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A government white paper on small and medium enterprises said more than 60% of such firms plan to raise wages this year.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2024

Japan small firms raising wages amid labor shortages, government paper says

The white paper also pointed out that the labor productivity of Japan is lower than that of other members in the OECD.
People ride past a JD.com advertisement promoting a Singles Day shopping festival in Beijing in 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2024

China's e-commerce giants face a delicate balance

Chinese consumers are seeking discounts and lower-cost shopping following the pandemic.
Suspected intervention to drag the yen off a 34-year low against the dollar is already seen as unlikely to have a lasting effect if Japan continues alone.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2024

Yen’s fragility raises specter of a new currency war in Asia

A destabilizing slump in the yen could be the trigger that forces Japan’s neighbors to take extreme action.
Kai-Fu Lee, chairman of Sinovation Ventures
BUSINESS / Tech
May 13, 2024

Tech pioneer Kai-Fu Lee's AI venture aims to deliver China's ChatGPT moment

Beijing bars foreign AI models in part due to strict censorship, but that also ensures domestic players have a big local market without global competition.
Katsunobu Kato, former chief Cabinet secretary and a ruling party veteran, says the Bank of Japan must keep a close eye on economic conditions and coordinate carefully with the government in working out when to raise rates.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2024

Japan on track to normalize monetary policy, says ruling party heavyweight

The weak yen has inflated import costs, hurting consumption and creating headaches for policymakers looking to shore up a fragile economic recovery.
Breads developed to be eaten cold are displayed during an event in Tokyo in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2024

Shops promoting 'cold bread' hope to boost sales in summer

One company is promoting cat-shaped bread that can be eaten frozen.
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at the Congress of South African Trade Unions National Worker's Day rally at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on May 1.
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2024

Who’s who in South Africa’s tightest post-apartheid election

For the first time since White-minority rule ended, South Africa is heading into national elections in which an outright winner isn’t apparent.
Tokiko Shimizu, the Bank of Japan's first and only female director, has been replaced by Kazushige Kamiyama after finishing a four-year term.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2024

BOJ slips backward on diversity with all-male executive lineup

The BOJ slipped to 156th on an index of gender balance among central banks released this year.
The downtown Johor Bahru skyline from Singapore
BUSINESS
May 13, 2024

Malaysia's Johor eyes Shenzhen-style hub with Singapore, report says

If approved, the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone would be nearly twice the size of China’s Shenzhen at 3,505 square kilometers.
SoftBank is regaining its footing just as founder Masayoshi Son readies sizable investments in artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2024

SoftBank to get more aggressive on AI after profit and asset sales

The company earned a better-than-expected net income in the March quarter, helped by investment gains.
Justin Reid has helped the Chiefs win the last two Super Bowl titles.
MORE SPORTS / Football
May 13, 2024

Chiefs safety Justin Reid committed to lifting up Kansas City on and off field

The confetti had hardly finished falling on the Kansas City Chiefs' second consecutive Super Bowl title when safety Justin Reid started looking ahead.
Investing in Japanese stocks becomes harder if the yen continues to weaken, head of Japan active investments at BlackRock warns.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2024

BlackRock warns weak yen deters foreigners from Japan stocks

The Nikkei 225 has declined more than 6% amid concerns the currency is becoming a liability for domestic consumer spending and import costs.
The widespread adoption of renewable energy sources and implementation of energy efficiency are key to reducing emissions and, in turn, fueling economic growth.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2024

We need economic growth to avert a climate catastrophe

The degrowth movement doesn't offer solutions to tackle global warming. Not only are its proposals unrealistic, but they may not even be effective.
Nintendo tends to innovate and take unconventional product development routes, producing both great successes, like its Switch console, and spectacular failures.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 10, 2024

Nintendo needs to 'switch' its next console up

The Kyoto firm has been coy about what will come after the highly successful Switch console, but it needs to step up its game and learn from past mistakes.
Major Japanese companies are increasing ventures in the United States, with Toyota investing $13.9 billion in North Carolina alone.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 13, 2024

Japan’s gamble to hedge against U.S. political risks

As Japanese companies increasingly invest in U.S. states like North Carolina, friend-shoring ensures economic resilience in the face of political change.
Toyota CEO Koji Sato says the company plans to expand AI-related investments, and this year will focus on building a strong foundation for software-defined vehicles.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2024

Japan’s carmakers look to China tech to claw back market share

With no signs of demand slowing for Chinese EVs, Japanese carmakers are looking to adapt their strategies to win over the world’s biggest auto market.
Defendant Chung Biu Yuen leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Monday after being charged with assisting Hong Kong's foreign intelligence service.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024

China slams U.K. arrests over Hong Kong spy case

China's foreign affairs commissioner in its territory of Hong Kong warned that Britain would receive "China's firm and strong retaliation."
Penny Sackett, a former director of the Australian National University’s Mount Stromlo Observatory, in the remains of the observatory, which was destroyed by a wildfire in 2003, just outside Canberra on May 6.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 14, 2024

Alarmed by climate change, astronomers train their sights on Earth

Seeing how climate change has impacted the earth, many astronomers have left science to become full-time activists.
A new era in Japan-U.S. military cooperation is set to begin after Japan's parliament enacted new laws to establish a joint command headquarters for the nation’s Self-Defense Forces.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 14, 2024

Let the real work on Japan’s defense modernization begin

Scheduled to go into effect in March 2025, the Japan Joint Operations Command will centralize command of the country’s military services.
Gamers play the "Minecraft" game at E3 2017, one of the biggest events in the gaming industry calendar, in Los Angeles. Since the first version of Minecraft was released to the public 15 years ago, the block-based world-building game has become a global phenomenon. Players of all ages and backgrounds have used the game for everything from educational projects and architecture to building communities and creating artworks.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Sweden's small game studios punching above their weight

In 2022, the country's game developers had a combined revenue of 32.5 billion kronor ($3 billion).
Visitors line up near a billboard for a Honda electric vehicle at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Honda moves to cut China workforce with voluntary layoffs

Honda's move marks the latest setback for Japan's legacy car brands in China.
Gloomy economic conditions, especially weak consumption, raise questions over whether the Bank of Japan will be able to take further steps toward policy normalization.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2024

Japan GDP data expected to show contraction for first quarter

The preliminary data is expected to show that spending by consumers and companies fell, while net exports dragged on growth for the first time in a year.
Japanese companies are raising payouts to shareholders as the Tokyo Stock Exchange pressures firms to improve capital efficiency and valuations.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 15, 2024

Japan firms boost dividends and buybacks, aiding Topix amid TSE pressure

The moves come as the Tokyo Stock Exchange pressures companies to improve capital efficiency and valuations, and have spurred a rebound in the Topix index.
Tourists and locals stroll along Tokyo's Ginza shopping district where some roads are closed off for pedestrians due to the national holiday on April 29.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Fortress’s Japan hotel unit doubles pay to fight labor shortage

MyStays Hotel Management is offering monthly salaries of ¥500,000 ($3,210) for new hires into its fast-track program.
Tourists and locals stroll along Tokyo's Ginza shopping district where some roads are closed off for pedestrians due to the national holiday on April 29.
JAPAN
May 15, 2024

Japan visitors exceed 3 million for second straight month, tourism agency says

While the surge in arrivals is good news for the economy, it has caused some friction with locals.
Iran's urban development minister and India's ports and shipping minister signed the contract in the town of Chabahar, in a ceremony broadcast live on state media.
WORLD / Politics
May 15, 2024

India and Iran sign 10-year agreement to develop port project

The contract will see India Ports Global invest $370 million into "providing strategic equipment" and "developing transport infrastructure."
Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters alongside Todd Blanche, one of his attorneys, before the day's proceedings in his criminal trial in New York on May 9.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2024

Cohen on cross: 5 takeaways from Trump’s criminal trial

Prosecutors stated that Cohen would be their final witness, while the defense aims to conclude cross-examination by Thursday.
The Japanese view of China is deteriorating, characterized by a fear of arbitrary detention and the belief the country, economically, is past its peak. The Chinese see Japan as declining and too reliant on the United States. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 15, 2024

Can Japan and China bridge their ever-widening ‘perception gap’?

Despite the fear, many of the worries Japanese have about visiting China are unfounded. Bridging the gap requires both nations to resume exchanges.
Shipping containers at Pier J at the Port of Long Beach wait for processing in Long Beach, California, in 2018.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 16, 2024

U.S. efforts to reshape global supply chains gathers pace in Asia

Investment flows are shifting along with trade, with global firms investing in Southeast Asia to avoid U.S. tariffs on China.
Employees place items into boxes and envelopes at an Amazon fulfillment center.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

Amazon workers say they struggle to afford food and rent

Amazon has long been criticized for its treatment of employees

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