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July 05, 2025
 

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INVESTMENTS

SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has proposed setting up a U.S.-Japan sovereign wealth fund to make large investments in technology and infrastructure, according to the Financial Times.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2025
Softbank’s Son floats idea of U.S.-Japan sovereign wealth fund, report says
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has discussed the plan with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, although it hasn’t been formally proposed.
An Aeon store in Osaka. Aeon, the country’s largest supermarket chain operator, last month said it will launch a tender offer to make Tsuruha a consolidated subsidiary at ¥11,400 per share.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 23, 2025
Tsuruha shareholders to vote on criticized Aeon merger plan
The chorus reflects rising shareholder activism in Japan in recent years as the country’s governance reforms embolden investors.
A cargo ship bound for China during a ceremony at a port in the northern Taiwan city of Keelung. Skittish foreign investors have pulled nearly $11 billion out of Taiwan stocks this year.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 22, 2025
No place to hide from any China-Taiwan conflict, investors say
For investors, the options are to stay out of Taiwan completely or stay invested and hope for the best.
SoftBank Group’s investments in AI will be financed through a loan in which Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking and JPMorgan Chase serve as lead underwriters, highlighting the Japanese tech investor's ability to secure funding for its outsize ambitions.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2025
SoftBank taps Mizuho, SMBC and JPMorgan to lead $15 billion loan
The move is a sign of the Japanese tech investor’s ability to secure financing for its outsize ambitions.
Unlike Silicon Valley, many Asian societies, due to their penchant for risk aversion, need more government support to boost early-stage deep-tech innovation.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2025
Government capital is not just 'silly money'
Unlike Silicon Valley's predominantly private-sector-driven ecosystem, many Asian societies exhibit greater risk aversion, necessitating proactive government involvement.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange building in Nihonbashi. The exchange wants companies to lower the entry cost of investing in their shares.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 14, 2025
Tokyo Stock Exchange wants stocks to be affordable for the average investor
Attracting more small investors could help reduce volatility due to the introduction of a wider range of investment strategies.
SoftBank Group reported net income of ¥517.18 billion ($3.5 billion) in its fiscal fourth quarter, helped by the Vision Fund, which swung to a profit of ¥26.1 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2025
SoftBank profit doubles as AI demand boosts chip sales and startups
The results come as SoftBank plans to invest $30 billion in OpenAI while leading a $100 billion foray into building AI hardware in the U.S.
Nippon Life Insurance is diversifying its investments to enhance yields, although it’s a tricky time to invest with U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war fueling global market volatility.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2025
Japan’s biggest insurer weighs riskier overseas CLO investments
Japan’s biggest life insurer is considering taking on a little more risk with its investments in collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), as it looks for ways to eke out better returns abroad.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda speaks during the 2025 CES event in Las Vegas in January.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2025
Akio Toyoda’s buyout plan called ‘gutsy’ by Dalton Investments
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda’s ¥6 trillion ($41 billion) plan to buy out Toyota Industries has won over at least one of the auto supplier’s critics: Dalton Investments.
Carolina Kawakubo, head of the Japanese arm of NRW.Global Business GmbH, during an interview on April 28 in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
BUSINESS
May 8, 2025
German agency to strengthen its support for Japan startups
The German agency plans to hold seminars in four cities across Japan through November to provide such companies with free expertise.
Akio Toyoda’s $42 billion plan to buy Toyota Industries is one of the examples in a recent wave of management buyout ambitions in Japan.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2025
Japan’s tycoon families seek buyouts to evade investor pressure
The desire to delist stems from mounting pressure public companies face from investors and the threat of being acquired.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo. Recent market turmoil drove investors to the yen as a haven asset, meaning foreign investors that put money into shares of Japanese importers will reap two benefits at once: yen gains and improved earnings at these businesses.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2025
Top-performing Orbis fund doubles holdings in Japanese stocks
Japanese stocks made up 24% of the $3 billion Orbis International Equity fund as of end-April, up from just 10% four months earlier.
Phillip Vincent (right), Japan CEO of Plug and Play, and Ma Jingqian, head of ventures, at Plug and Play's Tokyo office, last month
BUSINESS / Companies
May 5, 2025
Plug and Play wants to help Japanese startups go global
The Japanese government is aggressively supporting startups, and large companies are seeking more opportunities to bet on entrepreneurs.
Firefighters want more funding and better incentives for the millions of volunteers who prop up the system.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 3, 2025
'Not sustainable': Europe's firefighters want more funds and staff
Wildfires fueled by hotter, drier weather and household fires are straining fire services across the bloc.
A Honda vehicle is assembled at a plant in Lincoln, Alabama. Despite concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump's economic policies, around half of Japanese firms remain committed to the American market, according to a recent survey.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 2, 2025
Japan Inc. cautiously optimistic despite rising uncertainty
Trump's economic policies and geopolitical risks are front of mind for many Japanese companies. But many remain committed to staying in the U.S. and China, says a recent survey.
A carbon removal plant. Direct air capture and other technologies delivered less than 320,000 tons of carbon removal credits last year.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 2, 2025
Why investors are souring on this once red-hot climate tech
Venture capital funding of U.S.-based startups developing direct air capture (DAC) was down more than 60% in the first three months of 2025.
An open-pit mine in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on April 23. The financial payoff from the deal may take a decade or longer to materialize.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 2, 2025
U.S. and Ukraine may wait decade or more to see revenue from minerals deal
While the financial benefits from the deal are uncertain, officials in Ukraine believe it will help shore up U.S. support for Kyiv.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (center) welcomes Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to the Government Office in Hanoi on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 28, 2025
Ishiba pledges deeper economic ties with Vietnam as Trump tariffs bite
Both countries face unprecedented economic turmoil as a result of the U.S. tariffs and are seeking ways to mitigate potential damage.
Nomura is looking to deepen its foothold in its traditional Wall Street businesses by weighing a return to offering cash prime-brokerage services in the United States and Europe.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 25, 2025
Nomura weighs return to prime brokerage four years after Archegos
Prime brokerage, which involves banks lending cash and securities to hedge funds, has become an increasing money maker for Wall Street in recent years due to high equities prices.
Nomura Holdings is seeking to build scale in the U.S. asset management market despite recent volatility caused by escalating trade tensions.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2025
Nomura bets big on U.S. market rebound with $1.8 billion deal
Nomura's executive officer said the latest disruptions don’t change the fact the U.S. remains the largest asset management market in the world.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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