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September 19, 2025
 

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VISION

Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2019
SoftBank's Son says it's business as usual after record loss, but Tokyo traders aren't buying it
Masayoshi Son wants investors to believe that a record loss from investments in money-losing startups WeWork and Uber Technologies Inc. is but a bump in the road. Some aren't buying it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2019
SoftBank's lame dog: Wag Labs sale talks may take bite out of valuation
Wag Labs Inc., one of SoftBank Group Corp.'s high-profile venture investments, is seeking to sell itself for a knock-down price after growth stalled, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 26, 2019
SoftBank eyeing burgers and digital pharmacy for second Vision Fund
SoftBank Group Corp. is teeing up investments for the successor to its gargantuan Vision Fund. It's in talks to back a pharmaceutical delivery startup, a company focused on robotic burger-making and a maker of lab-grown meat, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 1, 2019
SoftBank has a lesson for startups with WeWork coup: Your dreams had better be profitable
Masayoshi Son, long known as a free-spending benefactor who encouraged startup founders to pursue their dreams even if it meant losing billions of dollars, had a different message for entrepreneurs last month: Your dreams had better be profitable.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2019
SoftBank's biggest backers rethink role in next Vision Fund after bet on WeWork sours
The biggest backers of SoftBank Group Corp.'s gargantuan Vision Fund are reconsidering how much to commit to its next investment vehicle as an oversized bet on flexible workspace provider WeWork sours.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 15, 2019
SoftBank's massive Vision Fund bets on Swiss startup that's using concrete blocks as batteries
SoftBank Group Corp.'s massive Vision Fund is making its first-ever energy storage bet — and it's on a rather unconventional type of battery.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 29, 2019
SoftBank Group's $108 billion Vision Fund 2 draws in Microsoft and Apple
SoftBank Group Corp. has secured pledges from Microsoft Corp. and other investors of around $108 billion for a second Vision Fund aimed at investing in technology firms.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2019
SoftBank to be top investor in $108 billion second Vision Fund, with CEO Son silent on Saudi role
The conglomerate aims to raise $108 billion for a second Vision Fund, replacing Saudi Arabia as the largest investor as its targets opportunities in cutting-edge technologies.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2019
SoftBank Vision Fund weighs backing Vaak's crime-busting tech
Vaak Inc., a Japanese start-up backed by SoftBank Group Corp., said that it is lining up a ¥2 billion ($18 million) cash injection in August and that the Vision Fund could provide further funding, as the company takes its violent crime prevention software global.
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
WORLD / Science & Health
May 10, 2019
Unique genetic adaptation lets deep-sea fish see color in darkness
While people and other vertebrates are color blind in dim light, some deep-sea fish may possess keen color vision to thrive in the near total darkness of their extreme environment thanks to a unique genetic adaptation, scientists said on Thursday.
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.
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
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 4, 2019
SoftBank's giant debt burden looks worse than it actually is, analysts say
As SoftBank Group Corp. continues its transformation into a giant investment fund, some analysts are increasingly watching a metric more familiar to lenders as they judge its creditworthiness. And by that gauge, they say, its massive debt pile looks manageable.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 9, 2019
WeWork's backers and staff can cash out in $2 billion SoftBank deal
WeWork Cos. will let investors and employees sell shares to SoftBank Group Corp. as part of the conglomerate's $2 billion investment in the real estate and coworking startup, the companies said Tuesday. WeWork also announced that it would be rebranding itself as The We Company, though it hasn't legally...
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
End of U.S. de minimis exemption causes headaches for some businesses in Japan
Proxy-shopping services — companies that ship Japanese products ranging from cosmetics and snacks to limited-edition stationery on behalf of customers abroad — are already feeling the impact of the U.S. suspending de minimis exemptions.
Over 90% of low-income families in Japan struggling to feed children
Save the Children Japan domestic program chief Sonoko Kawakami speaks at a news conference in Tokyo in July. A survey conducted by the group in June has found that over 90% of low-income households with children face food insecurity.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
World Athletics stars relish Tokyo atmosphere after COVID-hit Olympics
Organizers of the World Athletics Championships said over 500,000 tickets had been sold and that they are expecting to end the event in front of large crowds this weekend.
Japan’s front-line researchers see bright path ahead for dementia treatment
A scientist looks at scans of grains at the Memory Centre at the Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics of the University Hospital (HUG) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6, 2023.
Still plenty to fight for, says Japan’s team leader at worlds
Race walker Hayato Katsuki earned bronze for Japan on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships on Saturday.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
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