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Japan-backed fund to buy chip materials maker JSR for $6.4 billion

Japan-backed fund to buy out JSR in latest chip sector intervention

TOKYO - Japan stepped up efforts to bolster its chip industry on Monday, with a government-backed fund agreeing to buy semiconductor materials maker JSR Corp (4185.T) for about 909.3 billion yen ($6.4 billion).

The move by Japan Investment Corp (JIC), overseen by the powerful trade ministry, is the latest in a series of increasingly muscular government steps to try to regain Japan's lead in advanced chip production and maintain its edge as a maker of materials and tools used in their manufacture.

JIC plans to launch a tender offer in late December offering 4,350 yen per share, a 35% premium to Friday's closing price, to take JSR private. Mizuho Bank and the government-backed Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) will provide financing. ...continue reading

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Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) swept across Japan on June 3rd, bringing record-breaking rainfall, widespread flooding, landslides, transport disruptions, and powerful winds, while prompting Tokyo's first-ever issuance of a Level 4 danger alert under the country's new weather warning system. The storm also exposed challenges surrounding evacuation behavior, as many residents chose not to leave their homes despite official warnings affecting more than 1.6 million people across the Tokyo metropolitan area.

[updated 10:50 p.m.] Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) continued to disrupt transport across eastern Japan late on June 3rd, although many major rail and air services began shifting into recovery mode after the storm moved away into the Pacific, with nearly 900 flights canceled during the day, several regional railway lines still suspended, and operators warning that delays and reduced services could linger into June 4th.

As Typhoon Jangmi (Typhoon No. 6) struck Wakayama Prefecture on June 3rd, the storm became the first major test of Japan's newly introduced disaster weather warning system, revealing both the benefits of earlier evacuation calls and the challenges local authorities faced in helping residents understand and respond to the new alerts.

Flooding was reported around the popular tourist district of Oharai-machi in Ise City following the passage of Typhoon No. 6, with some businesses forced to clean up after floodwaters overflowed from a nearby river during the early hours of June 3rd.

A breaking weather alert was issued for the Izu region of Shizuoka Prefecture early Wednesday morning, after the formation of a linear rain band, a phenomenon capable of producing prolonged and extremely intense rainfall over the same area. Authorities warned that the risk of disasters has risen sharply as heavy rain continues to fall, increasing the likelihood of flooding, landslides, and other weather-related emergencies.

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The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on June 2nd that it is considering imposing an additional 12.5% tariff on Japan, arguing that the country's measures to prevent the import of products made with forced labor are insufficient.

As labor shortages deepen across Japan, more companies in Okinawa are turning to foreign workers not only to fill vacancies but also to build long-term careers, creating support systems that help employees settle into local communities and remain in the workforce.

Quantum computing is attracting growing attention from investors as governments around the world increase support for the technology, raising expectations that it could become the next major investment theme after artificial intelligence.

Toyota Motor will suspend production at 13 domestic factories on June 3rd as Typhoon No. 6 approaches Japan, with the company prioritizing the safety of employees and contractors as severe weather is expected to affect a wide area from western to eastern Japan.

The Japan Housing Finance Agency announced on June 1st the interest rates that will apply in June for Flat 35, Japan’s long-term fixed-rate housing loan program.

ENEOS Holdings, Japan's largest oil refiner, is accelerating its push overseas as it seeks to raise the share of revenue generated outside Japan from roughly 20% today to 50% in the future, according to President Tomohide Miyata, who outlined the company's growth strategy in an extended interview that was not fully aired on TV Tokyo's World Business Satellite (WBS).

SoftBank Group announced on May 31st that it will build a data center in France dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), with total investment potentially reaching approximately 14 trillion yen.

Japan's restaurant industry is facing growing uncertainty after the government suspended the acceptance of new foreign workers under the Specified Skilled Worker visa program for the food service sector, a move that is affecting businesses, language schools, and students who had hoped to build careers in Japan.