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Sam Nussey
For Sam Nussey's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) new plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 18, 2024
TSMC eyes advanced chip packaging capacity in Japan, sources say
Bringing its chip-on-wafer-on-substrate packaging technology — currently all in Taiwan — to Japan is one of the options the chipmaker is considering.
The government will extend subsidies worth as much as ¥242.9 billion for Kioxia and Western Digital to expand memory chip production in Mie and Iwate prefectures.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 6, 2024
Japan extends subsidies to downturn-hit Kioxia and Western Digital
The funding provides underpinning for the two companies, which have been hammered by a slump in the market for NAND flash chips.
Japan's industry ministry said it would provide Samsung subsidies worth up to ¥20 billion as it looks to support the revitalization of domestic chip manufacturing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2023
Samsung to set up chip packaging research facility in Japan
Samsung's investment comes at a time of easing tensions between South Korea and Japan.
Attendees play the Fate/Samurai Remnant video game on PlayStation 5 video game consoles at the Tokyo Game Show in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2023
Sony highlights PS5 momentum as hardware sales top 50 million
Sony is seeing strong momentum for its PlayStation 5 console, a senior games executive has said, with lifetime sales exceeding 50 million units and the company recording its best-ever Black Friday period sales for the device.
Daikin plans to start introducing the custom chips in high-end air conditioners from 2025 and is looking at using them in about a fifth of units by the end of the decade.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 1, 2023
Japan air conditioner king Daikin eyes custom chips for energy savings
Bespoke silicon costs more than off-the-shelf alternatives but offer better efficiency and allow a reduction in the use of other components.
Kokusai Electric's technology and manufacturing center in the city of Toyama
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 25, 2023
Kokusai Electric shares jump 28% in Tokyo debut
The stock closed at ¥2,350, valuing the company at ¥541.5 billion as investors grabbed shares following the IPO.
Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp.'s Japanese office in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2023
Taiwan's Powerchip considering five sites in Japan for factory
Powerchip announced in July that it was setting up a joint venture with financial firm SBI Holdings with the aim of securing government subsidies.
Fujitsu and Riken say they have developed Japan's second quantum computer.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 5, 2023
Fujitsu and Riken develop Japan's second quantum computer
The 64 qubit quantum computer from Fujitsu and state-backed Riken will be integrated with a 40 qubit quantum computer simulator.
Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, speaks during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023
Sony gaming chief Jim Ryan to retire in March
Ryan became CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019 and oversaw initiatives including the launch of the PlayStation 5.
A TSMC plant under construction in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023
TSMC prizes Japan's chips skills after U.S. stumbles
The chipmaker is taking an increasingly optimistic view of Japan as a production base, as problems persist at its new factory in Arizona.
Osaka Organic Chemical Industry President Masayuki Ando talks about their strategy at the company office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2023
Japanese chemicals company sees potential niche in EUV chipmaking materials
Little known even in its home country, Osaka Organic has carved out a critical niche in the semiconductor industry by supplying companies that make photoresists.
An overwhelming majority of Japanese firms are negative about achieving a goal of having women in 30% of executive positions by 2030, a survey shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 20, 2023
Firms pessimistic about hitting 30% goal for female execs by 2030, poll shows
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set the target in June for leading companies, aiming to boost womens' management participation from 2.2% as of July 2022.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2023
Japan needs computing power surge to stay in AI race, says government adviser
Japan, the world"s third-largest economy, has been slow to invest in the field, and lags the United States in AI computer infrastructure.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 18, 2023
EU's AI lobbying blitz gets lukewarm response in Asia, officials say
Many countries favor a "wait and see" approach or are leaning toward a more flexible regulatory regime.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2023
Japan shaping softer AI rules, official says, amid hopes of boosting chip sector
There are also aspirations to use AI to compensate for the nation"s graying population, said to be causing a labor shortage.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2022
SoftBank steps up asset sales from sinking portfolio
The Vision Fund exited a swathe of assets in the second quarter u2014 including ridehailer Uber Technologies and property platform Opendoor Technologies u2014 for a realized gain of $5.6 billion
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 19, 2022
The 2.5 seconds that sealed the fatal lapses in Shinzo Abe's security
The failure to protect Abe from a second shot followed what appeared to be a series of security lapses in the lead-up to the assassination of Japan's longest-serving prime minister.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2022
Sony readies for metaverse revolution with cross-platform push
Sony's game, music and movie units contributed two-thirds of operating income in the year ended March, indicating that the group is metaverse-ready.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2022
Japan's Recruit sees more female executives as key to growth
The push for more women at the upper levels of Japan's largest staffing agency is part of a diversity drive to ensure a flow of bright business ideas, the firm says.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2022
Toshiba receives interest from 10 potential investors
It also announced a special dividend of u00a5160 per share, worth some u00a570 billion, in an apparent effort to placate activist shareholders it has long been at odds with.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world