NEWSWORTHY
New foreign worker status raises hopes in industries short of staff
The envisaged new status for foreign workers in Japan is raising hopes in industries facing severe labor shortages, such as the restaurant and manufacturing sectors. The new residence status "will help us hire more talented foreign workers," an official of a major izakaya (traditional Japanese ...
Pioneer to receive loans from Hong Kong fund amid business turnaround
Pioneer Corp. plans to receive tens of billions of yen in loans from the Hong Kong-based investment fund Baring Private Equity Asia as it seeks to turn around its business, a source close to the matter said Tuesday. The electronics manufacturer is seeking the assistance ...
Japan's Daikin, thriving in Asia and India, plans to go head to head with China in Africa
Daikin Industries, the world's largest maker of air conditioning equipment, is turning to Africa for further expansion, 10 years after a successful gamble on sharing its key technology with a Chinese company. As Japanese manufacturers such as Panasonic stepped back from home appliances over a ...
Japan's July figures point to slowdown in manufacturing sector
The manufacturing sector lost steam in July as demand for exports weakened. The monthly Nikkei Japan Purchasing Managers Index for manufacturers showed a preliminary reading of 51.6, the lowest since November 2016 and down from 53 in June. A reading above 50 indicates the sector is ...
Asian factory workers face slavery risks with rise of automation in manufacturing: analysts
The rise of robots in manufacturing in Southeast Asia is likely to fuel modern-day slavery as workers who end up unemployed due to automation face abuses competing for a shrinking pool of low-paid jobs in a "race to the bottom," analysts said Thursday. Drastic job ...
Japanese investment in Myanmar reached an all-time high of about $1.48 billion in fiscal 2017 following the nation's transition from military to civilian rule in 2011, boosted by large-scale commercial complex and steel manufacturing projects. According to Myanmar's Ministry of Planning and Finance, Japanese investment ...
Japanese firms see big future for small-scale industrial robots
A two-armed robot in a Chiba factory carefully stacks rice balls in a box, which a worker carries off for shipment to convenience stores. At another food-packaging plant, a robot shakes pepper and powdered cheese over pasta that a person has just arranged in ...
Elon Musk is today's Henry Ford — and that's bad
As Tesla pursues lower retail prices and higher volumes, its ambivalent attitude toward the principles of mass production of modern cars seems increasingly likely to sabotage its powerful brand.
Saitama medical device makers fill vital health care niche
Saitama Prefecture has always been overshadowed by Tokyo, its bigger and glitzier neighbor to the south that is also the capital of Japan. But Saitama, sometimes referred to by its unflattering nickname Dasai-tama (dasai means uncool), is in fact home to a number of ...
Japan on Tuesday stuck to its low-key approach to threatened U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium, reflecting a desire to keep trade fights from hurting security ties as well as lessons that have been learned on how to deal with President Donald Trump. The specter ...
What the world can learn from Japan's factories
Countries hoping to revive their manufacturing sectors should look east for answers.
Nissan prods India for $770 million in redress over broken tax-break promise
Nissan prods the Indian government for compensation over its alleged failure to provide tax breaks in return for a factory it agreed to build there.
