author

 
 

Meta

Patricia Cohen
The construction site of the Rapidus chip factory in Chitose, in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The Rapidus chip factory in Chitose is a collaboration with IBM and backed by billions of dollars in government funding.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 14, 2024
Japan tries to reclaim its clout as a global tech leader
To do this, Japan is working with foreign tech leaders — an outward-looking, collaborative approach that decades earlier would have been unthinkable.
Shipping containers at the port in Ningbo, China, March 27, 2024. The U.S. and Europe are trying to catch up to China’s lead in industrial policy, a rival skilled in using all the levers of government and banking to dominate global manufacturing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 28, 2024
How China pulled so far ahead on industrial policy
In 2022, Beijing accounted for 85% of all clean-energy manufacturing investment in the world, according to the International Energy Agency.
Awang Suang trims weeds from palm trees on his small plantation in Membakut, Malaysia on Feb. 12. He has been cultivating oil palms for more than 50 years after switching from rubber trees. Palms require less labor and produce more frequent harvests — roughly every two weeks, year round — providing a steadier income, he explained.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Mar 18, 2024
Can Europe save forests without killing jobs in Malaysia?
A new regulation aims to rid the palm oil supply chain of imports that come from former forestland.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 15, 2023
The ‘peace dividend’ is over in Europe. Now come the hard tradeoffs.
Defending against an unpredictable Russia in years to come will mean bumping up against a strained social safety net and ambitious climate transition plans.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 7, 2022
Portugal could hold an answer for a Europe captive to Russian gas
Long cut off from the continent's grid, Portugal and Spain built a system based on imports and alternatives like solar that is the envy of fellow European Union nations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2022
Global growth will be choked amid inflation and war, World Bank says
The World Bank said the war in Ukraine, supply chain chokeholds, COVID-19 lockdowns in China, and rises in energy and food prices are exacting a growing toll on economies.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 27, 2022
As Russia diverges from the global economy, Soviet-style scarcity looms
The economic toll on Russia, although difficult to quantify, has spread widely, from its largest companies to its small shops and workers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 19, 2022
Bleak assessments of the Russian economy clash with Putin’s rosy claims
Russia's central bank chief has warned that the consequences of sanctions were only beginning to be felt, and Moscow's mayor said 200,000 jobs were at risk in the capital alone.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 24, 2022
Climate fears on back burner as fuel costs soar and Ukraine crisis deepens
The perils of a warming planet are no less calamitous now, but debate about transitioning to renewable energy has taken a back seat to energy security.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 26, 2022
Slowdowns in U.S. and China will hold back global growth, report says
Higher inflation, supply chain chokepoints, and pandemic-related shutdowns and worker shortages continue to afflict rich and poor nations, the IMF said.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?