For Shinya Ajima's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Third of six parts Preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is fueling both expectations that Japan's economy will grow and fears of an asset-inflated bubble. But because the economy still faces uncertainty, all that glitters may not be gold. The recent influx of foreign tourists, largely ...
Three of the prefectures slammed by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami are getting a significant boost in efforts to revive tourism from an invisible source — a Pokemon character. The Lapras, a rare, plesiosaur-like monster in the "Pokemon Go" game, is popping up more ...
Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential campaign astonished many Americans in Japan, with some fearing it could derail the long-standing bilateral alliance and others worried whether the divided nation can overcome its differences, according to a survey by The Japan Times. Most Americans bemoaned ...
Sony Corp. has unveiled its latest multiyear business plan, including spinning off its 36-year-old Walkman portable music player unit to cut costs, but it is unclear whether the reforms will be enough to secure growth. Kazuo Hirai, chief executive of the electronics and entertainment group, ...
When Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda met the press last week after the BOJ's policy meeting, he effectively admitted the central bank may miss what the market perceives as its deadline of next fiscal year for achieving 2 percent inflation to revive the ...
Industries are increasingly pressing pushing for the adoption of hydrogen fuel technology because they sense potential market opportunities worldwide. But problems abound, including the comparatively high cost of fuel-cell vehicles and the need for specialized hydrogen fuel stations. Also unresolved is how to generate, transport ...
After months of international controversy over possibly defective Takata Corp. air bags, one thing lawmakers, regulators, the media, carmakers and the parts supplier probably agree on is this: It won't be easy to resolve the crisis. While Takata Chief Executive Officer Shigehisa Takada has avoided ...
Mizuho Financial Group Inc. will join two U.S. banks in partly financing a $66 billion acquisition in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, its president said recently, describing the move as the banking group's leap into the deal business. Mizuho, Japan's second-largest lender by assets, will extend ...
Skepticism is growing that the inflation-hungry Bank of Japan can do any more to stimulate the economy now that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has delayed the next consumption tax hike. The BOJ could come under pressure as early as the first half to loosen monetary ...
The Bank of Japan will continue to employ every possible measure to achieve its goal of 2 percent inflation, BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said Wednesday. The central bank "will do whatever it can to achieve the price stability target at the earliest possible time," Kuroda ...
