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A woman is silhouetted at The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains at the V&A Museum in London in 2017.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2024

Sony buys Pink Floyd music rights for $400 million, FT reports

The deal includes the band's name and portrait rights of its members.
Tire giant Bridgestone has become the latest Japanese firm to end its Olympic sponsorship.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2024

Bridgestone becomes latest Japan firm to end Olympic sponsorship

Bridgestone struck sponsorship deals with the Olympics for 10 years in 2014 and the Paralympics for six years in 2018.
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 6, 2024

Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law

A weak yen, robust inbound tourism and social media have shone a spotlight on a park in Tokyo where men gather in search of sex.
Nomura Holdings Chief Executive Officer Kentaro Okuda apologized in his first public appearance following allegations that an employee manipulated the bond futures market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 2, 2024

Nomura CEO apologizes after bond market manipulation probe

The move came as Nomura competes to capitalize on a revival of the Japanese bond market fueled by a shift in the country’s monetary policy.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda, seen on June 14, said on Wednesday that he told new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that the central bank was "supporting the economy with loose monetary conditions."
BUSINESS
Oct 2, 2024

Ishiba says Japan not ready for rate hike after meeting BOJ's Ueda

"I told the prime minister that we are supporting the economy with loose monetary conditions," Ueda said.
Shoppers on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
Oct 3, 2024

CIA boosts its China recruiting efforts to exploit discontent with Xi

The CIA's online push comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping has consolidated power over a fifth of humanity to a degree unseen in decades.
A network camera installed at a nursery school in the city of Chiba monitors children.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2024

Network cameras offer better views in Japan

Cameras with built-in computing functions are gaining popularity as they allow users to easily check video feeds via the internet.
Elon Musk during the final match of the U.S. Open in New York on Sept. 8
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2024

Musk funded right-wing nonprofit for years before endorsing Trump, sources say

Revenues at Building America's Future climbed from some $11 million in 2021 to about $53 million in 2022, the year two people said Musk had already started his donations.
People walk with water collected from a truck following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
WORLD
Oct 3, 2024

Many in North Carolina still without water after Helene's destruction

The powerful storm inundated the western part of Georgia in the U.S. with catastrophic flooding, destroying pipes, damaging water plants and cutting off power.
Toyota is delaying the start of production for its first U.S.-made electric vehicle until 2026.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2024

Toyota pushes production of first U.S.-made electric vehicle into 2026

The Japanese carmaker initially targeted late next year to begin output, but a company spokesperson said that has slipped by a few months into 2026.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2024

Further BOJ rate hike this year in doubt after Ishiba's surprise warning

A survey last month showed 53% of economists forecast the BOJ would push up interest rates in December, but that outlook is now in question.
Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group, speaks during the SoftBank World event in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2024

SoftBank’s Son envisions AI running households in the next few years

Masayoshi Son's rosy view of AI's potential often comes with a warning to skeptics that they may be left behind if they do not embrace the technology.
Mobile phone numbers with a 060 prefix could be available as soon as December.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 3, 2024

Japan considers new 060 mobile number prefix as 070 runs low

Numbers starting with 060 could be available as early as December, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Analysts say Warren Buffett may be looking to buy Japanese financial firms and shipping companies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 3, 2024

Buffett may target Japan banks or insurers for next purchase, analysts say

The billionaire’s company this week mandated banks to manage a yen bond sale in the global market, in a sign he may increase holdings in Japan.
Starbucks has 10 support centers around the world where agronomists work with farmers on research and best practices.
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2024

Starbucks buys research farms as climate change threatens coffee supply

Bolstering the coffee industry’s climate resilience has taken on fresh urgency this year.
International Monetary Fund spokesperson Julie Kozack
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

IMF says Japan should keep raising rates if inflation data warrants it

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Wednesday that Japan is not in an environment requiring an additional rate hike.
Digital minister Taro Kono attends an Upper House committee session in June. The cautioning of Kono over his use of his smartphone to respond to a question in the Upper House last November attracted significant attention and led to a bipartisan call for digital transformation within parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2024

Digitalization advances gradually in Japan's parliament

Improvement plans have been adopted but certain practices, such as the use of tablets at the podium during plenary sessions, remain off-limits.
Shigeru Ishiba's nascent administration is attracting something of a reputation for flip-flopping — and it hasn’t even been a week.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 4, 2024

Don’t take Japan's new leader literally. But should you take him seriously?

Ishiba will discover that his supply of capital with the public will run out quickly if he offers no break from his predecessor.
The Japanese market for secondhand items is growing, with more consumers using flea market apps such as Mercari.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

Japan's used goods market is expanding, but that may hurt its GDP

The trend is seen as friendly to consumers and the environment, but it can have the undesirable consequence of pushing down the country's GDP.
A Geely assembly line in Chengdu, China, in April 2023
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024

EU presses ahead with Chinese EV tariffs after split vote

The proposed duties on Chinese-built EVs of up to 45% would cost carmakers billions of extra dollars to bring cars into the bloc.
Electric vehicles bound for shipment to Europe at the Port of Taicang in Taicang, China.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 5, 2024

EU tests its mettle to take on China with new EV tariff fight

The EU voted on Friday to boost tariffs as high as 45%, arguing that Beijing provides unfair subsidies to its carmakers.
Containers are stacked at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) in Portsmouth, Virginia, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 5, 2024

U.S. port strike throws spotlight on big union foe: automation

Companies view automation as a path to better profit while unions see it as a job-killer.
Zackree Kline works as a manager in a diner and also at a funeral home. "I work every single day of the week. I never have a day off," he said.
WORLD / Society
Oct 5, 2024

One job by day, another by night as U.S. voters make ends meet

Rising costs of living are weighing heavily on voters who want the next president — whoever it may be — to "do the right thing."
There's long been one mantra in mainstream economics: Growth is good. But recently, an alternative term has begun taking root in popular culture and policy: "degrowth."
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 5, 2024

These are boom times for ‘degrowth’

Kohei Saito believes one reason degrowth has had increasing appeal is because "younger generations are not enjoying the fruits of economic growth.”
Jera's liquefied natural gas fired power plant inside the company's Anegasaki Thurmal Power Station in Ichihara, Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 5, 2024

Japan firms unite to cut methane emissions from LNG supply

Twenty-two firms are joining an initiative that aims to leverage their buying power to curb methane emissions from liquefied natural gas supply chains.
Three-month basis swaps for dollar-yen dropped to negative 53.5 basis points on Thursday, a level not seen since November 2023.
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2024

Boom in samurai bond issuance drives up yen swap costs

Three-month basis swaps for dollar-yen dropped to negative 53.5 basis points on Thursday, a level not seen since November 2023.
 A giant mural of Shohei Ohtani on the side of a hotel in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 5, 2024

Japanese baseball fans flock to LA to see playoff-bound Ohtani

Inside Dodger Stadium, the influence of Japanese fans is clear, from Japanese-language merchandise to cuisine that included bento boxes, sushi and fried octopus.
Nintendo merchandise during the grand opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles last year.
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2024

Saudi Arabia's PIF mulls larger stake in Nintendo: report

PIF currently owns 8.58% of Nintendo and also has stakes in video game companies Nexon, Capcom, and Koei Tecmo.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba inspects the area around a morning market, which was heavily damaged in the Jan. 1 earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2024

Torrential rain in Noto Peninsula to be designated a severe disaster, Ishiba says

Ishiba announced the plan during a visit to areas damaged heavily by the rain and the powerful Jan. 1 earthquake.
The industry ministry plans to set up a liaison committee of officials from relevant government agencies to discuss support measures for brick-and-mortar bookstores.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2024

Ministry reports issues facing bookstores

The ministry will set up by year-end a liaison committee of officials from relevant government agencies to fully launch discussions on support measures for bookstores.

Longform

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