BUSINESS NEWS

Japan's winter resorts are on a slippery financial slope as rising COVID-19 infections deter skiers and snowboarders. (Nikkei)

Japanese electronic parts manufacturers are making big investments to scale up output of components for electrified vehicles, seeking to establish a place in the coalescing supply chains for the rapidly growing field. (Nikkei)

The operator of a number of izakaya pub chains in Japan says it is closing down about 20 percent of its outlets in Tokyo. It hopes to mitigate the impact of shorter business hours due to the coronavirus pandemic. (NHK)

The Japanese government declared a second state of emergency following a surge in coronavirus cases in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures on Jan 7. (Japan Today)

Rising coronavirus cases are leading Central Japan Railway to take the unprecedented step of requiring thousands of employees to go on paid leave as passenger numbers drop sharply. (NHK)

Toyota will pay $180 million to settle U.S. government allegations that it failed to report and fix pollution control defects in its vehicles for a decade. (Japan Todayj)

Japan’s wholesale prices fell 2.0% in December from a year earlier on sliding fuel costs, data showed on Thursday, a sign that the hit to demand from the coronavirus pandemic is weighing on the world’s third-largest economy. (Reuters)

Fast Retailing Co.’s lineup of functional and casual attire continued to lure value-conscious shoppers whose preferences are changing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to push the Uniqlo operator’s first-quarter earnings close to an all-time high. (Japan Times)

Tokyo's benchmark stock index continued its rise on Thursday, buoyed by better-than-expected figures for machinery orders across Japan. The gains propelled the Nikkei Average to a fresh 30-year high. (NHK)

Following moves by its rivals, KDDI Corp. said Wednesday it will roll out new cut-price smartphone plans, further intensifying competition among mobile phone carriers under intense pressure from the government. (Japan Times)

Panasonic aims to make cobalt-free batteries available for Tesla's electric vehicles in two to three years, as the Japanese electronics manufacturer tries to keep pace with the U.S. automaker's ambitious mission to bring EVs into the mainstream quickly. (Nikkei)

Japan’s currency in circulation and bank deposits rose at a record pace in December, data showed on Wednesday, as a resurgence in coronavirus infections prompted companies and households to continue hoarding cash rather than spending it. (Reuters)

Elon Musk’s tweets have been known to drive big stock moves in everything from his own giant automaker Tesla Inc. to a tiny medical device firm that shared the name of his preferred messaging app. (Bloomberg)

Tokyo's benchmark stock index continues to be on a tear, hitting a 30 year-record high again on Wednesday. Semiconductor-related shares continued to climb as investors bet they'll be well-placed to weather the pandemic. (NHK)

A former employee of SoftBank Corp was arrested Tuesday for illegally taking information from the major Japanese wireless carrier on its ultrafast 5G technology before moving to a smaller rival company, police said. (Japan Today)

Amid high electricity demand due to unseasonably cold weather and tight liquefied natural gas supply, Japan is scrambling to prevent a national blackout by calling on power companies to generate more and the public to use less. (Nikkei)

A former SoftBank Corp. employee has been arrested on suspicion of illegally disclosing 5G trade secrets to his new employer, Rakuten Mobile Inc., as it was preparing to launch its own mobile network. (Japan Times)

Japan is considering extending a state of emergency from the Tokyo metropolitan area to other regions as novel coronavirus cases increase but that could raise the risk of a double-dip recession for the world's third-largest economy. (Japan Today)

Japan’s imports of spaghetti, which is easy to cook, hit a record high in 2020, apparently due to people refraining from going out amid the novel coronavirus crisis. (Japan Times)

Over 80,000 people have been dismissed or seen their employment contracts terminated rather than renewed in Japan for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic since it began, the labor ministry said Thursday. (Japan Times)