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 Kazuaki Nagata

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Kazuaki Nagata
Japan Times
JAPAN / Help Wanted?
Dec 31, 2018
Foreign talent eager to work for Japanese firms, but staid office culture a hindrance
Dozens of young people from around Asia descended on Tokyo last month for a job fair, dressed in a plain black suit of the type considered "the uniform" for Japanese college students when they meet with prospective employers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 8, 2018
Nissan to recall 150,000 vehicles after new improper inspection practices come to light
Already bogged down in a series of cases of improper vehicle tests, Nissan Motor Co. said Friday that it has found new misconduct and will recall about 150,000 automobiles.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Dec 3, 2018
Japan hesitantly moves toward a cashless society
Taking out a wallet loaded with cash, receipts and loyalty cards and searching for coins in front of a cashier is a familiar scene at stores in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2018
Line and China's Tencent link up to push cashless payments in Japan
Line, Japan's messaging app giant with 78 million users, is stepping up its bid to become a major cashless payment platform by targeting Chinese tourists.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Nov 20, 2018
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance seen surviving the arrest of Carlos Ghosn
The arrest Monday of Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who is widely credited with turning around the struggling Yokohama-based automaker and forming one of the world's most powerful auto groups, has sent shock waves through the industry and left observers wondering what will become of the firm's cross-border...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 20, 2018
Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn arrested over allegations of 'grave' financial misconduct
Prosecutors move toward arresting the top executive over allegations that he under-reported his corporate salary.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Deep Dive
Nov 18, 2018
Japan's IT firms enthusiastically open doors to overseas tech workers
The dozens of young Chinese engineers looked nervous, but eager, as they presented their work in English during a hack-athon in September at the high-rise Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Deep Dive
Nov 18, 2018
Miyazaki finds solution to IT labor crunch thousands of kilometers away
Like many of Japan's smaller cities, Miyazaki has been hit by a growing labor crunch, a trend highlighted by the mere 56.8 percent of high school graduates that chose to remain in the prefecture to work — third-worst among the 47 prefectures.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 14, 2018
Japanese housebuilding startup Homma seeks to give U.S. housing market a dose of innovation
Not every Japanese entrepreneur manages to launch a startup in Silicon Valley, and odds are even lower if that person wants to take on the challenge of the U.S. housing market.
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Nov 13, 2018
Successful Japanese communications entrepreneur sets sights on renewable energy race
If it wasn't for Sachio Semmoto, the landscape of Japan's communications industry would look different today.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2018
Starbucks to speed up digital services roll-out, CEO says during visit to Japan
Starbucks plans to accelerate the roll out of digital services in Japan by introducing preorders and deliveries via smartphones, as well as cashless payments, visiting CEO Kevin Johnson said Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2018
Think tank says applicants for planned blue-collar visas should have college degrees
A newly launched think tank researching policies for accepting more foreign workers said Monday that as a condition for new visa statuses currently being discussed in the Diet, the government should require prospective applicants to have a college degree.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 2, 2018
Japanese advertising giant Dentsu and U.S. venture capital firm tie up to boost sports technology sector
Japanese advertising giant Dentsu Inc. and a U.S.-based venture capital firm plan to launch an accelerator program for technology companies engaged in the sports business around the world.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2018
David Rockefeller Jr., scion of powerful U.S. family, calls for action from Japan to improve health of oceans
Japan is moving in a positive direction on its fisheries policy and ensuring the marine ecosystem remains sustainable, said David Rockefeller Jr., an environmentalist and a descendant of one of the most influential business families in the United States, but he noted in an interview with The Japan Times...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2018
Firms must play bigger role in tackling climate change, experts and business leaders tell Tokyo forum
As climate change threatens to transform the world as we know it, the business sector needs to increase its efforts to deal with the threat by boosting investment in environmentally friendly firms and developing green technologies, business leaders and experts said at a recent international forum.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2018
NTT Docomo to launch world's 'thinnest and lightest' phone in November
For years, electronics giants have been developing smartphones with increasingly larger screens. Bucking the trend for phones to be bigger and flashier is a handset set to debut next month from NTT Docomo Inc. that can fit in your business card case.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 16, 2018
Firms offer a glimpse of future business models at CEATEC, Japan's biggest electronics trade show
Japan's biggest electronics trade show kicked off Tuesday, offering a future peek at how the latest technologies can be integrated into everyday living.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2018
Tokyo-based clothes recycling newbie to advance to Startup World Cup 2019
A Tokyo-based startup specializing in the business of recycling clothes is slated to proceed to the final stage of an annual global startup competition, scheduled to be held in San Francisco in May of next year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Oct 10, 2018
Jins' new vision: Glasses as wearable smart devices
When he senses a business opportunity, Hitoshi Tanaka bets big and does everything he can do to make sure the initiative bears fruit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2018
Collaboration and cooperation among key points for innovation, business leaders tell Tokyo summit
Cross-industry collaboration, cooperation between startups and large corporations, and closely watching business trends are key to triggering innovation, business leaders and industry experts said Friday at a Tokyo event.

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