Search - company

 
 
An AI-driven smartphone application, jointly developed by a tech startup and researchers at Nihon University, purports to tell when cats feel pain. It was being demonstrated during a vet examination in Fujisawa on June 11.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 23, 2024

Japan should go big or go home on startups

As of last month, Japan had just 10 unicorns, according to Pitchbook data, compared to 714 in the U.S., 316 in China and 62 in India.
Seafood for sale at a market in Zhoushan, China. Beijng's import ban has fueled an aversion to seafood in general, creating a situation it hadn't anticipated.
BUSINESS
Aug 24, 2024

China keeps door firmly closed to Japanese seafood imports

Despite assurances of safety, Beijing continues to call water released from the crippled Fukushima plant "nuclear-contaminated water."
The new V Point program offers a feature allowing members to earn double reward points when making payments with credit cards.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Aug 26, 2024

New V Point spurs corporate economic bloc race in Japan

Competition among corporate groups in Japan is intensifying further as they strive to expand their economic influence through shared reward points.
Space One President Masakazu Toyoda speaks at a news conference on March 13 following the failure of the firm's rocket launch in Wakayama Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 26, 2024

Space One planning launch of second unit of satellite-carrying rocket

The firm's No. 1 Kairos rocket was launched on March 13, but exploded five seconds later.
Sarvam AI, often described as India’s OpenAI, introduced software for businesses that can interact with customers using spoken voice rather than just text.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 26, 2024

Cheap AI voice bots are suddenly everywhere in India

Startups may turn India into a proving ground for what could be the next frontier of generative artificial intelligence products.
A Tepco official shows emptied water tanks at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant as he explains about a plan to dismantle the tanks.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024

Tepco aims to dismantle Fukushima water tanks from 2025

Tepco plans to dismantle 12 empty treated water tanks out of about 1,000 existing tanks.
A humanoid robot developed by Ex-Robots winks at the World Robot Conference in Beijing on Aug. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 26, 2024

China robots conference spotlights the changing face of humanoids

"The robot industry has broad prospects and huge market potential," said Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Go Sugiyama, head of wealth management at Nomura Holdings
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 28, 2024

Nomura is hiring wealth managers after years of staff overhaul

Nomura’s wealth management segment that serves domestic clients has been a consistent performer over the years.
Gabriel, a victim of a robbery after arranging a date using a gay dating app, speaks during an interview in Sao Paulo on June 28.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 28, 2024

Gay Brazilians targeted in deadly stickups, lured by dating apps

Police have also warned of "love cons" involving straight men lured into kidnappings.
Koji Yamaguchi, president of Ox Engineering, says Paralympic athletes using the firm's wheelchairs won more than 140 medals in summer and winter games combined between 1996 and 2021.
JAPAN
Sep 2, 2024

Wheelchair-maker in Japan empowering Paralympic athletes

Founded in 1988 as a developer of motorcycle engines and parts, the company switched to the wheelchair business in 1995.
Johnny's & Associates President Noriyuki Higashiyama (second from right), unveils Smile-Up as the new name for the talent agency during a news conference in Tokyo in October 2023. The agency decided on the name change after it acknowledged the abuse committed by its late founder and apologized to victims in September 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 4, 2024

Johnny’s victims group to disband one year after agency admitted abuse

The group says it will continue to help victims with unresolved cases — through consultation and other forms of support — despite the disbandment.
Fulton County voters cast their ballots during the Georgia primary at Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta on May 21.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 5, 2024

U.S. voters targeted by Chinese influence online, researchers say

The messaging does not appear to favor one side of the political spectrum — either Democrats or Republicans.
Held annually in Cologne, Germany, Gamescom is the world's largest gaming convention, meaning it attracts attendees and exhibitors from near and far.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Sep 7, 2024

Traveling to Germany is ‘worth the cost’ for Japan’s indie studios

"Nothing beats seeing players' faces as they play our game in person, and getting to ask them directly about their experience, both positive and negative.”
A voter casts a mail-in ballot at a drop box outside the Maricopa County Recorder and Elections Department's southeast Mesa office during the Arizona state primary election in Mesa, Arizona, on July 30.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 6, 2024

U.S. election prompts cities to get a grip on fake news

Local officials are increasingly forced to address false information about public health, migration, and urban planning strategies, which intensify during polls.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 16 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

iPhone 16 to land in Japan without Apple Intelligence 

The new feature, which uses generative artificial intelligence to analyze text and photos, will only be activated in 2025 in several markets, including Japan.
An electronic sign developed by Mitsubishi Electric displays announcements in multiple languages at a factory in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

Mitsubishi Electric develops multilingual translation system for meetings

The firm hopes the system will be used when information needs to be related accurately to a large number of workers, including non-Japanese ones.
NHK President Nobuo Inaba speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2024

NHK director resigns over Chinese staff member's controversial comments

The Chinese staff member said in Chinese-language radio news on Aug. 19 that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands were part of Chinese territory.
Alimentation Couche-Tard is discussing raising its takeover bid for Seven & I Holdings, informed sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2024

Couche-Tard weighing higher price for 7-Eleven owner, sources say

Its bid would need to be significantly higher than the initial proposal of $14.86 per share in order to get Seven & I to enter negotiations, they said.
A secretive program called Secure Enclave and involving Intel and the Pentagon seeks to establish production for advanced chips with military and intelligence applications.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 14, 2024

Intel solidifies $3.5 billion deal to make chips for U.S. military

The secretive program, called Secure Enclave, seeks to establish production for advanced chips with military and intelligence applications.
A worker inspects solar panels in Gansu Province, China, in 2013.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 16, 2024

China’s U.S. solar plants undermine domestic push, report says

The report comes amid increasing scrutiny of Chinese investment in U.S.-based manufacturing of the solar tech key to the transition away from fossil fuels.
The student lounge in the senior school building at the GEMS World Academy in Dubai
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 16, 2024

Expats paying $33,000 school fees fuel rise of Dubai billionaire

Founded by Indian-born Sunny Varkey, GEMS Education caters to every price point, starting at as little as $3,900 a year.
A uranium stone. Russia is the world's largest exporter of enriched uranium.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 18, 2024

U.S. probes uranium imports from China amid concerns over Russian ban

The U.S. banned Russian enriched uranium in December 2023 as part of an effort to disrupt Russia's ability to fund its war on Ukraine.
A group of older women performs during a midautumn festival at a mall in Jinan, in eastern China, on Sept. 6. China’s shrinking population poses threats to growth but has opened opportunities for businesses that serve older adults.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 18, 2024

China’s ‘silver economy’ is thriving as birthrate plunges

Births in China fell to 9 million in 2023, down about 6% from the previous year, with the number of preschool children plummeting nearly 12%.
Visitors take pictures of Tokyo's National Stadium before the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games on Aug. 8, 2021.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2024

¥300 million fine sought for Dentsu over Olympics bid rigging

The Tokyo District Court is slated to issue a ruling on Jan. 30 next year.
Indian soldiers participate in a mock drill exercise in New Delhi in 2016. The transfer of Indian munitions to support Ukraine's defense against Russia has occurred for more than a year, according to the sources and customs data.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 19, 2024

Ammunition from India enters Ukraine, raising Russian ire

The transfer of munitions to support Ukraine's defense against Russia has occurred for more than a year, according to the sources and the customs data.
Tokyo Metro will aim to raise $2.25 billion — making it the largest IPO in Japan for six years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2024

Tokyo Metro and Rigaku set stage for $3 billion Japan IPOs as listings gather pace

Tokyo Metro's indicative price of ¥1,100 per share would raise ¥319.55 billion ($2.25 billion), giving the company a market value of ¥639.1 billion.
Birds rest on the banks of the Susquehanna River near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant south of Middletown, Pennsylvania, in March 2019.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 21, 2024

Microsoft AI needs so much power it's tapping site of U.S. nuclear meltdown

The decision is the latest sign of surging interest in the nuclear industry as power demand for AI soars.
Warships and fighter jets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy take part in a military display in the South China Sea in April 2018.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Sep 21, 2024

U.S. leans on shipbuilding prowess of allies to compete with China

America’s shipbuilding industry has virtually collapsed over the last generation, raising concerns amid its rivalry with China.
A train on JR East's Chuo Line in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Sep 21, 2024

JR East failed to disclose data tampering for seven years

The misconduct occurred in a rail yard of JR East in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward and was detected in March 2017.
U.S. border guards in Eagle Pass, Texas, in February
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 21, 2024

The Biden administration is fighting smugglers of a potent greenhouse gas

Since the start of fiscal 2024, the Biden administration has stopped roughly 25 illegal shipments of hydrofluorocarbons.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat