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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, in May 2023
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2024

Can Japan again master semiconductors to relive its glory days?

Competition in the sector is fierce, with many countries pushing to develop their own capabilities and insulate supply chains from geopolitical tensions.
Pills move through a sorting machine at a pharmaceutical plant in Visakhapatnam, India. A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2024

U.S. taps Indian pharma, but supply chains still lead back to China

A recent report shows one Indian firm using suppliers with ties to China’s military industry, questionable track records on safety and bases in Xinjiang.
Volkswagen has long come under scrutiny over its factory in Urumqi in Xinjiang, which opened in 2013.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2024

Pressure mounts on Volkswagen to exit China's Xinjiang region

The carmaker said it was discussing the future of its activities in the region, following fresh allegations of human rights abuses.
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2024

Hirotake Yano, founder of ¥100 chain Daiso, dies at 80

The retailer capitalized on a shift in spending habits after Japan's economic bubble burst, launching Yano onto the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The volume of mergers and acquisitions linked to Japan has grown 43% so far this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 22, 2024

Japan sees dealmaking boom as mergers and acquisitions rise 43%

A strong stock market is giving companies more scope for acquisitions at a time when the government and investors are pressuring firms to bolster growth.
Mitsuya Kishida, incoming CEO of Nidec (left), and Shigenobu Nagamori, chairman and CEO, during a news conference at the company's headquarters in Kyoto on Feb. 14.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2024

Japan's Nidec, U.S. private equity firm KPS vie for Siemens’ motors unit

The Innomotics unit makes heavy-duty electric motors used in ships and mining equipment, and could fetch about ¥483.6 billion in a sale.
Business sentiment among major Japanese companies in the January to March period deteriorated to record its first negative reading in four quarters.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 12, 2024

Big Japanese firms' sentiment shows first negative reading in four quarters

The business sentiment index for large companies stood at minus 0.018, according to the joint Finance Ministry-Cabinet Office survey.
A closed McDonald's in Tokyo on Friday after a tech issue forced outlets of the burger chain to shut around the world.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2024

Big Mac goes Big Tech — with a few hiccups

McDonald's reliance on tech backfired on Friday when an outage forced it to shut stores around the world.
Airplane fuselages outside the Boeing manufacturing facility in Washington. Boeing’s recent problems are further widening the gap between supply and demand.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 18, 2024

Boeing’s pain spreads to travelers as airlines cut back on plans

As a result, passengers will face fewer flight options and potentially higher prices on at least some popular short and midrange routes.
Residential skyscraper buildings beyond luxury villas on the waterfront of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2024

Dubai’s glitz dims for Russians on costs and U.S. sanction pressures

Two years ago, Dubai became a hot favorite with Russians looking to park money or build new lives after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman rings a ceremonial bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to celebrate the company's initial public offering on March 21.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 28, 2024

Reddit’s IPO is a content moderation success story

Deciding what users are and aren’t allowed to post is something every social media company has to embrace eventually, if it wants to succeed.
Activist investor Oasis Management says shares in Kao have the potential to rise by more than 70% from recent levels.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 4, 2024

Kao shares jump as activist investor Oasis calls for improved performance

Kao has "significantly underperformed” its competitors in sales growth, margins, return on equity and stock performance, Oasis said in a statement.
A prototype of the Astroscale Holdings ELSA-d in-orbit debris capture and removal craft is displayed at the company's office in Tokyo in December 2018.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 5, 2024

Japan space startup Astroscale aims for June listing, sources say

The 11-year-old company spoke to overseas institutional investors in March to gather feedback before making a decision on a listing.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Apr 10, 2024

Kishida’s U.S. trip highlights economic and political compatibility

Kishida has worked closely with Biden to enhance the Japan-U.S. alliance, with the countries labeling their bilateral ties a “global partnership.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden during a joint news conference at the White House on Wednesday
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Apr 15, 2024

Biden-Kishida summit drives home U.S.-Japan economic union

The leaders used their meeting to bake economic cooperation into the allies' relationship in hopes of making it harder to pull out of in the future.
An electronic board shows stock indexes at the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai on March 21, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2024

China's money managers lament loss of quality research amid analyst cutbacks

A prolonged market slump has reduced trading commissions as authorities tighten limits around what research analysts are allowed to publish.
Laxman Narasimhan has been CEO of Starbucks for just over a year.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 2, 2024

Sales slump and shares dive at Starbucks as inflation cuts thirst for treats

The global chain expressed confidence in its forecast as recently as November, saying that demand for iced shaken espressos was resilient.
People try out the new iPhone 15 Pro in Shanghai in September 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 2, 2024

Apple tapping AI to boost iPhone demand ahead of expected sales decline

Wall Street expects a slight decline in iPhone sales, and analysts estimate quarterly revenue to fall by the most since the winter of 2022.
With Apple’s business making up more than half of the company's revenue, investors are watching Hon Hai for clues on iPhone sales.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 6, 2024

iPhone maker Hon Hai hits a record high buoyed by AI and Apple

Hon Hai makes most of the world’s iPhones, but is now diversifying to focus on building datacenter server racks and other equipment for AI clusters.
Panasonic Energy's operating profit for the past business year fell short of its forecast due to lower electric vehicle battery production in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 9, 2024

Panasonic's battery unit misses annual profit estimate

Panasonic Energy faces fierce competition from other Asian battery makers such as China's CATL and South Korea's LG Energy Solution.
China’s fading appeal to foreign firms comes despite Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge in November to take more "heart-warming” measures to ease access to the world’s second-largest economy.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024

EU firms’ appetite for China investment sinks to record low

Only 13% of firms surveyed earlier this year saw the country as a top destination for investments, a survey found.
Sharp's plant in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, is the only remaining production site for LCD TV panels in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Sharp to halt LCD plant in Osaka Prefecture by September

The major electronics maker, which continues to bleed red ink, is hoping to prevent a further deterioration of its earnings.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his administration is committed to capital market reforms to attract more foreign investments.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 23, 2024

Kishida makes public push on capital market reforms

Kishida's appearance at a conference held by Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley was another example of Japan's effort to shed the image of being unwelcoming to foreign investors.
Bidet toilets are the norm in Japan, where more than 80% of homes have one. But their numbers are growing worldwide.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2024

Feeling flush: Japan's high-tech toilets go global

Sales are surging abroad and especially in the United States, led by A-list bidet fans such as Drake, the Kardashians and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2024

Alphabet taps Eli Lilly executive as new CFO replacing Porat

Anat Ashkenazi will replace Ruth Porat who announced last year she planned to step down.
Ryu Kawane works at the Costco store in Meiwa, Gunma Prefecture. Costco's high pay has triggered wage hikes at other businesses in town.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2024

Costco's Japan wages provide pathway to firing up nation's low pay and economy

A sustainable rise in wages is a key goal for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the Bank of Japan says it's a crucial factor for normalizing monetary policy.
A bank and two securities companies under Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group could face punitive action for allegedly sharing customer information without consent, sources said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 7, 2024

MUFG units could be penalized for sharing client information

MUFG Bank and the securities firms exchanged information related to clients’ mergers and acquisitions without their consent, sources say.
Sharp's LCD production site in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in 2009
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 9, 2024

Sharp's LCD plant in Osaka set to be transformed into massive AI data center

The new large-scale facility will support SoftBank’s generative AI and other AI-related businesses.
Kirin's acquisition of Fancl will enable more "flexible and drastic measures” to integrate the two companies and maximize their corporate values, Kirin said in a statement.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2024

Kirin to buy Fancl for ¥220 billion in shift away from beer

The move comes as Japan’s alcohol companies try to rely less on their original products for revenue.
Citigroup has created a team in Tokyo catering to cross-border business needs of midsize firms in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2024

Citigroup starts team in Japan targeting growth at midsize firms

The team in Tokyo will offer tailored products in areas ranging from global cash management to financing.

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