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July 12, 2026
 

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CARS

An employee points at a "sold out" sticker at a used-car export complex in Incheon, South Korea.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 25, 2026
Lamborghinis stranded in Sri Lanka as war disrupts Asia’s used-car trade
Japan and South Korea exported a combined $19 billion worth of used cars last year, with Japan accounting for a little ⁠more than half of that.
Toyota's Tokyo headquarters. The company is investing another $1 billion in its U.S. operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 24, 2026
Toyota plans $1 billion investment in two of its U.S. plants
The automaker is increasing production and preparing one plant for electric vehicle manufacturing.
CEO Toshihiro Mibe broke with Honda’s long history as an internal combustion engine whiz in an effort to reinvent the company as an electric motor powerhouse by 2040, but his vision of initially achieving 40% EV sales by 2030 is now in tatters.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Mar 16, 2026
Honda’s car troubles began long before its disastrous bet on EVs
The carmaker invested too much and too late into a short-lived electric-vehicle boom, and now finds itself saddled with an aging line-up and questions about its future.
Honda will cancel the development and launch of three electric vehicle models that had been planned for North America.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
Honda warns of ¥2.5 trillion charge on global EV downturn
The carmaker said Thursday that it would cancel the development and launch of three EV models that had been planned for North America.
While Tokyo is becoming a kind of test bed for the world’s leading robotaxi ventures, Japan is lagging when it comes to the regulatory framework needed for autonomous vehicles to gain traction.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
U.S. self-driving startup Nuro begins testing in Tokyo
While Tokyo is becoming a test bed for the world’s leading robotaxi ventures, Japan is lagging when it comes to regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.
The strait of Hormuz in December 2023
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2026
Middle East tensions disrupt maritime transport to Japan
The impact of the shipping freeze is spreading, with some Japanese automakers considering cutting production due to stalled exports.
Honda’s Acura Integra Type S is one of the two U.S.-built models to be sold in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 5, 2026
Honda to boost Japan lineup by importing cars from the U.S. and China
Honda said it’s taking advantage of a simplified certification system in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to sell more American cars in Japan.
The percentage of foreign drivers who passed the written test for a Japanese driver’s license dropped to 42.8% between October and December last year, and the practical test, to 13.1%, police figures show.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 3, 2026
Foreign driver’s license conversion rates plunge after tighter rules brought in
The passing rate for the written test plummeted to 42.8% between October and December, while that for the practical test tumbled to 13.1%.
Toyota Motor's new e-Palette electric vehicle, designed for self-driving, is unveiled during an event in Tokyo in January.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2026
Toyota and Docomo among firms tapping self-driving to ease local transport woes
Amid a nationwide shortage of drivers, broad adoption of autonomous driving will rest on establishing strong safety measures and cutting costs.
Nissan intends to reduce the number of its vehicle production plants from 17 to 10 by March 2028, and is targeting 20,000 job cuts worldwide by that date.
BUSINESS
Feb 12, 2026
Struggling Nissan forecasts $4.2 billion full-year net loss
The company sharply lowered the forecast for its annual operating loss to ¥60 billion, citing the acceleration of its restructuring measures.
Mercedes-Benz cars at a Panavto dealership in Moscow on Dec. 19. A Russian car dealer has said that most foreign cars sold in the country are imported through China regardless of where they are built.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 12, 2026
Thousands of foreign cars sold to Russia through China, circumventing sanctions
Automakers from regions imposing sanctions say they prohibit sales to Russia and that the trade happens against their will.
Toyota's new EV model of the Highlander, a large SUV, is scheduled for release in the North American market in late 2026.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 12, 2026
Toyota to begin sales of first U.S.-made EV
A new EV model of the Highlander, a large SUV, is scheduled for release in the North American market in late 2026.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Chiba in January.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 11, 2026
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda to be inducted into U.S. Auto Hall of Fame
Toyoda will be the fourth member of the company’s founding Toyoda family to receive the honor. Other Japanese inductees include Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda.
Overturning the legal basis for federal greenhouse gas rules, which will lead to the repeal of vehicle emissions rules, marks the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump's ⁠most sweeping climate change policy rollback to date.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 11, 2026
White House says Trump plans to rescind climate change finding key to auto rules
Overturning the legal basis for federal greenhouse gas rules will mark the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ⁠most sweeping climate change policy rollback to date.
Subscription services have taken hold in Japanese people's daily lives, with such services provided by content creators also becoming popular.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2026
Subscription services evolving in Japan
With consumers adopting a more conservative view of spending amid inflation, subscription services are viewed as “rational and smart consumption.”
A BYD Seal electric vehicle at a BYD dealership in Berlin.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2026
Chinese brands claim 9.5% of Europe’s car market and 16% of EVs and hybrids
Data shows the share held by Chinese makers more than doubled in December from a year earlier, pressuring a European sector that provides over 13 million jobs.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda speaks at a news conference in the city of Chiba earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 29, 2026
Toyota keeps title as top carmaker with sales at record in 2025
The numbers show that Toyota has been able to remain on track despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and the rise of Chinese carmakers.
Waymo autonomous taxis on Bush Street in San Francisco on Dec. 17
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 25, 2026
Waymo-backed robotaxis quietly ply the streets of Tokyo as tests continue
The service could be rolled out in Japan in 2026, though no target date has been set.
Japan's overall exports gained 3.1% in 2025 from the previous year, led by electronic parts and food.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 22, 2026
Japan’s exports rise in 2025 despite drag from U.S. tariffs
Overall exports gained 3.1% in 2025 from the previous year, led by electronic parts and food, the Finance Ministry has reported.
A Honda CR-V in California. Honda is planning to increase production of cheaper gasoline-fueled vehicles in the United States this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 15, 2026
Honda to boost output of cheaper, less fuel-efficient vehicles in U.S.
The move comes as many American car-buyers are struggling to afford new-car prices that average nearly $50,000.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

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

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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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