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Japan's gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 16, 2024

Japan’s economy contracts as consumers and firms cut spending

Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
Strong sales of Prius hybrids are delivering a cash boost for Toyota to invest in fully-electric cars.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

Hybrids delivering cash chest for Toyota and Honda’s EV ambitions

With the shift to battery-electric vehicles clearly taking much longer than anticipated, consumers are voting for hybrids with their wallets.
Job-seekers line up for interviews at a job fair in Chinchwad, India, in 2019.
BUSINESS
May 16, 2024

After Cambodia crypto scam, Indians demand more jobs at home

Unemployment is a leading concern in the ongoing general election that ends on June 1.
A representative explains the features of the Afeela electric vehicle, a Honda-Sony Mobility concept car, at the CES 2024 trade show, in Las Vegas on Jan. 9. The Honda-Sony alliance plans to deliver its first EV model in the spring of 2026 in North America.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

Honda to double investment in electric vehicles and software

The automaker had planned to invest ¥5 trillion ($32.3 billion) for the 10 years through March 2031, but it now plans to spend ¥10 trillion by that point.
Toshiba is cutting up to 4,000 jobs and relocating its head office from Tokyo to Kawasaki as part of its restructuring efforts.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

Toshiba to cut 4,000 jobs in restructuring effort under new ownership

Toshiba delisted in December due to a ¥2 trillion takeover by a consortium led by a private equity firm, capping a decade of scandal and upheaval.
Nippon Steel, Japan’s top steelmaker, is sending Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori to Pittsburgh next week where he’ll meet with local staff and elected officials.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2024

Nippon Steel boosts efforts to woo U.S. Steel workers and politicians

Japan’s top steelmaker is sending Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori to Pittsburgh, where he’ll meet with local staff and elected officials.
Japan's digital trade deficit in 2023 was up about 2.6 times over nine years since 2014, as smartphones have become ubiquitous tools and the digital services sector is dominated by U.S. information technology giants.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2024

Japan's digital trade deficit continues to expand

The deficit in Japan's balance of payments in digital services continues to expand steadily.
Tesla is offering discounts and service improvements to appease European leasing companies upset by price cuts and repair issues.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024

Tesla giving discounts to European fleet buyers in damage-control drive

After years of sharp growth, Tesla's global sales and profits are declining, with an 8.5% drop in deliveries during the first quarter, marking its first decrease in four years.
A Bank of Japan survey on firms nationwide showed that many of them do not expect to be able to hire enough workers if they keep wage growth low, and see an economy where wages and inflation rise in tandem as more favorable.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024

Japan's manufacturers want BOJ to keep yen stable, survey shows

The survey on roughly 2,500 firms underscores the importance they place on yen moves in assessing the impact of monetary policy.
Norinchukin Bank is one of Japan’s largest institutional investors with a ¥55.9 trillion ($357 billion) securities portfolio, and bonds make up more than half of its investments.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2024

Norinchukin weighs $7.7 billion fundraise to cover bond loss

As a result of restructuring its securities portfolio, the Tokyo-based bank may book about ¥500 billion in losses for the current fiscal year, one source said.
The main targets of a new bill on smartphone software are the app stores provided by Google and Apple, as consumers effectively have only two choices for smartphone operating systems: Apple's iOS or Google’s Android.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 22, 2024

Japan aims to curb Apple and Google's smartphone app duopoly

A new bill would compel dominant platforms to allow third parties to launch their own app markets and to offer more payment options.
Kazuto Oku, CEO of Norinchukin Bank, during a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2024

Failed bond bets at Norinchukin force it to change strategy

Given its ownership structure, there are limits on the bank’s investment options.
Service prices, a key component of Japan’s inflation data, may be sturdier than in the past.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 23, 2024

Steady and widening service price rises may spur BOJ’s next move

Service prices, a key component of Japan’s inflation data, may be sturdier than in the past.
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address on the latest innovations in AI, during a developers conference at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on March 18. Nvidia on Wednesday issued a second-quarter revenue forecast of about $28 billion, topping the $26.8 billion predicted by analysts.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2024

Nvidia delivers on AI hype, igniting $140 billion stock rally

Its shares rose as much as 7.8% in extended trading on Wednesday, taking them above $1,000 for the first time.
Nomura Holdings Chief Executive Officer Kentaro Okuda
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2024

Nomura pay for top executives rises 150% as profit rebounds

Total compensation paid to the firm’s eight executive officers in the year ended March 31 rose to ¥4.46 billion.
Japanese government bond yields have risen this month on hawkish hints from Bank of Japan officials, crossing 1% for the first time since April 2012.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 24, 2024

Japan's 10-year bond yield tops 1% for first time in a dozen years

The 10-year Japanese government bond yield inched up 0.5 basis point to 1.005%, its highest since April 2012.
Rakuten is working with eBay to market Japan's used fashion and accessories in the United States, taking advantage of the weak yen.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2024

Rakuten and eBay team up to test U.S. market for used Japanese fashion goods

The tie-up aims to capitalize on the currency effect and is also a move toward bargain hunting as cost-of-living pressures around the world crimp spending.
Masanori Katayama, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said the association will work with the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association to address the problem of subcontractor bullying.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2024

Japan’s automakers vow to stop squeezing their suppliers

Member companies of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association have agreed to treat subcontractors more fairly when the latter pass on cost increases.
Shipping containers at Pier J at the Port of Long Beach wait for processing in Long Beach, California.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 25, 2024

USTR extends some Chinese tariff exclusions, but many to fall away

Friday's action means certain goods will maintain exclusions from import tariffs.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) at a trade fair in Hannover Messe, in Hanover, Germany, on April 22
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2024

Amazon in talks with Italy to invest billions of euros in cloud plan, sources say

AWS launched its first cloud region in Italy in 2020 as part of a plan to invest €2 billion ($2.2 billion) by 2029.
Nvidia's shares have surged nearly 13% since it forecast second-quarter revenue above Wall Street expectations last week and announced a stock split.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024

AI darling Nvidia's market value surges closer to Apple

Nvidia's shares have surged nearly 13% since it forecast second-quarter revenue above Wall Street expectations last week and announced a stock split.
Seiji Adachi, member of the policy board at the Bank of Japan
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2024

BOJ policymaker hints of rate hike if yen fall has big impact on inflation

While short-term currency moves alone would not trigger a policy shift, the central bank could raise interest rates if excessive yen falls persist.
Google says it will invest $2 billion in Malaysia to develop its first data center and Google Cloud region in the country.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 30, 2024

Google to invest $2 billion in data center and cloud services in Malaysia

The government says the investment will advance Malaysia's digital ambitions.
A ground crew worker refuels a plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2024

Waste-to-fuel company that raised $1 billion verges on collapse

Fulcrum BioEnergy has recently laid off nearly all of its staff of about 100 and halted most of its operations, according to more than a half-dozen former employees.
A residential development under construction in Shanghai in February. Problems in the property sector have had a negative impact across broad areas of China's economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 31, 2024

China's factory activity unexpectedly dips as property pain persists

The disappointing number adds to a series of recent indicators showing the $18.6 trillion economy is struggling to get back on its feet.
The Iyogin Holdings headquarters in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
May 31, 2024

Bond traders make one-of-a-kind gain at tiny bank in Ehime

Iyogin Holdings, a regional bank based in the prefectural capital of Matsuyama, has delivered record net income for two years in a row.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said that the automaker will continue to communicate with its suppliers to see whether unfair practices persist and set up a new team directly under him to accelerate reforms on its relations with its subcontractors.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2024

Nissan challenges TV Tokyo report on subcontractors

The automaker denied allegations that it continued to pressure its suppliers into slashing prices even after receiving a warning from the fair trade regulator.
People walk with their luggage after a rainstorm hit Dubai, UAE, causing delays at Dubai International Airport on April 17.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 3, 2024

Airlines eye 'new frontier' of AI ahead of global summit

Aviation companies, long accustomed to thin profit margins, see AI as the newest way to boost productivity and gain a competitive edge.
Tokyo Gas storage tanks in Tokyo. The firm is looking to add more U.S. natural gas assets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024

Tokyo Gas seeks more U.S. natural gas assets, president says

Japan's top city gas supplier is aiming to expand its gas-related businesses in North America after its recent acquisition of a U.S. shale gas producer.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang gives a presentation on Sunday night before Computex Taipei’s official opening to talk about the chipmaker’s strategic plans.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 4, 2024

Nvidia and AMD square off in fight to take control of AI

The heads of both companies employed different tacks in conveying their expertise during back-to-back shows at the world’s largest computing conference this week in Taipei.

Longform

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