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Arthur Mensch, the chief executive and one of the founders of Mistral, a French artificial-intelligence startup, at the company’s offices in Paris in late March.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 14, 2024

Europe’s AI ‘champion’ sets sights on tech giants in U.S.

As Europe vies for AI leadership, Mistral, under Arthur Mensch, is emerging as a formidable contender against U.S. and Chinese giants.
OpenAI Japan’s president Tadao Nagasaki speaks at a news conference about the opening of its first Asia office in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2024

OpenAI taps ex-Amazon executive to head enterprise push in Japan

The artificial intelligence darling is opening an office in Tokyo as it releases a custom GPT-4 model catering to Japanese language users.
Once one of the country’s biggest employers, Toshiba has been trying to cut costs in its sprawling operations and focus on its infrastructure and digital technology operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 18, 2024

Toshiba considers cutting thousands of jobs in Japan

The electronics and machinery maker plans to focus resources on its infrastructure and digital operations.
The yen’s slide has pushed up import bills in Japan, keeping domestic consumer spending tepid, with analysts saying any gains in real wages may evaporate if the yen depreciates further.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 24, 2024

Investors loved weak yen boosting shares until it went too far

Concern is growing that the currency is becoming a liability for Japan’s economy and stocks.
TikTok accounts for a small share of ByteDance's total revenues and daily active users, so the parent would rather have the app shut down in the U.S. in a worst-case scenario than sell it to a potential American buyer, sources said.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 26, 2024

ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, sources say

A shutdown would have limited impact on its business, and it would not have to give up its "secret sauce" — the algorithm that pushes videos to users.
Samsung's Seocho building in Seoul on Tuesday. The electronics company said that its first-quarter operating profits had risen nearly tenfold year-on-year — a 931.8 percent increase — amid recovering chip prices and growing demand.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 30, 2024

Samsung says AI to drive technology demand in second half after strong Q1

The upbeat outlook sent its shares 1.8% higher after it reported a more than 10x rise in first-quarter operating profit.
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
BUSINESS
May 2, 2024

Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it

Stakeholders are pulling out all the stops to restore the creative energy of the Tokyo district known for setting fashion trends in its heyday.
Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the Wonderlust event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, on Sept. 12, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 3, 2024

Apple unveils record $110 billion buyback as results beat low expectations

Apple's quarterly revenue fell, but less than analysts had expected, and CEO Tim Cook said revenue growth would return in the current quarter.
The Singapore skyline. The Wall Street Journal will be shifting its Asia base to the city from Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 3, 2024

Wall Street Journal moves Asia base from Hong Kong to Singapore

The U.S. newspaper said its decision comes after other foreign firms have reconsidered their operations in the Chinese financial hub.
An attendee holds a cardboard cutout of Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, inside the CHI Health Center during the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2024

Buffett says Berkshire in good hands, lauds Apple despite lowering stake

The legendary investor paid tribute to his late business partner and said he expected the conglomerate’s $189 billion cash pile to keep growing.
JFE's net profit for the year ended March 31 came to ¥197.4 billion ($1.28 billion), just ahead of analysts' average forecast of ¥194.90 billion in an LSEG poll, thanks to higher steel margins.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 7, 2024

Japanese steelmaker JFE eyes overseas investments amid slower profit growth

The country's No. 2 steelmaker plans to ramp up overseas investments as part of a long-term drive to double profits.
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024

Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage

Japan Post and Seino Transportation have reached a basic agreement to work together on joint long-haul truck operations.
Attendees arrive for Microsoft's event on AI technologies in Jakarta on April 30.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
May 11, 2024

Tech giants start to treat Southeast Asia like the next big thing

After decades of playing second fiddle to China and Japan, the region of about 675 million people is drawing more tech investment than ever.
A slogan reads "Accelerate Industrial Transformation With AI" at the Microsoft booth at the Hannover Messe 2024 trade fair in Hannover, Germany, on April 22.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

Microsoft’s AI push imperils climate goal as carbon emissions jump

The company’s total planet-warming impact is about 30% higher today than it was in 2020.
Toyota President Koji Sato announces the company's earnings results in Tokyo on May 8.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

Japan firms brace for earnings slumps after marking record profits

Companies are concerned over the weak yen, global conflict and inflation hitting personal spending.
The rate of the U.S. dollar against the yen is displayed on an electronic stock board outside a securities firm in Tokyo earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

Majority of Japanese firms say weak yen hurts profits: survey

About half of surveyed companies said a yen trading around ¥110 to ¥120 to the dollar would be appropriate.
Paper producers Hokuetsu and Daio Paper are forging a strategic business tie-up to survive.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2024

Hokuetsu and Daio Paper opt to forge tie-up

With shareholders skeptical, the former rivals must prove it will be a mutually beneficial partnership.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 1. Wyden has been investigating links between carmakers and forced labor in China.
BUSINESS
May 21, 2024

U.S. Senate probe finds forced labor ties in automakers' imports

The report said BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen had used components from a Chinese supplier banned in the U.S.
Nippon Steel's Kashima plant in Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture. The average wage hike in the steel industry stood at 12.04% this year, far exceeding last year's 2.77%.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2024

Major Japanese companies agree to raise pay by 5.58%

The result far exceeded last year's rise of 3.91%, or ¥13,110, and topped 4% for the first time since 1992.
Transmission towers in Vinh Trach Dong Commune, Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam, on April 26. Southeast Asia’s relatively low production cost and strong position in the global semiconductor value chain is adding to the region’s appeal as the next hub for data centers.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 28, 2024

AI frenzy draws stock traders to Southeast Asia’s likely winners

Power producers are becoming a favorite as more data centers are set up in the region, thanks to lower energy and land costs, according to analysts.
Hiroki Nakajima, Toyota's chief technology officer, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024

Toyota bets on alternate-fuel engines in an electric future

The carmaker said its making progress on developing smaller, more efficient engines that can work with EV manufacturing platforms.
Keidanren Chairman Masakazu Tokura speaks during an interview in Tokyo on May 23.
BUSINESS
May 31, 2024

Keidanren to propose policy on foreign workers

The association will draw up a medium-term vision of the economy and society called "Future Design 2040."
Passenger carriers will receive 19% fewer aircraft this year than expected because of production issues at Boeing and Airbus, according to AeroDynamic Advisory.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Jun 1, 2024

Aircraft shortages turn into cash bonanza for some airlines

Sale-and-leaseback transactions have long been a way for airlines globally to generate liquidity and ease the strain on their balance sheets.
Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel would give it greater access to the profitable U.S. market and further its long-term financial goals.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024

Nippon Steel's Mori hints at selling some assets to aid U.S. Steel deal

The firm's vice chairman plans to return to the United States this week for more talks over the proposed acquisition.
Officials of Japanese and Ukrainian companies meet in Kyiv on Thursday during an exchange event organized by the Japan External Trade Organization.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 7, 2024

Japanese firms eye opportunities to help Ukraine rebuild

The networking event was organized by government-linked JETRO following a Japan-Ukraine meeting held in Tokyo in February.
A Neon Genesis Evangelion statue on display at small worlds miniature museum in Odaiba.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2024

Gainax, known for 'Evangelion' anime production, goes bankrupt

Business conditions began to deteriorate around 2012, and the firm lost its anime production capabilities following an exodus of its creative staff.
Japan's economy contracted less than initially reported in the January-March period on upward revisions to capital spending and inventory data.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2024

Japan’s sputtering economy yet to show clear signs of recovery

The data showed both consumers and companies cutting back on spending and unsold supplies building up on warehouse shelves.
Traffic at the Dubai International Financial Centre. Last year, it opened the DIFC Family Wealth Center, a registry for family offices that also offers advisory services, workshops, mentoring, dispute resolution and certification based on how "structured” their governance is.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 10, 2024

Dubai takes on Abu Dhabi in race for supremacy in family offices

Last year, the number of registered foundations in Dubai rose by 53%. In rival Abu Dhabi, the number jumped by 35%.
The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission said Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group repeatedly violated its clients’ confidentiality by breaking firewalls among its units.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2024

MUFG unit misses out on arranging flurry of bonds in wake of scandal

The Development Bank of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency and NEC dropped MUMSS from arranging planned bond deals.
Nvidia made a big bet on graphics chips and the vision of its co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang that the industry would shift to what he calls "accelerated computing.” That bet paid off.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2024

Nvidia’s 591,078% rally to most valuable stock came in waves

First, it was video game consoles, and then came data centers, autonomous vehicles and cryptocurrency. Today, its chips are powering artificial intelligence.

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Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear