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A Toyo Safety Industrial helmet with a built-in fan is showcased at Extreme Heat Countermeasures Exhibition in Tokyo in July.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Fan-cooled beds and baby carriers among new gadgets to beat heat

At Tokyo’s annual trade show last week the focus was on how to keep workers in high-temperature environments cool and reduce the risk of heatstroke.
The Cushing storage hub in Oklahoma. Crude oil stock declines have been geographically uneven so far, with inventory falls in the United States and Europe offset by increases in China and Japan.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Oil inventory drops set stage for higher prices

Oil inventories now play a bigger role in determining prices than the U.S. dollar because sanctions on Russia have sped up trading in other currencies.
A worker stands in front of a machine on a yarn production line in Putian, Fujian province, China, in February 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2023

China's factory, services sectors show weakness, need for stimulus

Construction sector activity for July was its weakest since COVID-19-related workplace disruptions dissipated around February.
Signage for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking (right) and Mizuho Bank (center) in Tokyo. Two of Japan's mega-banks reported solid quarterly profit on Monday.
BUSINESS
Jul 31, 2023

Japan’s biggest banks beat estimates, adding to BOJ tailwind

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group said net income for the quarter ending June 30 was ¥248 billion, while Mizuho Financial Group’s was ¥245.2 billion.
The headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo. The central bank has sharply raised its inflation forecast for this fiscal year and sees risks on the upside for this year and next.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2023

No further BOJ policy shifts expected in 2023 after surprise tweak

A survey last week found 26% of 41 economists see next April as the most likely time for further adjustments.
Japan’s unemployment rate fell for the first time in two months in June, feeding into optimism that upward pressure on wages may persist and help sustain inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 1, 2023

Japan's jobless rate falls in positive sign for wages, BOJ goal

The jobless rate fell to 2.5%, the ministry of internal affairs said Tuesday, the lowest since January.
Nigerien security forces launch tear gas to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger, on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 1, 2023

Macron’s Africa strategy in tatters as his bet on Niger unravels

France is struggling to convince nations in the Sahel region the presence of a former colonial power can bring results.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4. Trump was indicted on Monday over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election — the most serious legal threat yet to the former president as he campaigns to return to the White House.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 2, 2023

Trump charged with conspiracy for efforts to overturn 2020 election

The indictment alleges Trump knowingly spread lies about the election in order to undermine public faith in the vote and remain in power.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday called the downgrade of the United States' top-tier sovereign credit grade by Fitch Ratings "arbitrary” and "outdated.”
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 2, 2023

U.S. credit rating downgraded from AAA by Fitch 

Fitch Ratings criticized the country’s ballooning fiscal deficits and an "erosion of governance” that have led to repeated debt limit clashes.
Simon Humphries, head of design at Toyota, speaks during the world premier of the new Land Cruiser in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2023

Toyota’s iconic Land Cruiser returns to North America

The world’s biggest carmaker has unveiled three variations of one of its most enduring models, starting at around $50,000.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2023

Seven & I replaces Sogo & Seibu president to pave way for sale

The planned sale has been delayed twice due to local opposition to a plan to open a Yodobashi outlet in Seibu's flagship store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.
BUSINESS
Aug 2, 2023

Japan shares post biggest one-day drop this year

Then benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average closed down 2.30% at 32,707.69 — its sharpest one-day drop since Dec. 20.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 2, 2023

Sushi chain drops suit against teen over prank video

“The customer has admitted his responsibility and we have reached a settlement with reasonable details that are acceptable to us,” a spokesperson said.
Storage tanks containing treated radioactive water at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Futaba, Fukuahima Prefecture, on July 21
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 2, 2023

Tepco back to profit in first quarter on lower fuel cost

The firm paid ¥50.3 billion in compensation in the first quarter of the 2023 fiscal year, which began in April, it said in a statement.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene at her ceremonial office in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD
Aug 3, 2023

Mongolia and U.S. to sign 'Open Skies' deal ahead of talks

Deal would also provide easier options for cargo flights between the nations.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hand with Tesla chief executive Elon Musk in New York on June 20, 2023.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2023

In India, it's advantage Tesla as Chinese automakers face heat

Tesla has had a red-carpet welcome from India for its proposal to invest in the country, while China has been stopped cold.
The government may sell stakes in some major firms, including NTT, to fund its growing defense spending.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2023

Raising the stakes: Japan may sell shares to fund defense spending

Selling government stakes in some of Japan's biggest firms won't be straightforward, given the need for consensus and changes to laws.
Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidates Paetongtarn Shinawatra (center, right) — daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — and Srettha Thavisin (center, left), a local property tycoon, at a campaign event in Bangkok on May 12
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 3, 2023

Thai party to unveil new coalition after Move Forward break

Conservative parties are expected to join the new coalition and their inclusion would boost support for the nomination of Srettha Thavisin.
A downgrade by Fitch Ratings is being viewed as a condemnation of partisan U.S. politics, including the recent debt ceiling standoff and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2023

Fitch’s U.S. downgrade stokes the very fight it warned against

Washington’s hostile political factions have quickly taken up the agency's downgrade of U.S. government debt as a new weapon of political combat.
Akira Amari, Japan's chip czar, has said that funding around one-third of the cost of a chip plant is the norm, and the 50% funding for Japan's first TSMC chip plant was unusually high.
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2023

Chip minister hints Japan to fund one-third of second TSMC plant

The subsidies will be part of Japan’s efforts to revive its domestic chipmaking industry, a sector viewed as crucial for growth and economic security.
Beijing's Ministry of State Security said China should create a system that makes it 'normal' for regular people to participate in counter-espionage.
WORLD
Aug 3, 2023

U.S. raises concerns over China's counter-espionage push

Washington worries that foreign companies in China could be punished for regular business activities.
Shinjiro Atae, a J-pop idol who came out publicly as gay during a recent fan event, with his stylist and makeup artist in the afternoon prior to his announcement, in Tokyo on July 25.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 3, 2023

In Japan, LGBTQ celebrities fuel impetus for change

Celebrities coming out as LGBTQ can have a big impact in Japan and fuel change. But such announcements are rarely made easily.
Kansai Electric Power's Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 3, 2023

Japan's nuclear restarts this year to hasten LNG import decline

Kansai Electric Power's plan next month to relaunch the last idle reactor at its flagship nuclear plant will mark an energy shift in Japan.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, arrives at Reagan National Airport in Washington en route to his arraignment in federal court on Thursday.
WORLD
Aug 4, 2023

Trump pleads not guilty to charges of obstructing election

After the hearing, the former U.S. president briefly addressed reporters at the Washington airport, calling it a "very sad day for America.”
The U.S. Capitol in Washington. After its downgrade of the U.S., Fitch’s AAA club now consists of Germany and Australia, along with seven others, including smaller, rich countries such as Switzerland and Luxembourg.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023

Pristine AAA bond universe just got a whole lot smaller

Fitch's U.S. downgrade is the latest example of a decadelong trend in rich economies as worries about high and rising debt burdens come to the fore.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 4, 2023

Bobby Valentine enjoying more relaxed time with Angels

Former Marines manager Bobby Valentine is viewing the game from a different perspective these days.
Imma, a virtual influencer, is the face of Nomura’s new campaign for tax-free investment accounts.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023

Nomura hires virtual influencer to coax Japan’s young investors

Boosting individual investments is particularly crucial as the country's baby-boomer generation passes on their assets to a younger generation.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Some economists see the central bank’s loosening of restraints on 10-year bond yields as a message to the government that it now will have to do financial management responsibly, because the BOJ won’t control yields as firmly as it used to.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023

Japan’s fiscal plight draws scrutiny after BOJ policy tweak

Tokyo seeking to expand spending on defense and child care, even as the national debt has grown to almost 260% of gross domestic product.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in June raised its stake in Japan's five major trading firms. All of them beat net-income estimates for the first quarter of the fiscal year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2023

Buffett’s favored Japan trading firms post solid earnings

The five major trading firms all beat net-income estimates for the first quarter of the fiscal year in reports issued this week.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023

Japan to strengthen resources diplomacy with Africa

Japanese companies have been falling behind foreign rivals in launching resources development projects in Africa.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami