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Nippon Steel is on track to finalize its planned $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by the end of September, an executive has said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2024

Nippon Steel says on track to close U.S. Steel deal by September

The deal by the world's No.4 steelmaker to buy U.S. Steel has drawn criticism from some in the United States.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during an interview with KBS at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Sunday. The handbag incident has cast a shadow over Yoon as his conservative People Power Party is trying to wrest control of parliament in an April election.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 8, 2024

South Korean president says Dior bag incident was a political move

Yoon Suk-yeol breaks his silence over a video showing his wife receiving a luxury handbag from a Korean-American pastor in September 2022.
The “dogeza” position is used for the sincerest of apologies and it was deployed by the man who mistakenly ruined an attempt at a Guinness world record on live television.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 9, 2024

The year so far has been marked by some good and bad apologies

A social norm seems to persist in Japan that one should apologize first and explain later. That goes for companies as well.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2024

Japan’s Valentine’s Day chocolate budget sees 34% rise

About 22% of survey participants said they would purchase chocolates for themselves — 3.4 times more than those buying for a romantic partner.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2024

Osaka Expo budget expected to rise again by ¥200 million

The latest request would raise the total amount of money directly spent by the national government on all expo-related activities to ¥164.9 billion.
Singer Taylor Swift performs at her concert in Tokyo on Wednesday. With her winning her fourth Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Monday, sales of her merchandise will likely increase even as fans feel more compelled to purchase them for their premium value.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 8, 2024

'Swiftonomics' to yield ¥34.1 billion economic boost for Japan

The economic ripple effect of an average attendee of Taylor Swift's concerts in Tokyo is estimated at ¥155,090.
SoftBank Group booked a profit for the December quarter after four straight quarters of losses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 8, 2024

SoftBank swings to profit lifted by T-Mobile windfall

SoftBank recorded its first profit after four straight quarters of losses, backed by a rebound of the Vision Fund and gains from T-Mobile shares.
At the new teamLab Borderless museum, the crowd-favorite room of lamps from Borderless 1.0 has evolved into a room of light bubbles, which interact with each other and the bodies passing by.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 8, 2024

Have we reached teamLab saturation?

The art collective re-opens its Borderless museum in Azabudai Hills. But the experience is starting to feel stale.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2024

Japanese firms boosting pay for young workers is good news for Bank of Japan

If wage gain momentum carries over into this year, the BOJ is expected to end the world’s last negative interest rate regime by April.
While in recent years Donald Trump is better known for his trade war with China, the former president has a long history of Japan-bashing and should be taken at his word on the U.S. Steel purchase by Nippon Steel.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 9, 2024

Trump is wrong to oppose Nippon Steel deal

"I would block it instantaneously. Absolutely,” Trump said of Nippon Steel’s bid, and he should be taken seriously and literally.
A Uniqlo store in Shanghai, China. The clothing chain's operator Fast Retailing announced last year that it expected to open 80 stores in China and roughly 60 new stores each year in Southeast Asia, India and the Australian region.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2024

Fast Retailing’s peer-beating 48% jump may extend on global push

Uniqlo owner has become one of the top performers among 10 other clothing companies worldwide that have a market value exceeding $10 billion.
An advertisement for the new Nippon Individual Savings Account in Tokyo in January
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2024

Revamp of tax-free investments in Japan spurs jump in accounts

The creation of the new savings accounts is one of a slew of measures to lure more buyers to the Japanese market.
Pop superstar Taylor Swift delighted fans at her sold-out Tokyo Dome show on Wednesday by confidently telling the audience, “Eras Tour e yokōso!” (“Welcome to The Eras Tour!”)
CULTURE / Music
Feb 9, 2024

Taylor Swift slays her Tokyo era

Pop's reigning queen gets sold-out crowd singing along to her hits for the Japan leg of the global Eras Tour.
Daihatsu President Soichiro Okudaira submits a report to transport minister Tetsuo Saito on measures the automaker will take to prevent a recurrence of safety testing fraud, on Friday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 10, 2024

Daihatsu reports measures to prevent recurrence of testing fraud

"We want to implement recurrence prevention measures firmly and make the company capable of doing its job properly," the firm's president said.
Michael Jackson performs in Vienna in 1997. Jackson, one of the top selling artists in pop music, died in 2009, leaving an estate worth hundreds of millions of dollars but large debts to work out.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 10, 2024

Sony to buy 50% stake in Michael Jackson music for $600 million

The agreement may also include songs from other artists that are part of the Mijac publishing catalog in what would be the largest such deal ever.
U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions from reporters at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2024

Biden’s gaffe-heavy week shows dilemma over 2024 media strategy

The president's aides ponder whether it’s better to confront or ignore concerns about his age and acuity.
A slew of listed Japanese firms have logged solid earnings for the nine months ended in December including Toyota, which posted operating and net profits that reached the highest levels on record for a Japanese company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 11, 2024

Major Japanese firms post higher earnings in April-December period

Of 786 component firms of the broad Topix index that had announced their April-December results as of Wednesday, 455 companies reported higher net profits.
Monet Technologies' robotaxi service, partly designed to address serious shortages of taxi drivers, will use vehicles based on Toyota's Sienna minivan.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2024

Toyota affiliate to start Robotaxi service in Tokyo

The new robotaxi service, partly designed to address serious shortages of taxi drivers, will use vehicles based on Toyota's Sienna minivan.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland (right) and Everton's James Tarkowski vie for the ball during their match in Manchester on Saturday.
SOCCER
Feb 12, 2024

Manchester City gets stars back as club eyes more Champions League glory

Pep Guardiola's men head to FC Copenhagen for the first leg of their last 16 tie on Tuesday on the back of 10 consecutive wins in all competitions.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to his supporters as he arrives at a rally in Guwahati, India, on Feb. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

Modi flexes global muscle with Abu Dhabi visit and temple opening

While Islam is the UAE’s state religion, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has long had a strained relationship with India’s Muslim population.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 12, 2024

Daihatsu resumes production of two models at Kyoto plant

The Toyota subsidiary hopes to restart gradually but its domestic vehicle production schedule remains unclear.
Indonesian Defense Minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto salutes supporters during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Feb. 2.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

How could Indonesia’s presidential vote affect foreign relations?

While all three candidates portend continuity with their predecessor, only the front-runner vows more visible leadership in the region.
The tail of a BYD electric vehicle sports the company’s motto, “build your dreams,” at a dealership in Shenzhen, China, on Jan. 29.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 12, 2024

How China built BYD, its Tesla killer

BYD’s sales, over 80% of them in China, passed Tesla in worldwide sales of fully electric cars late last year.
Japan’s latest growth figures are set to confirm it slipped to become the world's fourth-largest economy last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2024

Japan GDP set to confirm slip to world’s fourth-largest economy

Figures for the calendar year are almost certain to show the value of output falling behind Germany’s in dollar terms.
The Nvidia headquarters in Santa Clara, California
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 13, 2024

Nvidia briefly overtakes Amazon in market value

NVIDIA's market value momentarily surpassed Amazon's on Monday, fueled by soaring demand for its chips used in artificial intelligence computing.
U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday. Biden's re-election campaign has launched a TikTok account in a bid to reach younger voters, a move that comes as the popular short-form video platform confronts concerns over its ties to China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 13, 2024

Biden’s TikTok foray triggers bipartisan angst over app's China ties

The bipartisan leaders of a House committee charged with curbing China's influence expressed concern Monday at President Joe Biden’s campaign on TikTok.
SoftBank Group shares surged for a third day in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 13, 2024

SoftBank shares climb again with Arm’s explosive AI rally

Arm Holdings has almost doubled in value since making the case last week for how it will benefit from the artificial intelligence boom.
Domino's Pizza Japan has apologized for a video of its employee pretending to pick his nose and wipe it on pizza dough.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 13, 2024

Domino's apologizes over online video of employee's pizza antics

The pizza delivery giant's move came after a video surfaced online Monday of an employee pretending to pick his nose and wipe it on pizza dough.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launchpad SLC-40 at the Kennedy Space Center on NASA's PACE mission in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Feb. 8.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 13, 2024

Apollo to Artemis: Why America is betting big on private space

While it has seen some successes, the move could put the U.S. at risk of falling behind its principal space rival, China, in achieving major milestones.
U.S. television host Tucker Carlson interviews Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in on Feb. 6. Carlson was criticized for failing to challenge the Russian leader on much of what he said.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2024

Putin interview showed why he really invaded Ukraine

Tucker Carlson lobbed questions to help the Russian president serve up his usual string of half-truths and outright falsehoods about the war in Ukraine.

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