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Shiho Takezawa
For Shiho Takezawa's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 18, 2022
BMW brings new EV to Japan as country warms up to electric cars
Registrations for imported EVs totaled 8,610 units last year, up from 3,238 in 2020, fueled in part by a price cut for Tesla Inc.'s Model 3.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 16, 2022
Toyota supplier Denso joins TSMC in building new chip factory in Japan
The Toyota group company will invest u00a540 billion ($350 million) in a TSMC-Sony joint venture set up for a TSMC chip plant in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 11, 2022
Japan’s biggest airline calls for border controls to be eased
The strictest among the G7, Japan's border controls have attracted criticism as the country slammed its door shut to foreign visitors and students.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 10, 2022
Japan’s carmakers endured a tough 2021. Now it’s down to chips.
Despite Japanese carmakers being on track to increase profit, many have realized they are not in the clear yet as the supply of semiconductor chips continues to be slow.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2022
Tesla escapes niche position as Japan starts to embrace EVs
In 2021, new registrations of imported EVs nearly tripled to 8,610, a small but remarkable shift in a country where overall automobile sales have stalled.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 29, 2022
Mao’s favored ‘red flag’ car seeks a new audience in Japan
China FAW Group Co., the carmaker whose luxury Hongqi model was used to transport Chairman Mao Zedong, has opened its first showroom in the country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2022
Chinese EVs find a niche making short-haul deliveries in Japan
Logistics companies in Japan are finding an unlikely white knight in Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturers, whose vans make last-mile deliveries not only cheaper, but cleaner as well.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 7, 2021
Nomura Real Estate tries to attract EV drivers with new condo
With Japan's pledge to go carbon neutral by 2050, some developers hope housing developments like this become the norm.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2021
Toyota’s output slumps 26% on prolonged supply-chain snarls
Japanese automakers have struggled due to outbreaks of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia, as well as parts and semiconductor shortages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 25, 2021
Shift to EVs threatens jobs across Japan as small firms struggle to adapt
As many as 300,000 jobs may disappear in the nation if the automotive sector makes a full shift to electric vehicles — equal to about 10% of all current jobs in the industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 15, 2021
Toyota trims November outlook by 15% on parts shortage and COVID-19
Long lauded for its successful just-in-time supply chain, the world's No. 1 automaker was hit hard by pandemic-related delays.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 14, 2021
Honda pledges to sell only electric cars in China after 2030
The firm said it will introduce 10 electric vehicles under its 'e:N Series” range within five years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2021
SoftBank eyeing battery-maker 3DOM for 6G and mobile base stations
Japanese startup 3DOM is developing new battery separator technology that helps overcome the physical limitations of current lithium-based batteries.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 7, 2021
Japan steps up self-driving to revive rural areas and aid older population
The government has earmarked about u00a56 billion ($55 million) for developing autonomous-driving services this fiscal year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 3, 2021
Chaos in supply chain won’t last, top Nissan supplier says
'Automakers will definitely recover in the latter half” of the fiscal year, Jatco's CEO said in an interview.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2021
Japan doesn’t have enough electric cars for its EV chargers
With EV penetration only at around 1%, the country has hundreds of aging charging poles that aren't being used, while others are being taken out of service altogether.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 16, 2021
Spring Airlines Japan bets on post-pandemic China tourism boom
Spring Airlines Co. and Japan Airlines Co. are anticipating a post-pandemic tourism boom between China and Japan for their joint-owned budget carrier.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2021
Yamaha wants to put the vroom-vroom back into electric vehicles
The company is crafting a range of soundscapes to replicate the noise an internal combustion engine car makes upon acceleration.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2021
Honda's full-year forecast misses estimates as firm strives for electric future
The automaker has embarked on an ambitious plan to go all electric by 2040 and make highly autonomous cars a reality.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 21, 2021
Honda scraps go-it-alone strategy for safer shift toward EVs
A partnership with GM is part of a trend of carmakers sharing the burden of bringing new technology to market.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on