Economy

Yayoi Kusama's “Pumpkin,” created in 1994, is a centerpiece of Benesse Art Site Naoshima. Restored in 2002, it is displayed on a jetty overlooking the Seto Inland Sea. (Photo courtesy of Tadasu Yamamoto)
Economy

Inbound tourism booming on 'art island' in Seto Inland Sea

Japan can learn from Naoshima for its future destination

30 March 2025
Subaru cars in Yokohama, Japan. Vehicles not made in the U.S. will be subject to a 25% tariff ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump. 
Trade

Japan grapples with next move in Trump tariff negotiations

Industry scrutinizes government's handling of economic diplomacy

30 March 2025
Employees work on the electric vehicle production line at the Zeekr factory in Cixi, Zhejiang province, China,.on March 19, 2025. 
Opinion

'Made in China 2025' has been a partial success

China has made strides in high-tech exports but still relies on foreign inputs for critical sectors

30 March 2025
A BYD showroom in Mexico City. The Chinese EV maker has suspended plans for building a plant in Mexico. (Photo by Tomohiro Ichihara)
Trade war

Mexico weighs new tariffs on Chinese imports, stepping up decoupling

BYD pauses plans for Mexican EV plant amid heightened trade tension

30 March 2025
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda near Mandalay, Myanmar, following an earthquake in central Myanmar, on March 28.
Natural disasters

Myanmar quake death toll passes 1,640 as first foreign aid arrives

China and India send rescue teams; UN and EU release funds

29 March 2025
Among Japanese, the Fujiya Hotel, which took its name in 1878, is known as the country's first genuine resort hotel. (Photo by Kohga Takeuchi)
Travel & Leisure

Classic Japan hotel lures guests with seasonal Instagrammability

Fujiya Hotel, host to Charlie Chaplin and John Lennon, finds snowy days are a big hit

29 March 2025
Nicholas Wong and his partner Su Wen, pictured with three cats at their home just outside Kuala Lumpur, are among Asia's growing legion of pet lovers. Experts say domestic animals have become more popular both in countries with growing populations and those with sliding birth rates. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Big in Asia

Asia's pet boom lets food, health care, tech players off leash

Pet 'humanization' drives world-beating growth; post-pandemic companionship appeal rises

29 March 2025
HR-Vs exported from Mexico accounted for more than 10% of the autos that Honda sold in the U.S. in 2024. (Honda Motor)
Trade

Japan automakers send more cars to U.S. from Mexico ahead of tariffs

Shipments jump 17% amid rush to build up inventories

29 March 2025
China's "big four" state banks have been under pressure for years, since tighter rules triggered a property downturn that has sapped consumer confidence. (Source photos by Mizuho Miyzaki, Takaki Kashiwabara and Reuters)
Finance

Bad loans rise at Chinese state banks ahead of $69bn capital injection

Interest margins fall to record lows amid deflationary pressure

28 March 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with foreign business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 28. His government is looking to the private sector to boost the country's flagging growth amid intensifying trade friction.
Economy

Xi Jinping urges global CEOs to 'safeguard' international trading system

China's president hosts over 40 leaders from auto, tech, banking and other priority sectors

28 March 2025
Chinese tech companies such as DeepSeek pose a major threat to U.S. firms.
Opinion

U.S. sanctions inadvertently sharpen China's edge

Tariffs have American companies acting like China's state-owned non-innovators

28 March 2025
MinebeaMitsumi chairman Yoshihisa Kainuma said hiring workers has been an issue at all its U.S. factories in an interview with Nikkei Asia. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
Trade war

Japan parts maker wary of investing in U.S. despite Trump's prod

MinebeaMitsumi chairman worries about labor shortages at American factories

28 March 2025
Japan's shrinking labor force will hobble economic growth in the coming decades, according to a forecast by the Japan Center for Economic Research. (Photo by Yuji Murakami)
Economy

Japan forecast to drop to 45th place by key wealth measure in 2075

Country needs AI, freer job market to sustain its economy, JCER report says

28 March 2025
China's BYD now sells more vehicles than any Japanese automaker except Toyota Motor.
Comment

Trump's 25% auto tariffs reveal fear over rise of Chinese EVs

Announced despite BYD's zero exports, U.S. action reflects shift in global industry

28 March 2025
Farmers harvest soybeans in Brazil. Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. plans to buy more grains from Brazil.
Business deals

Mitsubishi Corp. signs strategic deal with U.S. grain trader ADM

Partnership boosts Japan food security, helps trading house expand volume by 50%

27 March 2025
Increased defense spending by Japan may persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to soften tariffs on the country, according to Kent Calder of John Hopkins University. (Photo by Konosuke Urata)
Interview

Defense spending can be Japan's bargaining chip on Trump tariffs: expert

Investment in U.S. also provides chance for trade-offs, says Johns Hopkins' Calder

27 March 2025
Automakers underperformed the benchmark Nikkei Stock Average, which dropped 0.60%, and the broader Tokyo Stock Price Index, which was largely flat. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Kaisuke Ohta)
Equities

Trump tariffs hit Japanese, South Korean carmakers; Toyota, Hyundai slide

The day's drop is just the beginning, if Trump keeps policy: Jefferies

27 March 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. 
Opinion

Trump's 25% auto tariffs are a raw deal for Japanese carmakers

Move undermines his call for reciprocity as Japan charges no levy on cars shipped from U.S.

27 March 2025
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks to reporters in Tokyo on March 27, delivering a sharp critique of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy. (Photo by Tamayo Muto)
International relations

Brazil's Lula strengthens Asia ties, vows to fight Trump tariffs

President defends multilateral trading system and hopes for Mercosur-Japan deal

27 March 2025
Japan's car industry employs 5.5 million people: Domestic employment will be impacted by any shift of production to the U.S. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)
Trade war

Trump tariffs prompt Japan to consider 'all options'

Tokyo and Seoul to pursue exemptions through negotiations

27 March 2025
Consumers in China are reining in spending, dragging down earnings at some consumer goods companies.
Economy

China demand slump hits earnings at top consumer goods companies

Food, household goods makers looking for overseas growth face price-dumping claims

27 March 2025
Japan's banks are rushing to bolster their foundations with the country's interest rates finally rising. (Photo by Yutaka Miyaguchi)
Finance

Major Japan regional bank seeks stake in peer as interest rates rise

Chiba Bank would become Chiba Kogyo's top shareholder with eye on merger

27 March 2025
Kikkoman has produced its soy sauce in the U.S. for over 50 years. (Photo by Momoko Imamura)
Food & Beverage

Kikkoman's use of U.S. ingredients makes its soy sauce tariff-proof: CEO

Japanese seasoning maker sees American market having room to double

27 March 2025
The 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum products implemented by the U.S. in March impose additional costs on Japanese companies.
Business trends

Half of top Japan business leaders eye U.S. expansion: survey

Executives worry about tariffs and labor costs, stay the course on DEI policies

27 March 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, shakes hands with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during the March 26 summit in Tokyo. (Pool via Reuters)
International relations

Japan and Brazil agree on climate cooperation during Lula's state visit

Brazil's biofuels and Japanese autos to help reach carbon neutrality, Ishiba says

27 March 2025
A firefighter works to extinguish flames at a house that has been engulfed by a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, on March 25. 
Natural disasters

South Korea's 'worst-ever' wildfires kill at least 18

Acting president says nation is mobilizing all available resources to minimize casualties

26 March 2025
Yutaka Ofuku, left, who heads a machine parts maker in Osaka, oversees the work of his chosen successor, Vietnamese factory manager Bui Quoc Viet. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama)
Japan immigration

Japan's growing foreign workforce offers succession lifeline

Immigrants may make up 10% of population by 2040s, forecast shows

26 March 2025
The Bank of Japan has so far avoided stepping in to curb rising long-term government bond yields. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Bonds

Bank of Japan stays on sidelines as 10-year yield climbs toward 2%

Market watchers see room for further rise toward Tokyo's assumed debt-service rate

26 March 2025
Bangladeshis work at Snowtex garment factory in Dhamrai, near Dhaka.
Opinion

Asia will still need to make things in the future

Services alone will struggle to make up for further deindustrialization

26 March 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs on April 2, though the scope remains unclear.
Trade war

Trump reciprocal tariffs seen targeting Japan and EU among 'dirty 15'

U.S. to focus on trading partners with high barriers to avoid administrative overload

26 March 2025