Business

Sports Playing spaces for booming sport aim to attract new guests and shoppers Shinagawa Prince Hotel has repurposed part of a banquet hall into a pickleball court. (Seibu Media Communications) TOKYO — Hotels, shopping centers and other facilities in Japan are setting up courts for the increasingly popular sport of pickleball, hoping to draw new […]

How AI speeds ‘kill chain’ in US attacks on Iran

Food & Beverage Ramen shop operator Tentakaku also readies vegan, halal items for Europe and Middle East Japan’s Tentakaku will open a ramen shop offering its Toyama Black ramen in Vientiane in June. (Tentakaku) TOYAMA, Japan — Black might go with almost anything in fashion terms, but how about ramen?

Interview DPP’s top legislator for defense says KMT spending cuts send wrong message to China, US Taiwan-based Thunder Tiger Group displays a drone during a media tour in Taichung in April. Taiwan is pursuing an asymmetric defense strategy in which unmanned vehicles would play a key role. © Reuters TAIPEI — The fight over Taiwan’s defense […]

Japanese video game companies have been reluctant to put their titles in Epic Games’ new store. © Reuters TOKYO — Epic Games launched its app store for Apple’s iPhone in Japan this week with no titles from local developers, despite a recent law meant to lower costs and broaden consumer choice.

Consumer China toy maker Pop Mart looks to develop new fans and attain further growth A Labubu mascot waves to visitors at Beijing’s Pop Land, which partially reopened on April 30 after extensive renovations. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi) SHANGHAI — Pop Mart International Group has reopened its theme park featuring the runaway hit Labubu characters as […]

Comment As its economic pull wanes, Japan must try new ways to connect with region Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the State Guest House in Tokyo on March 31. © Kyodo TOKYO — After her March summit with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Japanese Prime Sanae Takaichi could be heard at the […]

Currencies Interest rate differentials, trade and digital deficits behind yen’s prolonged slump Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueno. The view that the central bank is unlikely to raise rates has weakened the yen.  (Photo by Nanami Sato) RYO SAEKI and KENICHI ONOZAWA TOKYO — Japanese officials intervened Thursday in the foreign exchange market to prop up the […]

Users can make custom AI characters they can chat with on meltly’s Days AI app. (Photo by Nikkei) TOKYO — When Yuji Takahashi, the CEO of the AI chatbot startup meltly, met with a U.S. venture capital executive in a Tokyo office building, he was given an offer that was hard to refuse.

Iran was Japan’s trading houses counter geopolitical risks with investment diversification, discipline Cameron LNG, a U.S.-based joint project with Japanese trading houses Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co., is planning to boost production. (Mitsubishi Corp.) KEIICHI FURUKAWA, KENTO HIRASHIMA and YUI SATO TOKYO — Mitsubishi Corp. has moved the goalpost for one of its climate goals as […]