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August 15, 2024
 

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Yuka Obayashi
Offshore wind turbines at the Scroby Sands Wind Farm, operated by E.ON SE, near Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom. Foreign wind power companies say Japan's development process for offshore wind power takes much longer than in other countries, leading to more uncertainty and risks.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2023
Foreign wind power players urge Japan to scale up offshore auctions
"If you want to create appetite from investors you need to propose larger plants"
Cosmo Energy is calling another shareholder vote on Dec. 14 to seek approval to discourage an activist group, led by Yoshiaki Murakami, from increasing its stake to 24.56% from the current 20%.
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023
Japan's Cosmo braces for 'poison pill' anti-activist vote
The refiner is calling another shareholder vote on Dec. 14 to seek approval to discourage an activist group from increasing its stake.
Trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura speaks at a ceremony at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday to launch a new platform for the trade of carbon credits.
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2023
Carbon pricing platform kicks off at Tokyo Stock Exchange
More than 180 organizations, including oil firms and regional banks, have decided to participate in the platform.
Liquefied natural gas tanks in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2023
Industry ministry sees LNG stocks recovering toward winter
LNG stocks have been declining since May as a long, hot summer boosted the use of air-conditioners, lifting demand for power and fuels.
Kansai Electric Power's Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 3, 2023
Japan's nuclear restarts this year to hasten LNG import decline
Kansai Electric Power's plan next month to relaunch the last idle reactor at its flagship nuclear plant will mark an energy shift in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 8, 2023
European Energy Exchange sees huge growth in Japanese power futures trade this year
Volatility in electricity prices spiked in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, delivering a 'wake up call' on the need for hedging.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2023
Cosmo CEO says controversial vote tactics justified in activist defense
A vote on a 'poison pill' takeover defense will exclude Cosmo's largest shareholder grouping.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 28, 2023
Kyushu Electric to raise ¥200 billion to fund green transition
Japanese utilities were hit by high fuel costs last year as a post-pandemic energy crisis was exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2023
Osaka Gas to secure more LNG in fiscal 2023 amid tight global supply
The LNG contract that Osaka Gas, JERA and Tokyo Gas have signed to buy a combined 3.4 million tonnes per year from Brunei for 10 years from April 2013 is due to expire this month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 9, 2023
Inpex sees 2023 net profit down by 38% on weaker oil and stronger yen
Japan's top exploration and production company sees the average Brent oil price falling to $75 per barrel in 2023 from $99 per barrel last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 20, 2022
Japan sounds out refiners on buying Russian oil from Sakhalin-2, sources say
The Sakhalin Island complex, partly owned by Gazprom and Japanese companies, is vital to Japan's energy security as it accounts for 9% of the country's liquefied natural gas imports.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2022
Nippon Steel eyes more stakes in coking coal mines to secure stable supply
The steelmaker says sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine have squeezed an already-tight supply of commodities such as metallurgical coal.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2022
Japan to resume offshore wind auctions in December with revised rules
An auction in northern Japan was abruptly suspended in March after complaints from businesses about the lack of clarity around the bidding process.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2022
Japan government asks Sakhalin-2 stakeholders to 'think positively' about new entity
State gas company Gazprom will receive just over 50% of the entity replacing Sakhalin Energy, the current operator.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 15, 2022
Jera to start new coal-fired power plant to ease Japan's electricity crunch
The move represents a rare example of a new coal power plant being built in a developed country, as many industrialized nations have been shutting down coal plants for years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 22, 2022
JERA prepares to revive a second aged power unit at Anegasaki plant
Japan's energy supply problems relate to various domestic issues, including the suspension of some plants after March earthquakes in Fukushima.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 25, 2022
Insurance is Russian oil's Achilles' heel
Insurers from Europe and the United States, which dominate the international marine market, are curtailing coverage for Russian oil tankers, industry sources say.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2022
Japanese refiner Eneos to buy alternative to Russian crude from Middle East
'For now, we intend to get alternatives from existing trading partners such as Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait,' Chairman Tsutomu Sugimori said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 11, 2022
Japan looks to top up LNG reserves as possible Russian gas cutoff looms
Utilities are scrambling for already stretched energy sources as resource-poor Japan joins the West in punishing Russia for its actions in Ukraine.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2022
Firms in Japan start to feel the heat over Russia ties as rivals shun Moscow
Executives say privately they are worried about reputational damage, a sign corporate Japan is — however reluctantly — becoming more responsive to pressure on social issues.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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