Tag - softbank

 
 

SOFTBANK

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 2, 2019
Google internet balloon spin-off Loon still looking for its wings
Google's bet on balloons to deliver cell service soon faces a crucial test amid doubts about the viability of the technology by some potential customers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2019
Airbnb listings in Japan rebound after regulatory freeze
Airbnb Inc. says it's back in business in Japan, a year after stricter short-term lodging regulations forced it to freeze a major portion of its listings in the country.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 30, 2019
In latest snub for Huawei, Japan's SoftBank chooses Nokia and Ericsson for 5G network
Huawei Technologies Co., which together with ZTE Corp. was a 4G vendor for the Japanese company, wasn't selected despite participating in earlier 5G trials.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2019
Line Pay ¥30 billion campaign will allow users to send free ¥1,000 to all their friends
Line has about 80 million active users in Japan, of which about 32 million are registered Line Pay users, according to the firm.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 13, 2019
Will government pressure slash Japan's intricate web of smartphone fees?
Last August, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga dropped a bombshell remark that rattled Japan's mobile phone industry: "There is room to lower people's smartphone bills by around 40 percent."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2019
Days after announcing tripling of profits, SoftBank market value slides $9 billion as Uber IPO flops
Last Thursday, as his company booked a $3.8 billion gain from its stake in Uber Technologies Inc., Masayoshi Son told SoftBank Group Corp. investors that their time had finally come. Instead, they're still waiting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 4, 2019
SoftBank said to be considering IPO for $100 billion Vision Fund
If pursued, an IPO would give investors in the fund a way to cash out part or all of their stakes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Apr 21, 2019
Often, it's the little things that count
These small gadgets have the big jobs of controlling home appliances, keeping kids safe and printing on virtually anything.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 19, 2019
SoftBank, Toyota and Denso invest $1 billion to pump up Uber's self-driving unit ahead of IPO
The bet by the three-way Japanese consortium gives Advanced Technologies Group a valuation of $7.25 billion on the eve of its public offering.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 18, 2019
'Shooting for big game': Softbank's push for transport dominance
SoftBank Group Corp. leader Masayoshi Son has much bigger ambitions for transportation than simply seeing his investment in Uber Technologies Inc. turn into more than $13 billion when the company goes public next month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 4, 2019
SoftBank to seek $15 billion more for huge Saudi-backed Vision Fund
For SoftBank Group Corp., $100 billion (¥11 trillion) isn't enough. The conglomerate, which has reshaped the technology startup landscape with its Saudi-backed Vision Fund, is in talks with investors to add as much as $15 billion more to its already massive fund, according to people familiar with the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 28, 2019
Japan's internet giants team up as mobile payments race intensifies
Line Corp. and Mercari Inc. are joining forces on mobile payments as the nation's internet companies race to dominate cashless transactions in the world's No. 3 economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 18, 2019
Twitter's former CFO joins SoftBank-backed farming startup Plenty
Twitter Inc.'s former chief financial officer has joined SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Plenty Inc. in the same role as the indoor farming startup prepares for international expansion and improvements to its vertical growing technology.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 14, 2019
SoftBank and Toyota in talks to invest $1 billion in Uber's self-driving unit: sources
A group of investors led by SoftBank Group Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. is in talks to invest $1 billion or more into Uber Technologies Inc.'s self-driving vehicle unit, which would value the unit at $5 billion to $10 billion, said two people familiar with the talks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2019
T-Mobile's proposed $25.5 billion Sprint deal draws flak from U.S. Democrats concerned about prices
T-Mobile US Inc.'s proposed $26.5 billion purchase of Sprint Corp. came under congressional scrutiny for the second time in as many months, with Democrats warning that the merger between two of the nation's top four carriers could lead to higher prices for consumers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 6, 2019
Singapore's Grab raises $1.5 billion from SoftBank fund
Leading Southeast Asian ride-hailing provider Grab raised about $1.5 billion from SoftBank Group Corp.'s Vision Fund, bankrolling its effort to expand into new services across the region.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 28, 2019
With first launch in space-based internet project, Airbus and OneWeb aim for new satellite era
A rocket carrying six satellites built by Airbus SE and partner OneWeb blasted off from French Guiana on Wednesday, the first step in a plan to give millions of people in remote and rural areas high-speed internet beamed down from space.
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Feb 17, 2019
Home and life improvements
Keep the pets happy, clean the apartment in style and walk for your money. On Tech looks at home tech with a little extra something.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Heisei Icons
Feb 7, 2019
Masayoshi Son: Betting big and winning
There's a well-known anecdote about Masayoshi Son, the maverick billionaire founder and chief executive of SoftBank Group Corp. and the man behind the world's largest technology investment fund.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2019
SoftBank Group reports 62% jump in operating profit, rising to record high
SoftBank Group Corp. on Wednesday reported robust earnings for the April-December period, crediting positive returns on investments in other businesses and ventures.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight