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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 29, 2016

Examining 'Industry 4.0' opportunities

"Industry 4.0," or the fourth industrial revolution, can offer both opportunities and risks for the Japanese economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Apr 4, 2016

For Hon Hai, turning around Sharp will be tougher than takeover

Terry Gou has pledged to keep Sharp intact, respect its independence and try to preserve jobs. He will have a hard time keeping those agreements.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 23, 2016

Sincerely, Little Nigeria: A reporter signs off

After five years of covering Japan's African community, a writer reflects on progress since 3/11 and speculates about the future.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Feb 27, 2016

Sewing stitches of creativity in the streets of Kuramae

I'm knocking about Taito Ward's Kuramae area one chilly February morning, visiting an artisan friend, when he mentions a brand new chocolate shop has opened nearby. My ears perk up. Any good? "People are lining up," he says. I dash off to check it out, because it sounds like news. Never mind that I'm...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2016

Fastest-growing Airbnb market at risk as lodging-scarce Japan cracks down

Aileen Jeffery arrived in Tokyo two years ago and spotted what she thought was the best opportunity of her career: Hotel rooms in the capital were scarce and a boom in tourism was exacerbating the shortage.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2016

Dentsu considering 60 businesses for acquisition

Dominant advertising agency Dentsu Inc. has locked sights on as many as 60 acquisition targets to bring more technology and talent to its global business.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INVEST IN ITALY 2015
Dec 15, 2015

Promoting Japanese direct investment in Italy

The Italian Trade Agency held a symposium in Tokyo on Nov. 18 to promote Japanese companies' direct investment in Italy, with businesses from Italy and Japan, as well as diplomats and politicians from Italy, discussing opportunities in the country.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 14, 2015

Textbook publishers must be above reproach

Recent scandals highlight the fine line between legitimate business practices and shady dealings in the textbook industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Dec 10, 2015

Yahoo weighs spinoff of Web units, not ditching Alibaba stake

Yahoo Inc. is changing course. Again.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2015
Sep 9, 2015

Leading English MBA program set to become available online

Featuring its unique ambition-inspiring kokorozashi, or personal mission, education and hands-on business education close to real-life experience, Globis University's Master of Business Administration program has rapidly grown into the largest and one of the highest-ranked MBA programs in Japan. Now...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 19, 2015

Microsoft says Line's popular Rinna character is new way to engage customers

Microsoft is hoping to revolutionize the way that companies use messaging service Line to promote their products, with the help of an artificial intelligence program last seen posing as a high school girl.
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2015

Honda makes English official

Honda is just the latest in a growing number of Japanese firms embracing English as its official language; now the nation's education system needs to respond with more effective ways of teaching the language.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 7, 2015

Iranian nuclear deal set to make hard-line Revolutionary Guards richer

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard have done very well despite international sanctions — and if a nuclear deal is done in Vienna this week under which those sanctions are lifted, they are likely to do better still.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
May 17, 2015

Economics of U.S. base redevelopment sway Okinawa mindset

A growing conviction is now widely shared by many Okinawans: U.S. military bases have become an impediment, rather than a benefit, to the prefecture's long-troubled economy.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 27, 2015

New rules are pushing Japanese corporations to tap more outside directors

More Japanese firms are appointing outside directors to strengthen their corporate governance, pushed by a revised law and new rules that are set to come into effect in the coming months.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2015

Otsuka Kagu familial feud nears climax

A battle between the founder of Otsuka Kagu Ltd. and its current president, who also happen to be father and daughter, is expected to turn into a proxy fight at the company's annual shareholders' meeting scheduled for Friday, with the result deciding the fate of the struggling furniture giant.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 9, 2015

It's time for troubled Sharp to sink or swim

Continuing to prop up complacent Japanese companies deadens the creative destruction that chastens stagnant industries and makes way for innovative and new ones.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2015

Abe's JA reforms no salve for core problems, experts say

Takashi Tomita, who heads an agricultural cooperative in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture, is considered a ray of hope for a farming sector on the brink of collapse.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Feb 6, 2015

Revival in Sony shares credited to ascent of CFO Yoshida

Investors' newfound enthusiasm for bloated Sony owes much to ascendant CFO Kenichiro Yoshida's ability to cut jobs, exit money-losing businesses and rein in its outsized ambitions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Nov 25, 2014

A losing bet on green energy

A decision by power utilities to not buy electricity generated by renewable energy sources has caused huge problems for companies that invested heavily in the solar power business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 18, 2014

Engineer mobility at Samsung is a lesson for troubled Sony

Samsung Electronics Co. is giving Sony Corp. a lesson in quick decision-making by moving engineers from its smartphone unit less than a month after posting a profit slump in the business.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 11, 2014

In-debt idols send wrong message to girls

Two weeks ago a female pop group called The Margarines debuted via a Tokyo news conference. Since Japanese show business has no shortage of young women who want to sing and dance in order to "fulfill their dreams," the new ensemble needed a gimmick.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan