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Shiretoko Yuransen President Seiichi Katsurada (center) in Shari, Hokkaido, in May 2022
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 18, 2024

Hokkaido boat operator head arrested over 2022 fatal sinking

Of the 26 people onboard the boat, 20 died while six remain missing.
Shiretoko Yuransen President Seiichi Katsurada (center) in Shari, Hokkaido, in May 2022. Katsurada admitted to having little knowledge of ships in an interview before his arrest on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 19, 2024

Hokkaido boat operator in 2022 fatal sinking had little knowledge of ships

He made himself the company's safety and operational manager despite lacking the necessary qualifications after dismissing key employees during the pandemic.
The vehicle taking Seiichi Katsurada to the Kushiro District Public Prosecutor's Office in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on Sept. 19
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 9, 2024

Hokkaido boat operator's president charged over fatal 2022 sinking

A total of 20 passengers and crew were confirmed dead and six are listed as missing following a tour boat sinking in April of 2022.
Adapting to new information when faced with public health crises like COVID-19 is crucial, as oversimplified public health messaging can erode trust in science. 
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2024

The best answer science may have right now is ‘I don't know’

Acknowledging uncertainty and adapting to new information is crucial, as oversimplified public health messaging can erode trust in science.
A digital camera found near the tip of the Shiretoko Peninsula in August was identified as belonging to Yu Nudeshima, a passenger of the Kazu I tour boat that sank on April 23, 2022, with 26 people on board.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 28, 2024

Passenger's photos from Hokkaido boat accident retrieved 2½ years on

The images offer a glimpse of April 23, 2022 — the day the Kazu I tour boat sank off Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula with 26 people on board.
For Seven Bank, greater independence from its parent Seven & I Holdings could lead to new growth opportunities.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2024

Seven Bank seeks to expand cash-machine network beyond 7-Elevens

Deconsolidation from Seven & I resulting from a reduction of its stake in Seven Bank would make such a scenario more possible.
There is a broad shift in Japan’s business environment, where long-standing relationships are being challenged by foreign and activist investors looking for merger and acquisition deals.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 15, 2024

Japan's newfound love of M&A makes for strange bedfellows

There is a broad shift in Japan’s business environment, where long-standing relationships are being challenged by foreign and activist investors.
Masahide Endo, chief consultant at Daiwa Institute of Research noted that Alimentation Couche-Tard's bid for Seven & I Holdings had spawned a sense of crisis in other industries over sudden takeover proposals.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 18, 2024

Japanese companies increasingly targeted in foreign M&A bids

The total value of inbound acquisitions from overseas is up about 3.7 times year on year.
Many of the acts making their debut at this year's "Kohaku" song contest came out for the lineup announcement at NHK's studios in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 19, 2024

NHK announces Number_i, Illit and Glay for ‘Kohaku’ lineup

Acts from the former Johnny’s were frozen out for a second year as NHK opts for new names and old favorites.
People take pictures of an Ito-Yokado store in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture, that closed on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024

Ito-Yokado closes store that inspired 'Crayon Shin-chan' supermarket

Many customers and fans gathered and gave applause and words of gratitude when the store was closed.
Alimentation Couche-Tard CEO Alex Miller said on Tuesday the Canadian retailer remains persistent in its efforts to pursue a deal with Seven & I Holdings.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 27, 2024

Couche-Tard not giving up on bid to acquire 7-Eleven owner

The commitment comes despite a new management buyout proposal from the founding family of Seven & I Holdings valued at about $59 billion.
Many of the investors who stuck with cryptocurrency through its ups and downs, its scandals and scams, are now basking in an I-told-you-so glow.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 6, 2024

Bitcoin's true believers bask in I-told-you-so glow at $100,000

The milestone marks a spectacular comeback from a “crypto winter” two years ago in the wake of the collapse of the FTX exchange in a pile of fraud.
Shoppers wait at the checkout lines at an Ito-Yokado shopping centre after a sales tax hike in Tokyo April 1, 2014. Big firms expect to increase capital spending only modestly, the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) tankan quarterly survey showed on Tuesday, reflecting uncertainty over how much a sales tax hike that kicked off on Tuesday could hurt a fragile economic recovery.   REUTERS/Toru Hanai (JAPAN - Tags: BUSINESS)
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2024

Ito-Yokado to reduce headcount of permanent employees by 1,000

The Seven & I Holdings unit will implement the reduction through personnel relocations and natural reductions, mainly through mandatory retirement.
Izumi Kobayashi, director of Mizuho Financial, Omron and ANA, speaks during the Reuters Next conference in New York on Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2024

Mizuho director says companies should not overreact to Trump's tariff threats

It would be difficult for companies to withdraw from China given its mammoth size, said Izumi Kobayashi.
Fast Retailing’s November-ending quarter may have seen operating profit growth soften as warmer autumn-winter temperatures dented sales, even with the backdrop for consumer spending in Japan looking promising.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 3, 2025

Uniqlo and 7-Eleven face sales headwinds despite brighter consumer spending

Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing and Seven & i Holdings are among the first to kick off this earnings season in Asia.
A potential foreign acquisition of Japanese retail giant Seven & I would be "heavily related" to national security, Japan's economy minister Ryosei Akazawa said on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jan 8, 2025

Japan flags foreign takeover of 7-Eleven owner as a security issue

His public comment is the first by a senior Japanese official over security issues raised by a $47 billion buyout offer by Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard.
A government minister has said the acquisition of 7-Eleven by foreign capital is majorly related to economic security.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 10, 2025

Japan to consider 'economic security' in 7-Eleven takeover

Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa highlighted the role Japan's convenience stores can play in times of crisis, such as after major earthquakes.
Lawson and FamilyMart enjoyed net profit increases in the March-November 2024 period, while Seven & I Holdings suffered a sharp deterioration in its bottom line, according to their latest earnings reports.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2025

Lawson and FamilyMart enjoy net profit growth in March-November

FamilyMart's net profit went up 62.4% to ¥80 billion because of special profit from a realignment of Chinese operations.
Hanna Shelest outside her apartment building in Odesa, Ukraine, on Jan. 20
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2025

I spent Trump’s inauguration in Ukraine. This is what I saw.

In nearly three years since Russia’s invasion, Odesa has moved from shock and fear to denial and, finally, adaptation.
H.I.S. CEO Motoshi Yada holds a news conference on Monday in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 28, 2025

H.I.S. says it received COVID aid inappropriately

H.I.S. will return about ¥6.4 billion in subsidies, which were provided by the government to pandemic-hit companies to help them pay leave allowances to their workers.
A woman queues at Phedisong clinic on April 8, 2013, during the launch of the new single dose anti-AIDs medication in Ga-Rankuwa, 100 kilometers north of Johannesburg.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 5, 2025

'I don't want to die': Trump's aid plans incite fear in Africa

Trump's decision to pause foreign aid, and other orders and declarations relating to LGBTQ+ rights, have forced NGOs to wonder how secure future U.S. funding will be.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump will likely aim at maintaining the status quo, avoid new trade issues and ensure Japan isn’t targeted by tariffs.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 7, 2025

A new golden age for U.S.-Japan? I don’t think so.

Ishiba won’t be looking for any great breakthrough, a dramatic defense re-posturing, or support for any of his long-held foreign policy goals
Bulk food dispensers at a new 7-Eleven store in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. Opened a year ago, Seven & I Holdings conceived it as a prototype to test the synergies between the company’s retail supermarket chain and its more-successful convenience-store business.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 10, 2025

Blended 7-Eleven-and-supermarket concept proves a tough sell

It is unclear if higher customer numbers have been sustained, and Seven & I has no plans right now to open more such outlets.
Mets owner Steve Cohen (left) speaks next to general manager David Stearns during a press conference to introduce right fielder Juan Soto at Citi Field on Dec. 12, 2024.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 19, 2025

Mets owner says he overspent to get 'best team I can'

Signing Juan Soto was only the start of the budget-shattering spending spree undertaken by Mets owner Steve Cohen in the offseason.
Seven & I Holdings CEO Ryuichi Isaka is stepping down from his position, the Nikkei newspaper has reported.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 3, 2025

7-Eleven owner to appoint first foreign CEO, report says

The owner's plan to take the company private to avoid being taken over by Couche-Tard collapsed last week, piling pressure on it to reconsider the $47 billion takeover proposal.
Seven & I has spent months fending off Couche-Tard’s takeover bid with complex maneuvers, but instead of chasing defensive strategies, it should focus on strengthening its core convenience-store business, which still has untapped potential.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 4, 2025

7-Eleven’s time-wasting isn’t so convenient

Retail is a fast-moving industry — and months spent fending off Couche-Tard means less focus on strategy.
Mendoza, Argentina, offers a combination of natural beauty, a thriving wine industry, political conservatism and valuable resources, making it an attractive potential safe haven amid global instability.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2025

I just found my nuclear war hideaway

This question is less and less theoretical: The world seems to be living on the edge, with growing tensions between great powers.
The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington in 2024. The Justice Department unsealed charges against a dozen Chinese citizens accused of being part of a sophisticated hacking ring that steals data from American businesses and people to sell to the Chinese government and others.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2025

U.S. says China paid hackers to target critics and steal data

The Justice Department has charged 10 Chinese citizens and two government agents for hacks that targeted dissidents, news outlets and American government agencies, among others.
In the Japanese credit market, Change of Control covenants — which give bondholders certain rights to redeem the debt before maturity if the borrower has a significant change in ownership structure — have been very rarely seen, until now.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 10, 2025

Japan credit investors seek shield from M&A risks as deals boom

Change of Control clauses, which had been rare in Japan, are being increasingly sought by investors.
If you've ever dined on fresh fish, either within Japan or anywhere else in the world, there's a healthy chance it was processed via ikejime, a Japanese technique for preserving freshness in line-caught fish.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 30, 2023

How the world got hooked on ikejime-caught fish

Roughly rendered in English as “locking in life,” this technique delivers a quick death to ensure freshness.

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it