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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.
Seven & I had been under pressure from activists and other investors for years to narrow its focus on its crown jewel: 7-Eleven and other convenience stores.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 10, 2024

Seven & I to embrace 7-Eleven name as it sheds noncore businesses

The plans accelerate restructuring efforts in the face of an unsolicited ¥7 trillion takeover proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard.
The Finance Ministry plans to suspend Nomura from the primary group of Japanese government bond dealers for a month from Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024

Japan suspends Nomura from bond auctions after manipulation

The action is another setback for Nomura after the revelations led several companies including Toyota Finance to take their bond underwriting business elsewhere.
Thursday night's electronic dance music-infused event had the signature trappings of Elon Musk's salesmanship, but some Tesla investors and experts said they were hoping for more concrete details.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 12, 2024

Tesla's robotaxi event was long on Musk promises. Investors wanted more details.

Concrete details on how the company plans to transform from an automaker into an autonomous driving and artificial intelligence titan were missing.
Starship's Super Heavy Booster is grappled at the launch pad in Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on Sunday, during the Starship Flight 5 test.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 14, 2024

SpaceX captures booster rocket in step toward Musk’s Mars dream

The successful test underscores the astonishing progress SpaceX is making with its launch capabilities.
As banking's behemoths gather at the COP16 summit, there is much talk about monetizing nature and biodiversity.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 15, 2024

Global banks want to monetize biodiversity

Opportunities to invest in funds that target biodiversity are currently limited
Renault R4 E-Tech electric cars are displayed during the media day at the 2024 Paris Motor Show on Monday.
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2024

China-Europe rivalry heats up at Paris car show as EV tariffs loom

Struggling European automakers need to prove they are still in the game, while Chinese rivals are aiming to get a foothold in a competitive market.
ASML shares slumped 16% on Tuesday after third-quarter figures were mistakenly released earlier than scheduled.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 16, 2024

ASML shares plunge as bookings miss signals chipmaker woes

Its 16% tumble — the biggest decline since 1998 — also triggered a broad downturn in chip-related stocks.
The Saudi Aramco logo at the Hyvolution exhibition in Paris on Feb. 1
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 16, 2024

Aramco cancels Saudi chemical project as it focuses on Asia

Aramco is pursuing a series of deals in China that would guarantee long-term demand for Saudi crude.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 16, 2024

Bank of Japan policymaker calls for 'very moderate' pace of rate hikes

There are doubts about whether Japanese firms will keep sufficiently raising wages next year due to lingering global risks.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2024

Big wage increase sought by Japan’s largest union slightly underwhelms

For the 2025 spring wage negotiations, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation is aiming for a wage hike of "over 5%," the same goal as this year.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. logo at the TSMC Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on May 29. Analysts say TSMC's longer-term outlook, which hinges on demand for the high-end chips used to train and host artificial intelligence models, should remain intact.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2024

TSMC bulls expect strong results to support record-high shares

TSMC is seen as more resilient than its key equipment supplier, ASML Holding, whose outlook cut sparked a slide in global chip stocks.
The Bank of Japan’s historic shift this year from radical monetary easing to two interest-rate hikes has sparked volatility in the nation’s securities market as investors speculate on the BOJ’s next move.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 17, 2024

Japan Post Insurance markets chief sees Nikkei setting new records after votes

The Nikkei's all-time high, set in July, will probably be "just a passing point,” said Kenichi Kuga, head of global equity and fixed income investment.
Washing stations at a hot spring bath at Hoshinoya Tokyo, operated by Hoshino Resorts, in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 18, 2024

Luxury Japan hot springs brand to open first U.S. location in New York state

The president of Hoshino Resorts had made it his personal goal to bring Japanese hot spring resorts to North America.
Gantry cranes at the Yantian International Container Terminals in Shenzhen, China, on April 15
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2024

World economy fault lines shift from prices to politics and debt

The U.S. presidential election, soaring government debt and the escalating conflict in the Middle East all hang over the global economic outlook.
Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of Mt. Gox, speaks at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Oct. 11.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 21, 2024

The unsinkable Mark Karpeles is willing to give Tokyo another shot

The former CEO of Mt. Gox, which once processed the majority of bitcoin transactions globally before it blew up in 2014, is looking to set up shop in Japan again.
Komainu, the cryptocurrency custodian backed by Nomura Holdings, is buying Singaporean rival Propine Holdings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024

Nomura-backed crypto custodian Komainu makes first acquisition

Komainu will also apply for a so-called Major Payment Institution license in Singapore, which will allow the firm to fully offer payment services.
James Gorman, who was named to the Disney board this year and later put in charge of succession planning, will become Disney’s chairman on Jan. 2, 2025, the company said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024

Disney taps Morgan Stanley's Gorman as chair and will name CEO Iger's replacement in 2026

Morgan Stanley veteran James Gorman will become chairman of Disney's board on Jan. 2, and will lend a helping hand in the decision-making process.
Asako Osaki attends the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, in New York in March.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
Nov 3, 2024

How global lessons can improve prospects for women in rural Japan

Through motherhood, education and work, Asako Osaki worked to bring global standards to the front lines of gender issues.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024

Apple CEO Tim Cook’s other job: Helping Nike turn things around

Cook has carved out a role as one of Nike’s closest outside advisers over the last 19 years and is the company’s lead independent director.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years