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July 01, 2026
 

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Koh Yoshida
Kenichi Hori, CEO of Mitsui & Co., speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2026
Mitsui seeks LNG investments as data centers boost power demand
Companies seeking clean energy to power artificial intelligence infrastructure are creating “big additional demand” for LNG, Mitsui CEO Kenichi Hori said.
A subsidiary of Itochu will take over the Japan sales operations of U.S. medical equipment maker SunMed Group Holdings, which does business in the country as AirLife.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2026
Itochu expands healthcare business with takeover of AirLife’s sales
The move comes as Japan’s trading houses cement healthcare as a key pillar of their businesses, placing it alongside traditional mainstays such as oil, gas and metals.
Itochu and other Japanese trading houses are making investments to solve the supply chain bottleneck for official toys, apparel and collectibles of anime and manga in overseas markets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2026
Itochu invests in San Francisco venture to chase anime merchandise demand
Following Itochu’s investment, startup Octas will license Japanese characters and work with North American manufacturers and retailers to develop products.
“Areas connected to southern China such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will be potential regions that the company will look into,” said Sojitz Chief Financial Officer Makoto Shibuya.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Japan’s Sojitz eyes Southeast Asia for new rare earths supply
The company will also consider India and other countries if suitable rare earths investment opportunities exist there.
A 7-Eleven store at the Anzac rail station in Melbourne. Australia is a live test of whether the 7-Eleven Japan model — built around fresh, prepared food and daily services — can succeed across the world.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 19, 2026
7-Eleven bets on Australian stores to show it can grow globally
Australia is a live test of whether the 7-Eleven Japan model — built around fresh, prepared food and daily services — can succeed around the world.
For Aeon, Kusuri no Aoki represents a potential valuable addition to its strategy of consolidating Japan’s fragmented retail market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 16, 2026
A family fights to keep control of 157-year-old firm in Japan
Kusuri no Aoki, run by two brothers, are fighting for control of the firm with their largest outside shareholders, Aeon and the activist fund Oasis Management.
Tokyo Gas storage tanks in Tokyo. The company decided not to attend the LNG 2026 conference in Doha due to safety concerns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2026
Japanese LNG players skip Qatar conference on security fears
Several Japanese buyers opted not to take part in the LNG 2026 conference, including Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas and Saibu Gas Holdings.
Mitsubishi said in a statement on Friday that the company agreed to buy Aethon Energy Management’s U.S. gas and pipeline assets for $5.2 billion, the biggest purchase by a Japanese company in the American shale sector.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2026
Mitsubishi to buy Aethon U.S. gas assets in $5.2 billion deal
Japanese energy companies are looking to expand into U.S. oil and gas following renewed support from President Donald Trump’s administration.
A 7-Eleven store in Chicago. Seven & I’s success in making food central to its Japan business should help improve U.S. prospects, Seven & I Holdings CEO Stephen Dacus says.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 22, 2025
Seven & I’s IPO of U.S. arm hinges on faster turnaround, CEO says
The timing of an initial public offering will depend on execution and the market, says Stephen Dacus, who took over as head of the company six months ago.
Recruit Holdings and Indeed.com CEO Hisayuki Idekoba
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 17, 2025
AI-assisted hiring will drive Indeed’s growth, Recruit CEO says
The job-search portal’s head said the business is using AI to help companies optimize their talent-acquisition approach.
Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse says the firm's China business is now on track to report a record profit this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2025
Yoshinoya predicts record China profit on new recipes
The beef bowl chain redesigned menus, offering items with vegetable toppings and expanding combo sets, to enhance value without sacrificing margins.
Asahi's troubles carry outsized weight given Super Dry’s dominant market share and the cutthroat competition among Japan’s major brewers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2025
Asahi blames ransomware for crippling Japanese beer plants
The maker of Japan’s most popular beer warned that the perpetrators may have made off with data, though it’s investigating the extent of the infiltration.
Marubeni Ennex tanks in Chiba Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 1, 2025
Marubeni to lift Japan power business with new trading firm
The company’s power retail arm and its U.K.-based energy trading unit SmartestEnergy will each hold a 50% stake in the newly-formed venture.
Itochu is planning to issue between ¥30 billion and ¥50 billion in local currency debt and is weighing a $500 million bond, said Kenichiro Soma, executive officer and general manager of finance.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2025
Itochu mulls first dollar note issue in five years to diversify
The push comes as tighter credit spreads and expectations for U.S. rate cuts fuel demand for investment-grade bonds, with premiums over government debt near the lowest since 2007.
Seven & I Holdings says it will open 1,300 new international stores and add 1,000 net new outlets in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2025
Seven & I sets expansion targets to win back investor confidence
Stephen Dacus, who took over as chief executive officer earlier this year, is under pressure to deliver on a plan to streamline Seven & I around convenience stores.
While Seven & I shares are higher than they were before Couche-Tard’s interest became public in August 2024, they fell after the proposal was withdrawn this week and are down by more than a fifth this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 18, 2025
7-Eleven operator risks becoming buyout target again if turnaround fails
Seven & I Holdings remains a buyout target in the eyes of some investors, who say new suitors may emerge unless the operator of 7-Eleven turns around its business.
Seven & I has sought to make a case for remaining independent and has enacted changes such as appointing a new CEO.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025
Couche-Tard abandons $46 billion bid to acquire 7-Eleven operator
Seven & I stock, up more than 25% since Couche-Tard’s interest became public 11 months ago, will likely decline due to the withdrawn proposal.
Taiyo Holdings Chief Executive Officer Eiji Sato
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2025
Japan activist clout shown in shareholder rejection of Taiyo CEO
Voting out a company’s CEO candidate, something that doesn’t happen often in Japan, is another sign of how activist investors are pushing to change company policies.
Proposals to delist Taiyo Holdings have emerged as Japanese companies face pressure from the Tokyo Stock Exchange to boost their value to stay listed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 16, 2025
Taiyo to decide on delisting as early as August, president says
The chemical manufacturer is set to hold its annual shareholders’ meeting on Saturday in which its president, Eiji Sato, is likely to face a vote on his ouster.
Intermediary support is crucial for drug availability in Japan, where more than 50 therapies have been identified as needed but unavailable to patients.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 5, 2025
Itochu working to support overseas pharma firms to fill Japan’s drug gaps
Two units of the trading house will assist with everything from early-stage consulting, regulatory advice and clinical testing support to post-launch distribution.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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