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 Kazuaki Nagata

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Kazuaki Nagata
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2017
Tokyo startup taps AI and big data to turn customer complaints into cash
Hearing consumers' frustrations may be unpleasant for business operators, but within such feedback lies a hidden trove of information that can be used to improve products and services.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2017
Toray latest in slew of Japanese firms to admit falsifying data
Toray Hybrid Cord says it identified 149 cases out of 40,000 in which two employees in charge of quality assurance modified figures.
BUSINESS / Taking the Lead
Nov 17, 2017
Yoshihiko Miyauchi, Orix ex-CEO and former head of deregulation panel, knows what it takes to change Japan
Yoshihiko Miyauchi, 82, may not be your average business leader.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2017
Orix Corp.'s Yoshihiko Miyauchi: From salaryman to business titan
Orix Corp.'s Yoshihiko Miyauchi is a name likely to be seen on a list of well-known Japanese business leaders.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 8, 2017
Amazon to join rivals in Japan's emerging AI speaker market
Looking to rev up the artificial intelligence speaker trend, Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday its smart speakers will debut in Japan starting next week.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 4, 2017
Entrepreneur group plans internships to lure young Japanese abroad
A group of Japanese entrepreneurs is setting up internships to get Japan's inward-looking youngsters more interested in doing business abroad.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 26, 2017
Kobe Steel loses JIS quality certification for some copper products
A key quality certification for some of Kobe Steel's copper and copper-alloy products has been revoked over the firm's data falsification scandal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 20, 2017
Laundry-folding robot maker will represent Japan at startup competition
A Tokyo-based startup recognized for its laundry-folding robot has gained entry to an international competition for venture firms, and hopes to represent Japan as a country of innovation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 20, 2017
Kobe Steel said employees' cover-up hampered internal probe on data falsification scandal
Kobe Steel's data-fabrication scandal deepens after revelations that employees failed to disclose deceptive practices at the troubled metal maker.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2017
Sony unveils family-friendly robot aimed at spurring communication
Sony Mobile Communications Inc. announced Tuesday it will begin selling a new communications robot targeted at families next month, furthering its foray into the trending robot market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 13, 2017
Kobe Steel scandal widens to 500 firms
Chairman says all business sections being probed, promises to shoulder clients' costs.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 5, 2017
Japan's smart speaker market heats up as Line faces off against Google and Amazon
The battle for smart-speaker supremacy in Japan has begun, with major firms announcing the launches Thursday of new products armed with high-tech voice-controlled features.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Taking the Lead
Oct 1, 2017
Online research firm aims to break Japanese mold with global market quest
Market analysts say Japanese internet firms rarely succeed overseas, and there haven't been many who have proven them wrong so far.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2017
First permanent Sailor Moon store opens in Harajuku
With the anime marking its 25th anniversary this year, the world's first permanent store for "Sailor Moon" goods opened Saturday in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku district.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2017
Japan in unique position to take global lead in investment and trade: experts
Somewhat overshadowed in recent years by China's rise as a regional and global power, Japan still extends considerable influence as a world leader in various fields, including investment, policy management and trade, according to experts who gathered at a Tokyo conference earlier this week.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 21, 2017
VR attractions to take center stage at Tokyo Game Show
With the debut of high-end virtual reality gaming systems for home use, 2016 was heralded as the dawn of the VR era. But while the technology basked in the spotlight, some questioned whether there was substance behind the hype.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2017
Toshiba signs memorandum to favor Bain consortium for chip unit sale
Struggling Toshiba Corp. signs a memorandum of understanding with a consortium led by Bain Capital to accelerate negotiations to sell its flash memory business by the end of September.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 4, 2017
Japan's anime pilgrimages give untrod real-world locales economic boost
The popularity of the blockbuster anime film "Your Name." went beyond movie screens, with fans flocking to the real-world locales depicted in the romantic fantasy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Sep 3, 2017
Line CEO Takeshi Idezawa hears voices guiding smartphones evolution
Since its messaging app debuted in June 2011, Line Corp. has shaken up the online communications landscape in Japan and morphed into a player in smartphone communications infrastructure.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2017
Anime group launches tourism pilgrimage inspired by Shikoku Henro
More than 80 cities, towns and wards have been selected as destinations in what is being dubbed the "Anime Tourism 88-Stop Pilgrimage," an anime industry association announced Saturday.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan