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July 08, 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.
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.
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.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
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.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Lawson to let visitors use larger parking lots as paid car campsites
A Lawson convenience store in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture. A new service from the company comes amid the rise in inbound tourists, making hotels and inns harder to book and more expensive.
The future is bright inside the visionary mind of architect Sou Fujimoto
The exhibition of Fujimoto’s architecture surveys his career to date, as well as looks ahead as shown in his proposal of a future floating city designed in collaboration with data scientist Hiroaki Miyata.
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
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.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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