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July 06, 2025
 

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Matthew Boyle
Toyota is one of many large employers in the U.S. ordering workers to their desks in recent months, ending policies implemented during the COVID pandemic.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2025
Toyota wants salaried staff back in office four days a week
Toyota denied the move is designed to reduce headcount but warned failure to comply could lead to "termination of employment.”
An office worker in London. A new report found that 36% of so-called workpoints — cubicles and desks — are never occupied, "indicating a general oversupply.”
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 23, 2023
More than one-third of desks globally sit empty all week long
The dearth of desk usage could prompt employers to rethink their real estate needs.
Workers at a WeWork coworking office in London
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 11, 2023
Flexible work will survive despite gloomy corporate signals
A growing body of research, trend data and surveys show that flexibility matters, and that work is now a thing we do, not a place we go.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2022
Elon Musk’s office mandate and recession fears complicate new work era
For the past few years, many white-collar workers have grown accustomed to greater flexibility in where and when they work, but today's recession fears may change that.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 2, 2022
Elon Musk’s return-to-office mandate flies in the face of new reality
Musk's ultimatum for Tesla also runs counter to current policy at Twitter, which is one of the most prominent tech companies to let most employees work from home permanently.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2022
Russia remainers say leaving would hand Putin an easy win
Moves by Nestle SA, Renault SA and Philip Morris International Inc. to scale back their Russian businesses have left a dwindling handful of holdouts resisting the corporate exodus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 23, 2022
Wall Street is scrambling for the exits in Moscow — and billions are at stake
For decades, global finance firms eagerly catered to Russian firms, billionaires and the government. Then tanks started rolling into Ukraine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Nov 16, 2021
Breakups usher in a new era of corporate conglomerates
Activists and corporate governance advocates cheered splits by GE, J&J and Toshiba, but tech firms have been driving unrelated transactions, creating what are called 'neoconglomerates.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2019
Walmart seen subsidizing vendors in online holiday price war with Amazon
Hold on to your smartphone — the holiday price wars between Walmart Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are heating up.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2014
Unilever slips into buttery embrace
Paul Polman, CEO of margarine maker Unilever, has criticized butter in the past, saying the dairy fat "kills." With sales of the company's spreads sagging, he is now embracing it.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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

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