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Global investment firms are increasingly seeing hidden value in Japanese companies that own properties that could be sold.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024

Bain Capital to boost Japan real estate team as prospects grow

The firm is interested in opportunities around hospitality, data centers and residential properties, among others.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
May 20, 2024

Japan’s 10-year bond yield hits decade high amid BOJ policy bets

The yield on 10-year government debt rose to a level last seen when the then newly appointed Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda was starting his radical monetary easing.
Iranians gather to mourn the death of Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

Iran president’s death and Saudi king’s health spur succession bets

Focusing on transition in Iran and Saudi Arabia adds another layer of uncertainty, and potential instability, to months of regional turmoil triggered by the Israel-Hamas war.
India, Asia’s third largest economy, will need to generate 16.5 million jobs each year, up from 12.4 million annually in the last decade.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024

India needs to create 115 million jobs by 2030, research shows

About 10.4 million jobs will need to be from the formal sector
Passengers onboard a self-driving vehicle in Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture, last year
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2024

Japan targets 30% share in next-generation cars

The 30% target was included in a new strategy released by the ministries for software development for next-generation vehicles with advanced digital technologies.
Martin Gruenberg, chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington on May 16.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024

FDIC chair says he’ll step down after toxic workplace report

The chair faced mounting pressure to quit following a scathing report that detailed allegations of harassment and discrimination at the bank regulator during his tenure.
Smoke rises in the distance as a burnt vehicle blocks a road near the Montravel area of Noumea, New Caledonia, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 21, 2024

Australia and New Zealand send evacuation flights to New Caledonia

Australia and New Zealand said they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory, which has experienced a week of deadly riots sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris.
People in Tehran demonstrate in support of Iran's attack on Israel on April 15. After the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the question is whether his successor will take a similar foreign policy path by keeping slivers of communication open and avoiding direct conflict with the United States.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

Aggression or caution: The choice facing Iran’s next leaders

After the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister it will be possible to maintain communications between Washington and Tehran?
Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on May 1.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

Trump leads Biden in monthly campaign fundraising for first time

The U.S. president’s campaign, however, still holds a wide financial edge over his Republican rival.
Missile systems form part of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9. The FBI tries to maintain a tricky balance in spy operations: the more access informants have to valuable intelligence, the higher the risk that they could be compromised.
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2024

FBI shed informants linked to Russian influence operations

After a secret review several years ago, the bureau cut off confidential sources thought to be connected to Russian disinformation.
Andre Hayato Saito’s latest short, “Amarela,” centers on a 14-year-old Japanese Brazilian girl (Melissa Uehara).
CULTURE / Film
May 21, 2024

Cannes nominee on being 'too Brazilian to be Japanese, too Japanese to be Brazilian’

Andre Hayato Saito's Palme d’Or-nominated short film, “Amarela,” is rooted in the director's own experiences with searching for a sense of belonging.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024

Carlyle raises $2.8 billion for largest Japan buyout fund

It’s the largest Japan-focused buyout fund ever raised, according to Carlyle, and about 70% bigger than the previous one it pulled together in 2021.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (left) receives a draft proposal produced by the Fiscal System Council from Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2024

Japanese advisory panel calls for strengthening fiscal resilience

The Fiscal System Council warned that the country's finances will deteriorate further if debt servicing costs swell.
Shinichiro Kashima
ESG CONSORTIUM
May 22, 2024

Nippon Life engages to encourage green transition

Engaging with high-emitting companies to spur transformation of their business rather than divesting from them is becoming increasingly important to combat climate change, said an executive officer of Japan’s biggest insurance company. “Thinking about society as a whole, it is important that we asset...
People hold anti-war placards before a rap concert for Ukraine by Russian rapper Oxxxymiron in Istanbul on March 15.
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2024

Another Russian exodus: Many who fled to Turkey move on again

When the war began in February 2022, Turkey emerged as a magnet for Russians, but now, many are moving on to nations like Montenegro and Serbia.
Japan swung to a trade deficit of ¥462.5 billion in April due to higher crude oil prices and a weak yen.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2024

Japan trade deficit shows weak yen is weighing on economy

The trade balance in April registered a ¥462.5 billion deficit, flipping from a ¥387 billion surplus.
To Lam takes his oath as Vietnam's president during the National Assembly's summer session in Hanoi on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 22, 2024

Vietnam appoints top policeman as country's new president

The move is a temporary end to two-months of heightened political turbulence that saw the exit of three of Vietnam's top five leaders over unspecified wrongdoings.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the virtual AI Seoul Summit hosted jointly by South Korea and Britain, in Seoul.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 22, 2024

Second global AI summit secures safety commitments from companies

Sixteen companies at the forefront of developing artificial intelligence pledged on Tuesday at a global meeting to develop the technology safely.
Some strategists have predicted that Japan’s 10-year sovereign yield will rise to 2% by the end of 2026.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 22, 2024

Japan yields have room to rise after 1% reached on BOJ bets

The focus turns now to how quickly the supereasy monetary policy will be dialed back and how much further yields may rise.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits for his trial at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on Tuesday.
WORLD
May 22, 2024

How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election

Jurors could deliver a verdict as soon as next week.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a meeting with New Caledonia's elected officials and local representatives at French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc's residence in Noumea, New Caledonia on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
May 23, 2024

Macron arrives in riot-hit New Caledonia for high-stakes talks

Local group warns things may take a turn for the worse if the French president does withdraw an electoral bill that protesters fear will dilute Indigenous votes.
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith delivers a speech at the French Microsoft headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris, on May 13.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2024

Microsoft’s UAE deal could move U.S. chips and AI technology abroad

The sales accord could progress to a second phase that entails the export of crucial components of AI technology such as model weights, Microsoft's president said.
Japan's real wages in fiscal 2023 were down for the second straight year, as steady wage growth failed to keep pace with inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 23, 2024

Japan's fiscal 2023 real wages show sharpest drop in nine years

Real wages were down for the second straight year, as steady wage growth failed to keep pace with inflation.
Jera’s Hekinan thermal power station in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture
BUSINESS
May 24, 2024

Jera warns of switching investment from Australia over lack of support

The lack of financial support for production of hydrogen and ammonia took some of the shine off Australia as a destination for Japanese investment.
A passenger who was on board Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 arrives at Changi Airport in Singapore on Wednesday. The flight had experienced severe turbulence, resulting in the death of a British man and multiple injuries.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2024

Fliers concerned about safety after airline mishaps

But despite this year's spate of high-profile airline accidents, statistics show that flying is still safer than the drive to the airport.
Workers prepare boxes of oyster products for shipping at Suzuki Suisan in Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture. The company stopped offering free shipping services in March.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jun 3, 2024

Transportation firms grapple with new driver overtime cap

The overtime cap introduced in April has led to increased transportation costs and some logistical headaches as firms try to adjust.
Japan's core inflation slowed for a second straight month in April due to milder food inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 24, 2024

Japan’s inflation cools as BOJ waits for wage gains to kick in

Consumer prices excluding those for fresh food rose 2.2% year on year in April, matching analysts’ estimates and marking a 25th month of staying above the BOJ's 2% target.
As companies lose once-stable investors through the unwinding of cross-shareholdings, they are now hoping that rewarding long-term individual shareholders will help make them more resilient in possible proxy battles.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2024

Japanese firms woo individuals as cross-shareholdings shrink

In a bid to protect themselves from activist investors, firms are trying to build loyalty with long-term individual shareholders by doling out gifts.
Japan's top currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, poses for a photograph during an interview at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo in  January 2022.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 25, 2024

Japan issues fresh warning on yen drops and signals readiness to intervene

The finance minister also said he was in frequent contact with overseas counterparts, particularly in the U.S., on issues including financial markets.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Takashi Yamashita answers questions at a meeting of a Lower House special political reform committee Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 25, 2024

LDP and CDP at odds over fate of fundraising parties

While the ruling party stressed the importance of maintaining the events, the main opposition party called for an outright ban.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years