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The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 22, 2024

Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan

Combined with expected spending from the private sector, this year’s package is estimated to add a total of ¥39 trillion to the economy.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is investigating the incident and consulting with the police.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2024

MUFG fires worker over ¥2 billion theft from clients’ safe deposit boxes

The theft by a front-line employee responsible for managing the safe deposit boxes took place at two branches in Tokyo over 4½ years.
With its initial public offering, Kioxia is valuing the company at ¥750 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2024

Japan chipmaker Kioxia IPO set for next month

Formerly the semiconductor unit of Japanese engineering giant Toshiba, the company is the world's third-largest producer of NAND flash memory chips.
Drivers claimed they experienced "phantom" activations of the systems at low overpasses, parking garages and railroad crossings, instead of when collisions might be imminent.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2024

Nissan persuades U.S. court to decertify brake defect class actions

The company was accused of selling cars with defective automatic emergency braking systems that caused vehicles to stop suddenly for no reason.
High-end wagyu products from Japan are sold at prices about 2.5 times those of U.S. and Australian wagyu, according to Japan's Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corp.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2024

JETRO draws up guidelines for wagyu labeling in U.S.

The move by JETRO comes as wagyu is not necessarily recognized as being of Japanese origin in the United States.
A waterway along a portion of the Mekong River where a groundbreaking ceremony took place to begin construction on the Funan Techo Canal, in Prek Takeo, Cambodia, in October.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2024

Cambodia's flagship canal in hot water as China funding dries up

Months after a groundbreaking ceremony for a major canal project in Cambodia, touted investments from China are in doubt.
A Nihon Kotsu Co. taxi departs one of the company's service offices in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2024

Japan to aid introduction of multilingual ride-hailing apps

With the number of inbound visitors rapidly increasing, rural areas are facing the urgent challenge of securing transportation options for tourists.
Workers install a battery for a new electric vehicle model at Mitsubishi Motor's factory in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2024

Trump tariffs may target Japanese cars, economist says

The Moody's Analytics economist warned that this poses a huge risk to the Japanese economy.
A 7-Eleven convenience store in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Nov 23, 2024

Seven & I founding family sounded out KKR and others about buyout: report

In addition to KKR, the founding Ito family also approached Bain Capital and Apollo Global Management.
Tehran's illuminated city skyline on Sept. 20. 2019
WORLD / Politics
Nov 24, 2024

Iran braces for Trump reset with economy buckling from sanctions

With Iranians struggling with economic hardship after years of sanctions, its leaders are signaling they’re keen to establish a different relationship this time around.
Gautam Adani, whose role as chairman and founder of India's Adani Group has made him one of the world's richest people, in Boston on Oct. 28, 2022.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 25, 2024

Adani charges to test Trump’s desire to keep India in U.S. orbit

The case against Gautam Adani is yet another reminder of the long reach of U.S. law — one that can affect both friends and foes around the world.
China is on track for a record trade surplus that could reach almost $1 trillion this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 25, 2024

Chinese exports to hit record this year before second Trump term

Exports already started off this quarter with the fastest growth since July 2022.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump approaches to embrace Donald Trump Jr. at his campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 25, 2024

Trump's son helping him pick most controversial Cabinet of modern times

Donald Trump Jr. is helping contenders sink or rise to the fore, according to a half dozen sources with knowledge of his role.
People take pictures of an Ito-Yokado store in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, that closed on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Ito-Yokado closes store that inspired 'Crayon Shin-chan' supermarket

Many customers and fans gathered and gave applause and words of gratitude when the store was closed.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addresses the joint extraordinary leaders summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League in Riyadh on Nov. 11.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 25, 2024

Mohammed bin Salman’s style shift sets up a new world order strategy

The implications of Saudi Arabia’s transformation under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will reverberate far beyond the kingdom’s borders for decades to come.
The Keikyu Line in Yokohama
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Japan’s rail stocks soar on Keisei Electric activist stake news

Keisei’s stock jumped over 18%, its sharpest intraday rise since October 2008, with Keikyu climbing more than 16%.
Dai Nippon Printing said that Elliott Investment Management looks to have substantially reduced its position in the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Dai Nippon Printing says Elliott has sold most of its stake

Elliott has been active in Japan this year, investing in Tokyo Gas, Sumitomo, SoftBank Group and Mitsui Fudosan.
An employee of Trex stands with bales of used plastic, which the company recycles into decking material.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Nov 25, 2024

Can the world unite to end the plastic pollution crisis?

The rising toll of plastic in the environment is impossible to ignore.
Hiromi Yamamoto
ESG CONSORTIUM
Nov 25, 2024

Oji seeks optimal approaches to nurturing and utilizing forests

Oji Holdings, Japan’s leading paper maker, owns and manages 635,000 hectares of forests across the globe. Forest resources — for wood, paper and wood-derived materials or for biomass power generation — are attracting increased attention as sustainable resources. However, their sustainability hinges...
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics

Average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October, while figures for X were down over that time.
Mercari signage at the company's office in Tokyo in September 2020.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Mercari to enhance item verification process to check frauds

The company has been criticized on social media for not responding appropriately to sellers' complaints that different items from what they sold were returned by buyers.
Four House Republicans wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Friday, saying that recent developments related to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) "have called into question the integrity of its decision-making process,” and demanding the preservation of records related to a potential sale of U.S. Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 26, 2024

U.S. Steel review targeted by Republicans for potential probe

GOP lawmakers are calling on U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to preserve documents related to the proposed sale to Japan's Nippon Steel.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19. Trump on Monday threatened to slap China, Mexico and Canada with hefty tariffs upon his return to the White House.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 26, 2024

Trump pledges 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and more levies on China

The president-elect says he will sign executive orders to enforce the measures when he returns to the White House on Jan. 20.
The services producer price index rose 2.9% in October from a year earlier, the Bank of Japan data shows, accelerating from a 2.8% gain in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 26, 2024

Japan's steady corporate service inflation bolsters BOJ rate-hike view

The Bank of Japan is watching service-sector inflation for clues on whether demand-driven price gains are broadening enough to justify further raising interest rates.
Zoom Video Communications has failed to impress investors with its latest sales forecast, who were expecting a bigger boost from the company’s expanded suite of products. An ongoing loss of consumers and small businesses from Zoom has also concerned investors, particularly since these customers are typically higher-margin than corporate clients.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 26, 2024

Zoom fails to impress investors with sales forecast for expanded lineup

While Zoom’s outlook met estimates, the stock had gained about 48% since the company’s last earnings report in August on optimism about the new products.
The U.S. federal prosecutors' indictment of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani over an alleged bribery plot last week has sent ripples across the globe.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 26, 2024

Japan’s SBI follows Nomura in disclosing Adani funds exposure

The moves underscore how U.S. federal prosecutors’ indictment of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani over an alleged bribery plot has sent ripples across the globe.
The tech giants behind Google and Facebook are asking the Australian government to postpone a ban on most forms of social media for children under the age of 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 26, 2024

Google and Meta urge Australia to delay bill on social media ban for children

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left government wants to pass the bill into law by the end of the parliamentary year on Thursday.
The labor ministry will urge companies to take action against the practice of forcing employees to buy their own products to meet sales quotas.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 26, 2024

Japan steps up measures against firms forcing workers to buy own products

The labor ministry will define such practices as a form of power harassment and require companies to take action when they occur.
Sanae Takaichi (left) celebrates Shigeru Ishiba’s victory in becoming the head of the Liberal Democratic Party along with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in September. Takaichi appears to be the only woman in any party who is close to breaking the glass ceiling to become the nation’s first female leader. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2024

The derailing of potential female prime ministers

Sanae Takaichi stands as the closest woman to breaking the glass ceiling and becoming Japan's first female prime minister.
In developing Asia, where coal dominates and imported liquefied natural gas is expensive, natural gas remains limited in electricity grids.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2024

Gas got America off coal. Now, it's coming for Asia's oil.

It can work in concert with carbon-free energy to break the hold of the dirtiest sources of power.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes