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August 11, 2026
 

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Kari Lindberg
SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son has pledged to go "all in¡± on OpenAI, with commitments now exceeding $60 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 27, 2026
SoftBank¡¯s $40 billion loan for OpenAI stake gets 21 new lenders
The 12-month loan, signed in March, is one of the largest-ever bridge financings in the Asia-Pacific region.
SoftBank has been piling on debt as its founder Masayoshi Son seeks to position himself as a linchpin in the global AI boom, with large-scale investments into OpenAI.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2026
SoftBank seeks $10 billion margin loan backed by OpenAI shares
SoftBank has been piling on debt as its founder Masayoshi Son seeks to position himself as a linchpin in the global AI boom.
SoftBank Group's mega loan highlights how much debt founder Masayoshi Son is willing for the company to take on as it seeks to secure the firm¡¯s pivotal role in the global AI race.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2026
SoftBank lenders ask more banks to join $40 billion OpenAI loan
The move forms one of the biggest tests yet of creditor sentiment toward the Japanese conglomerate¡¯s debt-fueled push further into artificial intelligence.
An oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2026
SMBC asks banks to confirm Saudi energy loan backing amid war
The unusual step highlights the risks the conflict in Iran poses for lending in Asia.
SoftBank Group is seeking up to $40 billion in loans to help finance its investment in U.S. tech firm OpenAI, people familiar with the matter said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 6, 2026
SoftBank seeks record loan of up to $40 billion for OpenAI stake
The bridge loan would be its largest-ever borrowing denominated solely in dollars.
Japanese banks, including Mizuho Financial Group, and other foreign lenders in Asia have seen departures from their loan financing teams as loan demand softens.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2026
Senior loan bankers depart Mizuho and SMBC after Asia volumes slump
Asia¡¯s offshore loan market has been weighed down by elevated dollar interest rates, geopolitical risks and heightened competition among global lenders as deal flow dwindles.
Global firms are racing to carve out space in Â鶹´«Ã½ lending market, betting that demand for private credit will surge, albeit slowly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2025
Private credit dealmakers face years of heavy lifting in Japan
Building deal flow will require time ¡ª and education ¡ª as Japanese borrowers grow familiar with how private debt works and what it can offer.
Foreign private credit funds are focusing on Japanese investors as they move more money into higher-paying assets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024
Private credit chases Â鶹´«Ã½ trillions as inflation spurs shift
Private credit funds are betting that inflation will prompt investors to channel more money into riskier overseas investments.
Singapore has topped Hong Kong for the first time in the Economic Freedom of the World Index.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 21, 2023
In first, Singapore tops Hong Kong to become ¡®world¡¯s freest economy¡¯
Hong Kong fell to second place in the Economic Freedom of the World Index for the first time since its began in 1970.
A customer shops at a sushi counter at the Food Le Parc supermarket in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 24, 2023
Hong Kong restaurants brace for cost jump after Japan seafood ban
The saga is yet another headache for the city¡¯s restaurant industry, which is still suffering from the effects from pandemic curbs and a worker shortage.
The music score for ¡°Glory to Hong Kong¡±
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 8, 2023
Hong Kong government to appeal in failed bid to ban protest song
Reiterating that disseminating the song was a national security crime, the government said its injunction was crucial to safeguarding the city.
John Lee, Hong Kong's chief executive, during an event in Hong Kong on April 15
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 28, 2023
U.S. should invite Lee to summit after report he¡¯s barred: Hong Kong
Chief Executive John Lee and other top Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials were sanctioned by the U.S. for their role in the crackdown on civil liberties in the city.
Demonstrators sing the "Glory To Be Thee, Hong Kong" protest song during a flash mob in 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2023
Hong Kong court says protest song is matter of national security
The city¡¯s High Court on Friday heard the government¡¯s argument for why it should be illegal to perform or broadcast Glory to Hong Kong with criminal intent.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 19, 2023
China names ex-intelligence official as Hong Kong security chief
Dong Jingwei, 59, has been appointed as director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People¡¯s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 17, 2023
China intensifies military drills with Russia amid U.S. sanctions
The two countries conducted six joint military exercises together last year, the most in data going back two decades.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 7, 2023
U.S. Navy cuts Taiwan transits even as China steps up military pressure
The U.S. reduced its number of naval transits through the Taiwan Strait in 2022 to the lowest level in four years.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 6, 2023
Hong Kong-China border reopening no quick fix for ailing city
The reopening will be a slow process, with a limit of about 60,000 people allowed to travel into the mainland from the financial hub every day.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 14, 2022
Hong Kong aims to prove it can still be ¡®Asia¡¯s World City¡¯
As the pandemic recedes, a new Hong Kong is emerging ¡ª one that¡¯s less free, less cosmopolitan and, for some businesses, less vital than the old one.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2022
Xi looks to harness Chinese ¡®fighting spirit¡¯ to take on U.S.
Leader Xi Jinping used a highly anticipated speech at a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress to deliver a clear message to those who want to thwart China¡¯s rise: You will fail.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 15, 2022
Congress forces Biden toward risky face-off with China over Taiwan
More hawkish moves by Congress could leave the U.S. president with a choice of whether he would rather look weak in Washington or in Beijing.
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.
¡®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 Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
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.

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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