31, 2022
Toyota to invest $5.6 billion in U.S. and Japan EV battery output
Although Toyota sees hybrid and even hydrogen fuel cell cars as part of a green future, it has hastened its push to electrify more of its lineup in recent months.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2022
Toyota shares drop after carmaker maintains sober profit outlook
The automaker's decision comes even as a weaker yen boosts income in its home currency.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2022
Surging energy prices force Japanese steel giant to revisit coal
Nippon Steel's potential move to bolster its upstream presence underscores how inflation is making companies prioritize their short-term operational needs over longer-term emissions goals.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2022
Japan steel giant warns more hikes coming for cars and appliances
Nippon Steel will need to pass on the sharp cost increases for inputs such as iron ore and coking coal 'promptly and fairly,” an executive has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 16, 2022
Weaker yen and supply chain chaos prompt Japanese manufacturers to head home
Among those moving manufacturing to Japan are makers of everything from auto parts to cosmetics and consumer electronics, a Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co. executive has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2022
Japanese steel-makers raising prices and warning of more hikes
The prices of the two main inputs for steel production — iron ore and coal — have risen as Russia's invasion of Ukraine exacerbated supply shortages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2022
As Boeing avoids Russian titanium supply, a Japanese producer is stepping in
Japan has emerged as a beneficiary as the global aviation industry seeks to cut ties with Russia's VSMPO-Avisma, the world's biggest titanium producer.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2022
Tokyo power squeeze easing, government says, after residents and businesses cut back
An electricity shortage warning for Tokyo was lifted Wednesday, with solar supplies expected to be more abundant and cold weather subsiding, according to the trade ministry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2022
Japan’s titanium suppliers eye plane-maker exit from Russia
The war in Ukraine will likely prompt Boeing Co. and Airbus SE to review their long-term procurement and look for alternative sources to Russian titanium.
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.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
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.
Tokyo and Kyoto feature among top ‘noctourism’ destinations
Tokyo ranked second after New York and ahead of Dubai and Singapore in a ranking of the top global cities for nighttime tourism.
Global matcha 'obsession' drinks Japan's tea farms dry
Matcha is added to beverages on offer at Kettl Tea in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 20.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
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.

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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