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July 07, 2026
 

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MANUFACTURING

Visitors look at a display of semiconductor devices at the SuperSiC booth during SEMICON China, a trade fair for semiconductor technology, in Shanghai on March 25.
BUSINESS
Apr 14, 2026
China’s export engine stutters as Iran war chills global demand
The effects of the conflict in the Middle East have exposed the risks in Beijing’s strategy of leaning on manufacturing to sustain growth.
Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.9% to a record low of about 1.05 billion tons of carbon dioxide in fiscal 2024, the Environment Ministry said.
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 14, 2026
Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan fell to record low in fiscal 2024
In fiscal 2024, emissions in Japan were down 28.7% from fiscal 2013 and the amount of carbon dioxide released slipped below 1 billion tons for the first time since then.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raises her hand to answer questions regarding the situation in the Middle East at an Upper House Budget Committee session at parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 11, 2026
Confusion over naphtha supply hits industries and households
Japan relies on the Middle East for about 40% of its naphtha consumption. Additionally, about 40% of domestically produced naphtha is refined from crude oil mainly from the region.
An employee at Emerald Packaging operates a machine that prints grocery bags at the company’s facility in Union City, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2026
From falling U.S. wealth to Indian factory closures, oil shock raises global recession risk
As oil prices surge in the sixth week of the Iran war, businesses across the world are feeling the strain of a widening energy shock.
Mitsubishi Chemical's Ibaraki plant in Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture, which produces ethylene and other petrochemical products
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2026
Japan walks tightrope to keep ethylene plants running amid Middle East crisis
Manufacturers are reducing output to keep their plants running because it takes over a month to restart after a suspension.
Rohm, Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric launched discussions on integrating their power chip operations after auto parts supplier Denso offered to acquire Rohm.
BUSINESS
Apr 6, 2026
Japan’s power chip sector undergoing realignment
Rohm, Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric launched discussions on integrating their power chip operations after auto parts supplier Denso offered to acquire Rohm.
An employee inspects a printed circuit board at a factory, which is in partnership with Agilian Technology, in Dongguan, China, on March 16.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 6, 2026
How one factory in China learned to live with Trump, tariffs and turmoil
A Chinese electronics supplier ended 2025 more convinced than ever of China’s manufacturing strengths.
Electric vehicles on display outside the Geely Auto Group Global Comprehensive Safety Center in Ningbo, China, in December last year
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2026
Cheap Chinese cars are waiting on Detroit’s doorstep
Nervous U.S. automakers fear it’s just a question of when Chinese competitors will succeed in cracking the market.
Health deputy minister Hirobumi Niki (center left) receives a petition from patient groups in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 2, 2026
Patients in Japan seek stable supply of medical goods as war concerns loom
Shortages of naphtha — used in plastic — has patients worried about access to life-saving equipment as the Iran war continues to disrupt supply chains.
The business sentiment index advanced in March to 17 from a revised 16 in the previous quarter, the Bank of Japan’s <i>tankan</i> business survey showed Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2026
Japan’s manufacturer mood improves, supporting BOJ’s rate stance
The business sentiment index advanced in March to 17 from a revised 16 in the previous quarter, the BOJ’s tankan business survey showed Wednesday.
An employee works next to a reel of copper flat wire on the production line at the Wellascent factory in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, China, on Aug. 14.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2026
China’s official calm belies a war battering its small factories
In public, top leaders have so far sidestepped the Iran war’s toll on China.
Gantry cranes and shipping containers at the Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai on May 14, 2025.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 24, 2026
Some Chinese exporters lift prices on rising costs due to war
Exporters across the world’s second-largest economy began raising prices last week as oil-linked costs surged and the conflict showed no sign of easing.
Employees work on the assembly line at Nanjo Auto Interior, a manufacturer for Mazda Motor, in Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, in July 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 19, 2026
Japan core machinery orders down 5.5% in January
Many private think tanks expect corporate capital spending to remain firm, but concerns linger over the conflict in Iran.
Humanoid robots are making rapid progress, but their widespread deployment remains limited by safety, power and performance challenges.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 18, 2026
The era of humanoid robots is here: Governments must seize the moment
The reality is that most people overestimate what robots can do at this point in their development.
A gasoline tanker truck at an Idemitsu Kosan gas station in Tokyo on Monday. Curbs on production of petrochemical products by multiple Japanese firms point to a brewing crisis that could stunt pressure sectors from food to technology.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 17, 2026
Limited supplies of naphtha an underrecognized supply chain risk in Japan
Curbs on production by multiple Japanese petrochemical firms point to a brewing crisis that could stunt pressure sectors from food to technology.
A customer holds newly purchased iPhone 17 Pro at one of the Apple’s stores in Mumbai, India.
BUSINESS
Mar 10, 2026
Apple now makes about 25% of iPhones in India after China pivot
Even though the gap has narrowed, electronics assembly and component manufacturing still costs more in India than in countries including China and Vietnam.
Denso headquarters in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2026
Rohm shares soar most since 2000 on Denso acquisition bid
Rohm shares surged 18%, the most in 26 years, after the Japanese chip parts maker said it had received an acquisition proposal from Denso.
Nidec CEO Mitsuya Kishida (center) and others bow in apology during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2026
Nidec warns of $1.6 billion charges from accounting scandal
The world’s largest manufacturer of precision motors said there could be additional charges that would impact its past financial results.
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala in June last year. Zamora Yrala has been convicted of defrauding customers by falsifying documentation that related to the origin, status or condition of aircraft parts between 2019 and 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 25, 2026
The fake parts, people and PDFs that duped the aviation industry
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala spent years selling 60,000 questionable jet-engine components with fabricated paperwork.
Workers prepare a bundle of steel reinforcing bar at a metal stock yard in Shanghai.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 20, 2026
Nippon Steel executive sees China-driven supply glut nearing end
Exporters in China were increasingly struggling to generate profits from overseas sales as the regional market had become oversupplied, Nippon Steel’s CFO said.
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami&#039;s first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India&#039;s northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo&#039;s Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.
Hayabusa2 flies past asteroid as Japan aims to acquire data for planetary defense
A graphic illustration of the Hayabusa2 probe flying past the asteroid Torifune
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  

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