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Nvidia shares got zapped by 9.5% on Tuesday, wiping out $278.9 billion in the biggest loss of value ever for a U.S. stock.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 4, 2024

Nvidia suffers record $279 billion rout as stocks sink

Chipmakers touched off another bout of selling after industry analysts rekindled worries that the mania surrounding artificial intelligence had gone too far.
The government-affiliated National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology will establish a domestic research and development base and plans to receive technical cooperation from Intel.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 4, 2024

Japan research body AIST to create chipmaking R&D base

It will be the first Japanese research institute to introduce extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, crucial for making chips' circuit line widths narrower.
U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Works steel mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024

U.S. Steel to remain American-led, Nippon Steel says

The Japanese firm said post-acquisition the majority of U.S. Steel's board of directors and all members of core senior management would be U.S. citizens.
Sanrio, the owner of the Hello Kitty brand that operates two indoor theme parks, has enjoyed a 93% gain in its stock this year, as the ongoing heat and heavy rain keep visitors away from outdoor entertainment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024

Hello Kitty stock soars 93% as Tokyo heat sends tourists indoors

Ongoing heat and heavy rain have been key factors in keeping visitors away from outdoor entertainment facilities.
An electronic quotation board shows the Nikkei stock average dropping more than 1,500 points on Wednesday, weighed down by falls on Wall Street following lackluster manufacturing data.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 4, 2024

Japanese stocks tumble amid U.S. tech selloff

Some analysts see Wednesday’s drop as a temporary reaction than a start of another meltdown.
Government Pension Investment Fund in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 4, 2024

GPIF watchers say $1.75 trillion fund may buy more Japan stocks

GPIF is likely to have reclaimed its position as the world’s largest pension fund, thanks to the yen’s rebound after a brief slip earlier this year.
Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume speaks at a Volkswagen media event in Beijing on April 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024

From peace-maker to taboo-breaker, VW boss Blume takes on the unions

Volkswagen disclosed it was not only planning to scrap a 30-year old job security plan, but weighing the closure of plants in Germany.
Uber is working with Royal Limousine and Times Mobility to conduct a trial to allow ordinary drivers to offer ride-hailing services even if they do not own vehicles.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2024

Uber Japan tests use of car-sharing vehicles for ride-hailing services

The aim of the trial, which will run through Nov. 30, is to make it easier for drivers to get into the business.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks on stage in front of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Desert Diamond Arena, in Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 23.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 4, 2024

How Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pact took shape

A near assassination, a couple of phone calls, and six weeks of secret talks, embarrassing missteps and private misgivings, led to the unlikely alliance.
One survey revealed that 68% of recruiters admit to appearance-based hiring and 96% say interviews are influenced by visual impressions, which is why many employment experts advise job hunters to invest significantly in their appearance.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2024

Why do I need a photo on my resume to apply for a job in Japan?

It is time to build a recruitment system in Japan that rewards people’s talents, irrespective of their looks
The shutdown of Elon Musk's X has drawn parallels with authoritarian regimes, damaging Brazil’s international reputation and raising concerns about judicial overreach.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2024

Shutting off Elon Musk won't help Brazil's democracy

While regulating hate speech is complex, the approach by Brazil's Supreme Court might be excessive and counterproductive.
A cold and self-centered 21-year-old (Yuumi Kawai) drifts through life in Yoko Yamanaka's “Desert of Namibia.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 5, 2024

'Desert of Namibia' makes its difficult protagonist hard to hate

Yoko Yamanaka's enigmatically titled drama is true to the messy complexity of human beings and their relationships in its own quirky and sharply observant way.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan greet the press before welcoming leaders from African countries in Beijing on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 5, 2024

Debt woes and funding needs in focus as China hosts African leaders

Africa and its ample mineral and oil resources have become the focus of intense geopolitical competition in recent years.
Real cash earnings for workers in Japan climbed 0.4% in July from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2024

Japan real wages unexpectedly rise, keeping BOJ on hike path

Real cash earnings for workers climbed 0.4% in July from a year earlier, the labor ministry has reported.
A factory operated by metal processing company Iwanuma Seiko, which has been entrusted with work involving the space industry for the first time
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Sep 17, 2024

Small firms in Tohoku showcase technologies in growing space sector

The government plans to boost the space technology market, leading to hopes of a space industry ecosystem in the region.
Demand for electric vehicles in Japan has long been sluggish, and the government this year changed how EV subsidies are calculated, reducing them for BYD and several of its rivals, raising concerns about protectionism.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 5, 2024

BYD's global expansion push runs into a stiff test in Japan

Demand for electric vehicles in Japan has long been sluggish, and the government this year changed how EV subsidies are calculated.
Osaka is set to open Grand Green Osaka in the city’s Umekita area. It is a sprawling redevelopment that combines a park with mixed-use skyscrapers and is part of a push to rejuvenate the merchant city.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 5, 2024

Japan’s second city can finally make Tokyo jealous

For the first time in years, Osaka has something that will make Tokyoites jealous. It might also serve as a symbol of the merchant city’s push for a comeback.
Hajime Takata, Bank of Japan's board member, says the bank needs to proceed with a further rate hike if inflation continues to develop.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2024

BOJ to need more hikes if justified by data, board member says

The remarks reinforce the recent message by Gov. Kazuo Ueda that the bank will continue to normalize its policies as conditions allow.
Inside a gallery influenced by famed architect Kengo Kuma, Nakamura Ningyo's Hakata dolls represent a little-seen side of Japanese crafts.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 7, 2024

From Godzilla to martyrs, Hakata doll-making knows no bounds

Since its establishment in Fukuoka in 1917, Nakamura Ningyo has been a cornerstone of the Hakata doll tradition.
Liquor store P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants owner Louise Dowling
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 6, 2024

Cash-strapped consumers are giving Australia's liquor makers a headache

Australia's alcohol industry is in its sharpest downturn in memory as more people cut back on discretionary spending and turn to healthier ways to relax.
Japan's household spending rose less than expected in July as consumers remained wary of loosening their purse strings in the face of higher prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 6, 2024

Japan’s household spending stays flat in signs of tepid growth

Spending on housing and education jumped from June figures, while outlays on transportation and food declined.
The U.S. dollar has fallen 5% from its 2024 highs, close to its lowest level in about a year against a basket of peers following a sharp drop last month.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 6, 2024

Market sentiment mixed on pace of dollar's weakening ahead of Fed rate cuts

The currency has declined rapidly against peers as anticipated interest rate cuts threaten to end the greenback's yearslong period of strength.
A Toyota Lexus UX 250h Hybrid vehicle stands on display during the Seoul Motor Show in Goyang, South Korea, in March 2019.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024

Japanese cars and beer gain ground in South Korea as relations thaw

Monthly sales of Japanese cars, including Toyota and Lexus, jumped 31% in August from a year earlier.
Nippon Steel has responded to the U.S. government concerns by saying it will invest billions of dollars to maintain and boost U.S. Steel facilities that otherwise would have been idled, "indisputably" allowing it to "maintain and potentially increase domestic steelmaking capacity in the United States."
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024

U.S. fears Nippon Steel's bid for U.S. Steel could hit vital steel supply

The U.S. government is concerned that U.S. Steel would be less likely to seek tariffs on foreign steel importers if it is under the ownership of the Japanese steelmaker.
The U.S. Steel Irvin Plant in Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024

Union chief assails U.S. Steel CEO and calls deal for company flawed

United Steelworkers President David McCall said he didn’t think the future of U.S. Steel hinged on Nippon Steel buying the company.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. The BOJ was seen as having contributed to the global market meltdown in early August after its 0.25% hike.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 6, 2024

BOJ’s hiking pace may be faster than expected, ex-official says

While almost no economists expect the BOJ to adjust its benchmark rate on Sept. 20, many BOJ watchers expect another rate hike by January.
Sumitomo Chemical President Keiichi Iwata
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 6, 2024

Sumitomo Chemical sells hybrid bond at widest spread this year

Sumitomo Chemical priced ¥100 billion of hybrid debt at 280 basis points over Japanese government bonds.
Rakesh Tomar (right), an activist and founder of Hindu right-wing group Rudra Sena, speaks to people in Dehradun, the capital of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, on Aug. 6.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 6, 2024

India's far-right Hindus seek to drive Muslims out of 'holy land'

Much of the hatred last year was fueled by "love-jihad" conspiracies, claiming predatory Muslim men wanted to seduce Hindu women to convert them.
Former Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's remarks on Friday suggest the central bank has a long way to go since its latest rate hike took the key rate to just 0.25%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 6, 2024

Kuroda indicates that BOJ is still a long way from neutral rate

A nominal neutral rate could be less than 2%, the former central bank governor told the Bund Summit in Shanghai via video link.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses the Fraternal Order of Police at their meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 7, 2024

Trump hush money sentencing delayed until after election

Trump will be sentenced Nov. 26 instead of Sept. 18 as originally planned, with the judge conceding that going forward could have had an impact on the election.

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Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’