Search - business

 
 
Masaki Sato, who owns an 85-year-old property in the Akasaki district of Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, walks in the district on Saturday after a major earthquake struck the Noto region on New Year's Day.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 8, 2024

Still standing: Unique houses survive quake in Japanese village

Despite a magnitude 7.6 quake only kilometers away, one small fishing village stood strong thanks to decades-old smart architecture.
The fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 Max, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage, is seen during its investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2024

United finds loose bolts on planes, raising pressure on Boeing

U.S. regulators grounded 171 Max 9 planes after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines-operated flight not long after taking off from a Portland, Oregon, airport
Nvidia has unveiled three new desktop graphics chips with extra components that will let gamers, designers and other computer users make better use of AI on their personal machines without having to rely on remote services accessed over the internet.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 9, 2024

Nvidia rolls out new chips as part of 'AI PC' push

The firm has unveiled three new desktop graphics chips with extra components that will let users make better use of AI on their personal machines.
Consumer price gains in Tokyo slowed for a second month in December.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2024

Tokyo inflation slows as thrifty consumers curb some outlays

Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.1% in the capital, decelerating from 2.3% in November.
The yen extended gains Tuesday after the Bank of Japan indicated it will reduce monthly buying of superlong government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 9, 2024

Yen rises after BOJ indicates cut in superlong bond buying

The BOJ bought ¥150 billion ($1.04 billion) of 10-to-25 year debt on Tuesday.
The logo of language-learning app, Duolingo, on a smartphone
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2024

Duolingo cuts contractors by 10% amid AI content shift

The company said no full-time employees were affected by the cutback.
A China Railway employee works at the construction site for the Xiongan station of a new railway connecting Beijing to the area in Hebei province, China, in March 2019. In his annual new year speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping trumpeted the city’s progress saying it was "growing fast” and helping to revitalize northeastern China.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jan 10, 2024

Xi Jinping’s empty dream city shows limits of his power, even in China

The meticulously planned metropolis' slow start underscores the flaws in the Chinese president's plan to tempt people from the capital.
Shinji Aoyama, Honda's chief director of North America, unveils its electric vehicle concept Space-Hub during the CES trade show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 10, 2024

Honda to launch new electric vehicle series as it plays catch-up

The automaker aims to roll out the first models of its new Honda 0 Series by 2026, with the series to be launched globally, starting with the North American market.
Tourists fill Kiyomizuzaka street near Kiyomizu Temple in the city of Kyoto in November.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2024

Kyoto becoming more proactive in tackling overtourism

Threatening social and cultural conflicts, issues arising from overtourism include public transportation congestion.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 10, 2024

Japan should aim to maintain population of 80 million by 2100: panel

A group comprising academics and business leaders say a higher target than the projected 63 million is needed to maintain economic growth.
Ayao Komatsu speaks during an event ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on Sept. 21.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jan 11, 2024

Tokyo native Komatsu takes over as Haas F1 boss after Steiner's departure

"In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management," the team owner said.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 11, 2024

OECD urges Bank of Japan to gradually raise interest rates

The central bank should thus continue efforts to make the yield curve control more flexible, the organization said.
Security guards along the Bund in front of buildings in the Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai on Tuesday. The pivot away from China may accelerate as positive catalysts are missing at a time when the U.S. Federal Reserve shifts toward monetary easing.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 11, 2024

China is fast losing its place as a must-have in global portfolios

An analysis of filings by 14 U.S. pension funds with investments in Chinese stocks show most of them have reduced their holdings since 2020.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 11, 2024

Nikkei breaches 35,000 for the first time in 34 years

Wall Street's tech-driven gains and a weakening of the yen give Japanese stocks a boost for third day in a row.
The Bank of Japan is fully prepared to put an end to the world’s last negative interest rate, an ex-official has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 11, 2024

BOJ fully prepared to end negative rate, likely in April: ex-official

"They are just waiting for one last push from one or two economic data,” said former board member Makoto Sakurai.
U.S. President Joe Biden gives a thumbs-up as he walks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at Filoli estate on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15. Their meeting attempted to calm the waters and tried to convey a sense that the U.S. and China could effectively manage their differences.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 11, 2024

In 2024, U.S.-China ties likely to get worse before they get better

The trajectory of Washington and Beijing's relationship this year will have profound effects on Japan's own policies going forward.
People take photographs during the launch of Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance's next-generation Vulcan rocket on its debut flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 11, 2024

Vulcan rocket's debut brings long-awaited challenge to SpaceX dominance

Dependence on SpaceX has been a concern for the Pentagon, which wants multiple vendors of rides to orbit.
Meiji's canned liquid baby formula is in high demand following the New Year's Day quake that hit central Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 11, 2024

Meiji to boost liquid baby formula production after quake

The company has received more than twice the usual number of orders for such products so far this month.
A Tokyo Gas Co. storage tank at the company's Setagaya facility in Tokyo
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 12, 2024

World trying to quit fossil fuels gets flood of gas instead

Formerly a sluggish sector, global events spurred LNG's expansion
Hiromi Uetake has future plans to turn some of the currently unused rooms of the former elementary school into taprooms for visiting customers.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 14, 2024

Craft beer’s hoppy road to the deep north

Beer drinkers in these occasionally frozen lands now enjoy flavors infused with deep stories and their home prefectures’ splendid natural beauty.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 15, 2024

All ¥500 coins that glitter are not gold

Twenty years on and the ¥2,000 note can almost certainly still be described as a “novelty" — what if the new ¥500 coin is destined for the same fate?
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 12, 2024

Nikkei posts 34-year high, best week in 22 months

The rise was driven both by receding bets on an early exit from the Bank of Japan's stimulus and sheer momentum as foreign investors returned.
After a fuselage panel ripped off during an Alaska Airlines flight on Jan. 5, all Boeing 737 Max 9 planes were grounded in the United States.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2024

We're stuck with the 737 Max, like it or not

The most recent incident involving a Boeing 737 Max won't stop airlines from using the craft. There simply aren't that many other options.
The recent surge in the 225-issue Nikkei average has some strategists believing it could rewrite a new all-time high later this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 13, 2024

Surging Nikkei may top 40,000 this year, strategists say

The recent surge in the 225-issue Nikkei average has some strategists believing it could rewrite a new all-time high later this year and breach the 40,000 mark.
The Financial Services Agency ordered SBI Securities to halt part of its business related to initial public offerings through Jan. 18 as a penalty for having manipulated clients' post-IPO share prices.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 13, 2024

Japan’s biggest online brokerage SBI punished for market rigging

The Financial Services Agency on Friday instructed the nation’s biggest online broker SBI Securities not to solicit trade orders from clients for shares on the day they list.
Eleven of 21 sectors surveyed saw increases in winter bonus payments at major Japanese firms.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2024

Winter bonuses at major Japan firms see modest rise

The average increased for the second year in a row, though at a slower pace than the 7.77% growth marked in winter 2022.
As Kura has grown, so has the hype, with diners sometimes enduring seven-hour waits to try its automated sushi-serving machines and dishes under plastic domes brought to the table on a revolving belt.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 13, 2024

Kura Sushi must live up to high hopes after wowing Wall Street

Kura shares have surged more than sixfold since their 2019 debut, climbing from an initial public offering price of $14 to $88.55.
A screen displays the Nikkei 225 Stock Average figure on the trading floor at the Nomura Securities headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 13, 2024

Tokyo stocks find their mojo as bubble-era highs draw nearer

The roaring start to 2024 looks to be on far more solid ground than last time stocks reached these levels as investors bet the country is escaping deflation.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a livestream event with Iowa’s attorney general, Brenna Bird in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 14, 2024

U.S. presidential election heats up as frigid Iowa tests Trump

With a commanding lead in polls, the ex-president is expected easily to win the Midwestern state's first-in-the-nation vote.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2024

Kishida makes first visit to Noto Peninsula after quake

Speaking to people at an evacuation center in Wajima, Kishida encouraged them to keep their hearts strong amid the difficult situation.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight