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October 15, 2025
 

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MANUFACTURING

A monuments of a plastic model of an armor worn by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is seen in the city of Shizuoka on Dec. 6.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jan 6, 2025
In Shizuoka, plastic models are not just child's play
Monuments of plastic models are found throughout the city to showcase its model-making industry, which traces its roots to skilled craftsmen of the Tokugawa shogunate.
A drone view shows Gary Works, the largest integrated steel mill in the U.S., which is operated by U.S. Steel, in Gary, Indiana, on Dec. 12.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025
Rival CEO allegedly spread doubt about Nippon Steel deal to Wall Street
The private remarks the CEO made throughout 2024 about the deal process show the extent of his effort to cast doubt.
Makino Milling Machine's headquarters in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 27, 2024
Japan's Nidec takes aim at Makino Milling with $1.6 billion unsolicited bid
Nidec said Makino's board had not agreed to the ¥11,000 per share offer, a 42% premium to Thursday's closing share price, as it had not proposed the bid before announcing it.
U.S. Steel workers who support the takeover by Nippon Steel rally outside the company's headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in September.
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2024
Rejecting the Nippon Steel bid is a slap in the face to Japan
Nippon Steel has not given up and continues to lobby U.S. officials and steelworkers, arguing the deal would grow U.S. Steel, protect jobs, and strengthen the industry.
The United States Steel's Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania. In a letter, a group that includes mayors in Pennsylvania and Indiana denounced the head of the United Steelworkers union over his refusal to negotiate in good faith with Nippon Steel its plan to acquire U.S. Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 25, 2024
Mayors urge Biden to approve Nippon Steel acquisition of U.S. Steel
A total of 20 people, including the heads of administrative districts where U.S. Steel facilities are located, underlined the importance of the deal to the local communities.
Toyota's business is feeling the strain of intense competition over hybrid cars in the U.S. and locally made electric vehicles in China.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 25, 2024
Toyota sales stagnate as factory glitches compound weaker demand
Vehicle sales totaled 984,348 units last month, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday, down 0.2% year-on-year.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida and Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 25, 2024
Will Honda-Nissan tie-up deliver synergies in time to counter China?
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe has said the companies need to build up capabilities by 2030 or face being "beaten," but analysts question whether they have that much time.
Japan is considering introducing a system to allow the government to temporarily acquire factories to prevent important technologies from being taken abroad.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2024
Japan plans system for temporary control of key plants during emergencies
The system would be activated when production of specified critical products designated in the economic security promotion law are disrupted.
Toyota is negotiating with local authorities and other parties involved to set up a wholly owned production plant in Shanghai in the wake of the Chinese government's foreign investment deregulation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 24, 2024
Toyota eyes solo Lexus EV plant in Shanghai
The automaker, which currently ships Lexus models from Japan to China, intends to put the plant into production as early as around 2027.
Nippon Steel's $15 billion bid for U.S. Steel has been referred to U.S. President Joe Biden after a U.S. panel on foreign investments was unable to reach a consensus.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 24, 2024
Nippon Steel's bid for U.S. Steel referred to Biden for final decision
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States referred the bid to the U.S. president after failing to reach a consensus.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida (left), Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe (second from left) and Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, hold a news conference on merger talks on Monday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 23, 2024
Honda-Nissan megamerger in the works
Both carmakers are facing overcapacity and the need for huge investments related to electric-vehicle and self-driving technologies.
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.
Toshiba's Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Koji Ikeya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 20, 2024
A year after going private, structural reforms bearing fruit for Toshiba
Before going private last December, Toshiba had long struggled to deal with activist investors, from whom the company accepted investments to stabilize its finances.
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.
The U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works Edgar Thomson Plant along the Monongahela River in Braddock, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2024
Despite revamped proposals, Nippon Steel deal on track to be blocked, letter shows
The letter, sent Saturday, sets the stage for U.S. President Joe Biden, who has long opposed the deal, to block it.
Nippon Life Insurance Chairperson Yoshinobu Tsutsui is set to become the next head of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, in May next year.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2024
Nippon Life chair to become head of Japan's main business lobby
Yoshinobu Tsutsui is set to be the first chairperson of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, from the financial industry.
Mannequins are displayed inside a lingerie showroom at WeMet Industrial Park in the Guanyun county of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, on Nov. 26.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 16, 2024
China's 'erotic clothing' capital braces for e-commerce crackdown
The development of the lingerie industry in eastern Guanyun county in China has exploded partly due to a U.S. tariff exemption likely to soon be curtailed or scrapped.
India has the most steelmaking capacity under development in the world, surpassing even China.
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2024
A booming and coal-heavy steel sector risks India’s green goals
India is the world’s third-largest emitter and the rate at which it can decarbonize will have a major impact on global climate efforts.
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.
U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest integrated steel mill in the country, in Gary, Indiana
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2024
U.S. foreign investment panel split on Nippon-U.S. Steel deal, report says
The U.S. Treasury has informed Nippon Steel that the panel reviewing its proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel has not yet come to an agreement on how to address security concerns, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Hypothermia in the land of the rising Sanae
Amid the election of Sanae Takaichi as Liberal Democratic Party president, and possibly the next prime minister, Japan's economy shows signs of recovery, but weak wages, a conservative corporate culture and currency issues raise doubts about a true economic thaw.
Number of scenarios now on the table for who might be Japan’s next prime minister
Newly-elected leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi (right) celebrates with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after winning the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on October 4.
After plenty of ups and downs, Osaka Expo concludes with message of unity
The sun sets on the Grand Ring on the final day of the Osaka Expo on Monday.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
At Osaka Expo, gas giants promote a greener future. But is it a lot of hot air?
The Gas Pavilion had welcomed around 500,000 visitors by the end of August, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the Osaka Expo.
‘Takaichi trade’ starts unwinding as political calculus upended by Komeito exit
Less than a week ago, Sanae Takaichi seemed set to become Japan's first female prime minister.
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.

Podcast

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

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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