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Pavel Alpeyev
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2020
SoftBank shares tumble 10% after OneWeb files for bankruptcy
SoftBank Group Corp. fell as much as 10 percent after a provider of satellite-based internet service that it invested in filed for bankruptcy, ceding some gains from an unprecedented plan to sell assets and buy back shares.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2019
WeWork's escape plan is buried in the books at its Tokyo office
Masayoshi Son stood on stage in Tokyo earlier this month and told skeptical SoftBank Group Corp. investors that making WeWork Cos. profitable is not only possible, but will be "simple." Driving that confidence is WeWork's Japanese unit, which is already in the black and will be the springboard for a...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2019
SoftBank's Son says it's business as usual after record loss, but Tokyo traders aren't buying it
Masayoshi Son wants investors to believe that a record loss from investments in money-losing startups WeWork and Uber Technologies Inc. is but a bump in the road. Some aren't buying it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 1, 2019
SoftBank has a lesson for startups with WeWork coup: Your dreams had better be profitable
Masayoshi Son, long known as a free-spending benefactor who encouraged startup founders to pursue their dreams even if it meant losing billions of dollars, had a different message for entrepreneurs last month: Your dreams had better be profitable.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 22, 2019
Line hopes app's links with Japan's Mizuho and Nomura can open 78 million wallets
Line Corp. is betting that tie-ups with Japan's biggest financial institutions will help convince its 78 million users to entrust the free texting app with their money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2018
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son in his own words — all 303,513 of them
Masayoshi Son has a lot going on these days.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2018
Mercari's top-of-range IPO set to make founder Shintaro Yamada Japan's newest billionaire
Mercari Inc. priced its initial public offering at the top of the range to sell ¥130.5 billion ($1.2 billion) worth of shares, a valuation that's set to make its 40-year-old founder a billionaire.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2018
Masayoshi Son plans measures to reduce discount on SoftBank stock
SoftBank Group Corp.'s Masayoshi Son became technology's biggest investor over the past year, taking major stakes in ride-hailing, e-commerce and semiconductors. But he doesn't get much credit for his investment acumen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2018
Bike sharing model proving tough fit in parking space-scarce Japan
Bike sharing has a lot going for it. It's mass transit that's ultracheap, burns body fat instead of fossil fuels and is adored by venture capitalists. But the business model has hit a major snag: parking.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 4, 2017
36-year-old strikes gold with instant web Japanese flea market
Yusuke Mitsumoto had a hunch: What if you paid people instantly for their used goods over the internet, with no guarantee that they would hand them over?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2017
New home-sharing law may give HomeAway the edge over rival Airbnb
Japan's home-sharing market is poised for a shift away from couch surfing toward professional services after the passage of a law regulating short-term rentals.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 9, 2017
Step aside, Siri: A new AI-powered assistant is in town, and she's kawaii
When Siri is asked whether she has a boyfriend, the iPhone's digital assistant is usually quick to deflect the question with a quip about drones always trying to pick her up.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 18, 2017
Hackers exploit Japan's army of mobile gamers with fake rewards
Gamers beware: hackers offering free virtual trinkets don't care about your passwords or personal data — they are after your employer's most closely guarded secrets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 14, 2017
Tokyo startup offers QR code app for those who want to shop like Michael Jackson
In the 2003 documentary "Living With Michael Jackson," the late King of Pop was filmed shopping for art and furniture in a Las Vegas store, pointing at things he liked and walking out, leaving his handlers to settle the bill.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 14, 2016
Line seeks to shake up messaging business to spur growth
Line Corp. is planning to shake up its staff and business to build on the 20-plus percent share gain since the messaging company pulled off the tech world's biggest public offering of the year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 11, 2016
Nintendo's 'Pokemon Go' hit gives early taste of smartphone success
Nintendo Co., which has not yet thrown itself fully into the world of mobile gaming, is giving people a good idea of what a smartphone hit looks like with the success of "Pokemon Go."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2016
Toshiba's President Tsunakawa warns of long road to recovery
A day after stepping into his new role, Toshiba Corp. President Satoshi Tsunakawa has cautioned that the company is still recovering from a bruising accounting scandal and faces a lengthy turnaround process.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2014
Ex-Goldman trader says his bitcoin exchange will fill Mt. Gox void
Yuzo Kano quit Goldman Sachs Group Inc. twice: once for a rival bank, the second time to open Japan's first bitcoin exchange since the collapse of Mt. Gox.

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