author

 
 

Meta

Katya Golubkova
U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 8, 2024
Nippon Steel seeks to close U.S. Steel deal before Trump is president
Before the Nov. 5 election, which handed him victory, Donald Trump promised to block the deal if reelected.
A FamilyMart convenience store in Tokyo. Around-the-corner stores iconic to Japan help the trading houses to monetize on their food and apparel businesses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2024
Food and FamilyMart drive Itochu's half-year profit up 6%
Itochu kept its net profit forecast for the year unchanged at ¥880 billion, of which 24% is projected from food, textiles and the division where FamilyMart belongs.
Marubeni's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2024
Marubeni-backed salmon farm starts Japan sales as part of diversification push
Wild and sea-farmed salmon is one of the areas Marubeni and its rivals have been targeting in Japan.
Equinor's bid underscores the focus some wind players are putting on Japan even as they scale back elsewhere.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 22, 2024
Norway's Equinor tries again for a Japan offshore wind lease, sources say
A latecomer to offshore wind, Japan wants to build up to 45 gigawatts of capacity by 2040, which would make it a top-five offshore wind market.
Newly appointed industry minister Yoji Muto says there is no change to a government plan to safely restart nuclear power plants.
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2024
Japan to keep nuclear and boost renewables, new industry minister says
Yoji Muto says securing energy will be "the most important part of Japan's growth."
Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 30, 2024
Nippon Steel, peers urge Tokyo to curb steel imports from China
China's steel exports rose 24% to 53.4 million tons in the first half of 2024, on track for 100 million tons for the year.
Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori holds a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2024
Nippon Steel raises full-year profit forecast, confident on U.S. Steel deal
Net profit in April-June, its first quarter, fell 11% from a year earlier to ¥157.6 billion, but exceeded analyst expectations of ¥108.7 billion as per LSEG data.
Energy companies are increasingly calling for greater use of nuclear power as geopolitical tensions raise the risk of energy supply disruptions and power price hikes.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2024
In Japan, energy security fears put nuclear back in favor for 2040 plan
The Japanese government wants to lock in greater use of nuclear energy, along with wind and solar power, to secure stable energy supply.
A hydrogen storage tank and loading system at a liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal in Kobe. Japan and the European Union have agreed to work together on policies related to clean hydrogen.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Jun 4, 2024
Japan and EU agree to work on creating hydrogen demand and supply
Tokyo sees hydrogen as a new and cleaner source to gradually substitute liquefied natural gas, part of Japan's path to carbon neutrality by 2050.
Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel would give it greater access to the profitable U.S. market and further its long-term financial goals.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024
Nippon Steel's Mori hints at selling some assets to aid U.S. Steel deal
The firm's vice chairman plans to return to the United States this week for more talks over the proposed acquisition.
The United States Steel's plant in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Nippon Steel is sticking to its plan to close a deal by year-end to buy U.S. Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 9, 2024
Japan's Nippon Steel sticks to plan to close U.S. Steel deal by year-end
The takeover should bring Nippon Steel's global crude steel capacity to 86 million tons per year, close to its goal of 100 million.
JFE's net profit for the year ended March 31 came to ¥197.4 billion ($1.28 billion), just ahead of analysts' average forecast of ¥194.90 billion in an LSEG poll, thanks to higher steel margins.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 7, 2024
Japanese steelmaker JFE eyes overseas investments amid slower profit growth
The country's No. 2 steelmaker plans to ramp up overseas investments as part of a long-term drive to double profits.
A Wheeling-Nippon Steel facility in in Follansbee, West Virginia. Four senior Japanese officials speaking on condition of anonymity said it is still premature to declare the deal dead.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2024
Why Japan is not giving up on fraught U.S. Steel deal
Four senior Japanese officials speaking on condition of anonymity said it is still premature to declare the deal dead.
Japan aims to have 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power projects by 2030 and up to 45 GW by 2040, to replace fossil fuels including coal and liquefied natural gas in its energy mix — for which floating offshore wind is essential.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 13, 2024
Japan to expand offshore wind development to exclusive economic zones
Global energy companies have been urging Japan to make investments more attractive, amid soaring costs and growing competition between suppliers.
Dai Karasawa, president of SSE Pacifico K.K., a joint venture of U.K. energy group SSE and Japan's Pacifico Energy, speaks about their plan to develop offshore wind farms in Japan during an interview in Tokyo, last week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2024
SSE's Japan unit aims to develop 6GW offshore wind farms
Japan is aiming to become a major offshore wind power producer, with the government targeting 10 GW by 2030 and up to 45 GW by 2040.
A LNG tanker at the Negishi LNG Terminal, which is jointly operated by Tokyo Gas and JERA, in Yokohama
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2024
Japan boosts reliance on allies for long-term LNG supplies
LNG accounts for about a third of Japan's power generation and it is the world's second-largest importer behind China.
A liquefied natural gas processing facility at the Sakhalin 2 project in Sakhalin, Russia. Japan has kept stakes in some energy projects in Russia as a matter of energy security.
BUSINESS
Feb 21, 2024
Japanese companies maintain suspended operations in Russia: survey
Japan has kept stakes in some energy projects as a matter of energy security.
Nippon Steel is on track to finalize its planned $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by the end of September, an executive has said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2024
Nippon Steel says on track to close U.S. Steel deal by September
The deal by the world's No.4 steelmaker to buy U.S. Steel has drawn criticism from some in the United States.
Wind turbines at an RWE wind farm off the coast of Great Yarmouth, England. RWE operates 3.3 gigawatts of offshore wind power in Europe.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 19, 2024
RWE plans further Japan offshore wind push after Niigata win
The German renewable energy company believes floating offshore projects will be the key to achieving the nation's goal of generating 45 GW of wind power by 2040.
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"

Longform

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