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August 11, 2026
 

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Ritsuko Shimizu
The entrance of the Sodegaura LNG Terminal, operated by Tokyo Gas, in Sodegaura, Chiba Prefecture
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 18, 2024
Â鶹´«Ã½ draft climate strategy spurs calls for bolder cuts in carbon emissions
The government last month presented a draft plan to aim for a 60% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 from 2013 levels.
If the deal goes through, the Japanese steelmaker has promised not to transfer any U.S. Steel production capacity or jobs outside the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 5, 2024
Nippon Steel committed to U.S. Steel takeover, executive says
¡°There is no global strategy without the U.S.,¡± Takahiro Mori, the Japanese company¡¯s vice chairman, said this week.
The success of Seven & I's major restructuring plan depends on the retailer's ability to roll out a new store format in Japan, and improve profit margins overseas, analysts say.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Oct 15, 2024
7-Eleven¡¯s turnaround plan requires heavy lifting to stop takeover bid
Much depends on the retailer¡¯s ability to roll out a new store format in Japan?and improve profit margins overseas.
An Ito-Yokado supermarket in Tokyo. Selling down some of its stake in the supermarket business would allow Seven & I to bring in a partner that could accelerate an overhaul of the unit.
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2024
Seven & I considering supermarket stake sale ahead of IPO, sources say
The supermarket business includes the Ito-Yokado chain, one of Â鶹´«Ã½ best-known grocery store businesses.
Seven & I is currently categorized on the Finance Ministry's classification list as a company that conducts "designated," but not "core" businesses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024
Japanese companies cannot use national security cover to block takeovers, official says
Japanese companies cannot use a national security designation as a tool to thwart foreign takeovers, a senior Finance Ministry official said.
Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 30, 2024
Nippon Steel, peers urge Tokyo to curb steel imports from China
China¡¯s steel exports rose 24% to 53.4 million tons in the first half of 2024, on track for 100 million tons for the year.
A worker at Sakai Seisakusyo prepares to transport metal rods at its factory in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, on July 8.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2024
Japan finds a ¡®stealth¡¯ cure for zombie businesses: Let them fail
The shift in thinking is a clear departure for a country that has typically sought to avoid bankruptcies and protect existing jobs at the cost of productivity.
Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel would give it greater access to the profitable U.S. market and further its long-term financial goals.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024
Nippon Steel¡¯s Mori hints at selling some assets to aid U.S. Steel deal
The firm¡¯s vice chairman plans to return to the United States this week for more talks over the proposed acquisition.
Akihiro Fukutome, head of the Japanese Bankers Association, said new takeover guidelines from the industry ministry last year have helped lower psychological hurdles associated with unsolicited bids.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2024
Â鶹´«Ã½ banks less hesitant with hostile takeovers, lobby chief says
His comments offer evidence of a sea change in Japan ¡ª which once shunned hostile bids ¡ª that has helped bring it closer to Western-style dealmaking.
Tadashi Imai, who became Nippon Steel's new president on Monday
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2024
Nippon Steel emphasizes its roots in the U.S. as it pursues deal
The Japanese firm has agreed to buy U.S. Steel for roughly $15 billion but the deal faces an uphill battle to approval in a U.S. election year.
Nippon Steel Executive Vice President Takahiro Mori, who is set to meet the United Steelworkers (USW) union chief this month, says the Japanese steel producer plans to uphold all of the current agreements between the union and U.S. Steel.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2024
Nippon Steel exec to meet USW head to seek support for U.S. Steel deal
Winning the union¡¯s backing is a priority for the Japanese steel producer because then the acquisition will be ¡°no longer a political issue.¡±
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group CEO Hironori Kamezawa
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 22, 2023
Japan banks scramble to beef up asset management businesses
Asset management has emerged as an area of focus for the banks this year amid signs decades of deflation is ending.
Big Japanese banks are now training a generation of professional front-line staff who have little experience with rising interest rates.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2023
Staff at Â鶹´«Ã½ banks scramble to adjust to rising interest rates
Many younger employees have no expertise in dealing with the vagaries of a traditional inflationary environment.
Kei Umeda, CEO of Mizuho Trust & Banking, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Nov. 27.
BUSINESS
Dec 5, 2023
Mizuho sees firms scrambling to meet TSE¡¯s capital efficiency call
In January the Tokyo bourse will start publishing a list of companies that have disclosed action plans in line with its call to improve use of capital.
More companies are using employee share incentives as a tool to retain talent and comply with a request by the regulator to pay more attention to share price performance.
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2023
Japanese companies warm up to employee stock incentives
More companies are using employee share incentives as a tool to retain talent.
Kenya Koshimizu, senior executive at Mizuho Financial Group, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2023
Mizuho deferring JGB purchases as BOJ mulls policy exit: official
Banks face a looming inflection point as Â鶹´«Ã½ economy approaches policy normalization after years of little growth, weak spending and massive easing.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 5, 2023
7-Eleven spinoff would jeopardize growth, CEO says, pushing back at ValueAct
Ryuichi Isaka said 7-Eleven is reliant on staff and know-how from Seven & I¡¯s supermarket businesses in developing products for its Seven Premium private brand.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2023
Japan activist group hails stock exchange reform as remedy for undervalued stocks
Investors say the move is a testament to the fact that firms can no longer brush aside stock underperformance and must end the practice of asset-hoarding.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 4, 2023
Family office of Nintendo heirs says patience is a superpower
The investment firm is willing to play a long game when it comes to portfolio companies and can wait more than a decade to see a turnaround, a top executive said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 9, 2023
JIP-led group has secured loans worth ?1.4 trillion for Toshiba buyout, sources say
Toshiba named the consortium as its preferred bidder last October, but the group was unable to meet a requirement to provide commitment letters from banks by Nov. 7.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
How Â鶹´«Ã½ racehorses find second careers away from the track
TCC Therapy Park is supported financially by racing organizations as well as donations from members of the public.
Will Takaichi¡¯s consumption tax cut break the LDP?
Despite months of debate, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi failed to gain consensus within the Liberal Democratic Party on a two-year reduction of the consumption tax.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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