News On Japan

Panasonic to Disband and Split Into Three Companies

TOKYO - Panasonic Holdings has announced plans to dissolve its core subsidiary, Panasonic Corporation, and split it into three separate companies as part of its business restructuring efforts.

The company revealed on February 4th that it has yet to decide whether the new entities will retain the Panasonic name. This restructuring, set to begin in the next fiscal year, also includes a review of unprofitable businesses, such as home appliances, and workforce reductions through voluntary retirement, aiming to improve profitability by over 300 billion yen.

Regarding its struggling television business, Panasonic stated that while it is prepared to sell the division, it currently sees no potential buyers. The company is now considering options including a complete exit or a sale.

Source: YOMIURI

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 7 (Mekkhala) was continuing north with very strong intensity as of 6 p.m. on June 22, with forecasters warning that a rainy-season front already stalled near Japan and a newly formed tropical depression to the south could combine to increase the risk of heavy rain in western and eastern Japan while making the typhoon’s track after the weekend highly uncertain. The immediate concern is not only the typhoon itself, but the way its warm, moist air is expected to interact with the rainy-season front near Japan. Even if the main body of the storm remains some distance away, moisture drawn northward around the typhoon could flow into the front and make rain clouds more active, creating conditions for heavy rain or prolonged rainfall.

Japan will begin a new system on June 23 to sell paint and thinner directly from manufacturers to construction firms and other businesses, aiming to ease supply bottlenecks and curb price increases as worsening conditions in the Middle East make such materials harder to obtain.

Three bear cubs were spotted climbing a tree in Hirogawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on the morning of June 22, prompting the town to put up warning signs and call on residents to stay alert, although no injuries or damage have been reported.

Mosquitoes are appearing earlier than usual this year, raising fears of a major summer outbreak as experts warn that warm May weather and repeated light rain have created ideal breeding conditions across residential areas.

Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

Tokyo stocks surged at the start of the week, with the Nikkei Stock Average closing above 72,000 for the first time and extending its record-setting streak to a sixth consecutive trading day.

Sugar prices are on a firmer upward trend as concerns grow over the impact of Middle East tensions and the weaker yen, raising the prospect of further cost pressure on confectionery and other food products.

The Bank of Japan's decision on June 16 to raise its policy interest rate to 1%, the highest level in roughly 30 years, is expected to increase annual net burdens by more than 20,000 yen for households in their 30s with two or more members once higher interest income on deposits and increased mortgage repayment costs are both taken into account, according to estimates by an economist.

A major pet-related product fair opened in Osaka on June 20, bringing together more than 400 companies and showcasing new technologies and products ranging from a bone-conduction hearing device for dogs to furniture designed for cats and their owners to relax together.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for an infected liver cyst and is expected to return to work on June 23 while continuing outpatient care for about two weeks.

Japan's nationwide consumer price index rose 1.4% in May from a year earlier, staying below 2% for the fourth straight month as lower rice, gasoline, utility and school tuition costs helped curb the overall increase.

The Nikkei Stock Average surged past 71000 on Thursday, closing at a record high for the fourth straight session, as easing tensions in the Middle East lifted investor sentiment while the yen weakened to a nearly two-year low against the dollar.

Nissan Motor announced that it will launch the fully redesigned Kicks compact SUV on June 18, marking the model's first full overhaul in six years as the automaker seeks to strengthen its position in Japan's highly competitive small SUV market.