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☆ SoftBank will reportedly invest nearly $1 billion in AI push, tapping Nvidia's chips
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Signage at a SoftBank Corp. store in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank is looking to develop a "world-class" Japanese-language-specific generative artificial intelligence model, and plans to invest $960 million in the next two years to bolster its computing facilities, according to a Nikkei report. Training of large language models (LLM), such as OpenAI's Chat GPT, requires advanced graphics processing units, which SoftBank plans to purchase from U.S. chip giant Nvidia , the Nikkei reported Monday, citing anonymous sources. The investment of 150 billion yen ($960 million) will be spent in 2024 and 2025 and adds to 20 billion yen that SoftBank spent on computing infrastructure last year, the report said. According to another report from Nikkei Asia, Japan lacks private companies with the high-performance supercomputers that are needed to build LLM, despite increased interest in the tech.

Persons: SoftBank Organizations: SoftBank Corp, Nikkei, Nvidia Locations: Ginza, Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Nikkei Asia

☆ $800,000 tuna to be turned into sushi at Michelin-starred restaurant
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-06 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA bluefin tuna sold for 114.2 million Japanese yen, or nearly $800,000, at Tokyo's largest fish market is set to be served at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Japan. The prized tuna will be enjoyed by diners at the Michelin-starred sushi restaurant Onodera in Tokyo's upmarket Ginza district, reported The Japan Times. Media crowd around as a 524 pound bluefin tuna - which was purchased earlier in the day for $788,440 at the first tuna auction of the New Year in Tokyo on January 5, 2024. The world record price for a tuna was set in 2019, when the sushi tycoon and "Tuna King," Kiyoshi Kimura, paid $3.1 million for a 612-pound fish. AdvertisementDerek Wilcox, a chef trained in Japan and who worked there for 10 years, previously told Business Insider that bluefin tuna was "the most sought after."

Persons: —, Hiroki Matsushita, Yukitaka Yamaguchi, Bluefin, RICHARD A, BROOKS, Kiyoshi Kimura, Kimura, Derek Wilcox Organizations: Service, Michelin, Bloomberg, Business, Onodera Group, Japan Times, Media, Getty, Japan National Tourism Organization, AFP, Oma Locations: Japan, Aomori Prefecture, Ginza, Tokyo, AFP

☆ A Korean woman in Japan says she was hospitalized after being served a cup with bleach in it. She's accusing the restaurant of a hate crime.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Korean woman said she was the victim of a hate crime in a Tokyo restaurant, per local media. She said she was served a cup of water with bleach in it and had to be taken to the hospital. The Korean Embassy has asked local police to investigate the incident, per local reports. The woman, surnamed Kang, told the South Korean broadcaster JTBC that the incident happened at an unnamed high-end restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district on August 31, according to the English-language South Korean newspaper The Korea Times. "We apologize to the customer who was food poisoned and her family for causing great pain and inconvenience," the restaurant said in a written statement, per the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily.

Persons: Kang, JTBC Organizations: Korean Embassy, Service, South, JTBC, Korean, The Korea Times, South Korean, Embassy, United States Institute of Peace, Japan Times Locations: Tokyo, Wall, Silicon, South Korean, Ginza, Japan, South Korea, Korean, Kyoto Prefecture

Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images2008: iPhone 3G, meet the App StoreWith the second version of the iPhone, Apple introduces the App Store and 3G connectivity. Stephen Lam/Reuters2016: iPhone SE, a budget optionTaking a step back, the iPhone SE is a cheaper, smaller device than the 6S, giving customers a chance to enjoy Apple’s phones at a much lower cost. People handle the new Apple iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max during a media tour at an Apple office in Shanghai, China, on September 21, 2018. Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg/Getty Images2020: iPhone 12 Mini, small but mightyThe iPhone 12 mini is smaller than the usual iPhone but packs a powerful punch. Mike Segar/Reuters2021: iPhone 13 Series, same price for more spaceThe iPhone 13 stays at the same price as the iPhone 12 with double the storage space, as well as featuring a much smaller top notch.

Persons: Steve Jobs, John Green, ” Jobs, Leon Neal, Justin Sullivan, Siri, FaceTime, “, ”, Jobs, Michael Nagle, Apple, Seth K, Hughes, Akio Kon, David Gray, Tim Cook, Josh Edelson, Stephen Lam, David Paul Morris, Phil Schiller, Aly Song, Max, Jason Lee, Pro Max, Phil Barker, Brendon Thorne, Mike Segar, Gabby Jones, Andrew Kelly Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, Macworld, Bay Area, Getty, Lightning, Bloomberg, Apple Inc, Worldwide, Steve Jobs, Steve, Pro, Future Publishing Locations: New York, San Francisco, London, AFP, San Francisco , California, New York City, Cupertino , California, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan, Sydney, Shanghai, China, Beijing, Australia, Manhattan , New York

[1/6] A chef cooks tofu as he prepares a dish before the opening for dinner hour at Ukai, a traditional Japanese restaurant, in Tokyo, Japan, July 6, 2023. "There's no doubt rising wages and bonuses are among factors prodding customers to come dine with us despite the price hikes," said Ukai manager Yuka Hoshino. It is also drawing the attention of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), which is shifting away from its view the recent cost-driven inflation will prove temporary. "Japan is seeing early signs of progress in achieving inflation accompanied by higher wages," another source said, a view echoed by two more sources. The BOJ is changing its tone on the drivers of inflation and how they see progress made in sustainably hitting 2% inflation.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Hiroki Wakita, Yuka Hoshino, Kazuo Ueda, Teikoku Databank, Akihito Sato, Shohei Kanai, Ryozo Himino, Seisaku Kameda, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Research, Workers, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, French, Ginza

☆ The world’s largest city is a futuristic paradise. But some things stay stuck in the past
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Richard Quest | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Tokyo CNN —It’s the biggest city in the world, a vast metropolitan area that’s home to more than 37 million people. Onigiri – savory rice balls wrapped in nori or seaweed – have been a comfort food staple for thousands of years. Known as “The Monk In Heels,” Nishimura juggles his life as a monk with his work as a makeup artist. Origami, too, remains a powerful, soothing way to use such skills and step away from the fast-paced world of the modern city. He is the face of a timeless, sedate Tokyo, an antidote to the hectic way things often feel here.

Persons: Tokyo CNN —, Ukon, Onigiri Bongo, ”, Salmon, It’s, Yumiko, CNN's Richard Quest, Takefumi Hamada, chef, Hamada, you’re, ‘, Kodo Nishimura, ” Nishimura juggles, Nishimura, “, ’, Kazuo Kobayashi Organizations: Tokyo CNN, Michelin, CNN, Netflix, Disney Locations: Tokyo, Akihabara, Japan, Tokyoites, CNN Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku

The latest surge of dark fleet ships began after Russia invaded Ukraine and the West tried to limit Moscow’s oil revenue with sanctions. The ships most likely sell their Russian oil to China above a price limit set by the sanctions. “The price cap is achieving its dual goals: restricting Russia’s oil revenues while keeping Russian oil flowing, and markets stable and well-supplied,” a U.S. Treasury spokesperson told The Times. The spoofing tankers using American insurance show that the practice is not limited to Russian oil alone. The company, Gatik Ship Management, owns a fleet of 50 newly acquired tankers dedicated to the Russian oil trade, the report said.

Persons: ”, David Tannenbaum, it’s, Samir Madani, Daniel Tadros, Russia Lady Ella, Russia Snow, Price, Konstantin Zavrazhin, Tannenbaum, Mr, Tadros, what’s, Min Chao Choy Organizations: Cathay, Labs, Copernicus Sentinel, Maxar Technologies, The New York Times, The Times, U.S . Treasury, Times, American Club, Club’s, Alma, Cargo, Russia Cathay Phoenix, Hong, International Maritime Organization, American, ”, AIS, telltale, Treasury’s, Foreign, Control, Maritime, C4ADS, Gatik Ship Management Locations: Japan, Kozmino, China, U.S, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, Ukraine, ”, Hong Kong, Niigata, Russia Ginza, Varna, Bulgaria, Taman, Niigata Port, Siberia, Cathay Phoenix, O.F.A.C, South Korea, Washington, Ginza, Oman, India

☆ A Florida sushi restaurant has repaid staff $262,000 after it made servers share their tips with owners and managers, the Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Fort Myers restaurant made its 75 servers share their tips with its chefs, owners, and managers, the DOL said. The sushi restaurant repaid staff $262,000 after the DOL uncovered a number of labor-law violations. The restaurant's manager told The Fort Myers News-Press that it was "all cleared up now." Ginza Japanese Restaurant in Fort Myers made its 75 servers share their tips with its chefs, owners, and managers, the US Department of Labor said in a press release. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are not allowed to require their staff to share their tips with supervisors, managers, and business owners.

☆ 'Omurice', comfort food for Japanese and Koreans, a symbol of warmer ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kishida and Yoon will reportedly share a more formal dinner of sukiyaki beforehand, but the real ice-breaker could be when they sit down for omurice, Kawabata said. Japan and South Korea are holding a summit for the first time in 12 years, seeking to mend relations that had deteriorated severely. "It could be an effort to foster a laid-back mood, through a casual dish that both Japanese and Koreans consider comfort food," he said. "Yoon may have been impressed with the softness of Japanese-style omurice," Kawabata said. "I hope the world discovers that Japanese food culture also has a dish like this," he said.

☆ Mask-free Monday comes to Japan as government eases COVID guidelines
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Rocky Swift | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Commuters make their way on the first day of the Japanese government's relaxation of official guidance on masks as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, in Tokyo, Japan March 13, 2023. "Mask-wearing was part of our culture even before COVID-19," said Hitoshi Oshitani, a Tohoku University professor who was an architect of Japan's COVID response. "I think many people will be wearing masks even after the rules are relaxed." "As of today, mask wearing is at the discretion of each individual," Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters on Monday. Health experts in Japan have pointed to widespread mask use along with an embrace of hygiene and social distancing for the country's relatively lower death toll from COVID.

☆ Japanese yen jumps on report Kazuo Ueda will be next governor of the central bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged on Wednesday. The Japanese yen pushed higher against both the euro and U.S. dollar on Friday after a Nikkei report said Kazuo Ueda would be appointed as the Bank of Japan's next governor. Economist Ueda is a former member of the central bank's policy board. Kuroda has overseen the BOJ's policy of ultra-low interest rates while other major central banks have been hiking to tackle inflation. However, Muto added, he may not be a "super hawkish type" – so any "normalization" would take place very slowly.

Last month, he called on companies to hike pay at a level above inflation, with some already heeding the call. Last month, Japan recorded its biggest drop in earnings, once inflation is taken into account, in nearly a decade. A changing job marketExperts say Japan’s wages have also suffered because it lags in another metric: its productivity rate. Hideya Tokiyoshi, a teacher in Japan, told CNN he had barely seen his salary go up over the last 30 years. “If some of the biggest companies in Japan raise wages, many other firms will follow,” if only to stay competitive, said Yamaguchi.

☆ HSBC will have to share custody with JPMorgan of $52 bln in gold bars
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Peter Hobson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Gold bars are displayed during a photo opportunity at the Ginza Tanaka store in Tokyo September 7, 2009. HSBC had been the sole custodian for SPDR Gold Trust, also known as GLD, since it launched in 2004. The bank currently stores about 910 tonnes of gold for GLD in London -- around a quarter of all the gold held for ETFs globally. Cavatoni said the WGC's agreement with JPMorgan allowed it to store gold in the United States and Switzerland but for the time the fund intended continue storing all its gold in London. HSBC said: "We're pleased to continue acting as a custodian for the World Gold Council's SPDR Gold Trust."

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