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McKinsey’s 2025 Technology Trends Outlook, published Wednesday, says that the use of “sovereign AI” is a trend gaining significant global traction, including in Japan.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 23, 2025

Japan leans into homegrown AI amid rising competition

Japan is among the countries aiming to develop localized artificial intelligence models to target national priorities.
An image of the simulation technology developed by Fujitsu
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 24, 2025

Fujitsu and Nagoya University develop AI-based tech to spread ride-hailing

The new technology will be offered to local governments struggling to secure means of transportation for elderly residents and business operators facing a shortage of drivers.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington, the day after he agreed to an 11th-hour trade deal with Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 24, 2025

Big unanswered questions follow Japan's big, beautiful deal with the U.S.

The $550 billion investment plan, in particular, is the subject of doubt and discussion.
Intel says it "will no longer move forward" with projects in Germany and Poland as part of a push to save billions of dollars.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 25, 2025

Intel posts higher revenue after trimming workforce

The U.S. chipmaker said it "will no longer move forward" with projects in Germany and Poland as part of measures to save billions of dollars.
Batam, a duty-free Indonesian enclave a short ferry ride from Singapore, has become a key waypoint in a convoluted global shuffle involving Chinese solar panels and U.S. tariffs.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2025

China’s stealthy solar exports stay one step ahead of U.S. tariffs

Of Indonesia’s 10 biggest exporters of solar cells and panels to the U.S. during the first half of 2025, six in Batam were found to be owned by executives at Chinese companies.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after arriving at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, in Prestwick, Scotland, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 26, 2025

EU’s Von der Leyen to meet Trump in bid to clinch trade deal

After months of talks and shuttle diplomacy between Brussels and Washington, the two sides have been zeroing in on an agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 26, 2025

Trump tariffs leave costly China supply question unanswered

The U.S. president has threatened to rocket rates up to 40% for products deemed to be transshipped, or re-routed, through Southeast Asia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in Turnberry, Scotland, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 28, 2025

EU reaches broad tariff deal with U.S. to avert painful trade blow

The U.S. and European Union agreed on a hard-fought deal that will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most of its exports, including automobiles.
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues are deliberating on interest rates this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 28, 2025

Pressure mounts on Fed chief Powell in tee-up to GDP and jobs data

Fed officials are meeting this week as the government issues reports on gross domestic product, employment and the central bank’s preferred price metrics.
A Ryanair Boeing 737 and an Easyjet Airbus A320 at Luton Airport in the U.K. in April 2020.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 29, 2025

Tariff-free aircraft trade in U.S.-EU deal fostered through industry-wide effort

The framework deal will see the U.S. impose a 15% import tariff on most EU goods but offer protection for industries including aerospace, European officials said.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda. The central bank is expected to remain cautious until the fall.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 29, 2025

Bank of Japan likely to hold key rate at 0.5% as tariff breakthrough evaluated

Political uncertainty may also weigh on the policy board's decision this week.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands at the White House in Washington on Feb. 13
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2025

Trump hits India with 25% tariff and 'penalty' over Russia ties

The measures will kick in on Friday, Trump said, adding to a bevy of other tariff hikes set to take effect the same day.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force's chief of staff, Adm. Akira Saito, speaks at a news conference at the Defense Ministry on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025

Over 90 MSDF members punished over scandal involving shipbuilders

The MSDF's chief of staff will lose 10% of his salary for a month over the scandal, in which members improperly received goods from four shipbuilders.
Mizuho Financial Group now expects net income to reach a record ¥1.02 trillion ($6.9 billion) in the year ending March 31, up from ¥940 billion projected earlier, it said Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 31, 2025

Mizuho and Sumitomo see strong results as Japan banks beat estimates

Japan’s three biggest banks in May predicted another year of record profits, even as the nation’s export-driven economy was at risk from U.S. tariff threats.
Fuji Media Holdings announced Thursday that it expects a consolidated operating loss of ¥12 billion for fiscal 2025, which would mark its first full-year loss since becoming a holding company in 2008.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 1, 2025

Fuji Media expects first annual operating loss since 2008

It expects a consolidated operating loss of ¥12 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2026 on a slower-than-expected recovery in advertising revenue.
Brett Clark, Dai-ichi Life Holdings' senior managing executive officer in charge of the Asia-Pacific region
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 1, 2025

Japan’s Dai-ichi Life eyes M&A in Southeast Asia for growth

Japan’s biggest listed life insurer is looking at the Philippines and Malaysia as emerging markets that offer business opportunities as more households ascend to middle class.
A synchronous speaker stands in a dubbing studio in Munich. The rise of AI raises the question of whether voice dubbing actors will be needed in the future.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 1, 2025

Voice actors push back as AI threatens dubbing industry

As AI-generated voices become more sophisticated and cost-effective, voice actor industry associations are calling for tighter regulations.
The Puma logo at its flagship store in New York on July 16
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2025

Puma’s new boss takes helm trailing Adidas and a recovering Nike

For more than two years, Puma’s top brass spoke of "elevating” the German brand and making its sneakers and apparel more aspirational. Since arriving last month, Chief Executive Officer Arthur Hoeld has delivered a fairly blunt verdict: Puma, if anything, is now perceived as cheap.
A drone view shows the Zubair Oil Field in Basra, Iraq, on January 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 4, 2025

China's independent oil firms elbow into Iraq's majors-dominated market

Smaller Chinese producers are on track to double their output in Iraq to 500,000 barrels per day by around 2030.
Medium-sized securities firms are raising their starting salaries in line with their bigger domestic competitors Nomura and Daiwa Securities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2025

Nomura’s starting pay matched by Japanese rivals to retain staff

Medium-sized securities firms are raising their starting salaries in line with their bigger domestic competitors Nomura and Daiwa Securities.
A woman adds a message to the a COVID-19 memorial wall in London in March 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Aug 4, 2025

'Long COVID' hits the U.K. economy harder than most other countries

Five years since the start of the pandemic, Britain is still dealing with a spike in public debt, 1.2 million extra people on sickness benefits and a record postwar tax burden.
A person visits the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 26.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 4, 2025

AI search pushing an already weakened media ecosystem to the brink

A recent study has revealed that AI-generated summaries now appearing in Google searches discourage users from clicking through to source articles.
Italy's competition watchdog said on Monday that it has fined Chinese fast fashion brand Shein €1 million ($1.15 million) for false and confusing claims about the e-commerce giant's efforts to be environmentally friendly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2025

Italian regulator hits Shein with €1 million greenwashing fine

The watchdog took issue with the environmental sustainability and social responsibility messages on Shein's website, which it described as "vague" and "misleading."
Reflecting CEO Masayoshi Son's artificial intelligence-focused strategy, SoftBank Group has boosted its stakes in Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2025

SoftBank builds Nvidia and TSMC stakes under Son’s focus on AI gear

SoftBank Group raised its stake in Nvidia to about $3 billion by the end of March and bought around $330 million worth of TSMC shares.
Mizuho Bank is said to have appointed Devendra Sharma as co-head of corporate banking in India with the aim of strengthening its presence in the country.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2025

Mizuho said to hire Mashreqbank’s corporate banking head in India

Mizuho Bank is betting big in India, with a focus on corporate and investment banking, as well as retail loans.
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa. Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, is returning to the United States for another round of trade talks.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 5, 2025

Akazawa returns to U.S. for more talks as tariff deal looks shaky

Japan is urging the United States to cut the tariff on cars as soon as possible.
Net income at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Japan more than doubled in the year ended March 31, reflecting a jump in merger advisory and underwriting business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2025

JPMorgan leads foreign banks for Japan earnings amid dealmaking spree

Japanese companies have stepped up acquisitions as well as sales of noncore units in recent years, providing more opportunities for investment banks.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attends a talk session with SoftBank group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son in Tokyo on February 3.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 6, 2025

OpenAI releases two ‘open’ AI models after DeepSeek’s success

The release is a new business strategy for the ChatGPT developer and allows users to customize and run AI systems themselves.
National flags line a street to mark Swiss national day in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will impose a 39% tariff on imports from Switzerland, one of the steepest levies globally that threatens to leave the country’s key exports reeling.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 6, 2025

Switzerland’s go-it-alone approach tested by Trump tariff shock

For the pro-EU voices in Switzerland, the chaotic back and forth with the U.S. on trade will give them fresh reason to push the benefits of ties with the bloc.
Honda said its net profit halved in the first quarter because of U.S. tariffs, but upgraded its annual profit forecast after Tokyo finally hammered out a trade deal with Washington.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2025

Honda raises annual profit guidance despite U.S. tariff impact

The upward revision to operating profit was because of the tariff level and foreign exchange outlook, according to Honda.

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