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December 22, 2024
 

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A Costco store in Illinois
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2024
Costco’s Japan unit warned by FTC after cutting subcontractor payments
Bakery and food suppliers saw their compensation reduced by ¥33.5 million from 2021 to 2023, the agency has said.
Customers shop at the GU store in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. The brand's operator Fast Retailing hopes to expand its share in markets in the United States and Europe.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 26, 2024
Uniqlo’s sister brand GU takes aim at market in U.S. and Europe
International sales made up more than half of Uniqlo’s revenue in the latest fiscal year, GU has mostly only flourished domestically.
Packages of tofu on the production line at the Yamami factory in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 18, 2023
Tofu-maker Yamami sees shares surge after automating ancient craft
At its newest factory at the foot of Mount Fuji, the company, one of the few that’s listed, can produce 15,000 units of the bean curd each hour.
Nobuhiro Torii, president of Suntory Spirits, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Oct. 27.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 6, 2023
Suntory to boost output as Japanese whisky sees global boom
Suntory Spirits has begun two-year renovations at its Yamazaki distillery in Osaka Prefecture and its Hakushu distillery in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Many of Japan’s largest businesses are exporters that benefit from a weaker yen.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 30, 2023
Japan’s biggest firms set for $9.3 billion bonanza from weak yen
Many of Japan’s largest businesses are exporters that benefit from a weaker yen.
The Fair Trade Commission has begun a probe on allegations of potential antitrust violations by Google.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 23, 2023
Japan begins probe into Google for alleged antitrust violations
Japan’s antitrust watchdog has begun an investigation into whether Alphabet’s Google abuses its market position to block rival services.
Welcia Holdings, Japan’s largest drugstore chain, is one of the first Japanese companies to respond to China easing its ban on group tours to a raft of countries last week.
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2023
Japan drugstore chain boosts duty-free counters on China bets
The company plans to offer duty-free services at 1,000 stores, up from about 260 currently, and it expects tourists to travel beyond Japan’s major cities.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway in June raised its stake in Japan's five major trading firms. All of them beat net-income estimates for the first quarter of the fiscal year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 4, 2023
Buffett’s favored Japan trading firms post solid earnings
The five major trading firms all beat net-income estimates for the first quarter of the fiscal year in reports issued this week.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 3, 2023
Seven & I says strategy will work in latest missive to ValueAct
Debate between Seven & I and activist fund ValueAct Capital Management is likely to continue through May 25, when Seven & I is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 2, 2023
The inside story of Buffett’s big Japan bet, over glasses of Coke at Four Seasons
The billionaire investor's visit is seen as an important vote of confidence in Japan’s big five traders as they pivot away from fossil fuels.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2023
Ajinomoto may build new factory for crucial film used in electronic chips
The company may invest more than its planned ¥25 billion if necessary, and will make a decision on any new factory within a few years, its CEO has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 7, 2023
Seven-Eleven’s owner says new committee to review spinoffs and IPOs
The committee of outside board members will recommend changes and execute them, the eight independent directors said in a statement.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2023
Suntory Beverage’s first female CEO seeks $5 billion in drinks acquisitions
The company sees potential in health-related drinks in the U.S., Asia and regions where Suntory has currently little presence, said Makiko Ono.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2023
Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda lowers price of dengue shot in Brazil and Indonesia
The cost for Qdenga in Indonesia will be about one-third its European price, far lower than many other innovative vaccines, Takeda CEO Christophe Weber said in an interview.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 21, 2023
After bankruptcy, fast-fashion brand Forever 21 plans upscale Japan relaunch
The move comes as the popularity of fast-fashion juggernaut Shein piles pressure on traditional brands including Forever 21 and H&M and puts a spotlight on sustainability in the industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2023
Uniqlo’s quest to conquer the U.S., one cashmere sweater at a time
The apparel maker, known for its affordable cashmere sweaters and solid basics, wants to go big in one of the world’s toughest consumer markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2023
Major Japan trading house eases rules on side jobs to retain new generation
Trading houses hold an outsized influence in Japan due to their diversified business interests, and are favorites among university graduates due to their high salaries and job security.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2023
Uniqlo brings skateboarding streetwear vibe to T-shirt sub-brand
Japanese artist and graphic designer Kosuke Kawamura unveiled last week his first creations as creative director of the apparel maker’s T-shirt line, called UT.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 12, 2023
Uniqlo owner sticks to forecast while seeking to raise wages
Operating profit for the year ending August is forecast to reach u00a5350 billion ($2.7 billion), the clothing retailer said in a statement.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2023
Shionogi's COVID-19 pill may get China approval in March
The Japanese drugmaker has been submitting data to regulators in China and expects Xocova to be authorized for use as early as this quarter, Chief Executive Officer Isao Teshirogi said.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
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