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October 17, 2025
 

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STARTUPS

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2022
Banker who brought Goldman clout to SoftBank starts venture bets
Before his abrupt departure from SoftBank Group last year, Katsunori Sago was seen as a potential successor to Masayoshi Son. He's now charting his own course in startup investments.
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Sep 15, 2022
A sports media empire runs on ‘good vibes only’
As Jomboy Media has grown, the startup has kept up the positivity and energy that made them popular in the first place.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Sep 12, 2022
Truly autonomous cars may be impossible without helpful human touch
Human supervisors, monitoring video feeds from multiple autonomous vehicles ready to step in and get stuck robot drivers moving again, may be needed permanently.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 23, 2022
Mega-banks boost support for startups in line with Kishida's 'new capitalism' plan
Japan's largest banks have set up dedicated sections for startups, focusing on support in the fields of finance and human resources as well as assistance with initial public offerings.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 22, 2022
Cargo.one finds a simpler way to get started in Japan
The head of cargo.one's expansion efforts stresses that you'll need to do your homework before coming to Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 12, 2022
Masayoshi Son is now down $4 billion on his SoftBank side deals
Son took the unusual step of establishing personal stakes in a series of SoftBank ventures in recent years, a mixing of company and executive interests that drew the ire of investors.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 10, 2022
SoftBank steps up asset sales from sinking portfolio
The Vision Fund exited a swathe of assets in the second quarter — including ridehailer Uber Technologies and property platform Opendoor Technologies — for a realized gain of $5.6 billion
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 8, 2022
SoftBank CEO pledges sweeping cost cuts after $23.4 billion loss
Low tech valuations have been draining SoftBank's ability to turn public listings of its portfolio companies into liquidity to fuel further big bets.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2022
Japan looks to take startup ecosystem to next level with more government help
Initiatives under the Abe administration helped the development of some firms, but overall Japan still lags behind powerhouses such as the U.S. and China.
BUSINESS
Aug 1, 2022
Japan creates new Cabinet post to boost startup ecosystem
In addition to his role as economic revitalization minister, Daishiro Yamagiwa will now oversee the promotion of startup policies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2022
SoftBank-backed cancer detection startup may go public as soon as 2023
AI Medical Service Inc. develops software to scan endoscopy images and identify potential cancers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Jul 11, 2022
Japanese research team develops app to help public discover new asteroids
The project team hopes people will help scour more than 700,000 images to find space objects that could collide with the Earth.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2022
Pension riches are no panacea for Japan’s startups
The world's biggest pension fund might invest in the next unicorns and decacorns. That's a good beginning — but the country's fledgling scene needs more.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2022
SoftBank Vision Fund’s fourth Japan investment is a legal tech bet
LegalForce, which uses AI to screen contracts for loopholes and potential legal risks, said it will use the funds on research and on expanding its sales team to win new customers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 21, 2022
Thai market helps mobile payments firm join list of unicorns in Japan
Mobile payment gateway provider Opn Co. owes much of its success to its early entry into the Thai market in 2013.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 21, 2022
Tax reform key for Japan’s ¥10 trillion startup push, says head of ruling party group
The government is set to put together a five-year plan by the end of 2022 that will seek to increase money going to startups tenfold.
BUSINESS
Jun 1, 2022
Kishida touts 'grand design' for capitalism reform at policy launch
Kishida said the country needs to focus on new areas of growth as a panel laid out proposals for his 'new form of capitalism” aimed at reducing social disparities and driving the economy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 30, 2022
Rebuilding a community starting from scratch
Moved by visits to the area, a pair of students wants visitors to know there is more to the town of Futaba, Fukushima Pref., than disaster.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
May 19, 2022
Zombie unicorns: Indian startups go from feast to famine
Plummeting Indian tech stocks are a worry, but investors spooked by fears over corporate governance are stepping up scrutiny during due diligence efforts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2022
SoftBank faces record loss as Masayoshi Son’s bets tumble again
The world's largest tech fund is estimated to have lost about $18.6 billion on its public portfolio alone during the quarter that ended March 31.
Coalition talks could bring Takaichi closer to being PM
Nippon Ishin no Kai leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura meets with Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Trump declares U.S.-China trade war as Bessent floats long truce
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference in Washington on Wednesday.
Asia can learn from Europe’s immigration mistakes
Refugees and migrants, mostly from Syria and Afghanistan, crowd a platform at a train station in Budapest in September 2015. Hungary's focus on pro-natalist policies and minimal immigration has led to a significant improvement in its fertility rate compared to Japan.
Singapore thrived in a U.S.-led world. Now what?
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt moors at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in April 2018.
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
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.
Pace eyes great strides for Japan’s art market
Pace Japan Vice President Kyoko Hattori, the de facto head of the nation’s business, believes a larger, more lucrative art market will allow Japan to be more attractive for collectors.
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.

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

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