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☆ ‘Oppenheimer’ finally opens in Japan, the only nation to experience horror of nuclear war
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Chris Lau | Moeri Karasawa | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The three-hour biopic has broken several records since its release last year, becoming the highest-grossing movie set during World War II, according to Universal. As part of its promotional campaign, Universal sought the views of atomic bomb survivor Tomonaga Masao, who is the president of a Nagasaki-based “hibakusha” group — the name survivors call themselves. Oppenheimer’s invention was first used with devastating effect on August 6, 1945, when a US B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, another B-29, named Bockscar, dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The bombings finally prompted Japan to surrender, bringing an end to World War II.

Persons: “ Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, Barbie ”, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Kogyo, Tomonaga Masao, Masao, Oppenheimer, ”, Hiraoka Takashi, ” Cillian Murphy, Melinda Sue Gordon, Enola Gay, Barbie, “, Rishu, he’s Organizations: CNN, British, Universal Pictures, Universal, Former Hiroshima, US Department of, Manhattan Project, Social, Warner Bros . Film Group, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., Reuters Locations: American, Japan, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Nazi Germany, Tokyo, “ Hiroshima

☆ The creation of a new high-entropy alloy is opening up possibilities in manufacturing, from 3D printing to paste-like inks
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-18 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Tanaka With | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Using micro-order uniform powder alloys with unprecedented chemical properties opens up new possibilities for manufacturing that have never been seen before, such as in 3D printing and the use of paste-like inks. A high-entropy alloy powder of precious metals can potentially be used as a raw material for automotive exhaust gas sensors, resistors, and water electrolysis catalysts. Creating new value through exhaustive studyTANAKA began working on high-entropy alloy powders in response to the world's rapid development. TANAKAHosoi noticed that high-entropy alloys have recently been attracting international attention, largely due to their potential for unprecedented properties. Click here for more information on high-entropy alloy powders.

Persons: Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo, TANAKA, Takuya Hosoi, Yoshie Kondo, Hosoi, TANAKA Hosoi, Hosai Organizations: Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo KK, Metals, Insider Locations: Japan

"Given the fast-changing landscape, I believe those who move fast (with wage hikes) should become competitive." A demand made this year by Rengo, Japan's largest trade union confederation, for pay hikes of "around 5%" resulted in average wage hikes of 3.58% among major companies. Six out of 10 economists in a Reuters poll expect major firms' pay hikes in 2024 to exceed this year's. The key, however, would be whether wage hikes broaden to smaller firms and those in the regional areas. A report by the BOJ's regional branch managers in October warned wage hikes remained uneven among sectors with many firms undecided on next year's pay increments.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Takeshi Niinami, Fumio, Kazuo Ueda, Hisashi Yamada, Rengo, Atsushi Takeda, Kishida, Keita Kondo, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sam Holmes, Leika Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Suntory Holdings Ltd, Reuters, Meiji, Life Insurance, Suntory Holdings, Bank, Japan, Hosei University, OECD, UA Zensen, Itochu Economic Research Institute, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Ukraine, Saitama

☆ Japan's Hitachi Astemo flags lapses in quality tests over decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The comments come in the wake of news last month that Toyota affiliate Daihatsu rigged safety tests for 88,000 small cars. Hitachi Astemo, which makes car and railway parts ranging from brake and damping systems to powertrains, worked with customers to redo tests on nearly 24 affected products following an investigation, Chief Executive Brice Koch told reporters. "We have now taken all the relevant measures to improve, to increase the robustness of our system and our company," Koch said, saying he did not expect any impact on growth or costs. The issues included reporting periodic test results to customers without running the actual tests on some products. Employees also ran tests on suspension systems at incorrect temperatures, a spokesperson said.

Importantly, smaller firms are also starting to raise pay even as many of them face a margin crunch. Big firms offered pay hikes of 3.8% this year in annual wage talks with unions that ended in March, the largest increase in three decades. Attention has now shifted to whether small firms, which employ seven out of 10 workers in Japan, would follow suit. The BOJ's tankan business sentiment survey showed last month that small firms' current profits fell 2.7% in the last fiscal year to March, while big firms' earnings rose 11.5%. Less than half of small firms said they were able to pass on rising costs to customers as of last September, government data showed.

☆ Gold hovers near 2-month low after U.S. data fans rate-hike fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold was flat and hovered near a two-month low on Monday, after strong U.S. economic data stoked fears that the Federal Reserve would implement more interest rate hikes to rein in inflation. Data on Friday showed consumer spending shot up 1.8% last month — the largest increase since March 2021. The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed's preferred inflation measure, rose 0.6% last month, after gaining 0.2% in December. Money markets expect the Fed's target rate to peak at 5.4% in July, from a current range of 4.50% to 4.75%. The dollar index was near a seven-week peak, making bullion expensive for buyers holding other currencies.

☆ TSMC plans second Japan factory to make higher-end chips -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) plans to construct a second chip plant in Japan to manufacture 5 and 10 nanometre chips from the second half of the decade, the Nikkan Kogyo newspaper reported on Friday. That decision could help Japan revive advanced semiconductor manufacturing, which it sees as key requirement for future economic growth driven by new digital technologies. TSMC's second plant in Japan will cost more than 1 trillion yen ($7.4 billion) to build, Nikkan Kogyo said. Wei at its last quarterly earnings call in January that the company was considering building a second plant in Japan, and said it had nothing further to add. Japan's government has offered TSMC a 476 billion yen subsidy, or about half the expected cost of the factory.

☆ Japan Inc strives to lure skilled workers as inflation, labour crunch bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] A worker assembles an air drill at the factory of manufacturer Katsui Kogyo in Higashiosaka, Japan June 23, 2022. About a quarter of Japanese firms have offered inflation allowances or plan to do so, said corporate credit research firm Teikoku Databank. read moreThe private sector expects the drive to help boost productivity, meshing with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's "new capitalism" initiative on wealth distribution that put a top priority on wage hikes. "Bonuses or inflation allowances would have only a limited impact on easing the pain of cost-push inflation, as consumers tend to save one-off payouts rather than spend," added Kiuchi, now an executive economist at the Nomura Research Institute. Workers have high expectations from this year's labour talks, which they hope will counter cost-push inflation while tackling the tight labour market to help boost the economy.

Yet the small companies that provide most of Japan's jobs generally can't increase pay, business owners, economists and officials say. Battered by the pandemic, small firms now struggle to pass on higher costs out of fear of losing customers. They feel they have no choice but to put up with impossible demands from big companies." The trend is most apparent in industries with many small suppliers. The fair trade watchdog last month named 13 big companies it said refused to accept higher prices from suppliers.

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