30 SEPTEMBER 2019
Yahoo Japan copies Alibaba in bid to take on Amazon and Rakuten
Company looks to China’s e-commerce giant as online and physical retail converge
Japan August industrial output falls amid weak exports, typhoons
Ministry downgraded economy’s assessment to ‘a weak tone’ for first time in 5 months
US-Japan trade deal is victory for Abe, not Trump
Tokyo offered nothing more than it had three years ago
Exclusive: Japan eyes tax breaks to steer idle cash into M&A deals
Companies hoarding profits miss out on innovation, ruling party tax chief says
Japan sales tax hike, China 70th anniversary, Budweiser stock debut
29 SEPTEMBER 2019
Japan consumer tax hike spurs last-minute shopping sprees
Shoppers in Tokyo rush to buy big-ticket goods before rate increases to 10%
Japanese rail commuters get a taste of drink subscription service
JR East to offer sharp discounts on vending machine purchases
Japanese city torn by 2011 disaster now rocks Rugby World Cup
Hosting games a ‘dream come true’ for Kamaishi after horrors of past tsunami
Japan battles food waste in production with AI and weather data
Calbee extends shelf life of potato chips as law encourages corporate effort
7-Eleven parent overcomes hack to secure record earnings
Convenience store operator trims advertisements to absorb labor costs
Japan rises to rugby’s world No.8 — The match in pictures
Win over No.2 Ireland puts Brave Blossoms in highest ranking to date
28 SEPTEMBER 2019
Japan catches rugby fever with stunning Ireland upset
World Cup attracts 420,000-plus fans in first 12 games
Rugby — Hosts Japan stun Ireland 19-12 in huge World Cup upset
Historic win by Brave Blossoms puts knockout stages in reach for first time
Unfazed by China rivals, Toshiba Memory ready for market rebound
‘Customer demand will come back,’ says world’s No. 2 NAND maker
Vatican diplomacy: Japan has chance to learn from the best
Pope’s vast intelligence-gathering network offers insight to the world
Nuclear town’s lavish gifts to Japan utility imperil plant restart
Kansai Electric chiefs under fire as industry worry about repercussions
Toyota grabs pals for ride to connected, electric future
Subaru, Mazda and Suzuki tie-ups offer scale and diversity in race for standards
Japan Display’s chaotic bailout drama baffles shareholders
Troubled Apple supplier tells investors it will keep talking with Chinese rescuer
Japanese banks secure slots as Saudi Aramco underwriters
Mizuho and SMBC among 15 names planned for historic listing
China ready to declare new stage in Japan ties on Xi visit: envoy
Beijing wants three-way FTA with South Korea, ambassador to Tokyo says
Merger collapse spurs Philip Morris to expand Asia presence
E-cigarette maker looks to gain from global crackdown on vaping
27 SEPTEMBER 2019
Kansai Electric execs in hot water over murky payments worth $3m
Money came from former deputy mayor of town that hosts a nuclear plant
Indian hotel chain Oyo sets up venture with SoftBank
Move seen as part of company’s global expansion in luxury segment
Japan and South Korea fail to resolve issues, but vow more talks
State of relations remain ‘extremely severe,’ says Japanese foreign minister
Japan downgrades South Korea in annual defense report
Seoul criticized for damaging ties, slips in importance to Tokyo
Toyota to raise Subaru stake to deepen tech cooperation
Automakers eye team-up in self-driving cars to lighten investment burden
Japan escapes auto tariffs, but Trump is not done with trade deal
US president in search of more wins amid election pressure and China tension
Fate of Japan’s fastest bullet train hangs on just 9km of track
Environmental concerns cast doubt on 2027 start of $80bn maglev line
Top executives at Japan nuclear plant operator received payoffs
Kansai Electric president and others took payments from former local official
Apple bailout in play as Japan Display loses Chinese backer
Harvest Tech pulls out from $580m pledge over governance differences
Japanese companies rush to raise short-term funds at negative rates
Commercial paper gains popularity as banks cope with BOJ’s subzero policy
26 SEPTEMBER 2019
Tokyo’s Hotel Okura was cradle of Chinese revolution
With help of Japanese supporters, Sun Yat-sen dreamed of a united Asia
Helping Japan’s ‘lost generation’ is chance to change whole country
We need to acknowledge role of luck in shaping lives and be more inclusive
US and Japan ink quick trade deal on farm and digital
Trump and Abe affirm no additional tariffs on autos, for now
Ex-Mitsubishi trader says troubled oil trades had been reviewed
Singapore-based transactions estimated to have caused $320m in damages
SoftBank struggles to rein in herd as WeWork goes rogue
Masayoshi Son’s ideal of ‘loose confederation’ at crossroads
Shinjiro Koizumi is poised to lead Japan’s clean-energy revolution
Youthful and handsome new environment minister can supplant nuclear power
Tokyo Bay sewage raises Olympian stink at 2020 swimming site
Heavy rains overwhelm outdated pipes and send untreated waste into sea
Forever 21 to exit Japan in October
Fast-fashion retailer closes in Hong Kong after winding up in Taiwan and mainland
25 SEPTEMBER 2019
Japanese and South Korean businesses to team up in SE Asia
Companies eye Vietnam for joint projects and hope for thaw in relations
Japan’s $1.5tn pension fund to go all in on green bonds
Move forms part of ESG embrace by country’s top public investor
Palantir ready to crunch big data for Japan’s dinosaur companies
US tech company seeks new funding from the likes of SoftBank
China and Russia’s military tie-up deserves closer scrutiny
Joint military exercises indicate alarming shift in alignment
Abe denounces Saudi oil attacks, refrains from singling out Iran
Japan PM seeks to maintain ties while criticizing ‘extremely contemptible crime’
Abe urges Iran to be constructive in easing Middle East tensions
Japanese prime minister voices ‘strong concern’ over deterioration in region
US diplomat urges Japan and China to ‘condemn Iran by name’
Special envoy on Tehran calls for Asian nations to join Hormuz coalition
Japanese pen maker Pentel signs on for Kokuyo tie-up
Company ends resistance to stationery maker’s investment after domestic slump
WeWork’s Neumann steps down as SoftBank seeks to save investment
Controversial co-founder to stay on as non-executive chairman
Hitachi polishes ESG reputation with corporate-wide oversight
Scandal-hit industrial group appoints audit heads to prevent misconduct
US-Japan trade deal lacks timeline for auto tariff removal
Tokyo seeks assurances current 2.5% levy will go in the future
South Korea left out of naval review in Japan amid frayed ties
Defense cooperation grows harder since demise of intelligence-sharing pact
24 SEPTEMBER 2019
‘China’s Detroit’ struggles to keep its auto industry afloat
Ford and BAIC Yinxiang factories limp along with government fund injections
Activists step up investments in Japanese companies
Elliott Management and others believe proposals now have easier path to success
Japan and US ‘fully agreed’ on trade deal, says foreign minister
PM Abe to confirm end of talks in meeting with Trump later this week
Japan’s biggest firms recycle cash piles into tech start-ups
Corporate-backed VCs deploy record investment into Japanese startups, hope to spawn Unicorns
Japan sees sales tax increase as chance to boost cashless society
Rakuten and Line already big e-money players, but Tokyo wants broader adoption
LG Display and Samsung race Chinese rivals as LCD woes deepen
South Korean companies gear up for transition to OLED to keep edge
Business leaders seek economic bridge over Japan-South Korea rift
Both sides eager for detente but progress difficult without political leadership
Nissan and Ghosn settle with SEC over $140m in concealed pay
Ex-CEO barred from executive jobs in US for 10 years
Japan to pump $10bn into LNG as move away from Mideast oil
World’s top importer to fund processing, receiving and power facilities
Honda exits diesel cars in Europe in shift to electrics by 2025
Automaker joins exodus sparked by Volkswagen scandal
Takashimaya decides to stay in Shanghai after foreign retailers’ exits
Last-minute U-turn may have involved local governent’s taxes as well as rent support
23 SEPTEMBER 2019
Small businesses outside Tokyo start to sweat ahead of tax hike
Surveys indicate that companies are slow preparing for the new system
Samsung and Japan suppliers steadfast in keeping ties, for now
Risk for future of ‘semiconductor coalition’ remains amid prolonged political discord
SoftBank turns against WeWork’s parent CEO Neumann, sources say
Rare showdown from the startup’s biggest investor comes after We Company postpones its IPO
Full economic impact of Japan typhoon still unknown 2 weeks later
Factories forced to cut production as power outages persist
Fuel cells to receive boost with pledge of 10m vehicles
Global ministers meeting will focus on ways to increase the technology’s use
Japan Inc. takes another crack at the US restaurant market
Yoshinoya and other fast-food purveyors have a new secret sauce: American execs
22 SEPTEMBER 2019
Huawei vs US, Budweiser listing, Abe and Trump talk trade
Nikkei Asian Preview is your weekly note on the biggest business and political events
Now playing: Japan’s post-Abe game of thrones
Will Koizumi Jr. prove himself, or will Abe end up being his own successor?
Tapioca imports to Japan surge, thanks to bubble tea popularity
Taiwan has overtaken Thailand as top tapioca supplier
Korean budget carrier Eastar furloughs staff as Japan traffic drops
Fallout from fraught relations spills over to airline industry
Investors edge away from risky leveraged loans in echo of 2008
As economy cools, securitized debt loses its sheen
Exclusive: Saudi Arabia floats change to Japan oil supply, sparks concern
Difficulty in processing high-grade crude highlighted following refinery attack
Why rugby spirit matters to Japan companies
Domestic team owners Toyota, Canon and Panasonic leverage values of game to embrace diversity
21 SEPTEMBER 2019
Japan’s part-time wages surge on Rugby World Cup
Foreign-language speakers, souvenir sellers and guards in high demand
Toyota trawls for big spenders with $4m Lexus yacht
Luxury brand’s first-ever boat is made in America
Scooter-sharing kicks off in Japan in next stage of sharing
Honda teams with SoftBank-backed startup to offer service in Tokyo
With Trump vote in mind, Japan yields on beef but protects its rice
Motegi and Lighthizer to finalize trade deal details ahead of next week’s summit
Economic gloom in Japan at 7-year high on US-China trade war: poll
More than 40% of Japanese business leaders say global economy is ‘deteriorating’
Mitsubishi takes $320m hit from rogue oil trader
Full fallout from illicit derivatives trading at Singapore unit still unclear
Hitachi to raise $9.26bn in renewed push for growth
Japanese group ready to take on debt after restructuring phase
20 SEPTEMBER 2019
China joins India and Indonesia in Asian ‘pump priming’
Asian economies step on the gas amid slowing growth and trade disputes
Ajinomoto takes on Nestle — and MSG’s unsavory reputation
Japan foodmaker drums up social media buzz to crack global top 10
iPhone 11 debuts to throngs of Japanese buyers
Apple fans swayed by new photo functions despite the hefty price tags
Japan to resume swine fever vaccinations in parts of country
Ministry changes course after yearlong struggle to contain outbreak among pigs
Japan agrees to hold bilateral talks with South Korea in WTO dispute
Japan August consumer prices rise 0.5%, 2-year low
UK appeals for public help in setting post-Brexit trade with Japan
Government looks for input ahead of November trade talks with Tokyo
Japan’s hot springs rethink tattoo bans for Rugby World Cup
More resorts near tournament venue decide to accept inked-up guests
Rakuten to buy Taiwan baseball champs in global sports offensive
Japanese e-commerce group will enter league with Lamigo Monkeys in 2020
Mitsubishi Aircraft chases ex-Bombardier talent via Canada site
New SpaceJet design center to hire local engineers to make up for delays
Japan to grant lower tariff on 90% of US beef imports
Duties would fall to TPP levels if Washington signs a trade deal this year
Komatsu to set up plant in South Africa to battle Chinese rivals
Strong demand for infrastructure investment attracts heavy equipment makers
Japan’s land prices rise for 2nd year on tourism, ultra-low rates
Regional commercial land prices up for first time in 28 years
19 SEPTEMBER 2019
Rugby World Cup tickets 95% sold out ahead of opening match
500,000 foreign fans expected to help create a $4bn windfall for host Japan
BOJ holds rate but Kuroda grows ‘more positive’ about extra easing
Japanese central bank keeps powder dry while Fed and ECB cut rates
Former Tepco execs acquitted over Fukushima nuclear crisis
Defense argued trio could not have predicted huge tsunami that hit plant
Saudi oil attack is wake-up call for Asian economies
Region should not panic but must start stockpiling in case of future disruption
