News On Japan

Honda to Spend $65 Billion on EVs, Self-Driving Tech

May 16 (NHK) - Honda Motor says it will invest 10 trillion yen or roughly 65 billion dollars in electric vehicles and software for self-driving technology through fiscal 2030.

Mibe Toshihiro, President and Representative Executive Officer of Honda Motor, said, "Our main objective is to prepare for the medium and long term by building strong EV brands and business models. And we're doing that with an eye on the period when EVs will become more common in the late 2020s and beyond."

The Japanese automaker has said that by 2040, EVs and fuel cell vehicles will make up 100 percent of its sales. Mibe says that target hasn't changed.

Honda plans to launch a new EV series from 2026 and sell seven models worldwide by 2030.

The company also aims to strengthen its battery development and supply systems. It wants to reduce procurement costs in North America by more than 20 percent.

In Canada, Honda hopes to cut production costs at a dedicated EV plant by about 35 percent. The factory is expected to go online in 2028.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Police investigating the death of an 11-year-old boy whose body was found in a forest in Kyoto Prefecture believe his father moved the remains between several locations over a number of days in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime.

A large and powerful Typhoon No. 4, internationally named Sinlaku, was located near the Mariana Islands and moving north-northeast as of the latest update. The storm is expected to gradually shift its course eastward and pass southeast of the Ogasawara Islands around April 18, before making its closest approach around April 19.

Japan will release around 50 million stockpiled medical gloves from next month as concerns grow over shortages of medical supplies linked to tensions in the Middle East, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said.

The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route connecting Toyama and Nagano fully reopened on April 15th, marking the start of the spring tourism season along one of Japan’s most celebrated mountain routes.

A large and extremely strong Typhoon No. 4 (Sinlaku) was tracking north-northwest near the Mariana Islands as of April 15, with forecasters warning of high waves exceeding 4 meters around the Ogasawara Islands later this week despite a low likelihood of a direct approach to Japan.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

TOTO said on April 16 that it will gradually resume new orders for its unit bath products from April 20 after securing a clearer outlook for raw material procurement.

Tokyo’s and Osaka’s flagship theme parks are both marking their 25th anniversaries this year, raising expectations that milestone celebrations could provide a boost to visitor numbers and earnings.

As tensions in the Middle East continue, 42 vessels linked to Japan remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, raising concerns over supply chains for naphtha, a key raw material used in plastics and coatings, with manufacturers warning that prolonged disruptions could drive up prices for everyday goods and housing materials.

The Japan Painting Contractors Association has requested the government to secure stable supplies of materials, warning that concerns over shortages of paint and thinner derived from naphtha have become increasingly severe.

Crude oil futures surged sharply as concerns over supply disruptions intensified amid renewed uncertainty surrounding the situation in Iran, pushing prices above $105 per barrel on April 12th and driving Japan long-term interest rates—represented by the benchmark 10-year government bond yield—to their highest levels in nearly three decades.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda warned on April 14th that rising crude oil prices driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East could act as a drag on Japan’s economy, signaling growing concern within the central bank over external cost pressures.

More than 80% of companies in Japan’s Kyushu and Okinawa regions say they are experiencing negative impacts from the ongoing situation in the Middle East, according to a survey released by Tokyo Shoko Research on April 13th.

IKEA, the Swedish furniture giant, is set to open its first outlet in Hokkaido in mid-May, marking its long-awaited entry into the region not in the major city of Sapporo but in the neighboring town of Tobetsu, where deep historical ties with Sweden have helped pave the way for the project.