Search - market-moves

 
 
The 12-year wait between Designtide Tokyo events was long, but the range and quality of exhibitions on offer made it worth the wait.
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 11, 2024

After 12 years, Designtide Tokyo returns with a lineup of sensory dialogue

Swedish music hardware company Teenage Engineering both scored and encapsulated the philosophy of the innovative design fair's 12-year comeback.
The Northvolt Drei EV battery plant in Heide, Germany, one of several European-led battery facilities to have been delayed or canceled.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 10, 2024

Europe’s big battery ambitions are failing, and China is benefiting

Fallout is spreading across the region as EV demand wanes and local manufacturers struggle to master the technology.
Possible new sanctions on Russian oil highlight how Biden’s team is more willing to take risks in confronting Russia as it prepares to depart.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 11, 2024

U.S. mulls new Russia oil sanctions to weaken Putin ahead of Trump

The European Union is planning similar measures on Russia’s shadow fleet before the end of the year.
A Taiwan High Speed Rail bullet train arrives at Nangang Station in the city of Taipei.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2024

Taiwan’s bullet train a testament to shinkansen’s export potential

The line runs the length of Taiwan, over mountainous, unstable territory that makes the island a perfect test bed for the fast trains.
Nobuo Hayasaka, president of Kioxia Holdings, reacts after striking a bell during the company's listing ceremony at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2024

Chipmaker Kioxia surges 12% in Tokyo debut after jumbo IPO

Shares in the producer of NAND memory chips extended gains in afternoon trading after initially dropping, valuing the firm at ¥877 billion ($5.7 billion).
Dutch air force F-35 fighter jets take part in drills with NATO countries in March 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 18, 2024

Dutch eyeing F-35 Indo-Pacific deployment in 2026, Japan envoy says

Rising geopolitical tensions are driving the Netherlands to work “more closely than ever before” with Indo-Pacific countries, particularly Japan.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany, speaks during a vote of confidence at the Bundestag in Berlin on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

Scholz’s far-right rival puts Germany’s EU exit on the ballot

Alternative for Germany co-leader Alice Weidel says the bloc’s "socialist policy making” has "destroyed the market mechanism in Europe.”
Minutes from the Bank of Japan's October policy meeting highlight how overseas economic risks, particularly those surrounding the new U.S. administration's policies, will be key to how soon the BOJ will hike rates.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 24, 2024

BOJ debated need for caution in raising rates, meeting minutes show

Contrary to its concern over external risks, the BOJ board was mostly optimistic on domestic economic conditions.
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.
CULTURE / Music / 2024 in Review
Dec 27, 2024

Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024

Japanese music made waves globally, fueled by Coachella debuts, TikTok virality and unexpected hits like Creepy Nuts' "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born."
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico during a meeting in Moscow on Dec. 22.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 30, 2024

Ukraine-Russia gas transit deal faces critical moment of truth

As its year-end expiry looms, Slovakia and a group of central European companies are putting pressure on Ukraine to keep Russian gas flowing.
Indonesia's plan to increase biodiesel mandates to 50% by 2028 could require clearing 5.3 million hectares of forest for palm oil plantations by 2042, an area larger than Denmark.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2024

The year’s worst climate news you haven’t heard about

Not enough floodwaters for dams, more coal burning and demand for Indonesian palm oil show efforts to slow global warming are flagging.
Dai-ichi Life Insurance sold about ¥500 billion of Japanese government notes, mainly 20- to 40-year bonds, in the fiscal first half that ended in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025

Dai-ichi Life takes ¥140 billion loss selling off long bonds

The insurer sold about ¥500 billion of Japanese government notes, mainly 20- to 40-year bonds, in the fiscal first half ended September.
Tencent, China’s most valuable company, is seen as a pioneer in China’s internet and private sector, creating a so-called everything app that Elon Musk has held up as a model for X.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 8, 2025

U.S. blacklist of China’s tech giants risks even faster decoupling

The move, which experts say could backfire on Washington, comes amid an intensifying tech rivalry between the two countries.
Greenland’s new international prominence is helping drive its independence movement, which has grown alongside resentment toward Denmark.
WORLD
Jan 10, 2025

Greenland eyes the benefits in Trump’s proposed land grab

Greenland's geopolitical importance is rising as its ice sheet melts, and it is expected to be a key part of global shipping routes.
Economists, legal experts and business leaders concur that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to implement fresh tariffs — whether directly aimed at Japan or not — could hurt the country's export-reliant machinery and automobiles industries while shattering the global economy.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jan 20, 2025

Japanese firms weigh fallout from Trump tariff pledges

Additional tariffs — whether directly aimed at Japan or not — could hurt its export-reliant machinery and automobiles industries while shattering the global economy.
Honda and Nissan announced in December that they plan to unite both brands under a single holding company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2025

Case for Honda-Nissan tie-up strengthened as sales fall at both automakers

In the competitive China market, Nissan’s sales fell 12% last year while Honda saw a 30% decline.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a letter to the U.N. stating the U.S.' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, on Jan. 20.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jan 31, 2025

The global climate order teeters under a second assault from Trump

Inflation and threats to energy security have eroded the political strength of climate-forward leaders and emboldened Trumpian populists around the world.
Highway One after a portion of the road collapsed into the Pacific Ocean in Monterey County, California, in March 2024
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 4, 2025

These roads aren’t built for wilder weather driven by climate change

Worldwide warming temperatures are hammering roads that were built for a different climate and ballooning repair budgets.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during the AI Action Summit in Paris on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2025

France and EU promise to cut red tape on artificial intelligence technology

European lawmakers last year approved the bloc's artificial intelligence law, the world's first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology.
New Zealand Ambassador to Japan Hamish Cooper says his country and Tokyo are close to inking a key intelligence-sharing agreement that will further reinforce growing security and defense ties.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2025

New Zealand paving way for deeper security ties with Tokyo, envoy says

The moves are part of a reset in New Zealand’s foreign and defense policy as Wellington looks to step up engagements with its Asian partners.
China frequently shifts between warming and freezing relations with Japan, driven by its domestic issues, often using softer rhetoric while masking aggressive actions.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 14, 2025

Are China-Japan relations truly 'warming,' or is this just fool’s gold again?

As the trade war between the U.S. and China heats up, Beijing is turning to its familiar playbook, using softer language to court American allies and partners while offering things like greater cooperation and more dialogue — part of its ongoing divide-and-conquer strategy.
Visitors listen to a keynote address at Consensus, a cryptocurrency event in Hong Kong on Feb. 15.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 23, 2025

Hong Kong and Singapore lead Asia's drive to cash in on crypto boom

Bitcoin recently hit a record of close to $110,000 while others have also rallied on the back of Trump's pro-crypto promises.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida concludes a news conference at the company's headquarters in Yokohama in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2025

Nissan management shake-up plans reported as sharks circle  

Nissan is considering a change in leadership following poor results and the failure of a proposed merger with Honda, according to a report citing unnamed sources.
A Prada sign sits at an entrance to one of its stores in central Milan, Italy, in 2017. Prada and Capri could finalize a deal for Versace this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2025

Versace owner Capri jumps on Prada moving closer to purchase

A purchase would run counter to a decadeslong trend of Italian fashion groups being taken over by foreign firms.
Foster City, California’s Gilead is laser-focused on HIV and is seeking an actual cure.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 6, 2025

Gilead's Japan head says nation can be among first to end HIV epidemic

The pharmaceutical powerhouse has drugs that disrupt the transmission of the virus, one of which has been approved for prevention in Japan.
Seven & I named Stephen Hayes Dacus as its first foreign chief executive on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 6, 2025

Seven & I announces measures to fend off Couche-Tard takeover

The announcements are the latest twist in a saga that began last year when Seven & I rebuffed a takeover offer from Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard.
An election campaign banner is attached to a rock ahead of Tuesday's general election in Nuuk, Greenland, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2025

In wake of Trump's threats, Greenland holds parliamentary election

Independence has been a key campaign theme in the semiautonomous territory of Denmark after the U.S. president said he wants control over the island.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw takes part in a sumo demonstration in Tokyo on Friday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 19, 2025

Japan’s twin obsessions meet as MLB visits sumo’s heartland

Sumo is often referred to as Japan’s national sport but it’s baseball that is the country’s one true obsession. This week, those two sports are intersecting in Tokyo.
An economic dialogue between Japan and China will take place in Tokyo on Saturday, the same day as a meeting among top diplomats of the two countries plus South Korea.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2025

Japan and China set for economic talks as U.S. tariff pressure rises

The scale and proximity of the Chinese market means it is in Japan’s interest to maintain stable relations despite ongoing tensions.
Masamichi Koike, head of global markets business at Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, says the Bank of Japan is likely to increase the policy rate to 1% this year as long as the U.S. economy doesn’t falter.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2025

Sumitomo Mitsui markets head sees BOJ rate at 30-year high

The Bank of Japan is likely to increase the policy rate to 1% this year from the current 0.5% as long as the U.S. economy doesn’t falter, said Masamichi Koike.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami