| May 17 | Toyota rolls out redesigned Corolla |
| For four guys going golfing in Japan's picturesque countryside over the weekend, there's slim pickings when it comes to small fuel-economy vehicles big enough to fit clubs and all passengers. (Wall Street Journal) |
| May 17 | K-1 promoter FEG goes bankrupt |
| FEG Inc., a K-1 martial arts promoter, has effectively gone bankrupt by starting protection procedures with the Tokyo District Court on May 7, Teikoku Databank Ltd. said Wednesday. (Japan Times) |
| May 16 | Okada bets to win with fine dining and casinos |
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| May 16 | Japan firms eye $4.4 billion stake in Australia LNG project |
| A group of Japanese firms is in talks to pay $4.4 billion for a stake in Australia's Wheatstone gas field that had been set aside for bailed-out nuclear operator Tepco, as the country looks to shore up long-term energy supplies, the Nikkei business daily reported. (Reuters) |
| May 15 | Mixi mulls putting itself up for sale |
| Japanese social networking company mixi Inc. is considering putting itself up for sale as its users defect to increasingly popular U.S. rival Facebook Inc., Nikkei Business Online reported Tuesday. (MarketWatch) |
| May 15 | 4 Japanese real estate brokers report sales drops on disaster |
| Four of Japan's five major real estate brokers reported sales declines for the past year as the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan forced them to delay and reduce condominium sales. (Mainichi) |
| May 15 | Panasonic quarterly loss balloons 10-fold to complete year of record red ink |
 Panasonic's January-March losses ballooned 10-fold to 438 billion yen ($5 billion), completing a year of record red ink at the Japanese electronics maker battered by natural disasters and an ailing TV business. (Washington Post  ) |
| May 15 | Japan Airlines reports $2.3b profit |
 Japan Airlines has reported an annual net profit of $2.33 billion, thanks to cost cutting efforts. (ninemsn.com.au ) |
| May 15 | NTT Docomo to bid for Italy's Buongiorno |
| Japan's NTT Docomo said it would launch a cash bid for Italian mobile content and apps provider Buongiorno in a deal worth up to 224 million euros ($290 million), a 14.5 percent premium to Friday's closing prices. (Reuters) |
| May 14 | Hokkaido restarts coal-fired unit as planned |
| Japanese utility Hokkaido Electric Power Co said it resumed operations of the 175-megawatt coal-fired No.1 unit at its Naie plant on Sunday morning following unplanned repair work. (Reuters) |
| May 14 | Pension fund suckered by AIJ seeks dissolution |
 An employee pension fund in northern Japan has decided to dissolve itself after losing most of its money to scandal-tainted AIJ Investment Advisors Co., sources at the fund said. (Japan Times ) |
| May 14 | Lottery sales exceed 1 tril. yen in fiscal 2011 |
| Lottery ticket sales in Japan exceeded 1 trillion yen for the first time in three years in fiscal 2011, internal affairs minister Tatsuo Kawabata said. (Yomiuri) |
| May 13 | Japan companies predict profit |
| Publicly traded companies in Japan expect their combined pre-tax profit to rise 24 per cent in the current fiscal year, leaving behind a year hit by natural disasters, according to a survey. (ninemsn.com.au) |
| May 12 | Nissan eclipses Toyota with Y341 billion profit |
 Nissan Motor Co. on Friday posted a consolidated net profit of ¥341.43 billion for 2011, surpassing Toyota Motor Corp. for the first time ever on strong global sales despite natural disasters and a strong yen. (Japan Times ) |
| May 12 | NTT annual profit drops 8.2% |
 Japan's biggest telecom firm NTT Corp said Friday that annual profit dipped 8.2%, but added that it expects a sharp rebound this year partly due to strong domestic smartphone sales. (Japan Today ) |
| May 11 | Sony profit projections lower than expected |
 Sony Corp. on Thursday predicted profit below analysts' estimates amid slumping TV and game-console sales and worsening earnings from the mobile-phone unit. (Japan Times ) |
| May 11 | The transformation of Japanese wine |
| The Japanese are trying to get a foothold in the wine industry. Sake is the most obvious drink that comes to mind when thinking of alcoholic drinks from Japan. However, the country's wine industry is currently undergoing a radical transformation, with a major project focusing on the local koshu grape, and New Zealander Glen Creasy is one of its key consultants. (New Zealand Herald) |
| May 10 | After the quake, Japanese shop for survival |
 Walk into any large Japanese retailer nowadays, and you might think Japan had become a nation of survivalists.
Aeon, a Wal-Mart-like chain of stores, devotes a sizable chunk of floor space to something called bosai-yohin, or "disaster-protection gear." (NPR) |
| May 09 | PayPal, Softbank to form Japan joint venture, launch PayPal here service |
 PayPal and Softbank said Wednesday they will form a new joint venture to pursue online transactions business in the country. (PC World ) |
| May 09 | As sales accelerate, Toyota goes to war on waste |
| For three years, Akio Toyoda has had to steer Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) through one crisis after another, from a damaging safety recall that took up to 10 million cars off the road to last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami. Now, the 56-year-old grandson of the automaker's founder is ready to go on the offensive. (Reuters) |
| May 09 | McDonald's April sales rise but miss expectations |
| McDonald's Corp. said Tuesday that a key revenue figure rose in April as strength in the U.S. and parts of Europe helped offset weakness in Japan. But the results fell short of Wall Street expectations and the fast food chain's own guidance. (AFP) |
| May 08 | Asahi to buy Japan drinks maker Calpis for $1.5 bln |
| Brewer Asahi Group Holdings said it will buy soft drinks maker Calpis Co for about 120 billion yen ($1.5 billion), its largest deal to date as it seeks new revenue sources, and a move that could hasten a realignment of Japan's beverage sector. (Reuters) |
| May 08 | Steep rise in expressway tolls likely as funds run out ahead of schedule |
| Expressway tolls are expected to rise sharply nationwide starting in fiscal 2014, as money set aside for discounts is likely to run out. A number of rate reductions - including a 50 percent cut on holidays and a 30 percent cut on weekdays during the daytime - were introduced in 2008 as part of a program by the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito coalition government to promote the use of expressways. (Japan Times) |
| May 08 | Convenience store chains go with flow, grow |
| The nation's top three convenience store chains last month posted record annual operating profits for the 2011 business year despite the sluggish, disaster-stricken domestic economy. (Japan Times) |
| May 08 | Toyota seen exceeding GM's profit this fiscal year |
| Toyota Motor Corp.'s profit may climb to a five-year high and exceed General Motors Co.'s earnings this year, signaling Asia's biggest carmaker is close to full force after reeling from natural disasters and a recall crisis. (Bloomberg) |
| May 05 | Ford asks steep price for Japan to join trade talks |
| Japan should be required to reduce the size of its auto industry before being allowed into regional free trade talks with the United States and eight other countries in the Asia Pacific, a top Ford Motor Co official said. "Any way you look at the Japanese market, it's the most protected automotive market in the developed world," Steve Biegun, Ford's vice president for international government affairs, said in an interview. (chicagotribune.com) |
| May 04 | Russia, Japan in building gas pipeline talks |
| Russia and Japan are in talks to build a gas pipeline from Russia to expand gas supplies to the Far Eastern country, Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday. (RIA Novosti) |
| May 02 | GM proposed taking over one-third of Isuzu: source |
| General Motors Co first proposed taking a controlling stake of more than one-third in Isuzu Motors Ltd - an investment worth some $3 billion - but is now seeking a smaller holding after the Japanese truck maker said it wanted to remain independent, a person with direct knowledge of the talks said. (chicagotribune.com) |
| May 02 | Panasonic hid Y11 billion in income: tax bureau |
| The Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau has told Panasonic Corp. that the company failed to declare ¥11 billion in taxable income in two financial years through March 2011, sources said. (Japan Times) |
| May 02 | Mitsubishi, Mitsui to join Australian LNG project |
| Major traders Mitsubishi Corp. and Mitsui & Co. said Tuesday they would take part in an Australian liquefied natural gas development project led by major Australian gas and oil producer Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (Yomiuri) |
| May 01 | Japan clothing chain scouts flagship sites |
 Uniqlo, the popular Japanese fashion group has sent representatives to Australia during the past two weeks in a sign it is canvassing locations in Melbourne and Sydney with serious intent.
(Brisbane Times) |
| Apr 30 | Carmakers play on nostalgia |
| Automakers are catering to the nostalgia of drivers by reviving old models or releasing new cars with names similar to those of famous old models, but with greater fuel efficiency and comfort. Nissan Motor Co. is the latest automaker to follow the trend by announcing Wednesday its Cima luxury sedan would make a reappearance next month. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 29 | Japan, Kazakhstan to 'jointly develop rare earths' |
 Japan will jointly develop rare earths with Kazakhstan as part of its efforts to secure supplies of the key minerals now controlled by China, according to a newspaper.
Japan plans to reach an accord when trade and industry minister Yukio Edano visits the central Asian country in early May and meets Kazakh government officials, including President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
(AFP ) |
| Apr 28 | Honda's quarterly profit jumps 61 per cent on improved sales despite strong yen |
 Honda's January-March profit jumped 61 per cent as the Japanese automaker sold more cars and motorcycles in a turnaround from a disaster-battered 2011. It forecast record global sales of 4.3 million vehicles for this fiscal year.
(The Record ) |
| Apr 28 | Smartphone spread boosts NTT DoCoMo |
 Leading Japanese mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo said Friday net profit sagged in 2011 due to an additional tax burden, but growing smartphone use had boosted operating profit.
Net profit for the year to March slipped 5.4% from a year ago to 463.9 billion yen, mainly due to changes in the tax code, the company said.
(Japan Today ) |
| Apr 28 | Softbank shifts to paperless workplace, Apple tools |
 Internet giant Softbank Corp. will go paperless starting this month by banning employees from printing handouts or distributing paper press releases.
CEO Masayoshi Son unveiled his grand plan as he released Softbank's earnings report for business 2011 to reporters and investors Thursday, saying the use of electronic documents via iPads or iPhones will be mandatory for all business-related matters.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 28 | Foreign buyers snap up land / Survey shows many people use Japanese names to hide acquisitions |
| At least 1,100 hectares of mountain forest and other land have been acquired by foreigners, with Hokkaido providing the lion's share, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey. The survey discovered 63 land transactions involving foreign purchasers, but Japanese names were apparently used to disguise many of the deals, a subterfuge not recognized by local governments. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 28 | High court OK's sale of drugs online |
| The Tokyo High Court has ruled illegal a health ministry ordinance regulating online drug sales, abandoning an earlier ruling by the Tokyo District Court and recognizing two plaintiff companies' right to sell drugs on the Internet. One of the plaintiffs is kenko.com Inc., the nation's leading online drug retailer. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 27 | Asahi Group eyes buying soft-drink maker Calpis |
 Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. is in the final stage of negotiations to buy soft-drink maker Calpis Co. from Ajinomoto Co., sources close to the matter said Friday.
Asahi Group's Asahi Soft Drinks Co. ranks fifth in Japan's soft-drink market and may become the third through the Calpis acquisition, according to Inryo Soken, which tracks the soft-drink market.
(Mainichi ) |
| Apr 27 | Mitsubishi Motors posts 53% profit rise |
 Mitsubishi Motors said Thursday its net profit for the fiscal year to March soared 53.2 percent, partly driven by cost cutting, even as its last-quarter results tumbled on a strong yen.
Japan's fourth-largest automaker said it earned 23.9 billion yen ($294 million) in the past year, up from 15.6 billion yen in the year-earlier period.
(AFP ) |
| Apr 27 | Japanese developers boom in the Chinese housing market |
| One of Japan's biggest developers is doing well building new homes in China. Sekisui House Ltd, Japan's second- biggest home builder, said this week that it expects its 2012 operating profits to increase almost 80% to a record 3-year high as it business in China starts to generate strong earnings. The company is investing 220 billion yen in its overseas projects. (opp.org.uk) |
| Apr 25 | Firm evaded taxes on singer's goods |
 Tokyo tax authorities have accused a company president of evading taxes totaling ¥48 million by inflating costs for making T-shirts and other goods featuring female pop singer Aiko, sources said Tuesday.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 25 | Nissan sees yen as '1,000-pound gorilla' curbing sales |
 Nissan Motor Co. said sales at Japan's second-biggest automaker may reach 10 trillion yen ($123 billion) this year depending on the strength of a currency Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn compared with an over-sized ape.
(BusinessWeek ) |
| Apr 24 | Japan car makers look to wow Beijing auto show crowd with green machines |
 The 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition opened on April 23. With some 18.5 million new vehicles rolling off Chinese dealer lots in 2011, making China the world's largest car market, the show is an important one for car makers battling for the hearts, minds and wallets of Chinese consumers -- a battle Japanese manufacturers arrived at late.
(Mainichi ) |
| Apr 24 | How Japan's rail industry bounced back from the tsunami |
 The Japanese rail network - including its fleet of 200mph bullet trains were working normally within 50 days of the earthquake and tsunami which devastated the country and killed, according to the latest official figures, 18,926 people.
(telegraph.co.uk) |
| Apr 24 | Japan's Cosmo Oil renews Iran oil imports deal |
| Japan's Cosmo Oil Co has renewed its annual oil purchase deal with Iran and cut the volume to comply with U.S. sanctions against the Islamic nation, trade sources said on Friday. Cosmo's new contractual volume from April onwards remained unclear. (Reuters) |
| 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 ) |