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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2025

Meta's move to halt fact-checking program in U.S. prompts concern

Instead of using trusted media organizations to fact-check, Meta plans to use "community notes" to check content.
A cartoon image of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump holding a Bitcoin token to mark the cryptocurrency reaching over $100,000 is displayed at a Coinhero store in Hong Kong on Dec. 5.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 20, 2025

Trump’s win sparked euphoria in markets — now comes the real test

A reversal was first apparent in the stock market, where the S&P 500 Index gave back a solid chunk of its "Trump bump.”
A Donald Trump 2024 campaign hat on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 22, 2025

Markets braced for uncertainty as Trump holds back from pledged tariffs

Chinese markets were relieved after Beijing avoided an instant blizzard of executive orders, but Mexico's peso and Canada's dollar weren't so lucky.
Tokyo Gas President Shinichi Sasayama speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 16.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 22, 2025

Tokyo Gas focusing on more U.S. investment opportunities

"Among our overseas businesses, North America is an especially important growth market for us,” said President Shinichi Sasayama.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on Stargate, as Oracle Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman look on in the Roosevelt room at the White House.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 22, 2025

SoftBank to help fund and lead Trump-backed Stargate AI project, a $500 billion venture

The president said it will be the largest AI infrastructure ever built and that it will help counter technology threats from China and other countries.
Investment trusts that cater to Japanese individuals bought a net ¥10.4 trillion of overseas equities and funds last year after the government expanded the scope of the Nippon Individual Savings Account system.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025

Japan’s love of foreign stocks risks pushing the yen even lower

Investment trusts that cater to Japanese individuals bought a net ¥10.4 trillion of overseas equities and funds last year.
A television screen displays a news report on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, inside a restaurant in Seoul on Dec. 28. 2024
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025

South Korea’s economy struggles to grow amid political crisis

The anemic quarterly growth figure points to an economy already in a weakened state, with the prospect of tariffs clouding the outlook for exports, a key engine of growth.
A business district in Tokyo. Japan plans to strengthen pre-screening measures for overseas investors that could potentially cooperate with foreign intelligence gathering efforts, addressing rising national security concerns.
BUSINESS
Jan 23, 2025

Japan to tighten investment pre-screening amid security concerns

While the updated regulations will impose an additional step for a broader range of investors, those who pass the screening can still invest in Japanese companies.
Fuji TV's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 24, 2025

Scandal-hit Fuji Media stock trading soars 1,767% on shakeup bet

A total of 237.8 million shares changed hands in Tokyo, compared with 12.74 million last week.
U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a giant screen during his address by video conference at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 25, 2025

Trump spurs surprise world rally in first week on trade respite

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision not to immediately slap tariffs on U.S. trade partners triggered the surprising market response.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda explains the central bank's decision on its interest rate hike during a news conference after a policy meeting on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jan 27, 2025

BOJ may revert to fuzzy communication after Fed-style rates clarity

The BOJ fumbled its communication in December, surprising investors, but then telegraphed Friday's increase so unambiguously that the rate hike was 90% priced in.
Spotify signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 2
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 27, 2025

Universal and Spotify ink multiyear deal

A joint statement said the two firms "will collaborate closely to advance the next era of streaming innovation."
Nippon Life Insurance will establish a new headquarters division in late March to manage its foreign businesses, and its overseas insurance and asset management departments will be absorbed into that organization, people familiar with the matter have said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 27, 2025

Nippon Life to revamp overseas business operations after acquisitions

Japan’s biggest life insurer will establish a new headquarters division in late March to manage its foreign businesses, and absorb related departments into that organization.
Nissan’s latest crisis surfaced in November when it reported a 94% drop in first-half net income.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 27, 2025

Nissan eyes cuts without resorting to plant closures, sources say

The carmaker will focus on reducing and consolidating existing production lines both in Japan and overseas to cut costs.
A solar farm in Lennon, Michigan, in 2021. In an executive order, President Donald Trump pointedly excluded green technology like solar panels from his definition of energy.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 28, 2025

Citi analysts say Trump can’t reverse energy transition

Despite the Trump administration’s determination to shred Biden-era climate protections, there remains a "sense of optimism” that the energy transition will prevail.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a House Republican members conference meeting at Trump National Doral resort in Miami on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 28, 2025

Trump pledges tariffs ‘much bigger’ than 2.5% and on key sectors

The American president's remarks were the latest in a string of major signals that he’s preparing widespread levies to reshape U.S. supply chains.
Japan has lagged far behind other advanced economies on lists of female representation in positions of authority, and ranks 118th among 146 nations in the World Economic Forum’s gender equity rankings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2025

JPMorgan AM Japan appoints Komatsu as first female CEO

Japan has lagged far behind other advanced economies on lists of female representation in positions of authority.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was in talks with multiple people over buying TikTok and would likely have a decision on the popular app's future in 30 days.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 28, 2025

Trump says Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok

Microsoft emerged as a top bidder in 2020, but the talks soon collapsed, and a divestment push by Trump ended a few months later when his first term ended.
Taxis in central Sendai. More people are becoming attracted to the job of a taxi driver as it can allow them to work flexibly.
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Feb 10, 2025

Cab driving becoming an increasingly popular job in Sendai

Flexible hours and the work-at-your-own-pace environment has led to a renewed interest in taxi driving among younger people.
Many workers at small companies continue to fall behind as wages fail to keep up with inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 29, 2025

Smaller Japanese companies unlikely to meet wage-increase target for 2025

For this year’s spring negotiations, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation set hike targets of more than 6% for smaller firms.
Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek rocked the tech sector this month with a new AI model that appeared to rival the capabilities of U.S. giants like OpenAI, but at 
a much lower cost.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 30, 2025

Why blocking China's DeepSeek from using AI made in U.S. may be difficult

DeepSeek this month rocked the technology sector with a new AI model that appeared to rival the capabilities of U.S. giants like OpenAI, but at a much lower cost.
"As main shareholder of Nissan, Renault will consider all options based on the best interest of the group and its shareholders,” said a spokesperson for Renault, regarding a merger of Nissan and Honda.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2025

Renault seeks takeover premium from Honda for Nissan stake

Representatives for Renault flew to Japan earlier this week to voice concerns over how a tie-up may be structured, sources said.
Japanese banks are enjoying bumper earnings as they begin to benefit from rising interest rates following more than a decade of ultraeasy monetary policy.
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2025

Sumitomo Mitsui profit beats estimates as rate hikes bolster earnings

Net income at Japan’s second-largest bank rose 54% from a year earlier to ¥410.8 billion for the three months ended Dec. 31, calculations show.
Takeda Pharmaceutical's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2025

Takeda picks first female CEO of centuries-old drugmaker

Julie Kim, 54, has been running Takeda’s U.S. operations since 2022 and will assume the role of CEO in June next year, subject to shareholder approval, the company said.
Chief among the worries surrounding DeepSeek is the fact that it collects and stores data in servers in China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 31, 2025

DeepSeek’s AI restricted by ‘hundreds’ of companies in days

Companies have worked to block access due to concerns about potential data leaks to the Chinese government and what they view as weak privacy safeguards.
Trucks wait in line at the Zaragoza-Ysleta border crossing into the U.S. on Friday in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a day ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's order to impose tariffs on Mexican imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 2, 2025

Trump launches trade war with tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and 10% on goods from China starting Tuesday.
Branded bags are displayed at a secondhand store in Tokyo in December.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2025

Secondhand shops rush for branded goods in Japan

Some operators have partnered with department stores, while others have use AI to determine the value of vintage luxury goods.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference as Ottawa responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's order to impose tariffs on Canadian imports, in Ottawa on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 2, 2025

‘Complete betrayal’: Canada reels as Trump tariffs rattle major trading relationship

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking on a bitterly cold night in Ottawa, said Trump’s move left his government with no choice but to respond forcefully.
A sign that reads ''Buy Canadian Instead'' is displayed after the top five U.S. liquor brands were removed from sale at B.C. Liquor Stores, as part of a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 3, 2025

Trump says Americans could feel 'pain' in trade war with Mexico, Canada and China

Wall Street and Washington's largest trading partners signaled hope that the trade war would not last long.
Japanese workers are increasingly job-hopping from one full-time position to another.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 3, 2025

Job-hopping Japanese workers push salaries higher

Job mobility in Japan has traditionally been low due to lifetime employment arrangements and strong labor laws.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person