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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visits the Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI technology in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
May 19, 2025

Ishiba to revamp strategy to industrialize quantum tech

Quantum technology is "expected to become a new industrial pillar of our country, and also important for economic security," the prime minister told reporters.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato has said he will seek an opportunity for currency talks with his U.S. counterpart Scott Bessent this week.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 19, 2025

Hedge funds reload long yen trades ahead of Kato-Bessent meeting

Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said he will seek an opportunity for currency talks with his U.S. counterpart, Scott Bessent, this week.
A projected 8 million deepfakes — manipulated video or audio made using artificial intelligence — will be shared worldwide in 2025, about a fifth of which will be part of romance scams, according to cyber firm McAfee.
WORLD / Society
May 19, 2025

Deep love or deepfake: Dating in the time of AI

Scammers are increasingly using deepfakes — manipulated video or audio made using artificial intelligence — to look and sound real on dating apps.
China slapped antidumping duties on imports of engineering plastic, including 35.5% duties on shipments from Japan.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2025

China slaps antidumping duties on plastics from U.S., EU, Japan and Taiwan

POM copolymers can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc and have various applications including in auto parts, electronics and medical equipment.
Employees work on the production line of American infant product and toy manufacturer Kids II at a factory in Jiujiang, in China's Jiangxi province, in June 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2025

China consumption miss overshadows factory strength amid tariffs

Despite the resilience of factories, weaker consumption for April points to the need for more supportive policies as economists warn of complacency after a 90-day pause on tariffs.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang gives a keynote speech at Computex in Taipei on Monday.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2025

Nvidia CEO unveils new technologies to protect AI chip lead

Huang introduced a new RTX Pro Server system, which he said offered four times better performance than Nvidia’s former flagship H100 AI system with DeepSeek workloads.
The supercharged investment pledge, up from an initial $1.4 billion, was pitched as part of a last-ditch effort to win approval of the merger, which has drawn fire from both U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2025

Nippon Steel eyes billions more in U.S. Steel investments if Trump green-lights deal

It is unclear if the billions in new investment will be enough to sway Trump, though two sources said his administration sought the increased investment.
U.S. President Donald Trump (right) listens as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a news conference in February.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2025

India sees multi-phase trade deal with U.S. as talks proceed

Officials in New Delhi familiar with the matter expect an interim agreement before July, when U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are set to kick in.
Brazilian real and a U.S. dollar notes are seen in this illustration taken on Dec. 18, 2024
BUSINESS / Markets
May 20, 2025

Dollar set for more weakness as 'Brand USA' falls further out of favor

Investors see the currency losing more of its luster as the greenback comes back to earth from lofty valuations.
Toyota Industries' Nagakusa plant in Obu, Aichi Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2025

Toyota Industries to accept tender offer from Toyota Motor group

The trend comes amid rising pressure from the Tokyo Stock Exchange and activist shareholders to dismantle what are called parent-child listings.
Robin Zeng, founder and chairman of battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), attends the company’s listing ceremony at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025

Chinese battery giant CATL soars more than 13% on Hong Kong debut

A global leader in the sector, CATL produces more than a third of all electric vehicle (EV) batteries sold worldwide.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are expected to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of a G7 finance leaders' gathering to be held this week in Canada.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2025

Japan’s Kato plans Bessent meet to discuss topics including FX

The yen gained to as much as ¥144.73 against the dollar following Kato’s remark, after trading around ¥145.50 earlier in the morning.
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella (left) returns to the stage after a pre-recorded interview with Elon Musk was played following the announcement that Grok AI, by Musk's artificial intelligence start up xAI, will be available on Microsoft's Foundry Models, during the Microsoft Build conference opening keynote in Seattle, Washington, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025

Microsoft is bringing Elon Musk’s AI models to its cloud

Grok 3, which Musk’s AI outfit introduced earlier this year, will be available on Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, the company said Monday.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, at a news conference on Tuesday. He said that when Japan states it wants the tariffs reviewed, it means Tokyo wants them removed.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2025

Japan confirms hard-line position ahead of possible tariff talks in Washington

Tokyo wants all new levies put into place by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump completely removed.
Singaporean Ambassador to Japan Ong Eng Chuan says his country hopes to “collaborate closely” with Japan in the area of quantum computing technology.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025

Singapore envoy eyes stronger cyber and digital links with Japan

Quantum computing is one particular area of interest as Japan develops its technical capability via a collaboration with Intel.
If tax exemptions are revised, small parcels containing products bought from Shein and PDD Holdings' Temu shipped into Japan could be subject to the country’s sales tax, which mostly stands at 10%.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2025

Japan considers taxing small parcels as Shein and Temu expand

An experts group has discussed problems related to existing exemptions, including concerns about the channel being a conduit for illegal drugs and counterfeit goods.
A U.N. report found that 9.6% of traditionally female jobs were set to be transformed compared with 3.5% of those carried out by men as AI increasingly takes on administrative tasks.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 20, 2025

AI poses a bigger threat to women's work than men's, says U.N. report

Human involvement will still be required for many tasks — and roles are more likely to be radically changed rather than eliminated, the report said.
Rainmaker Mountain in Pago Pago, American Samoa
BUSINESS
May 21, 2025

Trump sets stage to sell ocean mining rights off American Samoa

There’s growing appetite in Washington for new domestic sources of critical minerals, following China’s decision to curb exports of rare-earth materials.
A worker handles photovoltaic cells at Irex Energy JSC's manufacturing facility in Vung Tau, Vietnam, on July 15, 2019. The U.S. International Trade Commission has concluded that solar cells and modules imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam injure the domestic industry.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 21, 2025

U.S. clears way for tariffs on $13 billion of solar imports

The U.S. International Trade Commission has concluded that solar cells and modules imported from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam injure the domestic industry.
Japan’s trade balance swung into a deficit in April after two months in the black as growth in its exports slowed.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2025

Japan’s exports slow as U.S. tariffs bite, risking a recession

Exports measured by value gained 2% in April from a year earlier, slowing from March’s 4% as cars and steel dragged on shipments.
Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2025

Nippon Steel says it is confident Trump's buyout concerns have been addressed

Wednesday is the deadline for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review Nippon Steel's acquisition plan again.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Investors are shunning an auction of government debt and yields are soaring as the BOJ reduces its purchases of government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 21, 2025

Buyers recoil from Japanese bonds in warning to BOJ on balance-sheet cuts

The rout in the nation’s $7.8 trillion government bond market is most acute for longer-maturity debt.
It was reported that Malaysia would deploy 3,000 units of Huawei’s primary AI offering by 2026.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 21, 2025

Malaysia downplays Huawei deal as U.S. checks China’s AI reach

The move underscores the Asian nation’s delicate position in the U.S.-Chinese AI race.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda. Toyota Industries investor Zennor Asset Management said a plan by Toyoda to take over the Japanese auto parts maker raises governance issues and may undermine minority shareholders’ interests.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2025

Toyota Industries investor Zennor says it wants minority safeguards

A founding partner of Zennor said the buyout plan would benefit the founding family and may undervalue the target’s stock and real estate holdings.
An aircraft approaches Haneda Airport. During the month of June, many travelers from South Korea landing at the airport will be eligible for fast-track entry procedures.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2025

Japan and South Korea to trial priority lanes for travel between the countries

The one-month trial program in June will be available to passport holders from either country who have visited the other at least once within the previous year.
Although Japan's rate of cashless transactions remains relatively low compared with those of other countries, the share of such payments in personal consumption has surpassed 40% for the first time.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 21, 2025

Cashless payments top 40% of consumer spending in Japan

The country's cashless payment penetration remains low globally, with the risk of fraud and service interruptions due to natural disasters presenting hurdles to growth.
SoftBank Group’s investments in AI will be financed through a loan in which Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and JPMorgan Chase serve as lead underwriters, highlighting the Japanese tech investor's ability to secure funding for its outsize ambitions.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2025

SoftBank taps Mizuho, SMBC and JPMorgan to lead $15 billion loan

The move is a sign of the Japanese tech investor’s ability to secure financing for its outsize ambitions.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's top tariff negotiator, is set to visit Washington to have talks with U.S. officials as early as Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2025

Japan and U.S. may hold third round of tariff talks as early as Saturday

Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is set to make a three-day visit to the U.S. from Friday.
A CATL recruitment advertisement in Germany
BUSINESS / Tech
May 21, 2025

CATL's $2 billion German plant boosts China’s invest-abroad bet

"I see ourselves as a blueprint for Chinese companies who are looking to expand in Europe,” said Matthias Zentgraf, the battery giant’s European president.
Britain's King Charles inspects a guard of honor in Edinburgh, Scotland, last July. The rising cost of the British monarchy, marked by increased taxpayer funding and limited transparency, is prompting questions about whether the public is getting fair value for supporting the royals.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2025

A king’s ransom: The eye-watering cost of Charles III

Brits should be told how much their royals’ extravagant lifestyles are costing them.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past