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July 04, 2025
 

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STARTUPS

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 2, 2019
SoftBank's startup bookkeeping draws scrutiny after WeWork fiasco
In early 2018, the founders of Chinese artificial intelligence startup SenseTime Group Ltd. flew to Tokyo to see billionaire investor Masayoshi Son. As they entered the offices, Chief Executive Officer Xu Li was hoping to persuade the head of SoftBank Group Corp. to invest $200 million in his three-year-old...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2019
Inspired by 3/11, Tokyo-based Looop advances to semifinals of Startup World Cup 2020
A startup that's friendly to both the environment and your wallet is two steps away from a $1 million prize.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2019
Japan wants foreign entrepreneurs, but what's missing?
For foreign entrepreneurs, Japan has never been the easiest place to launch a startup for a number of reasons, including its conservative corporate culture, restrictive visa requirements and daunting language barrier.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2019
SoftBank in talks with Japanese banks as it seeks loans to bail out WeWork
SoftBank Group Corp. is in talks with partner financial institutions including Mizuho Bank to secure loans totaling ¥200 billion to ¥300 billion to support The We Co., operator of the WeWork office-sharing business, sources with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 20, 2019
Google moves head office in Japan to Shibuya Stream building, launches campus for startups
Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai was in Tokyo on Tuesday to inaugurate the move of the company's Japanese head office to an expansive new complex in the Shibuya district.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 13, 2019
New York beats Tokyo to become world's top innovative city
New York took first place in a list of the world's most innovative cities on Tuesday, with the United States performing strongly for its embrace of smart technology and startups.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2019
Investors pour record $735 million into Singapore fintech deals
Investors poured a record $735 million into financial-technology ventures in Singapore in the first nine months of this year, according to research from Accenture PLC, which analyzed data from CB Insights, Pitchbook and Tracxn.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 25, 2019
WeWork's Adam Neumann steps down as CEO, with IPO on the line
Adam Neumann, the charismatic entrepreneur who led WeWork to become one of the world's most valuable startups, stepped down Tuesday as chief executive officer after a plan to take the company public hit a wall.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 7, 2019
Steve Sakanashi has the heart of a coach
Student startup incubator Sekai Creator founder Steve Sakanashi on the most creative pitch he's ever heard, what sets Japanese youth apart from their American counterparts and how he kicks off his mornings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2019
Japan Post Capital fund puts money behind Tokyo-based news startup SmartNews
It's a challenging time in the digital media industry. BuzzFeed Inc. and Vice Media Inc., which defined a generation of news startups, dismissed hundreds of employees this year in cost-cutting maneuvers. But a glimmer of hope is coming from a software company in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Regional voices: Chubu
Jul 19, 2019
Better known as a manufacturing center, Chubu region is turning its talents to nurturing startups
The Chubu region, with Nagoya at its center, has never been known as a land of startups. Although the area is recognized as one of the nation's largest manufacturing hubs, few IT startups have been established and many students in the region tend to prefer joining big companies to becoming entrepreneurs....
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 9, 2019
If Masayoshi Son won't invest in Japan, why should you?
The SoftBank CEO's $100 billion Vision Fund is noticeably absent on its home turf. That speaks volumes about the health of Japan's startup scene.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2019
Japan startup making paper from stone seeks more pre-IPO funding
Making paper out of rock isn't just a novel idea — it saves water, is both recyclable and biodegradable and uses a mineral resource available anywhere on Earth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2019
Start up, burn out: Services support Japan entrepreneurs' mental health in ultracompetitive culture
Rising entrepreneurs are often treated like heroes, with the media lionizing the way their startups lure sizable investments and how their innovative products might change the world.
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
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Mar 12, 2019
Entrepreneur's message to Japan's forgotten non-college-educated youth: You can choose your life
It wasn't until he turned 18 that Daisuke Kuse saw businessmen dressed in dapper suits up close and personal. Until then, Kuse — having spent all of his childhood surrounded by working-class families and friends in a small town in Kyoto Prefecture — had barely the foggiest idea of who they were....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 7, 2019
Missing female entrepreneurs
Creating a level playing field for female entrepreneurs will unleash the tremendous potential of this country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 5, 2019
'Minority Report' gets real as Japan startup develops AI cameras to spot shoplifters before they steal
It's watching, and knows a crime is about to take place before it happens.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Feb 25, 2019
Nagoya student tracks classical and jazz gigs for music fans across Japan
A student at Nagoya University's Graduate School of Information Science has developed an online platform for music fans that keeps them update on classical and jazz concerts by musician and venue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 18, 2019
In era of AI and apps that track, could Recruit be Japan's top contender for global internet domination?
It was one of the most infamous companies in Japan, rocking the nation with a corporate scandal that ousted a prime minister and then nearly collapsing under a mountain of debt.
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.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
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. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
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

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