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The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered major ad firm Tokyu Agency to pay a fine of ¥200 million for bid-rigging over the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2025

Tokyu Agency fined ¥200 million in Tokyo Games bid-rigging case

In the same case, former Tokyu Agency director Mitsuo Yasuda, 62, was given a prison sentence of one year and six months, suspended for three years.
Others in the running to buy TikTok are Microsoft, Oracle and a group that includes Internet personality MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 22, 2025

AI startup Perplexity confirms interest to buy TikTok

Perplexity in a blog post laid out a vision for integrating its AI-powered internet search capabilities with the popular video-snippet sharing app.
San Francisco-based OpenAI sees the new studies as a way to get a better sense of how people interact with, and are affected by, its popular chatbot.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 22, 2025

OpenAI study finds links between ChatGPT use and loneliness

Those who spent more time typing or speaking with ChatGPT each day tended to report higher levels of emotional dependence on the chatbot.
Protesters outside a Tesla showroom in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on March 20.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 22, 2025

Tesla vandalism sparked by fury against Musk draws GOP ire

Caught in the middle are millions of customers whose electric vehicles increasingly are viewed as political symbols.
Pieces of gum arabic, a natural emulsifier, displayed in a warehouse of an exporting company, in Port Sudan, Sudan.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 22, 2025

A genocidal militia in Sudan controls a key ingredient in Coke and Pepsi

Gum arabic acts as an organic emulsifier in consumer goods around the world — in candy, medicine, soda and cosmetics.
Marui Group's Museum Epos Cards — where donations are made to art museums based on the amount spent on the card — sit on display in Tokyo's Taito Ward on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 23, 2025

Marui launches museum-supporting credit card

The company has partnered with the National Museum of Art, the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage and the National Museum of Nature and Science.
Kochi and Tottori prefectures, in collaboration with major airline ANA Holdings, will begin offering airfare discounts through the introduction of a flat-rate system as early as October for individuals based in multiple locations.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2025

Japan picks model projects to promote 'dual habitation'

The land ministry has selected 26 model projects to promote a lifestyle in which people divide their time between rural and urban areas.
A commercial fishing boat leaves the port in Point Judith, Rhode Island, on March 13, as cuts by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration imperil key fishing data and research.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2025

Trump’s regulatory freeze throws U.S. fishing industry into chaos

The freeze allowed overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna in waters off North Carolina.
Shoko Kanazawa, a renowned Japanese calligrapher with Down syndrome, serving a customer at Atelier Shoko Cafe in Tokyo's Ota Ward on Feb. 28. The artist aims to “bring energy and happiness to the community” in her new role as a waitress at the cafe.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 24, 2025

From brush to barista: Artist with Down syndrome shares warmth through cafe

Renowned calligrapher Shoko Kanazawa hopes to "bring energy and happiness to the community" through her new cafe in Tokyo.
Officials of the National Public Safety Commission inspect the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku, Tokyo, in June 2024, as crimes committed by unscrupulous host clubs have surfaced.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Mar 24, 2025

Crimes by 'tokuryu' anonymous groups pose serious issue in Japan

Police have made capturing the ringleaders a top priority but are struggling in their investigations, largely due to the criminals' use of highly encrypted communication apps.
Tugboats pull the Greek tanker Sounion across Egypt's Suez Canal waterway. The tanker — set ablaze by Yemeni rebels with more than a million barrels of oil aboard — has been safely towed through the Suez Canal, the waterway's authority said on March 10. The Sounion was attacked in the Red Sea last August by Yemen's Houthi rebels, catching fire and losing power before its 25-member crew were rescued by a French frigate.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2025

Houthi attacks forcing 75% of U.S.-flagged ships to take longer route, U.S. says

The Houthis in Yemen say they have targeted ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians since the start of Israel's Gaza war.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines meets with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 24, 2025

Xi must stop fentanyl flow before tariff talks, Trump ally says

Steve Daines laid out the condition in meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing over the weekend.
A poster calling for the earlier extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen line to Sapporo is seen in the city's Chuo Ward in May.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Mar 31, 2025

Hokkaido's rail network faces tough challenges

Falling ridership is putting pressure on JR Hokkaido to close underutilized local lines even as it struggles to complete the Hokkaido Shinkansen.
A U.S. flag flies in front of the consulate of the United States in Nuuk, Greenland, on Monday. A U.S. delegation led by Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, is visiting Greenland this week.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2025

Trump doubles down on U.S. claims to Greenland

Outgoing Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede dubs plans by a U.S. delegation to visit an American military base and attend a dog sled race in the territory a "provocation."
The Government Pension Investment Fund will have Kazuto Uchida, a former Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group economist, as its new head on April 1.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 25, 2025

Japan names former MUFG economist to lead huge pension fund

Bond market veteran Kazuto Uchida will take over from current President Masataka Miyazono on April 1 for a five-year term to manage one of the world’s largest pension funds.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding global trade, there are some bright spots — namely, the booming trade in services, where the United States is leading the way.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 23, 2025

America’s big trade win

American workers are reaping the rewards. Services exports directly generated 4.1 million jobs in America in 2022, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration.
The BYD logo is displayed at the Beijing Auto Show on April 25, 2024. The Chinese battery and carmaker saw a surge in revenue last year, a stock filing showed on Monday, surpassing the $100 billion mark and beating rival Tesla as the Shenzhen-based firm accelerates its overseas expansion.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 25, 2025

BYD sales top Tesla as tech focus wins over Chinese drivers

BYD has risen quickly to the top of China’s car market — the world’s biggest and most competitive for electric vehicles.
Max Lesser, a senior analyst on emerging threats at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, has uncovered a network of companies operated by a secretive Chinese tech firm that has been trying to recruit recently laid-off U.S. government workers.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 26, 2025

Secretive Chinese network tries to lure fired federal workers in U.S.

Max Lesser, a researcher who uncovered the network, said the campaign follows "well-established" techniques used by previous Chinese intelligence operations.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks at the central bank's headquarters on March 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 26, 2025

BOJ to keep raising benchmark rate if outlook is met, Ueda tells parliament

The central bank governor noted that while there are pockets of weakness, “the economy is recovering moderately.”
Denver Nuggets' Serbian center Nikola Jokic (left) looks to pass the ball away from Milwaukee Bucks' Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee on Feb 27.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Mar 26, 2025

NBA to review European league proposal this week

Sports business news website Sportico said league owners will consider a plan that includes eight to 10 franchises, including up to four teams who already play in the EuroLeague.
Giants ace Shosei Togo is expected to get the start on opening day.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 26, 2025

Big-spending Giants aim to hold off BayStars and Tigers in competitive Central League

The Giants spent big as the club aims to win its first Japan Series title since 2012. But can the BayStars or Tigers spoil the Kyojin's fun?
Junko Koeda, a new member on the Bank of Japan's policy board, holds her inaugural news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 27, 2025

BOJ’s newest board member avoids sending signal on timing of next rate hike

Junko Koeda's remarks are likely to keep market speculation alive over the odds of a rate change at the next meeting.
OpenAI is close to finalizing a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank Group, sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 27, 2025

OpenAI close to finalizing $40 billion SoftBank-led funding

The artificial intelligence developer’s funding round would be the largest of all time, according to data compiled by research firm PitchBook.
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 27, 2025

Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs

Tokyo so far has failed on multiple occasions to persuade the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to exempt Japan from new tariffs.
Elon Musk listens to U.S. President Donald Trump speak in the White House in Washington on Feb. 11.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 27, 2025

Member of Elon Musk's DOGE team provided tech service to cybercrime ring

Edward Coristine, 19, is among the most visible members of the DOGE effort that has been given sweeping access to U.S. government networks.
Hisashi Hieda, a 41-year veteran of Fuji TV’s board of directors and dubbed the broadcaster’s “emperor,” has stepped down.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 27, 2025

In the wake of several scandals, Fuji TV ‘emperor’ Hieda steps down

Hieda, a 41-year veteran of Fuji TV’s board of directors, also plans to step down as chairman of the Fujisankei Communications Group, of which the broadcaster's parent is a part.
U.S. President Donald Trump
BUSINESS
Mar 27, 2025

China, Japan and South Korea to meet as Trump tariffs take shape

South Korea’s Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun will host the meeting with Japan’s Yoji Muto and China’s Wang Wentao.
While car production helped transform Germany, Italy and France after World War II, its influence in East Asia has been even more profound.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Mar 28, 2025

U.S. auto tariffs take aim at pillar of East Asian economies

Automakers form the nucleus of vast networks of group companies that impact almost every facet of working life in Japan and South Korea.
Shogo Yamaguchi shares his love of traditional Japanese culture with an audience of nearly 2 million YouTube subscribers.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 29, 2025

Shogo Yamaguchi: ‘Traditional culture thrives in a peaceful society’

The Kyoto-based content creator shares travel tips and reminisces on the path that led him to where he is today.
According to the internal affairs ministry on Friday, consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.4% in March from a year earlier as inflation in processed food accelerated.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2025

Tokyo inflation exceeds forecasts, keeping BOJ on rate hike path

The leading indicator for nationwide inflation is likely to keep BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda mulling over the right timing for further rate hikes.

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