| Apr 23 | Cool Biz to start May 1, Super Cool Biz on June 1 |
 The government will launch its Cool Biz campaign again this year on May 1, the same as last year. Prior to 2011, the campaign began on June 1, but it was brought forward by a month last year in a bid to conserve electricity after worries that there would be a power shortage following the March 11 disaster.
(Japan Today  ) |
| Apr 23 | Chain got complaints of rotten beef before poisonings |
| The barbecue chain tainted by a fatal food poisoning scandal last year was getting complaints about rotten meat before the scandal even broke, investigative sources said. They also found that employees at the Yakinikuzakaya Ebisu chain had detected the smell of decaying meat and urged their bosses to return it to the supplier, meaning the executives at Foods Forus Co., which runs the "yakuniku" joints, were likely well aware of the situation, the sources said Saturday. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 23 | Japan Tobacco to get new boss |
| Japan Tobacco Inc. President Hiroshi Kimura will retire in June from the top JT post to be succeeded by Mitsuomi Koizumi, currently an executive deputy president, according to sources close to the company. After being replaced by Koizumi, 55, Kimura, 58, will become chairman of JT without the right to represent the company, according to the sources. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 21 | New Olympus picks defeat protests |
 Olympus Corp. won approval Friday to appoint new management, including Yasukuki Kimoto as chief executive officer and Hiroyuki Sasa as president, despite opposition from foreign shareholders.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 21 | JAL targets overseas flight hubs as key to expansion |
| Japan Airlines Corp. plans to add multiple overseas flight hubs each year through fiscal 2016 to expand its international routes on the back of its new fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliners. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 20 | Shimokobe accepts govt request to become TEPCO chairman |
 Kazuhiko Shimokobe, a key official at a public-private fund supporting Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s nuclear compensation payments, on Thursday accepted the government's request for him to become the next chairman of the troubled utility.
(Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 19 | Ex-CEO Woodford to oppose Olympus board appointments |
| Michael Woodford, former president of troubled Olympus Corp., said that he will vote against the company's proposed candidates for chairman and president at an extraordinary shareholders meeting to be held on Friday. Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Yurakucho on Thursday, the 51-year-old British national, who last year widely distributed evidence that unraveled a $1.7 billion financial cover-up by the Japanese camera maker, said that in spite of the significance of the scandal nothing has fundamentally changed at the company and it is business as usual. (Tokyo Reporter) |
| Apr 19 | Burger King Japan lets you quintuple the bacon on your burger |
 Burger King's Japan restaurants recently introduced the option of super-sizing just the bacon portion of their famed Whoppers, according to a post on Gawker. For around 100 yen (which is about $1.25) customers can get an extra 15 strips of bacon on their burger. That's 500% more bacon.
(Time) |
| Apr 19 | Japan's Mitsubishi, Mitsui ink US gas deal |
| Japan's Mitsubishi and Mitsui said Wednesday they will import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, amid a push to boost energy sources after last year's nuclear crisis. The country's two largest trading companies said they would each order 4.0 million tonnes of the gas annually from Cameron LNG, a unit of Sempra Energy, as early as 2016, reportedly the first such deal between Japan and the US. (AFP) |
| Apr 19 | Olympus seeks approval for board to move past $1.7 billion fraud |
| Olympus Corp. shareholders are being asked to vote on new management and let the company put behind it an accounting fraud that wiped $4.2 billion off its market value and sparked criminal probes in Japan and overseas. (BusinessWeek) |
| Apr 19 | Japan eyes bailout body official as Tepco chairman |
 Japan's government is set to choose a lawyer with expertise in turning around troubled businesses as the next chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Co , the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, domestic media said on Wednesday.
(Reuters ) |
| Apr 18 | Japan's overseas hunt grows |
 Fueled by the strong yen, cheap borrowing and ample cash, Japanese firms are going after everything from trading houses to pharmaceutical companies to technology companies.
Toshiba Corp.'s $850 million purchase of International Business Machines Corp.'s point-of-sale systems used in retail stores, announced Tuesday, brings the amount spent on outbound deals to $23 billion this year, according to data provider Dealogic. (Wall Street Journal) |
| Apr 18 | Make way for low-cost carriers |
| Low-cost carriers will likely occupy a prominent place in Japan's aviation industry from now on as major airlines enter the LCC market. Peach Aviation, in which All Nippon Airways has invested, started domestic flights in March and will begin international flights in May to and from Kansai airport. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 17 | Vending machines seek image upgrade |
 Japan's ubiquitous vending machines took some abuse last year - not the pounding they might get when they fail to deliver goods that have been paid for - but verbal abuse. The machines were criticized for gulping down valuable energy at a time when the country was trying to save every watt as nuclear powers plants went offline in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. (Wall Street Journal) |
| Apr 17 | What's in a $22 million 1 bedroom condo? |
 This might very well be the world's most expensive one-bedroom condo. The penthouse of the 10-story exclusive residence building "The House Minami-Azabu," located in the Tokyo district of the same name, is listed with Japan's Sotheby's International Realty for 1.8 billion yen, or approximately $22 million.
(CNBC) |
| Apr 17 | Twitter to hire more Japan staff |
| Twitter Inc. will "aggressively" add sales staff in Japan to attract more advertisers as local user growth exceeds the company's global expansion, Chief Executive Officer Dick Costolo said. The microblogging service will continue to invest and hire in Japan and will also add engineers, Costolo said Monday in Tokyo without specifying investment amounts or the number of people being added. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 16 | Rakuten, Japan Post to form alliance for intl e-commerce |
| Rakuten, Inc., one of Japan's major Internet retailers, and Japan Post Group's Japan Post Holdings Co. plan to form an alliance to launch an international e-commerce service, it has been learned. The partnership aims to expand business in the field by creating a system that would enable Rakuten shops to easily deliver goods internationally at a low cost. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 16 | Annual cigarette sales volume falls below 200 billion for first time |
| The number of cigarettes sold in Japan in fiscal 2011 dropped 6 percent from the previous year to 197.5 billion, dropping below 200 billion for the first time since statistics were first kept in 1990, the Tobacco Institute of Japan has announced. By value, sales grew 13.6 percent to more than 4.1 trillion yen, topping 4 trillion yen for the first time in seven years, although the number of smokers fell after sharp price hikes following a tobacco tax increase, the institute said Friday. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 16 | Japanese companies wrestle with foreign workers overseas |
| Many Japanese companies are looking at relocating some of their business overseas. The strength of the yen against other currencies, increasing numbers of mergers and acquisitions, and a diminishing domestic market all contribute to these moves. It is not difficult for Japanese firms to attract foreign talent, but they face a challenge in retaining top-flight workers. (majirox news) |
| Apr 14 | Rice exports to China resume |
 Japan has resumed rice exports to China after radioactive contamination from the Fukushima disaster resulted in bans in some eastern prefectures, the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations said Friday.
Exports resumed after a bilateral agreement allowing Japanese rice produced outside 10 prefectures to be shipped to China as long as they are accompanied by government-issued certificates of origin.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 13 | Japan market watchdog recommends $2.5 million fine for Olympus |
| Japan's market watchdog on Friday recommended the Financial Services Agency (FSA) fine Olympus Corp (7733.T) about 200 million yen ($2.5 million) for false accounting in one of the country's biggest corporate scandals. The recommendation, made by the Securities Exchange and Surveillance Commission (SESC), was expected as part of legal procedures and comes after prosecutors last month charged the company and six key figures in the $1.7 billion accounting fraud. (Reuters) |
| Apr 13 | Food's biggest scam: The Great Kobe Beef Lie |
 Think you've tasted the famous Japanese Kobe beef?
Think again.
Of course, there are a small number of you out there who have tried it - I did, in Tokyo, and it is delicious. If you ever go to Japan I heartily recommend you splurge, because while it is expensive, it is unique, and you cannot get it in the United States. Not as steaks, not as burgers, certainly not as the ubiquitous "Kobe sliders" at your trendy neighborhood "bistro."
(Forbes) |
| Apr 13 | The search for Sony's soul |
 Based on profits, Sony Corp. is an outstanding company -- in life insurance sales and hit movies such as the "Men in Black" and "Spider-Man" franchises.
But in the industry where Sony made its name -- consumer electronics -- the company needs a lifeline as it finishes its fiscal year with a record $6.4 billion loss.
(CNN ) |
| Apr 13 | Japan Fast Retailing H1 profit rises, lifts outlook |
| Asia's top apparel retailer, Fast Retailing Co, posted an 11.8 percent rise in its first-half operating profit after seasonal winter weather boosted sales at Japan outlets of its Uniqlo brand, and lifted its full-year profit forecast. The operator of the Uniqlo basic clothing chain said on Thursday its September-February operating profit totalled 91.75 billion yen ($1.13 billion), following a 2.3 percent rise in same-store sales at Uniqlo outlets in its main Japan market over the period. (Reuters) |
| Apr 12 | Ikea opens outlet No. 6 in Fukuoka |
 Swedish furniture giant Ikea opened a store Wednesday near the city of Fukuoka, its sixth retail outlet in Japan and the first in Kyushu, according to operator Ikea Japan K.K.
About 1,300 people were lined up before it opened in the morning. The first customer, who had been waiting outside the store since 10 a.m. Tuesday, was presented with a gift certificate worth ¥100,000, Ikea said.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 12 | TEPCO to sell additional 800 properties to raise funds for compensation |
 Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Wednesday it plans to sell an additional 800 buildings to raise more funds for compensation to victims of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis.
As part of a "Special Emergency Business Plan," TEPCO says it plans to raise 247.2 billion yen from the sale of real estate properties within three years, the Sankei Shimbun reported. In fiscal 2011, TEPCO sold 100 properties for 38 billion yen.
(Japan Today ) |
| Apr 12 | Sony CEO to lay out revival strategy as losses pile up |
 Kazuo Hirai's brief honeymoon as Sony Corp's new chief has ended abruptly as the struggling electronics giant doubled its annual loss forecast, sending its shares tumbling.
On Thursday he will try to convince investors he has a strategy to fix Sony and its ailing TV unit, and turn around a brand that has been trampled on by consumer gadget leaders Apple Inc and South Korea's Samsung Electronics.
(Reuters ) |
| Apr 12 | Woodford book chronicles story of coverup |
 Last summer, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, the CEO of Olympus Corp., instructed the firm's executives to keep then-President Michael C. Woodford from finding out about a magazine article that exposed the company's dubious transactions, a newly published book by Woodford reveals.
(Japan Times) |
| Apr 11 | Sony sees record $6.4 billion loss on tax hit |
| ) |
| Apr 11 | Auto parts to be standardized / Toyota, Nissan aim to cut costs, develop vehicles faster |
| Toyota Motor Corp. has announced the introduction of a new vehicle development system that will standardize major auto parts in an effort to cut costs. The system is intended to develop various models--in particular vehicles aimed at emerging countries--faster and more inexpensively. Nissan Motor Co. and Germany's Volkswagen AG are also taking similar steps. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 10 | Unprofitable Mazda may be forced to sell assets, sever community ties |
| Should Mazda Motor Corp. dump the Hiroshima Carp? Two weeks after selling $1.8 billion in new stock to replenish its depleted capital, the nation's only unprofitable automaker said last month that it will sponsor the All-Star baseball game in July. Mazda is the only Japanese carmaker to own control of a team in the league and also has a professional soccer club, a hospital and more than $5 billion in land holdings. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 09 | Tokyo Electric burns almost four times as much oil in March |
| Tokyo Electric Power Co in March used almost four times as much as crude oil and fuel oil combined from a year earlier and the highest monthly volume of liquefied natural gas since August to make up for a fall in its nuclear power generation to zero during the month, data by Japan's biggest utility showed on Monday. (Reuters) |
| Apr 08 | Mizuho joins rush to tap Myanmar's emerging market |
| Mizuho Corporate Bank opened a representative office in Yangon on Friday, joining the legion of domestic companies seeking to tap into Myanmar as it moves toward democracy. Mizuho's move underlines the recent rush to enter a market previously isolated by economic sanctions imposed by the international community. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 06 | Prius tops sales list for 3rd year |
 Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid vehicle was the best-selling car in the nation for the third straight year in fiscal 2011, industry data showed Thursday.
In the year that ended Saturday, Prius sales totaled 310,484 units. Honda Motor Co.'s Fit subcompact car ranked second with 234,432 units sold.
(Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 06 | Lawson looks to open outlets in Myanmar |
 Convenience store chain Lawson Inc. plans to open outlets in Myanmar, company sources said Thursday.
Lawson officials in charge of overseas operations will visit the country next week to hold talks with several key local retailers to choose a business partner, the sources said.
Lawson hopes to open the first store, which would be the first Japanese convenience store in the country, by the end of this year, according to the sources.
(Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 06 | Imports of young eels plummet as wholesale prices double |
| Imports of young Japanese eels plunged by almost half from January to February while their price more than doubled to over ¥2.1 million per kilogram, according to Finance Ministry data. This indicates that not only Japan, but other Asian countries are suffering from poor catches compared with a year ago. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 06 | Strong yen forcing auto firms out of Japan: Ghosn |
 Even after some softening against the US dollar, the strong yen remains a "real headwind" for the growth of Japan-based automakers, Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn said on Wednesday.
With the "yen [at] 82 from 76 ... I don't call it a retreat; it is still a huge headwind for all the Japanese exporters," Renault-Nissan Alliance chief executive Ghosn told a press briefing at this year's New York International Auto Show.
(Taipei Times) |
| Apr 05 | Nissan unveils new yellow cab for NYC |
 New York City's next generation of yellow cabs will be minivans featuring sliding doors, antibacterial seats, air bags in the back and outlets to charge mobile phones.
City officials unveiled the "Taxi of Tomorrow," manufactured by Nissan Motor Co., at the New York International Auto Show on Tuesday. The vehicle, on display to the public from Friday to April 15, was engineered to be durable enough to handle the city's 10,000 km of pothole-riddled streets, according to Nissan officials.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 05 | Geothermal energy in Japan: Storm in a hot tub |
| |
| Apr 05 | Lights dim for Japan's nuclear utilities |
| As the future of Tokyo Electric Power remains in question, concerns are building over how other nuclear power operating electric power companies (Epcos) will fund themselves going forward. As losses pile up, the choices are stark. The companies need either to fully resume operating their nuclear plants, or hike their customer tariffs by 20% to boost their flagging revenues. (Reuters) |
| Apr 05 | Peach Aviation tops passenger projection |
| |
| Apr 04 | Softbank plans Japan's largest solar power plant in Hokkaido |
| |
| Apr 04 | Japan refiners deepen Iran crude import cuts |
| Japanese refiners will cut Iranian crude imports yet again in April as they shy away from renewing annual contracts, showing continued commitment to U.S.-led sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme. Japan, the world's third largest oil consumer, has strongly backed calls to cut Iranian oil imports and earlier reductions were hailed by its top business and military ally, the United States, as an example to other countries. (Reuters) |
| Apr 04 | Firms looking to quit AIJ's funds |
 More than 10 companies belonging to some of the 74 corporate pension funds that entrusted assets to scandal-hit AIJ Investment Advisors Co. are seeking to withdraw their memberships, according to officials of the funds.
The hurdles to withdraw from corporate pension funds are high, but the managers face the possibility of incurring increased losses.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 03 | Can Japan Firms Woo Foreigners? |
 Japanese companies, increasingly shifting overseas to offset a shrinking domestic market, are taking the first steps to hire foreigners after long resisting even modest changes to their uniform workplace culture.
But they are now confronting the question about just how drastic that change should be. Many Japanese companies say they want foreign workers, but few so far have been willing to overhaul the system - with unequal pay and few opportunities for promotions - that once dissuaded foreigners from joining in the first place.
(The Diplomat) |
| Apr 03 | Insight: Dynamic CEOs defy Japan Inc's decline |
| |
| Apr 03 | Honda Recalls SUVs |
 Honda Motor Co. (HMC) revealed that it would recall 554,000 units of CR-V compact SUVs and Pilot large SUVs due to a problem with their headlight wiring. The CR-Vs belong to the 2002-2004 model year and Pilots to 2003.
The automaker detected potential flaws with the headlight switch in some of the vehicles. The flaw could lead to blacking out of low-beam headlights, thereby increasing the risk of a crash. However, the company has not yet received any reports of injuries or crashes related to the problem.
(zacks.com ) |
| Apr 03 | Olympus ex-CEO Woodford plans 'surprise': report |
| Michael Woodford, former president and chief executive officer of Olympus Corp, said Monday he is planning to launch a "surprise" action at an extraordinary shareholders meeting of the Japanese camera and medical equipment manufacturer slated for April 20, opposing a proposed new management lineup, Kyodo News reported. "I'll announce that on the day. I'm not going to do it beforehand. It will be a surprise," Woodford said in an interview with Kyodo News. (MarketWatch) |
| Apr 03 | Struggling electronics makers hit reset button |
| Some of the nation's biggest electronics firms are seeking fresh starts this spring under new presidents brought in to tackle the difficult task of re-establishing their slumping TV businesses in the competitive global market. Sony Corp., now headed by Executive Deputy President Kazuo Hirai, who replaced Howard Stringer on Sunday, has already begun taking steps to turn around its ailing TV business, which is likely to post its eighth consecutive year in the red. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 02 | Firms kick off fiscal 2012 with 800,000 new recruits |
 An estimated 800,000 new employees marked their first day at work Monday, the first day of fiscal 2012, after prevailing in a difficult job-hunting season exacerbated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
As of Feb. 1, 80.5 percent of college students had found jobs ahead of graduation in March, up 3.1 points from the previous year, when the figure fell to its lowest since 2000, when comparable data first became available, the labor ministry said.
(Japan Times ) |