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Chipmaker Nvidia’s stellar growth to become the world’s most valuable company masks growing skepticism about AI’s usefulness as a general purpose tool.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2024

Nvidia’s explosive growth masks AI disillusionment

Businesses shouldn't believe tech companies' pitch that AI can solve all problems, everywhere, all at once. Figuring out its niche applications is the recipe for success.
Green tea has the largest share of Japan's soft drink market.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 7, 2024

Major Japanese beverage-makers renewing green tea products

Green tea has the largest share of Japan's soft drink market.
Renesas Electronics CEO Hidetoshi Shibata
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2024

Ex-banker behind chipmaker Renesas targets $100 billion value

Renesas’ push coincides with an aggressive campaign by Japan to turn the world’s fourth-largest economy into a chip powerhouse.
Shoppers inside the Nike House of Innovation store on Fifth Avenue in New York on Friday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2024

Nike plots $100 sneaker line as shares plunge in worst-ever drop

Nike shares slumped, ending the day down 19.98%, the biggest one-day percentage drop in the stock's history.
Pedestrians in the Wangfujing shopping area in Beijing on July 11, 2024. China's economic growth in the second quarter was lower than forecast, adding pressure on Chinese leaders to lift confidence at the Chinese Communist Party's third plenum this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 15, 2024

China’s economic growth comes in worse than expected

Underwhelming data for the second quarter puts pressure on Chinese leader Xi Jinping to lift confidence at this week's twice-a-decade policy meeting.
An employee checks on items at a Komehyo store in Nagoya.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 16, 2024

Thrift store operator Komehyo pushing to expand business overseas

The company hopes to become the world's top retailer of secondhand luxury brand items by tripling its overseas sales in four years.
Nikon President Muneaki Tokunari in Tokyo on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2024

Nikon fields ‘remarkable’ demand for older chip tools in China

Nikon is making a strong marketing push in China with its new argon-fluoride lithography machines, released earlier this year.
Sanyo Shokai sells custom-ordered T-shirts from Spanish clothing brand Ecoalf using digital printing technology.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2024

Digital printing of clothes drawing attention in Japan

The process allows for small-quantity production and caters to customers' tastes more precisely.
Nissan initially had an early-mover advantage when it launched the Leaf in 2010, the first electric vehicle by a major global manufacturer, but the company recently has been unable to leverage its EV edge.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 26, 2024

Nissan's global production cuts imperil CEO’s recovery plan

Nissan’s disappointing results only add to the challenges facing CEO Makoto Uchida.
Used cars are sold at high prices at a dealership in Nagoya as a surge in export demand has reduced supply on the domestic market.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 2, 2024

Japanese businesses grapple with exchange rate swings

For the used car sector, the weaker yen has resulted in buyers being forced to pay higher prices due to increased export demand.
Shoppers outside an office building in Beijing in August. China's overall public spending — which includes local governments — is shrinking, not growing. It contracted about 2% in the first seven months of 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2024

China’s attempt to boost demand is stifled by wall of austerity

While finance chiefs in Beijing are testing new ways to boost the economy by encouraging demand, their counterparts in the provinces are in full belt-tightening mode.
Toshiki Kawai, chief executive officer of Tokyo Electron
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2024

Tokyo Electron prepares for India expansion as Modi lures chipmakers

India is amping up efforts to attract international electronics companies and chipmakers to set up facilities within its borders.
Volkswagen expects to deliver fewer vehicles this year than in 2023 — its fourth annual sales slump in five years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 30, 2024

Volkswagen’s second profit warning exposes a carmaker in decline

The company expects to deliver fewer vehicles this year than in 2023.
JR Tokai officials send off the Nozomi No. 1 bullet train bound for Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, at Tokyo Station on Tuesday as the Tokaido Shinkansen marked the 60th anniversary of its services the same day.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2024

Tokaido Shinkansen marks 60th anniversary

A commemorative ceremony was held by Central Japan Railway at Tokyo Station to send off the first train of the day.
Seven & I Holdings essentially unveiled a plan to split in two.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024

Seven & I to split in two to fend off Couche-Tard takeover bid

The big question is if the move will be enough to win over any investors warming to Couche-Tard’s approach.
ASML shares slumped 16% on Tuesday after third-quarter figures were mistakenly released earlier than scheduled.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 16, 2024

ASML shares plunge as bookings miss signals chipmaker woes

Its 16% tumble — the biggest decline since 1998 — also triggered a broad downturn in chip-related stocks.
Toyota is expected to report a 14% year-on-year operating profit decline in July-September, to ¥1.2 trillion ($7.9 billion), according to an average estimate by analysts.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2024

Toyota to post first profit drop in 2 years as demand cools after big run

Toyota is expected to report a 14% year-on-year operating profit decline in July-September, to ¥1.2 trillion ($7.9 billion), according to an average estimate by analysts.
Toyota posted its first quarterly profit drop in two years, as slowing sales and production volume stalled the world's top-selling automaker's recent record run.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2024

Toyota keeps profit outlook despite weakness in Japan and China

The carmaker showed signs of recovery from domestic scandals in Japan and major recalls in the United States.
A pharmacist displays boxes of Ozempic in Provo, Utah.
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2024

Obesity drug maker Novo Nordisk posts strong profit

Europe's most valuable company and the main driver of the Danish economy said it expected its 2024 full-year sales to be up by 23% to 27% from a year earlier.
Sports motorbikes in various colors are sold at a Yamaha dealer in Chennai, India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2024

Yamaha Motor targeting Generation Z in India

There is strong demand for motorcycles in the country of more than 1.4 billion people, and local automakers with cheap products command a sizable market share.
A fund controlled by Effissimo Capital Management has taken a stake in Nissan Motor.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2024

Nissan enters new era of turmoil as Effissimo takes stake

The big question is whether CEO Makoto Uchida can deliver a turnaround or be forced to make more drastic changes by an influential outsider.
Nissan Motor vehicles bound for shipment at the Nissan Oppama wharf in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 3, 2024

Nissan is awash in outdated models as car buyers look elsewhere

While Japan’s other major carmakers take six months or more to ship a new vehicle, many of Nissan’s most popular models can be delivered within a month or two.
A variety of rice cookers at a home appliance store
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Dec 16, 2024

Companies rush to high-end rice cookers as consumer tastes change

Appliance-makers are working with rice growers to boost demand, as well as debuting products that focus on flavor and features.
Japanese investors sold overseas stocks in November as they sought to capitalize on robust gains in global equities, particularly as U.S. stocks reached record highs.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 9, 2024

Japanese investors sell overseas equities for second straight month

Investors' net sales of overseas stocks totaled ¥1.22 trillion last month, following about ¥2.37 trillion worth of net withdrawals in the prior month.
Signage at the Tencent headquarters in Shenzhen, China
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 11, 2024

Scrappy studio boss feeds Tencent’s lofty global game ambitions

"Arena Breakout: Infinite" is Tencent’s newest "Call of Duty"-style PC shooter, targeting a genre that typically tops spending charts.
People walk past a Dior shop in Rome on Dec. 18.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 26, 2024

Luxury labels bulk up on lower-priced goods to broaden appeal

After more than two years of sharp price hikes, luxury labels are finding themselves at risk of alienating the middle class.
China's solar industry, hit hard in 2024 by overcapacity and financial losses, is expected to recover in 2025 with tighter market conditions and a 25% revenue growth forecast.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2024

Here’s the best climate news you missed this year

There are plenty of positive trends out there once you peer past the alarmist headlines.
Nintendo Switch controllers for sale at a game shop in Tokyo on Jan. 16.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 1, 2025

Mario Kart may help Nintendo rally outlast flight from AI tech

The Mario Kart creator’s focus on success in games, while leveraging its intellectual property into movies and theme parks, makes it look like a safe bet for tech investors.
The Osaka Expo site on Yumeshima island in December. A survey of 3,000 people from across Japan conducted in October by the Mitsubishi Research Institute showed that just 24% of respondents expressed an interest in attending the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 4, 2025

Excitement for the Osaka Expo is low. Can organizers build hype?

A little over two months before it opens, the Osaka Expo is just about ready to welcome guests from Japan and the rest of the world — that is, if they are ready to come.
While it's unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump will follow through with his promised 25% levies on Mexico and Canada after agreeing to a 30-day pause on Monday, the blowback would be profound for Nissan.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Feb 4, 2025

Trump tariffs will only add to the pain for hard-hit Nissan

The blowback from potential tariffs on Mexico and Canada would be profound for Japan's No.3 carmaker, which is struggling to turn itself around.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?