Search - business

 
 
A visitor takes pictures near models of military equipment and a giant screen displaying Chinese leader Xi Jinping, at an exhibition at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing in October 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 19, 2024

Graft scandals disrupt China military modernization, Pentagon report says

At least 15 high-ranking Chinese military officers and defense industry executives were removed between July and December 2023, the report says.
While the prospect of Eneos Holdings offloading a majority stake in JX has been mooted for years, it is coming closer to reality amid a hot market for share sales in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2024

Eneos considers IPO of up to 70% of JX Advanced Metals

Japan has seen the highest volume of IPOs this year since 2018.
The average retail gasoline price is expected to rise by over ¥5 per liter as the government has announced that it will reduce subsidies to oil wholesalers.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 19, 2024

Gasoline prices rise as Japanese government cuts subsidies

Until now the industry ministry has subsidized 60% of gasoline costs over ¥168 and under ¥185, but from Thursday the subsidy dropped to 30% for prices in that range.
The Dubai skyline on Dec. 15, 2023. For years, Dubai has been an ideal rear base for trafficking and money laundering, with little risk of being extradited for lack of satisfactory judicial cooperation, according to European investigators and magistrates.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 19, 2024

End of the Dubai dream for Europe's drug lords?

The Gulf emirate has been a haven for some of Europe's biggest drug traffickers, but the tide may be turning.
Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of semiconductor company Micron, addresses Semicon India 2023, India’s annual semiconductor conference, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat state. India is trying to boost domestic chip production, a strategic move for its industrial growth and economic security.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2024

India’s budding chip industry: A cause for cautious optimism

Amid the global "chip war," India has entered the fray as it tries to become a semiconductor leader, a move welcomed by those diversifying supply chains away from China.
Nissan and Honda may be nearing a merger to address Nissan's struggles, forming a second major hub in Japan's auto industry to rival Toyota.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 19, 2024

A Honda-Nissan merger is a slow-moving savior

Nissan is struggling — burning through cash and with billions of dollars of debt due in a little over a year.
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.”
Nissan and Honda are exploring a merger, which would create a rival to Toyota Motor in Japan and better position the combined company to face competitive challenges around the world.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2024

Foxconn in talks with Nissan shareholder Renault, CNA says

Renault’s stake in Nissan is a holdover from a longstanding alliance between the French automaker, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a news conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 19, 2024

India's Modi faces test of resilience in 2025 after year of setbacks

Having secured a third term, the prime minister faces a slowing economy with his political standing decidedly weakened.
Nippon Steel headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2024

Nippon Steel to join iron ore mine project in Canada

Nippon Steel will acquire a 30% interest in the Kamistiatusset project. Its investment is seen exceeding ¥140 billion, including development costs.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.7% in November from a year earlier driven by higher energy costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 20, 2024

Japan’s inflation accelerates on energy as BOJ seeks more data

Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.7% in November from a year earlier driven by higher energy costs.
The rise in crypto heists comes as bitcoin jumped 140% this year to surpass the $100,000 mark.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 20, 2024

Losses from crypto hacks jump to $2.2 billion in 2024, report finds

The rise in crypto heists comes as bitcoin jumped 140% this year to surpass the $100,000 mark.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes passes against the Browns during the second quarter in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Dec 20, 2024

Chiefs star Mahomes set to face Texans after injury scare

Mahomes was dropped from the Chiefs' injury report on Thursday, clearing the way for him to suit up against the Texans.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (right) and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Dec. 10 prior to talks on political, trade and economic relations
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2024

Finnish PM seeks boosted military tech ties with Japan

“Finland is keen to deepen bilateral relations, and Japan is an important strategic partner for Finland,” Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told The Japan Times.
Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said Friday that Japan will take appropriate action if there are excessive moves in the currency market, as the yen resumed its rapid downturn.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 20, 2024

Japan warns on yen after BOJ’s dovish messaging extends slide

Recent sharp movements in the yen feed into concerns that the government may intervene in the currency market.
Chinese President Xi Jinping waves following the inauguration of Macao's new leader on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 20, 2024

China's Xi urges Macao to pivot from casinos as new leader sworn in

Gaming-related taxes still make up 81% of Macao's government revenue, and experts say the city is years away from weaning itself off casino wealth.
A pedestrian crossing in Tokyo's Ginza district. In an economic report released Friday, the government cut its assessment on corporate profits for the first time since March 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 20, 2024

Japan says overall economy recovering, but cuts view on corporate profits

Among key economic areas, the government cut its assessment on corporate profits for the first time since March 2023 as the pace of its recovery was moderating.
Foxconn’s pause in its pursuit of Nissan is the latest development in the unexpected emergence of two suitors for the ailing Japanese carmaker.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2024

Foxconn's interest in Nissan said to be on hold amid Honda merger talks

Foxconn’s pause is the latest development in the unexpected emergence of two suitors for the ailing Japanese carmaker.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2024

Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review

The accusation was made in a Dec. 17 letter, signed by counsel for Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel, to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
Carlos Ghosn
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2024

Ghosn says Honda deal talks indicate Nissan in ‘panic mode’

"It’s a desperate move,” the ex-Nissan chief said. "It’s not a pragmatic deal because frankly, the synergies between the two companies are difficult to find.”
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 at Tokyo Big Sight in October 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2024

Honda and Nissan consider mutual production of vehicles, report says

The report added that Honda will also consider supplying hybrid vehicles to Nissan as part of the potential merger, without mentioning the source of the information.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Dec 21, 2024

Economists see BOJ's policy review as insufficient

The massive easing policy has caused adverse effects, such as a loosening of fiscal discipline, economists said.
The rise of TikTok has drawn intense scrutiny, particularly over its links to China.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Dec 22, 2024

One billion users, but controversies mount up for TikTok

In Washington, the platform has been accused of espionage, while the EU suspects it was used to sway Romania's presidential election in favor of a far-right candidate.
North Korean special forces soldiers march and shout slogans during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in Pyongyang in April 2017.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 22, 2024

North Korea aiding Russia where it needs it most, Canadian general says

Pyongyang's provision of troops as well as weapons and munitions that Moscow can't produce fast enough carries a symbolic element.
A container ship transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City last August.
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2024

Trump demands Panama lower transit fees or return canal

The U.S. completed the 82-kilometer canal through the Central American isthmus in 1914, but ceded it back to Panama in 1999.
Syrians step on posters of Bashar Assad and his father, Hafez Assad, in Homs, Syria, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 22, 2024

How Bashar Assad's inner circle fled Syria after his fall

The ousted president was accompanied by only a handful of confidants, leaving both family members and loyal aides to find their own means of escape.
Steam rises from a geothermal plan in Yuzawa, Akita Prefecture. Despite its long history and potential, geothermal provided just 0.3% of Japan's overall energy mix in the fiscal year from April 2023
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Dec 22, 2024

Is Japan finally ready to tap its abundant geothermal energy potential?

Japan boasts the world’s third-largest potential supply of geothermal energy, but this renewable energy resource has mostly been untapped.
People gather to view a rocket launch test by AstroX in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture on Nov. 9.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 22, 2024

Fukushima startup aiming to launch rocket from flying balloon

Since the method does not require large-scale ground facilities, the cost can be reduced to one-third of that on the ground, according to the company.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, casts his vote during an impeachment vote against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul  Dec.14.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 22, 2024

A race to the Blue House or the jail house

Since the end of martial law in 1987, there have been eight democratically elected presidents — and all but two of those have either been impeached or imprisoned.
The Japanese antitrust watchdog said that Google forced smartphone makers to preinstall its search app on their devices, sources say.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 23, 2024

Japan accuses Google of violating antimonopoly law

The Japanese antitrust watchdog said the U.S. company forced smartphone makers to preinstall its search app on their devices.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?