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In new five-year plan, Toshiba to cut thousands of jobs, withdraw from British nuclear plant and U.S

Nov 09, 2018 (Japan Times) - Toshiba Corp. on Thursday announced its five-year business reform plan to revamp its operations, with thousands of global job cuts, a withdrawal from its nuclear plant construction business in Britain and a sell-off of a U.S. liquefied natural gas operation on the agenda.

The technology conglomerate plans to cut about 7,000 jobs globally over the next five years, Toshiba Chairman and CEO Nobuaki Kurumatani said at a news conference in Tokyo.

The planned restructuring comes as Toshiba reported financial results for the April-September period earlier in the day. It posted ¥1.08 trillion ($9.5 billion) in net profit, a sharp turnaround from a loss of just under ¥49.8 billion a year earlier, as it completed the sale of its chip subsidiary.

But even with the ¥1 trillion net profit in the latest term, Toshiba needs a fundamental rethink regarding its organizational structure and its business operations in order to stay afloat, according to industry analysts.

Its group operating profit tumbled 80.7 percent to ¥6.98 trillion on sales of ¥1.78 trillion, down 5.1 percent.

For the current fiscal year ending March 31, Toshiba cut its profit estimate, citing various restructuring-related costs including a ¥93 billion loss expected from selling its U.S. natural gas business, projecting a net profit of ¥920 billion against the previously estimated ¥1.07 trillion.

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Japan’s World Cup campaign ended in the cruelest possible fashion on June 29, as Gabriel Martinelli scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Brazil a 2-1 victory over the Samurai Blue in their knockout match in Houston. Japan had led in the first half and were still level at 1-1 in the final moments, but Martinelli’s late strike sent Brazil into the Round of 16 and eliminated Japan from the tournament.

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sweden on June 25, finishing second in Group F and setting up a Round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston.

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