Business Oct 30, 2020

Japan net zero plan hits speed bump as small utilities balk

Hokkaido Electric Power Co. and Shikoku Electric Power Co. said this week they can’t set deadlines to become emissions neutral because it’s too costly.

Business / Financial Markets Oct 13, 2020

Buffett-led share price boom short-lived for most Japan trading firms

The August announcement, among the largest investments ever made by Buffett in Japan, boosted investor interest in the trading companies.

Business / Corporate Aug 31, 2020

Berkshire Hathaway takes stakes topping $6 billion in Japan's top five trading companies

Shares in the trading houses leaped on news of the foray, one of billionaire Warren Buffett's biggest in Asia’s second-largest economy.

Business Feb 10, 2020

Energy markets need winter, and climate change is taking it away

Even before the deadly coronavirus struck, another menace confronted the global energy industry: the warmest winter anyone can remember. Russia's winter was so balmy that snow was trucked into downtown Moscow for New Year, and bears came out of hibernation. In Japan, ski competitions were ...

National Oct 15, 2019

Hidden gold and 'murky' payoffs threaten Japan's nuclear revival

A payoff scandal has struck Japan's nuclear world, threatening to delay the restart of idled reactors in what's becoming the industry's biggest crisis since the Fukushima meltdowns of 2011. The issue, which emerged at the end of last month, centers around how an influential municipal ...

Business May 16, 2019

Forecast of a cooler summer in Asia may add to expected LNG glut

Don't count on a summer heat wave to rescue Asia's liquefied natural gas prices. Weather forecasts signal lackluster demand in the largest importing region, raising prospects a global glut will deepen. Temperatures across North Asia this summer will be cooler than a year ago, according ...

Business / Corporate | FOCUS Nov 9, 2018

How investing in American LNG boom backfired on Toshiba

Buy high, sell low and guarantee a loss. It's not exactly what Toshiba Corp. planned when it dipped its toes in liquefied natural gas trading. Yet that's exactly how it turned out, as the industrial giant capped off its five-year misadventure in LNG on Thursday ...

National / Politics Apr 19, 2018

Will resignation of key governor weaken Japan's anti-nuclear movement?

As an important figure in a position to influence the fate of reactors Yoneyama is likely to be missed, but his successor may continue the anti-restart policy in the prefecture.

Business Apr 17, 2018

Efforts afoot to tap electric car batteries to power homes

When Damien Maguire moved to the countryside outside Dublin, he struggled to keep the lights on at home because of the town's constant power outages. He found a solution inside his electric cars: their batteries. A tinkerer who posts videos of his hand-built vehicles on ...

Entertainment News Feb 27, 2018

SMAP star's Instagram foray reflects weakening grip of Japan TV ads

Shingo Katori commanded the adoration of millions of fans across Asia as a member of SMAP, one of Japan's most successful boy bands. After decades as a ubiquitous TV presence, he finally decided in November it was time to get an Instagram account. A small ...