SoftBank eyes $18bn IPO for mobile unit

It seeks to gather funds from overseas investors as well due to the massive size of the IPO, which could rival the record 2.2 trillion yen that Nippon Telegraph and Telephone raised in 1987. SoftBank Group expanded in Japan with telecommunications as its ... ( read original story ...)

Japan Post chief sees bright future beyond mail services

“The IPO was indeed a great step for us — like a ship departing from a harbor to embark on an ocean voyage,” Nagato, 69, said during a recent interview with The Japan Times at the postal giant’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki distric ( read original story ...)

Abe visits memorial for Japanese diplomat saving Jewish refugees

VILNIUS (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday visited a memorial for late Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who is credited with helping some 6,000 Jewish refugees escape Nazi persecution during World War II. Visiting Sugihara House in ... ( read original story ...)

Corporate Japan embraces UN sustainable development goals

TOKYO -- The term "SDG" has become the latest buzzword for corporate Japan as a growing number of companies look to integrate the United Nations' sustainable development goals into their operations. The 17 SDGs were set by the U.N. in 2015 to tackle global ... ( read original story ...)

Hostels and inns are Japan’s new art galleries

TOKYO -- Some Japanese lodgings are getting into the art museum business. The reason is simple. "People spend at least seven to eight hours at a lodging facility," said Yoshitaka Yazu, an artist and proprietor of a new hostel, "so you can get them to spend ... ( read original story ...)

Nikkei edges lower as strong yen bites; bank stocks up

Japan's Nikkei share average edged lower on Thursday morning, hit by declines in automakers and electronic component makers as the strong yen soured investor appetite. The yen has risen this week after the Bank of Japan had on Tuesday trimmed its buying of ... ( read original story ...)

Japanese robot makers see strong Chinese tailwinds in 2018

TOKYO -- Japanese production of industrial robots appears likely to rise 10% in value this year and hit 1 trillion yen ($8.99 billion) for the first time, the Japan Robot Association said Friday, as China feverishly automates factories amid a labor ... ( read original story ...)

Japan offers $23m in fresh aid for Rohingya refugees

YANGON -- The Japanese government will provide an additional $23 million to help repatriate Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Friday in a meeting with Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Kono and Suu Kyi ... ( read original story ...)

Nikkei edges lower; Fast Retailing’s gains limit losses

TOKYO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average edged lower on Friday as weakness in exporters weighed on the index, but strong gains in index-heavy Fast Retailing on record quarterly profit limited the losses. The Nikkei ended 0.2 percent lower at ... ( read original story ...)

Gearing up for 2020 Olympics, Japan breaks tourism record

Tokyo (AFP) - A record number of tourists visited Japan last year, the government said Friday, as the country gears up to welcome the world to the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. Some 28.7 million foreign tourists entered Japan in 2017, meaning the country ... ( read original story ...)