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Rapidus' new semiconductor plant under construction in Chitose, Hokkaido, in July
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 18, 2024

New high-profile chip plants driving up nearby land prices across Japan

Expectations for growth in demand for semiconductors has boosted demand for commercial and industrial plots, and housing.
Migrant workers and union members hold a demonstration in favor of fair working conditions in the Made in Italy supply chain, in Geneva on Sept. 11.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2024

How migrant workers suffer to craft the 'Made in Italy' luxury label

Brands rely on a chain of contractors and subcontractors, with checks on conditions and the treatment of workers virtually nonexistent.
U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 20, 2024

U.S. accuses social media giants of 'vast surveillance'

Tech companies "harvest an enormous amount of Americans' personal data," says FTC chief Lina Khan.
Japanese radio equipment maker Icom director Yoshiki Enomoto shows its model IC-V82 device, which the company said they stopped production in 2014, during an interview at its headquarters in Osaka on Thursday.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Sep 21, 2024

Hack of Hezbollah devices exposes dark corners of Asia supply chains

Counterfeiting, surplus inventories and complex contract manufacturing deals can sometimes make it impossible to identify the source of a product.
Four Japanese private-sector banks including MUFG Bank will participate in an international demonstration test for cross-border payments using digital currencies led by the Bank for International Settlements.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2024

Four Japanese banks participate in digital currency project

MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, Mizuho Bank and SBI Shinsei Bank will participate in the project.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500s and GMC Sierra 1500s make their way through an assembly line at the General Motors assembly plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on April 9.
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2024

Biden administration proposes ban of Chinese and Russian car parts

The proposed ban is aimed at the sale and import of Chinese- and Russian-made hardware and software for connected vehicles.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda indicates the central bank is in no rush to raise interest rates further.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 24, 2024

BOJ chief signals no rush in raising rates further

The central bank can afford to spend time scrutinizing market and overseas economic developments in setting monetary policy, Gov. Kazuo Ueda says.
Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori says the company remains committed to talks with the United Steelworkers (USW) labor union.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 24, 2024

Nippon Steel's Mori asks USW leadership to 'come to the table'

The deal has faced opposition from high-profile Democrats and Republicans ahead of the U.S. November presidential elections.
Toyota added ¥200 billion to a ¥1 trillion stock repurchase plan announced in May, according to an exchange filing Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 24, 2024

Toyota raises buyback to ¥1.2 trillion, citing share levels

The carmaker’s operating profit for the three months ended June 30 was ¥1.31 trillion, 17% higher than a year earlier.
Kioxia Holdings was reportedly planning an initial public offering in October valuing it at $10 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2024

Kioxia reportedly pulls IPO as AI winter looms

The IPO delay comes as the chip business globally faces a number of challenges related to possible overcapacity in some products.
Suntory alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2024

Suntory to raise monthly wages by 7% in 2025

Suntory will carry out a 7% raise for the third straight year.
Toshiki Kawai, chief executive officer of Tokyo Electron
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2024

Tokyo Electron prepares for India expansion as Modi lures chipmakers

India is amping up efforts to attract international electronics companies and chipmakers to set up facilities within its borders.
The Sharp air purifier's furniture-like design was overseen by architect Kengo Kuma.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2024

Sharp collaborates on wooden air purifier with architect Kengo Kuma

The purifier is aimed at corporate clients and will sell for ¥550,000 yen.
The X account of Elon Musk in seen blocked on a mobile screen on Aug. 31.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2024

Musk's X seeks Brazil comeback, retreats on 'censorship' feud

The billionaire had held out for more than five months against what he called "censorship" in a feud with a judge in one of X's largest and most coveted markets.
The Federal Reserve building in Washington. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said last week he felt that the pre-pandemic years during which the Fed's rate hovered near zero for years and Europe delved into the exotic world of negative rates are gone for good.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 27, 2024

A global hunt for neutral rates to shape world finance costs

Policymakers are exploring whether the rates required to keep inflation in check and economies growing are higher now than the ultra-low ones before the pandemic.
Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a news conference after the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2024

Ishiba gets down to the business of forming new administration

The incoming prime minister has reportedly decided to keep Yoshimasa Hayashi in the key post of chief cabinet secretary.
In 2023, SBI, PSMC and the Miyagi Prefectural Government formed a basic agreement to construct a chipmaking plant in the village of Ohira, but SBI has announced that the tie-up with PSMC ended.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 29, 2024

SBI to end plant construction tie-up with Taiwanese chipmaker

The Japanese online financial group has vowed to carry out the semiconductor plant project by finding new partners.
An employee works on the production line of Nio electric vehicles at a JAC-NIO manufacturing plant in Hefei, Anhui province, in China in 2022.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2024

China's factory and service sectors skid as stimulus calls grow

The data showed China's manufacturing industry remains a pain point for policymakers, who acknowledged the economy faces "new problems."
The Financial Services Agency is set to begin a review of cryptocurrency rules, opening up the possibility of lower taxes on digital assets.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 1, 2024

Japan crypto review may open door to lower taxes and dedicated ETFs

The Financial Services Agency in coming months will assess whether the current approach of regulating crypto under the payments law is adequate.
A woman walks past a Samsung store in Seoul on June 28. Sources have said that the firm is planning overseas layoffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2024

Samsung to cut thousands of jobs amid struggles in AI market

Job cuts are planned for other overseas subsidiaries and could reach 10% in certain markets, a source said.
Labor union members rally and call for an increase of the average minimum wage in Tokyo in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 2, 2024

Japan’s new prime minister moots minimum wage moon shot

To achieve Ishiba’s target, increases of over 7% a year would be needed, which economists say would be a challenge.
Port workers from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) participate in a strike at the Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth, Virginia, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

U.S. port workers, operators reach deal to end East Coast strike

A tentative agreement for a wage hike of around 62% over six years will immediately end a crippling three-day strike.
An electronic ticker at the Tokyo Stock Exchange
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

More stocks trade below book value in Japan despite reforms

About 38% of Topix 500 companies were trading below book value as of the end of September.
The value of artificial intelligence companies has skyrocketed, fueling talk of a possible AI bubble.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 4, 2024

AI bubble or 'revolution'? OpenAI's big payday fuels debate

To critics, buyers don't really understand the technology, and the market needed for it to thrive is not mature yet.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Worries about the implications of further BOJ tightening against a global backdrop of easing were again on display this week, with new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba saying Japan wasn’t ready for more rate hikes yet.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 5, 2024

Stepped-up global easing risks making it harder for BOJ to hike

Worries about the implications of further BOJ tightening against a global backdrop of easing were again on display this week.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda ahead of their meeting on Wednesday. Ishiba's comment after the meeting that he doesn't believe Japan needs an additional interest rate hike has surprised the financial market.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Oct 6, 2024

Ishiba's U-turn on interest rates surprises market

The market is being perplexed by the statement by Ishiba, who had been critical of Abenomics.
The average price of new condos in Tokyo's 23 wards in the first half of this year stayed over ¥100 million and a notable wave of price increases was observed in urban areas surrounding Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Oct 7, 2024

Tokyo area condo prices remain sky-high

The average price of new condos in central Tokyo's densely populated 23 wards stood at ¥108.55 million in the first half of this year.
An electric vehicle (EV) at an Electrify America charging station in Atlanta
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 7, 2024

The future of EV charging looks a lot like an airport lounge

The convenience of nicer charger stations could entice would-be electric vehicle drivers to take the plunge and buy one,
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato attends an interview with media outlets at the Finance Ministry on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 7, 2024

Japan's new finance minister vows to finish the job as deflation czar

Katsunobu Kato's message indicates that financial conditions might remain accommodative for some time.
The Bank of Japan raised it economic assessments for the Hokuriku and Tokai regions in its quarterly regional report Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 8, 2024

BOJ signals it remains on rate hike path with regional report

The Bank of Japan indicated it remains on track to consider more interest rate hikes by upgrading its assessments for two regional economies.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami