David Ha, the head of AI tech company Sakana AI, points at his laptop during an interview at the company's office in Tokyo on Aug. 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2025
Top Japan startup Sakana AI touts nature-inspired tech
Sakana aims to merge existing and new systems, large and small, to develop what it calls "collective intelligence."
Toyota Motor has implemented a five-stage internal qualification system at vehicle certification test sites to ensure quality and develop related human resources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2025
Toyota introduces qualification system to prevent test fraud
The move aims to prevent any recurrence of irregularities in tests to obtain type approval needed for mass production.
Elliott Investment Management has acquired a stake in Japanese regional utility Kansai Electric Power, according to a person familiar with the matter.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2025
Activist fund Elliott reported to take stake in Kansai Electric, eyeing assets
Activist hedge funds have been honing in on property held by Japanese companies valued at its original cost on their balance sheets as part of their investment strategy.
Activists holding signs that reads "No one is illegal!" protest against a huge immigration raid last week in the U.S. state of Georgia, in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 9, 2025
Workers say corporate South Korea was warned about questionable U.S. visas before Hyundai raid
For years, South Korean companies have said they struggle to obtain short-term work visas for specialists needed in their high-tech plants in the United States.
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2025
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Sometimes it makes sense to act before the investigation is done.
Hitachi's dog-shaped robot, introduced at its railway vehicle plant in Maryland. The heavy machinery maker is looking to expand its investment in the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2025
Hitachi to expand its investment in U.S., CEO says
The company invested more than $12 billion in the United States in the five years through 2024, its CEO said, who added the goal is to invest that or more by around 2030.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch (left) and his son, Lachlan. The Murdoch family has reached a deal that will see Lachlan Murdoch cement control of the family media empire.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 9, 2025
Real-life 'Succession' ends: Lachlan Murdoch takes control, siblings take cash
A deal announced on Monday that will see Rupert Murdoch's politically conservative eldest son cement control of the family media empire.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight