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☆ BOJ may hold off on ending negative rates until April - ex-board member
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With inflation exceeding 2% for more than a year, markets are rife with speculation the BOJ will raise short-term interest rates from the current -0.1% as early as the end of this year. Ending negative interest rates likely won't hurt the economy much as inflation-adjusted real borrowing costs will remain low, said Sakurai, a former BOJ board member who retains close ties with incumbent policymakers. "Ending negative rates will be largely a symbolic move, but the BOJ probably wants to time it very carefully," Sakurai said. Even if the central bank were to end negative rates, it will likely describe the move as a modest adjustment to the degree of monetary stimulus, he said. In July, it raised a hard cap for the 10-year yield to 1.0% from 0.5% to allow long-term interest rates to rise more freely reflecting higher inflation.

Persons: Issei Kato, BOJ Sakurai, Sakurai, Sakurai TOKYO, Makoto Sakurai, Leika, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Nissan says all new models coming to Europe will be fully electric
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Nick Carey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) said on Monday that as of now all new models it launches in Europe will be fully electric and it plans to sell only electric vehicles on the continent by 2030. The Japanese carmaker said that one of two new EV models it has already confirmed for Europe will be manufactured at its Sunderland plant in northern England. Earlier this year, Nissan raised its targets for EV models as it plays catch up in a segment dominated by newcomers like Tesla (TSLA.O) - saying it would launch 19 new EV models by 2030. The new goal of going fully electric in Europe by 2030 brings Nissan in line with alliance partner Renault (RENA.PA), which plans to make the Renault brand all electric by then. Ford and Stellantis also plan to be fully electric in Europe by 2030.

Persons: Issei Kato, Makoto Uchida, Ford, Stellantis, Nick Carey, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Nissan Motor Corp, Nissan, REUTERS, Sunderland, Renault, Volvo, Thomson Locations: Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan, Europe, England

☆ Nissan CEO outlines EV strategy in Europe to help compete with the likes of Tesla, Volkswagen
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNissan CEO outlines EV strategy in Europe to help compete with the likes of Tesla, VolkswagenMakoto Uchida, Nissan president and CEO, discusses the carmaker’s announcement that all new models it launches in Europe will be fully electric.

Persons: Makoto Uchida Organizations: Nissan Locations: Europe

☆ Nissan says all new models launched in Europe will be fully electric
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese carmarker Nissan announced Monday that all new models it launches in Europe will be fully electric, as it reaffirmed its aim for solely electric vehicle sales on the continent by 2030. "There is no turning back now," Makoto Uchida, Nissan president and CEO, said in a statement. Globally, Nissan plans to launch 27 electric and hybrid vehicles, which includes 19 all-electric models, by 2030. Nissan partner Renault , as well as rivals Ford and Stellantis, have all announced plans to make their European passenger ranges fully electric by 2030. In China, he said the company would look to launch cars more quickly and launch new models targeting specific consumers.

Persons: Makoto Uchida, Lisa Brankin, Uchida, CNBC's Arjun Khapal Organizations: Nissan, EV, Renault, Ford, Sunderland, Nissan Design Locations: Europe, Sunderland, London, China

☆ Yamashita among first women referees for men's Asian Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Soccer Football - FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Round of 16 - Netherlands v South Africa - Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia - August 6, 2023 Referee Yoshimi Yamashita during the match REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 14 (Reuters) - Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita is among five officials who will be the first women to referee matches at the men's Asian Cup next year, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Thursday. Yamashita also officiated at last year's men's World Cup in Qatar. Australian Katherine Jacewicz will also be among the referees for the tournament, while assistants include Japanese duo Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi and Kim Kyoung-min of South Korea. "For the first time ever, women match officials are poised to make their debut at Asia's most prestigious men's national team competition...," the AFC said in a statement. Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yoshimi Yamashita, Carl Recine, Yamashita, Katherine Jacewicz, Makoto Bozono, Naomi Teshirogi, Kim Kyoung, Aadi Nair, Toby Davis Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Sydney Football Stadium, REUTERS, Asian Football Confederation, AFC, Asia's, men's, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa, Sydney, Australia, Qatar, South Korea, China, Bengaluru

☆ What Japanese potato chip maker Calbee learned from a potato shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —What happens when Asia’s biggest potato chip maker runs out of potatoes? Pepsi (PEP) controls about 24% of the region’s potato chip market, while Calbee has about 12%, according to data from Euromonitor International. But the area was ravaged by drought in 2021, and the firm’s domestic potato supply fell by 8% and 14% in the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years, respectively. Calbee tried to make up for the shortfall by importing more from the United States, which normally accounts for the remaining 10% of its potato supply. “Staying available on shelves is essential, not just to compete with other potato chip brands but also with other types of snacks.”

Persons: ”, Makoto Ehara, Noriko Hayashi, Calbee, Ehara, it’s, Keiei Sho, Sho, Emil Fazira Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Bloomberg, Getty, Pepsi, Euromonitor, United Nations, Food, Agriculture Organization, FAO, Walmart Locations: Hong Kong, Tokyo, Asia, Brazil, Ukraine, Japan, Hokkaido, United States, Pacific Northwest, ”, America, Europe, China, Indonesia, Asia Pacific

☆ Major global firms warn of slow China sales as post-pandemic surge fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Aug 2 (Reuters) - From consumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR.L) to automaker Nissan (7201.T) and machinery maker Caterpillar (CAT.N), global firms have warned of slowing earnings in China as the world's second-largest economy loses its post-pandemic bounce. A continued rebound has been limited to a handful of sectors such as dining and luxury goods, driving double-digit China sales growth for the likes of Starbucks (SBUX.O) and LVMH (LVMH.PA). Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) cut its full-year sales target last week due to a sales dip in China, its top market. "Unfortunately, our (China) sales outlook is now falling far below our production capacity," Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said last week. "We mentioned during our last earnings call that we expected sales in China to be below the typical 5% to 10% of our enterprise sales.

Persons: Graeme Pitkethly, we're, Makoto Uchida, Jim Umpleby, Jacob Stausholm, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Jean, Jacques Guiony, Mimosa Spencer, Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh, Richa Naidu, Melanie Burton, Daniel Leussink, Victoria Waldersee, Miranda Murray, Rishav Chatterjee, Deborah Sophia, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Yuvraj Malik, Miyoung Kim, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Unilever, Nissan, Caterpillar, Starbucks, Procter, Gamble, L'Oreal, Global, Volkswagen, Samsung, SK Hynix, Apple, Rio Tinto, Tinto, Yum, HK, KFC, Kailyn, Thomson Locations: China, KS, Rio, Yum China, Kailyn Rhone, New York, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Victoria, Berlin, Bengaluru

☆ Nissan CEO spots key to cracking 'challenging' China market after demand slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said the Japanese carmaker needs to bring new vehicles to the increasingly crowded Chinese market at speed. Earlier this year, Nissan announced a China-focused electric SUV, called the Arizon, and plans to launch other models as the company grapples with declining market share and slowing sales. In China, the company has faced particular competition from homegrown BYD. Nissan on Wednesday reported net income for the most recent quarter of 105.5 billion yen ($751 million), beating expectations and marking a sharp rise year-on-year. However, results showed a 45.8% drop in China unit sales versus the same period the previous year.

Persons: Makoto Uchida, CNBC's Tanvir Gill, Uchida Organizations: Nissan Locations: China

☆ Nissan CEO says alliance with Renault will help face intensifying EV competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNissan CEO says alliance with Renault will help face intensifying EV competitionNissan CEO Makoto Uchida says the company's partnership with Renault will create synergies of scale as the two carmakers finalise details of their partnership.

Persons: Makoto Uchida Organizations: Nissan, Renault

☆ Nissan to invest up to 600 million euro in new Renault EV unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Tokyo Reuters —Nissan and Renault on Wednesday finalized the terms of their revamped alliance, with the Japanese automaker committing to invest up to 600 million euros ($663 million) in its partner’s electric vehicle unit Ampere. The investment in Ampere is consistent with Nissan (NSANF) being a strategic investor and securing a board seat on the new company, Nissan (NSANF) said. Sources have said Ampere could be valued at up to 10 billion euros. That would put Nissan’s investment of up to 600 million euros in Ampere at about 6%, lower than the 15% it had flagged as a maximum share in February. With the agreement, Renault (RNLSY) confirmed its commitment to reduce its stake in Nissan from around 43% by transferring 28.4% of its Nissan shares into a French trust, which would put the automakers on equal ground.

Persons: Ampere, Makoto Uchida Organizations: Tokyo Reuters, Nissan, Renault, Wednesday Locations: Tokyo, Ampere, Europe

For Nissan, that means contending with an increasingly grim outlook for foreign automakers in China, the world's biggest car market. AMPERE INVESTMENTNissan said it would invest up to 600 million euros ($663 million) in Renault's electric vehicle unit, Ampere. Renault, meanwhile, will lower its stake in Nissan to 15% from around 43%, putting their relationship on equal footing. The investment in Ampere is consistent with Nissan being a strategic investor and securing a board seat on the new company, Nissan said. Nissan had flagged in February that it would invest a maximum 15% in Ampere, but the exact size of its stake remained unclear.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Makoto Uchida, AlixPartners, Nissan, Ampere, Gilles Guillame, Daniel Leussink, David Dolan, Miral Organizations: Renault, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Investment, Nissan, Reuters, North America, Dongfeng Motor Group, Ampere, Qualcomm, Mitsubishi Motors, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, TOKYO, PARIS, Renault's, China, Japan, North, U.S

Nissan has been working to define a lower threshold for its pledged, strategic investment in Renault's electric vehicle unit, Ampere, below the 15% maximum target it announced in February, two of the people said. The automakers announced a framework agreement in February and had aimed to finalise the deal as early as March. Under the framework, the Japanese automaker would take the as much as 15% of Ampere and Renault would reduce its 43% stake in Nissan. "Nissan and Renault are engaged in constructive and ongoing negotiations. The board has not heard the final report on the surveillance claim, according to the three people.

Persons: Ampere, Makoto Uchida, Ashwani Gupta, Gupta, Nissan's, Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, Kevin Krolicki, David Dolan Organizations: Nissan, Renault, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

Under the framework, the Japanese automaker would take as much as 15% of Renault's new electric vehicle unit, Ampere, while Renault would reduce its 43% stake in Nissan. The delay shows how the latest tension at the top of the Japanese automaker has complicated a drive to bring the decades-long relationship with Renault to a more equal footing. After the automaker was pitched into turmoil by the ouster of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn, Nissan executives sought to rebalance the alliance he built. We will make a statement in due course when the agreements are concluded," the Japanese automaker said in a statement. Nissan and Renault's junior partner, Mitsubishi Motors, has also indicated it may invest in the company.

Persons: Ampere, Carlos Ghosn, Makoto Uchida, Ashwani Gupta, Gupta, Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, Kevin Krolicki, David Dolan Organizations: Nissan, Renault, Reuters, Mitsubishi Motors, Qualcomm, Mitsubishi, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, U.S

Under the framework, the Japanese automaker would take as much as 15% of Renault's new electric vehicle unit, Ampere, while Renault would reduce its 43% stake in Nissan. That timeline was extended when senior Nissan executives and some directors challenged detailed provisions of deal, citing the need to better protect Nissan's intellectual property, Reuters has reported. Nissan executives sought to rebalance the alliance built by former Chairman Carlos Ghosn after his ouster sent the automaker into turmoil. While the size of the investment ultimately hinges on the value of Ampere, Nissan is likely to take less than 10%, one of them said. By closing out the restructured Renault deal, Nissan executives have the opportunity to pivot to other challenges, including a medium-term strategy update and a change in approach to China, where Nissan's sales, and those of other global automakers, are in decline.

Persons: Ampere, Carlos Ghosn, Makoto Uchida, Ashwani Gupta, Gupta, Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, Kevin Krolicki, David Dolan, Christian Schmollinger, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Renault, Nissan finalise, Nissan, TOKYO, Reuters, Mitsubishi Motors, Qualcomm, Mitsubishi, Thomson Locations: U.S, China

☆ Nissan will not fill COO position left open by Gupta's departure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, June 28 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) has decided to not fill in the chief operating officer position vacated by Ashwani Gupta under a new management structure, the Japanese automaker said on Wednesday. Responsibilities previously carried out by the operations chief will be taken over by other executives, it said. Chief Financial Officer Stephen Ma will take over operations performance duties. Japan's No.3 automaker is investigating accusations that Uchida carried out surveillance of Gupta, Reuters has reported. Nissan is in the midst of finalising the terms of a sweeping reset of its decades-old alliance with Renault SA (RENA.PA).

Persons: Ashwani Gupta, Hideyuki Sakamoto, Stephen Ma, Makoto Uchida, Nissan, Gupta, Japan's, Uchida, Satoshi Sugiyama, Muralikumar Organizations: Nissan, Reuters, Renault SA, Renault, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

The preliminary report said Nissan had installed two sets of security cameras at the entrance to Gupta's house in Tokyo's Shibuya ward, the people said. Uchida and Gupta, who was still a Nissan director and chief operating officer on June 20, were recused from the board meeting. In his letter, Nada asked for an international law firm to be brought in to investigate the surveillance of Gupta. Reuters was unable to determine if either law firm had made any finding about the harassment claim itself, beyond how it was handled. Nada said in his letter he understood that Japanese law firm Anderson Mori & Tomotsune had investigated the claim.

Persons: Ashwani Gupta, Makoto Uchida, Davis Polk, Gupta, Uchida, Nissan, Akira Takeuchi, Hari Nada, Nada, Iwata Godo, Motoo Nagai, Nagai, Anderson Mori, Tomotsune, Daniel Leussink, Maki Shiraki, Kevin Krolicki, David Clarke Organizations: Nissan, Renault, Reuters, NEW, Senior Renault, Thomson Locations: Yokohama, Tokyo's Shibuya, Tokyo, French, Austin , Texas

☆ Renault CEO says free float of future electric unit will be more than 10%
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 27 (Reuters) - A sizeable chunk of Renault's (RENA.PA) planned electric vehicle spinoff could remain in free float on the stock market, its CEO said in an interview published on Tuesday, declining comment on any further strategic investor who would join partners Qualcomm and Nissan (7201.T). "We need to leave some free float, because we still want to retain a significant majority ourselves", Luca De Meo told business daily La Tribune. "Porsche has left 10% free float, and I think that we are aiming for a higher percentage, a minority, but sufficient to ensure liquidity", he added, referring to the luxury carmaker's $72 billion stockmarket debut last year, the biggest in Germany since 1996. Sources have said Renault's future electric vehicle unit, Ampere, could be valued at up to 10 billion euros ($10.96 billion). And we have created a solid and excellent relationship with Makoto Uchida (...)."

Persons: Luca De Meo, Ampere, De Meo, Makoto Uchida, Tassilo Hummel Organizations: Qualcomm, Nissan, La Tribune, Porsche, Thomson Locations: Germany

TOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor (7201.T) shareholders on Tuesday backed Chief Executive Makoto Uchida and other board nominees at its first annual general meeting since reaching a new deal with alliance partner Renault (RENA.PA). The shareholder meeting has taken place amid new ructions for the automaker's management. Nissan is investigating claims that Uchida carried out surveillance of deputy Ashwani Gupta, sources have said. There were no questions by shareholders about the claims at the shareholder meeting. Shareholders on Tuesday also rejected a proposal by an individual investor for higher dividends this financial year that was opposed by the company's board.

Persons: Makoto Uchida, Uchida, Ashwani Gupta, Gupta, Brenda Harvey, Maki Shiraki, Daniel Leussink, Chang, Ran Kim, David Dolan, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Nissan, Renault, IBM, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

TOKYO, June 24 (Reuters) - Nissan (7201.T) has launched an investigation into claims by a senior adviser that Chief Executive Makoto Uchida carried out surveillance of his deputy Ashwani Gupta, four people with direct knowledge of the matter said. In the letter, Nada said Uchida carried out surveillance over a long period. Asked to comment on the surveillance investigation, Nissan said in response to Reuters: "Independent third parties have been retained to verify facts and carry out appropriate actions." Nada did not detail in the letter how he knew of the alleged surveillance of Gupta. Nada is a member of two executive committees established by Nissan in 2019 as part of a governance reform after the Ghosn scandal.

Persons: Makoto Uchida, Ashwani Gupta, Hari Nada, Nada, Uchida, Renault, Gupta, Nissan, Akira Takeuchi, Anderson Mori, Tomotsune, Carlos Ghosn, Ghosn, Jean, Dominique Senard, Luca de Meo, de Meo, Greg Kelly, Nissan's, Ampere, David Dolan, Gilles Guillaume, Kevin Krolicki, David Clarke Organizations: Nissan, Financial Times, Reuters, Renault, NISSAN, RENAULT, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Tokyo, Lebanon, Japan, Paris

☆ Meet the typical Japanese millennial: Victims of the country's 'Lost Decade,' they are trapped in dead-end jobs and are adamant about never having kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

At 36, Isechi Makoto finally feels like he can start living life. Like many Japanese millennials, Isechi is content with living life as it is, happy to stay afloat as they watched their nation endure crippling economic crises and natural disasters. In comparison, the US is home to 72 million millennials, while China has around 400 million millennials. Insider spoke to three millennials in Japan, as well as two economists, to better understand the generation. Our findings about their career aspirations, their spending habits, and their financial decision-making speak to the typical millennial in Japan, but not every millennial.

Persons: Isechi Makoto, Isechi, he's Organizations: Pew Research Center Locations: Hokkaido, Kagoshima, Osaka, Japan, China

☆ Beyond Kyoto: Japan recommends 11 lesser-known spots to visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Japan wants travelers to go beyond the country's iconic tourist sites — and consider spending their yen in lesser-known locations. CNBC Travel takes a look at what each of the 11 spots has to offer travelers — whether or not they're wealthy. Koichi Kamoshida | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIse-shima is arguably the "model destination" most ready to welcome the JTA's wealthy targets. Kagoshima, Aso and UnzenThe island of Kyushu in western Japan feature everything from active volcanoes to glimpses of samurai culture. Okinawa and AmamiIn 2021, Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa's main island, and Iriomote Island were given joint UNESCO Natural World Heritage status for their biodiversity and endemic wildlife.

☆ Paternity leave: In Japan, it's four weeks, but men are too afraid to take it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Japanese men are entitled to four weeks of flexible paternity leave, on up to 80% of their salary, under a bill passed by the Japanese parliament in 2021. While it is illegal to discriminate against workers who take maternity and paternity leave in Japan, Iwahashi said workers on fixed-term contracts were particularly vulnerable. And anyway, “A little tweak on paternity leave won’t significantly change a declining birth rate,” he added. He also unveiled a plan aimed at boosting the uptake of paternity leave by encouraging firms to disclose their performance. But he saw a silver lining in encouraging paternity leave.

☆ Hotel chief apologizes for only changing the water in a spa bath twice a year instead of once a week, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Japanese guesthouse owner has apologized for rarely changing the water in a spa bath, per CNN. The water in the bath should have been changed weekly, according to local regulations. The traditional Japanese bath, known as an onsen, was found to contain potentially deadly bacteria during a health inspection, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported. Legionella bacteria was found in the Japanese bath at 3,700 times the permitted level, the news outlet reported. According to the report, the bath water, which comes from volcanically heated hot springs, should have been changed weekly to abide by local regulations.

☆ Remember the 2011 quake: Berlinale film's message to Japan's young
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Director Makoto Shinkai attends a news conference during the promotion of 'Suzume' at the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 23, 2023. The result was "Suzume", an animated feature that has been a blockbuster in Japan and which held its international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday. In touring sites of recent trauma and wreckage, the film has triggered painful memories, and not all in Japan have welcomed this, Shinkai said. "I personally think a Japanese society which is able to accept this kind of a movie is a better society," Shinkai said. Additional reporting and writing by Thomas Escritt, editing by Emma-Victoria Farr and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Anger Mounts Over Ohio Train Derailment: ‘They Don’t Have the Answers’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

What the Renault-Nissan Shakeup Says About the Global Auto Industry Renault CEO Luca de Meo and Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the reorganization of their alliance in a deal that gives both companies more autonomy. WSJ’s Nick Kostov explains the factors behind the decision and what it means for auto makers and investors. Photo Composite: Adele Morgan

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