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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

☆ Factbox: Japan ramps up efforts to strengthen its chip industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are investments in Japan announced by chipmakers and measures the government is taking to revive its semiconductor industry. Sony Group (6758.T) and auto parts maker Denso (6902.T), which will use the chips TSMC makes, are also investors. It said it would be the first chipmaker to bring EUV technology to Japan for production. It has offered TSMC a 476 billion yen subsidy, or about half the expected cost of the factory. Rapidus secured an initial 70 billion yen of funding from the government, and local media reported in April that the government was finalising a plan to provide an additional 300 billion yen.

Persons: TW, Rapidus, JIC, Makiko Yamazaki, Sam Nussey, Tim Kelly, Miho Uranaka, Miyoung Kim, Jamie Freed Organizations: Semiconductor, chipmakers, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Sony Group, Micron Technology, Samsung Electronics, Reuters, Business Machines, IBM, Samsung, Nikon, Tokyo, Japan Investment Corp, Innovation Network Corp of Japan, Toshiba, Japan Industrial Partners, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Kyushu, Denso, KS, Yokohama, Japan's, Chitose, Hokkaido, Rapidus, U.S, China, State

☆ New York overtakes Hong Kong as the most expensive city in the world for expats, new survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong has ended its four-year reign as the most expensive city globally for expatriates, according to a survey — as New York surpasses it to first place. Hong Kong has ended its four-year reign as the most expensive city globally for expatriates — surpassed by New York which took first place, according to a new survey. Hong Kong fell in our rankings as the increase in prices of day-to-day goods and services was tempered by falls in accommodation costs in the city. Lee Quane ECA InternationalStill, Hong Kong retained its position as the most expensive location in Asia. Reports suggest residents of Hong Kong left the city in droves last year — due to Covid-19 restrictions and what they see as an erosion of democratic norms.

Persons: —, Lee Quane Organizations: New, ECA, assignees, Lee, Asia, U.S . Federal, Urban Land Institute, ULI, Asia Pacific Centre for Housing, U.S ., San Locations: Hong Kong, New York, Asia, Singapore, Asia Pacific, Asia Hong Kong Singapore Seoul Tokyo Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Beijing Taipei Yokohama, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tokyo, Japan, York, U.S, San Francisco

☆ A Bill Gates-based photovoltaic technology that may be solar energy's future
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Tim Hornyak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Solar panels accounted for nearly 5% of U.S. energy production last year, up almost 11-fold from 10 years ago and enough to power about 25 million households. Backers of perovskite-based solar cells say they can outperform silicon in at least two ways and accelerate efforts in the race to fight climate change. Perovskite cells are very thin — less than 1 micrometer — and can be painted or sprayed on surfaces, making them relatively cheap to produce. Backing next-generation climate technologyCompanies around the world are starting to commercialize perovskite panels. CubicPV, based in Massachusetts and Texas, has been developing tandem modules since 2019, and its backers include Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

☆ Japan arranging subsidies for Samsung chip facility -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Maki Shiraki | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Japan is arranging subsidies that could be worth around 15 billion yen ($110 million) to South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co (005930.KS) for a chip facility it is considering setting up near Tokyo, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips, would construct the facility including its first chip packaging test line in Japan near its existing research and development centre in Yokohama, Reuters reported in late March. The facility could cost around 40 billion yen to set up, of which about a third would be subsidised by the Japanese government, said the source, who declined to be named because the information is not public. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday plans to meet with executives from leading chip firms including Samsung to strengthen multilateral cooperation. Japan said last month it would give 260 billion yen in subsidies to domestic chipmaker Rapidus, which is building a factory on the northern island of Hokkaido, in addition to 70 billion yen of government funding secured earlier.

☆ As summer heat looms, Japan urged to curb impact, emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Stanislav Kogiku | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesTemperatures are rising in Japan and summer is coming fast. "The risks from climate change are right before us," said Yasuaki Hijioka, deputy director of the Center for Climate Change Adaptation at the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, northeast of Tokyo. But climate change means communities are often caught off guard because the systems were engineered for the weather conditions of the past. The warming weather can also hold more moisture, adding flooding and landslides to the summer forecast, something that Japan has also seen with growing frequency. "We need to view climate change as a natural disaster."

☆ 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.

☆ Traveling to Asia for work? This city is its most expensive business destination
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong has been named the most expensive location in Asia for business travelers — for the second year in a row, according to a new report. watch nowTokyo, which dropped from second- to third-most expensive city in Asia, also experienced a 5% rise in daily costs for business travelers in local currency terms. "With average daily costs of $424 per day [in Tokyo], business travel to the city is now almost 20% cheaper than first-placed Hong Kong." "Even a tourist hub like Bangkok, which typically receives many business travelers, only saw a moderate 4% increase in business travel costs," Quane added. World's most expensive placeFor yet another year, New York received the dubious honor of being the most expensive place in the world for business travelers.

☆ After Record Suspension, Trevor Bauer Returns to Baseball—in Japan, Not MLB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Lindsey Adler | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Trevor Bauer has agreed to a contract in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. Trevor Bauer, who served the longest-ever suspension for a player under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, is returning to the field—in Japan, not MLB. Bauer has agreed to a contract in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, it was announced on Monday.

☆ Nissan to overhaul electric powertrains for EVs, hybrids in search of cost cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Japanese automaker said it will use the same components across models to make electric powertrains - the assembly which propels a vehicle - smaller and lighter, and reduce development and production costs by 30% within three years versus 2019. "Materials that don't use such expensive precious metals are being developed, which will be a major factor in reducing costs," Hirai said. The effort is among many by automakers trying to make new-energy vehicles more affordable, such as by reducing the cost of electric powertrains which have yet to achieve parity with those used in traditionally powered vehicles. Nissan will apply its streamlined approach to powertrains to different sizes of vehicles, expecting to equip such vehicles as micro "kei" and mid-sized cars from 2024 or 2025, Hirai said. Nissan became one of the first mass-market electric-vehicle makers with its Leaf model more than a decade ago.

☆ S&P cuts Nissan credit rating to junk status
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, March 7 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd's (7201.T) credit rating was cut to junk status by S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday, which said the Japanese automaker's earnings will remain weaker than previously assumed, given the prospect of another tough year in 2023. S&P slashed Nissan's rating by one notch to BB+ from BBB-, it said in a statement, a move that placed it below investment grade. "Performance at the company has been sluggish for more than three years," the rating agency said in the statement, adding that the impact of global supply chain disruptions in key automotive components will likely continue in 2023. "Also, in the second half of the year, we expect softening demand for new car sales in the U.S. and Europe will pressure sales prices," it said. Reporting by Daniel Leussink, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The week in Asian football
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Michael Church | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Talking points from the week in Asian football:RONALDO'S SAUDI SCORING STREAK CONTINUES WITH HAT-TRICKCristiano Ronaldo's scoring run continued on Saturday as the Portuguese attacker netted all three goals in Al Nassr's 3-0 victory over Damak. The 38-year-old capped the scoring a minute before halftime when he side-footed home after Ayman Yahya cut the ball back towards the penalty spot. The goal was Ronaldo's eighth in five league games since joining Al Nassr after the World Cup. The defeat was the second in a row for new Urawa coach Maciej Skorza and the Pole's team are bottom of the standings. JANKOVIC APPOINTED NEW CHINA COACHSerbian Aleksandar Jankovic has been named coach of the China national team for next year's Asian Cup and the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

☆ Nissan's Q3 operating profit more than doubles, outstrips expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Japan's Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) on Thursday posted a better-than-expected 155% jump in third-quarter operating profit, boosted by a weaker yen and cost management. Operating profit for the three months ended Dec. 31 came to 133.1 billion yen ($1.01 billion), beating the average 104.79 billion yen profit estimated by nine analysts, according to Refinitiv data. That compared to a 52.2 billion yen profit in the same period a year earlier. The Yokohama-based automaker maintained its forecast for an operating profit of 360 billion yen for the year to March 31, helped by a weaker yen that bolsters the value of overseas sales. ($1 = 131.2600 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by David DolanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ SoftBank Loses Nearly $6 Billion in Quarter as Investments Suffer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Megumi Fujikawa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Masayoshi Son, chief executive of SoftBank Group, in Yokohama, Japan, in 2020. TOKYO—Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group Corp. said it fell back into the red in the three months to December as its investment vehicles posted a loss of nearly $6 billion. SoftBank on Tuesday posted a net loss of ¥783.4 billion, equivalent to about $5.9 billion, for the quarter ended Dec. 31.

☆ The art of the buffet: Cruise chef of two decades explains how ships feed thousands of passengers at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Marco Goetz has worked on some of the world's largest cruise ships as an executive chef. "On land, your daily routines are more organized — you know what is coming," Goetz told Insider. The art of the buffetGuests are served food in the Marketplace buffet onboard the cruise ship MSC Virtuosa. Throughout the cruise, buffet options are adjusted in accordance with guests' nationalities, Goetz told Insider. But, cruise ship workers receive living quarters (most chefs have their own cabin) and meals for free.

☆ China's BYD dreams big in auto powerhouse Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China's BYD Co Ltd (002594.SZ) unveiled its first dealership in Japan on Tuesday, taking on one of the biggest challenges in its explosive global rise as it seeks to win over customers deeply loyal to their own auto industry. BYD, an acronym which stands for Build Your Dreams, has ambitious plans to open more than 100 dealerships in Japan by the end of 2025. "If customers trust us and give BYD a try, we'll have a good chance (at succeeding)," BYD Auto Japan Inc President Atsuki Tofukuji told Reuters at a media event to mark the opening of its maiden outlet in Yokohama, Japan's second largest city. About 30 people have contacted the Yokohama dealership to enquire about the new cars, according to Kazuhisa Okamoto, who runs the store. ($1 = 130.39 yen)Reporting by Daniel Leussink; editing by John Geddie and Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Renault-Nissan-alliance: Automakers restructure their longstanding alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Carmakers Renault and Nissan have agreed to restructure their longstanding partnership, with the French company whittling down its stake in the Japanese firm to 15%. Under the agreement, Renault will transfer 28.4% of its shares in the Yokohama-based company into a French trust. Renault (RNLSY) and Nissan (NSANF) will each retain a 15% stake in one another’s businesses through a cross-shareholding agreement, with voting rights. Previously, Nissan (NSANF) had held a 15% non-voting stake in the French company, while Renault (RNLSY) owned about 43% of Nissan (NSANF). In its Monday statement, Nissan said the two would continue to work together on projects in Europe, India and Latin America.

☆ Taiwan's Foxconn taps former Nissan and Nidec heavyweight Seki for EV business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Nissan Motor executive officer and vice-COO Jun Seki speaks during a news conference at Nissan Motor headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, December 2, 2019. Seki had been recruited to Nidec from Nissan by Nidec's hard-driving founder Shigenobu Nagamori in 2020 to help Nidec become a major player in components for next-generation automobiles. Seki spent three decades at Nissan, including a stint heading its China business. He was widely seen as a contender for chief executive, but was passed over for the current chief, Makoto Uchida. He left Nissan for Nidec not long after being charged with leading the automaker's turnaround plan.

☆ Analysis: Renault cedes power at Nissan for uncertain benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Gilles Guillaume | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The Nissan logo is seen on a car wheel at Nissan Gallery in Yokohama, Japan November 29, 2021. REUTERS/Androniki ChristodoulouPARIS, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Renault and Nissan hailed a new deal announced on Monday as a major step in reviving their two decade alliance. The deal, months in the making and still subject to board approvals, will see Renault (RENA.PA) reduce its stake in Nissan to 15% from around 43%. The deal sees Nissan commit to invest in Renault's flagship Ampere electric vehicle unit, which was the French group's key goal. "It is interesting for Renault to see Nissan enter Ampere, if only for financing projects.

☆ Japan launches whale meat vending machines to promote sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

“As a result, many consumers who want to eat it cannot find or buy whale meat. Kashiwabara says she is aware of the whaling controversy but that whale meat brings back her childhood memories of eating it at family dinners and school lunches. But whale meat is part of Japanese food culture and we can respect the lives of whales by appreciating their meat,” Kashiwabara said. Still, conservative governing lawmakers staunchly support commercial whaling and consumption of the meat as part of Japan’s cultural tradition. Conservationists say whale meat is no longer part of the daily diet in Japan, especially for younger generations.

☆ Japan whaling firm pins hopes on vending machines to revive sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Chris Gallagher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] A customer buys whale meat on the opening day of the shop by a Japanese whale-hunting company with vending machines, in Yokohama, Japan, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Androniki ChristodoulouYOKOHAMA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A Japanese whaling firm unveiled vending machines offering whale sashimi, whale steak and whale bacon in Yokohama on Tuesday in hopes of reviving sales of a food long in decline and shunned by many supermarkets. At its peak in 1962, annual whale meat consumption was 233,000 tonnes. Conservationists say moves to promote whale meat are desperate attempts to revive interest in a struggling business. Whale meat advocates point to its high protein content and low carbon footprint compared with other meats.

☆ Asia markets fall as Japan's inflation data reaches highest since 1981
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

People walk down a street in the Chinatown section of Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo, on January 7, 2023. Markets in the Asia-Pacific were set to trade lower on Friday as investors digested Japan's core inflation print, which reached the fastest pace since December, 1981. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago was at 26,360 while its counterpart in Osaka was at 26,320 against the Nikkei 225's last close at 26,405.23. The yield on the 10-year Japanese Government Bond rose to stand at 0.415%, slightly below the central bank's upper ceiling of its tolerance range. In Australia the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.11% in its first hour of trade.

☆ Kirin seeks more North American craft beer factories after strong growth
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Miho Uranaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Kirin Holdings (2503.T), Japan's second-largest brewer, is looking to buy factory facilities in North America to maintain strong growth in the region's craft beer market, its chief executive said. Kirin has seen sales volumes in the North American craft beer market climb by double-digit percentage figures since acquiring Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing in 2019 and Bell's Brewery in Michigan in 2021. "Our craft beer business in North America is on a roll," CEO Yoshinori Isozaki said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. North American craft beer is also now the company's most profitable segment among global businesses that span everything from whisky to probiotic health drinks, he added, without disclosing profit margins. Kirin had craft beer sales of about 60 billion yen ($454 million) in the year ended in March, accounting for 3% of global sales.

☆ 2022 in gender equality: Share of female Fortune 500 CEOs hits all-time high, but other progress stalls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Women continue to face a significant wage gap that has hardly budged over the last 15 years, with women of color bearing the brunt of the disparity. The year "2022 really is a mixed bag when it comes to gender equality," says Melissa Boteach, the vice president for income security and child care/early learning at the National Women's Law Center. Aside from that victory, there has been little progress in closing the gender wage gap over the past decade. This year, the wage gap narrowed by one penny. The wage gap Black women face narrowed by about four cents in one year, while Latinas' wage gap didn't budge at all.

☆ Mercedes opens its first EV-only dealership in the world in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Mercedes-Benz logo is seen at the 43rd Bangkok International Motor Show, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 22, 2022. Mercedes-Benz has rolled out five electric models since 2019 and "sees further growth in the electric vehicle market in Japan," it said in a statement. Battery EVs have been slow to catch on in Japan, where domestic makers dominate the market. But foreign brands sold a record 2,357 EVs in November, surpassing a tenth of total imported car sales for the first time, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA). Across all car types, Mercedes-Benz sold 51,722 cars in Japan last year, making it the top-selling foreign vehicle brand, JAIA data shows.

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