Search - 2020

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2019

Hitachi to sell chemical unit and diagnosis imaging equipment business

Machinery giant Hitachi Ltd. said Wednesday that it will sell its subsidiary Hitachi Chemical Co. to Showa Denko K.K. and its diagnosis imaging equipment business to Fujifilm Holdings Corp. for a total of about ¥700 billion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2019

Apple, Google and Amazon seek standard for smart devices

Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Amazon.com Inc. — three of the biggest providers of smart-home and voice-assistant technology — are joining forces to make internet-connected homes easier to set up and safer to use.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2019

Isuzu to buy Japanese truck unit from Volvo in $2.3 billion deal

Volvo Group has agreed to sell its UD Trucks unit to Isuzu Motors Ltd. for about $2.3 billion and announced plans to forge a strategic alliance with its Japanese rival, the latest sign of consolidation in the global automotive industry.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 19, 2019

Change to Chinese university's charter dropping 'freedom of thought' stirs debate

Changes to the charter of one of China's top universities — dropping the phrase "freedom of thought" and adding a pledge to follow the Communist Party's leadership — have sparked heated debate and a rare act of student defiance.
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2019

Japan approves reduced post-3/11 reconstruction budget, citing progress

The government approved a plan Thursday to drastically reduce its budget for reconstruction of areas hit by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster due to progress in ongoing projects.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2019

Japan's government to discuss ways to promote freelance work

A panel chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that the government would discuss ways of promoting freelance work to create more options for people to work without being tied to an organization.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 19, 2019

Traditional New Year's fare for a family feast

The significance of a new decade cannot be understated, and the Royal Park Hotel is pulling out all the stops to ring in the New Year — and 2020s — with a series of events and meals.
Japan Times
LIFE / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Dec 19, 2019

Clock signals changing face of Wako Building

Leading watch brand Seiko unveiled its Rondeau Karakuri Clock in Ginza's Wako Building on Dec. 18, just in time for the Christmas and New Year season.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 2019 in Review
Dec 19, 2019

Japanese television relied heavily on tried and tested formulas in 2019

While the Rugby World Cup and the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito brought the viewers flocking, television networks did little to offer anything else new in 2019.
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2019

Automakers to pay estimated $3 billion in new U.S. tariffs under USMCA

U.S. President Donald Trump's rewrite of North American trade rules will cost automakers nearly $3 billion more in tariffs over the next decade for cars and parts that will not meet higher regional content requirements over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 18, 2019

Japan, a kingmaker for Indo-Pacific trade deals

The future of the RCEP depends on how Tokyo will approach India's withdrawal.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2019

Fujifilm to acquire Hitachi's diagnostic imaging equipment business

Fujifilm Holdings Corp. announced Wednesday it will acquire Hitachi Ltd.'s diagnostic imaging equipment business for about ¥170 billion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 18, 2019

Japan to ease rules on subsidies for workers relocating outside Tokyo area

The government plans to ease its requirements for subsidies to people who move to places outside the Tokyo area in order to take new jobs, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 17, 2019

From bad to worse: Japan slides 11 places to 121st in global gender equality ranking

The nation's attempts to create “a society in which women shine” are falling well short of its G7 peers and much of the rest of the world.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2019

Japanese securities firm SMBC Nikko to offer option of three-day workweek

SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. is planning to introduce in fiscal 2020 a system that allows employees to work three or four days a week, according to President Yoshihiko Shimizu.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 17, 2019

Bank of Japan's next move will be to dial back stimulus, most economists now say

The Bank of Japan's next move will be to dial back its massive stimulus, according to an increasing number of polled analysts, reflecting receding market expectations of imminent monetary easing by the central bank.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 16, 2019

Japan- South Korea ties: What's in a flag?

Japan's Rising Sun Flag has emerged as a key element of the strain in bilateral relations.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2019

Boris Johnson is an incredibly lucky politician

Corbyn was a gift but the prime minister's promises to his new blue-collar supporters on Brexit and spending will be difficult to honor.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 15, 2019

Henoko dispute between Okinawa and Japan's central government seen further intensifying

While Saturday marked the first anniversary of the start of landfill work Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki blasted the Abe administration's “illegal” landfill work, calling it “an act of trampling on democracy.”
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 14, 2019

A cut above the rest: A new generation of barbers is trying to overcome an image problem

A group of men sporting tattoos and smoking cigarettes chats casually on benches outside Mr. Brothers Cut Club in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 14, 2019

Chaos Kitchen: Yokochō culture reimagined with 2020 vision

Occupying the entire basement level of the sparkling, reborn Parco luxury mall in Shibuya, Chaos Kitchen is not a food court. Nor is it anything like a typical department store dining floor, all straight lines and bland, standardized decor. In fact, it's like nowhere else in the city.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 13, 2019

Kawasaki Heavy launches world's first liquid hydrogen ship in quest to establish green supply chain

The world's first liquefied hydrogen carrier made its official debut at a shipyard in Japan, a small step toward tapping the carbon-free energy potential of the lightest element.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 13, 2019

Nikkei hits 14-month high; value stocks jump on trade deal bets

The 225-issue Nikkei average sprung to a 14-month high Friday, boosted by gains in value stocks such as banks and steel-makers on hopes of a U.S.-China trade deal that would herald robust global growth.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?