Homegrown AI powers China’s ambitions, from classroom to home

Peet’s Coffee, a chain from California, brings in about 50 yuan per customer in China, where cafes selling brews for just 9.9 yuan have proliferated. (Photo by Wataru Suzuki) HANGZHOU, China — International coffee chains are trying new store formats and venturing into less saturated regions of China as they seek to expand while avoiding an aggressive […]

Markets Honda and BYD shares lag South Korean company’s as EVs, prices struggle South Korea’s Hyundai Motor is not the world’s largest automaker, but its stock price gains are outpacing those of its competitors. (Source photos by Reuters, Masaki Ishihara, Yuki Nakao and Getty Images) TOKYO — Shares in Hyundai Motor have soared this year despite the […]

Trade Middle East turmoil spurs soaring imports of polyethylene and paint thinner xylene Japanese chemical companies are grappling with shortages of feedstocks that had been sourced mainly from the Middle East. (Photo by Kai Fujii) TOKYO/DALIAN/BEIJING — As the turmoil in the Middle East throttles Japan’s supply of the key petrochemical feedstock naphtha, Japanese manufacturers […]

Companies Chinese export restrictions mean more expensive tools for Japan Tungsten materials are used by Mitsubishi Materials to make cemented carbide cutting tools. (Mitsubishi Materials) TOKYO — Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials will more than triple prices on tungsten products used in hardened cutting tools in some cases, as Chinese export restrictions continue to limit the supply […]

Food & Beverage Space station used for trial of Dassai project to brew on moon Proceeds from the sale will be donated to support Japan’s space development projects. (Mitsubishi Heavy/Dassai) TOKYO — Japanese sake using mash fermented in outer space has been successfully produced by sake maker Dassai, project partner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said Tuesday, with a […]

Science Experiment will use microwaves to send electricity from orbit Japan aims to launch a 2.5-square-kilometer solar panel into space by 2050. (Japan Space Systems) TOKYO — Japan plans to conduct an experiment to transmit electricity generated with solar panels in space to Earth using microwaves, a potential world first that could help solve power […]

Southeast Asia’s data center boom is running into a power crunch

Finance Tokyo looks to check spread of yuan as small countries increasingly turn to China International remittances and tourism are critical parts of many Pacific island economies. © Reuters TOKYO — The Japanese Finance Ministry will help create a framework for handling international remittances in Pacific island nations and territories as major banks that process […]

Disclosure/PFRJ The Federal Police (PF), the Federal Revenue Service (RFB) and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) began Operation Mare Liberum, which investigates a bribery scheme in the Port of Rio de Janeiro this Tuesday (28). The loss is estimated at half a billion reais to public coffers due to the irregular release of […]