author

 
 

Meta

Stephen Stapczynski
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Nov 9, 2018
How investing in American LNG boom backfired on Toshiba
Buy high, sell low and guarantee a loss. It's not exactly what Toshiba Corp. planned when it dipped its toes in liquefied natural gas trading.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 19, 2018
Will resignation of key governor weaken Japan's anti-nuclear movement?
As an important figure in a position to influence the fate of reactors Yoneyama is likely to be missed, but his successor may continue the anti-restart policy in the prefecture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2018
Efforts afoot to tap electric car batteries to power homes
When Damien Maguire moved to the countryside outside Dublin, he struggled to keep the lights on at home because of the town's constant power outages. He found a solution inside his electric cars: their batteries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 27, 2018
SMAP star's Instagram foray reflects weakening grip of Japan TV ads
Shingo Katori commanded the adoration of millions of fans across Asia as a member of SMAP, one of Japan's most successful boy bands. After decades as a ubiquitous TV presence, he finally decided in November it was time to get an Instagram account.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2018
Blockchain and drones could play a role in Tepco's fight for survival
Shattered by the enormity of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and bleeding customers to nimbler rivals, Tokyo's lumbering, 66-year-old electric-power behemoth has a new strategy for long-term survival: reinventing itself as a cutting-edge innovator.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 17, 2017
Could North Korea copy Nazi Germany in event of a total oil ban?
As the U.S. and its allies look to impose even stricter measures against North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un could find inspiration from oppressive regimes of yesteryear in Nazi Germany and Apartheid-era South Africa.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 15, 2017
Utilities put on notice: Municipalities looking to sell energy to residents
The latest threat to the nation's biggest utilities is growing in rural communities like Miyama, a town in Kyushu with a population of about 38,000. It may spread to the big cities next.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 10, 2017
Sega embraces rogue fan programmers with retro Sonic sequel
Sega is doing what Nintendon't.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 7, 2017
What to expect at Idemitsu as acrimonious court battle looms
Idemitsu Kosan Co.'s plan to raise as much as ¥138.5 billion ($1.2 billion) by selling 48 million shares sent its stock on its biggest fall since 2008 on Tuesday. The refiner's move is the latest in the fight with its founding family over a merger with longtime rival Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 9, 2017
Mongolia and China envision giant power grids to light up Asia
The lights of the high-end boutiques and bars of Tokyo's Ginza district may someday be powered by coal burned more than 1,700 miles away (2,700 km) in Mongolia, electricity zipping over ultra-high voltage lines across deserts and under seas.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 27, 2017
Future of Westinghouse may hinge on fate of its new Shanghai reactor
The start-up of a nuclear power plant south of Shanghai later this year has a lot riding on it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2017
Russia turns iffy on Japan gas future as Abe heads to Moscow
Russia's Gazprom PJSC isn't confident in Japan's future as a growing natural gas user, which may damp prospects of a proposed pipeline between the countries as Premier Shinzo Abe travels to Moscow later this month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 14, 2017
Toshiba's troubled Westinghouse may be strategic fit for China or South Korea
If Toshiba Corp. parts ways with its embattled U.S. nuclear unit, Westinghouse Electric Co., the likely buyer may be a regional neighbor with global ambitions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 9, 2017
Nintendo counting on high praise for Zelda to fuel Switch sales
Nintendo Co. is earning early accolades for making sure that its new Switch console debuted with a strong gaming title, "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." The big question now is whether that will translate into sales.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 1, 2017
Hollywood is losing Japan box office to gender-bender tale 'Your Name.'
Move over, Hollywood — Japanese moviegoers are shopping local these days.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2017
Fukushima fuel-removal quest leaves trail of dead robots
The latest robot attempting to find the 600 tons of nuclear fuel and debris that melted down six years ago in the wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant met its end in less than a day.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 8, 2017
Reactor renaissance stymied by costly delays, strict safety regimens
Costly delays, growing complexity and new safety requirements in the wake of the three meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 plant are conspiring to thwart a new age of nuclear reactor construction.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2017
Niigata governor Ryuichi Yoneyama stands firm against restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant
The man blocking the world's largest nuclear plant says he grew opposed to atomic energy the same way some people fall in love.
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 1, 2017
China's nuclear power capacity likely to overtake America's within a decade
China's rapid nuclear expansion will result in it overtaking the U.S. as the nation with the largest atomic power capacity by 2026, according to BMI Research.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2016
Fukushima's ¥8 trillion cleanup leaves foreign firms in the cold
Cleaning up the Fukushima nuclear plant — a task predicted to cost 86 times the amount earmarked for decommissioning Japan's first commercial reactor — is the mother of all salvage jobs. Still, foreign firms with decades of experience are seeing little of the spoils.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji