author

 
 

Meta

Ma Jie
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 7, 2017
In alliance-happy auto industry, go-it-alone Honda the odd carmaker out
Honda Motor Co.'s go-it-alone strategy looks increasingly risky as the alliance-happy auto industry scales up to cope with the soaring investment needed for self-driving vehicles, electrified powertrains, connected-car technologies and artificial intelligence.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2017
Toyota trawls for techies along Tokyo's Nambu Line amid Silicon Valley's tense rivalry
When it comes to recruiting tech talent, Toyota Motor Corp. is anything but subtle.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 28, 2017
Auto incentives seen digging into Asian carmakers' U.S. profits
Asian carmakers are taking hits to their profits from having to spend more to move metal in America.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 9, 2017
Nissan wins converts in Japan with ¥3 million driver-assist minivan
Yusuke Goto would have crashed his Toyota Crown five years ago if the premium sedan hadn't detected the 45-year-old was veering off and righted the steering wheel. So when he found similar features in the cheaper Nissan Serena minivan, it was an easy choice.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 7, 2017
Trade heat from Trump makes Toyota's test in U.S. even tougher
Toyota Motor Corp. recently ceded its title as the world's best-selling automaker to archrival Volkswagen AG. Yet the company's biggest adversary this year may be U.S. President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 5, 2017
Chinese-owned Key Safety emerges as preferred bidder for air bag maker Takata
Key Safety Systems Inc. leads the bidding for Takata Corp., the embattled air bag maker searching for a buyer following the biggest safety recall in automotive history.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2017
Global salary gaps hindering automakers' efforts to lure IT workers
Headhunter Casey Abel spent four months trying to hire a data center architect for a Japanese automaker, including five meetings with the client — one with the top executive. In the end, the IT specialist joined an e-commerce company abroad for significantly more money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Dec 21, 2016
Honda keeps twin SUVs coming as China rewards 'badge engineering'
In China's auto market, carmakers are employing a strategy that's long been eschewed by the rest of the world: If a new model is helping you win, introduce a twin.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 31, 2016
Honda opts for Tokyo over Silicon Valley as home for AI research center
Honda Motor Co. will spearhead its artificial intelligence efforts out of a new lab in Tokyo so researchers can work closely with its engineers to commercialize the technology.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2016
Bridgestone CEO sees father of bride role for top team in deals
Late last year, Bridgestone Corp. CEO Masaaki Tsuya did something rare in Japanese business circles. He put corporate pride aside, and walked away from an escalating bidding war with Carl Icahn for the U.S. auto parts chain Pep Boys.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 21, 2016
Subaru CEO says carmaker will maintain Japan production focus despite stronger yen
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the carmaker most reliant on exports from Japan, said it will stick to a strategy of producing the bulk of the company's Subaru vehicles at home as the yen strengthens.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
May 13, 2016
How a confession turned into ¥237.4 billion bargain for Nissan
Two days before Mitsubishi Motors Corp. went public with news it had overstated the fuel economy of its cars, Chairman Osamu Masuko visited Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn for a mea culpa. It did not take long for talk to turn from an apology to a deal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Apr 21, 2016
Mitsubishi scandal could push firm to brink again, requiring rescue by group
Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s disclosure that it manipulated fuel economy tests risks putting it in the position of needing help from group companies to stay in business.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 30, 2016
Missile-maker adapts guidance systems for self-driving cars
Mitsubishi Electric Corp., a supplier of air-to-air missiles to Japan's armed forces, is looking to adapt the technologies it originally developed for military use to help autonomous driving cars detect obstacles and avoid collisions.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 23, 2016
Forced labor allegations and abuses continue to dog Japan's foreign trainee program
Tang Xili came to Japan in 2013, hoping to earn enough in three years to build a new home for her daughter. Instead, she ended up in a labor union shelter after leaving an employer she says owes her about ¥3.5 million in unpaid wages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2016
Strong yen is a brake on Japanese carmakers' profits
Japanese automakers may have run out of the fuel that has driven profits higher for the past four years: the weaker yen.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2015
Yamaha CEO sees room to exceed targets on emerging markets
Yamaha Motor Co. may beat its profit forecasts if emerging markets hold up better than expected, according to Chief Executive Officer Hiroyuki Yanagi, speaking ahead of Wednesday's interest rate hike in the United States.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2015
Chinese cities give Toyota boost in hunt for hybrid car buyers
China's former leader Deng Xiaoping famously quipped that it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2015
Takata braces for exodus of air bag customers after losing Honda
Takata Corp. is bracing for further defections after Honda Motor Co., its top customer, began turning its back on the distressed Japanese air bag maker.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 28, 2015
Nissan reportedly to consider plan to end Renault control of alliance
Nissan Motor Co. is considering plans to restructure its alliance with Renault SA, including ending the French manufacturer's voting rights, according to sources.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals