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☆ Why it’s impossible to find an open squat rack at the gym
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

You’ll have much better luck finding an open elliptical machine than a bench press, squat rack or 30-pound dumbbells. The pandemic led more people to take up weight training, gym owners and industry experts say. Post-pandemic, the surge in the popularity of weight training has helped the gym industry recover. Paul/Fairfax Media/Getty ImagesThe arrival of Nautilus and Universal strength training equipment in the 1970s and 1980s made weightlifting more attractive to a broader range of people. Genesis clubs have added more squat and dumbbell racks to keep up with demand for strength training and downsized cardio areas.

☆ Bank of Japan Governor Nominee Predicts Inflation Rate Will Fall Soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Megumi Fujikawa | Peter Landers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kazuo Ueda was nominated by the government this month as the next governor of the Bank of Japan. TOKYO—Japan’s core inflation rate hit a four-decade high of 4.2% in January, but the nominee to lead the Bank of Japan said he expected it to fall and didn’t think an interest-rate increase was needed. Core consumer prices—which Japan defines as all prices excluding fresh food—rose at the fastest pace since September 1981 but came in slightly below the consensus forecast. It was the 10th consecutive month that inflation exceeded the Bank of Japan’s 2% target.

☆ Ed Yardeni sees four economic outcomes, with one being the most likely
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The economy faces four potential outcomes, with the most optimistic also being the most likely, according to market veteran Ed Yardeni. Other potential outcomes and their percentages, according to Yardeni: a disinflationary no landing (20%), hard landing (20%), and inflationary no landing (20%). The disinflationary no landing scenario entails real GDP rising 2%-3% while inflation moderates. Finally, the inflationary no landing scenario would see the economy avoid recession but still be plagued by high prices, resulting in a more hardline Fed. Committee members will update their outlooks on GDP, inflation, unemployment and the future path of the funds rate.

☆ Japan Says Sayonara to Idea of Central Banker as Rescue Hero
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Peter Landers | Megumi Fujikawa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Departing Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda admitted that he fell short of his promise to generate sustainable 2% inflation. TOKYO—The next Bank of Japan governor is likely to find a challenge similar to the one that faced departing Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda when he arrived a decade ago: stubbornly low inflation and a sluggish economy to go with it. The difference is that Kazuo Ueda , expected to be nominated Tuesday to succeed Mr. Kuroda, will take office with less confidence that Japan’s central bank can fix those problems, which date to the 1990s.

☆ Japan Expected to Name Kazuo Ueda, Backer of Zero Rates, as Central Bank Head
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Peter Landers | Megumi Fujikawa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO—The expected nominee to lead the Bank of Japan , a longtime advocate of aggressive monetary policy, said Friday he wanted to continue the low-interest rate stance of the current governor. The government has decided to nominate Kazuo Ueda , a former University of Tokyo professor who served on the BOJ’s policy board from 1998 to 2005, as the next governor, said a person briefed on the appointment and public broadcaster NHK.

☆ Japan Set to Tap Kazuo Ueda, Backer of Zero Rates, as Central Bank Head
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Peter Landers | Megumi Fujikawa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO—Japan is expected to name Kazuo Ueda , an advocate of aggressive monetary easing, to lead the Bank of Japan , and he said he wanted to continue the current governor’s low-interest-rate stance. The government decided to nominate Mr. Ueda, a former University of Tokyo professor who served on the BOJ’s policy board from 1998 to 2005, as the next governor, said a person briefed on the appointment and public broadcaster NHK.

☆ Shinzo Abe Book Criticizes Trump as Weak on North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Peter Landers | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Donald Trump and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waving before playing a round of golf in Japan in 2019. TOKYO—In a posthumously published book, former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe said he pushed then-President Donald Trump to take a stronger stand on North Korea but found Mr. Trump weak and overly eager for a deal. Mr. Abe said in the Japanese-language book, published this week, that he grew worried North Korea would learn of Mr. Trump’s dovish tendencies. “We absolutely couldn’t let the outside world catch wind of it,” he said.

☆ Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda to Step Down and Become Chairman
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Peter Landers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda said it was time to pass the baton to a younger executive. TOKYO— Toyota Motor Corp. Chief Executive Akio Toyoda , a scion of the founding family who has led the company since 2009, will step down from his current roles and become chairman in April, Toyota said Thursday. Chief Branding Officer Koji Sato , a 53-year-old executive who has led Toyota’s luxury Lexus division since 2020, will become president and chief executive in April, the company said. Takeshi Uchiyamada , Toyota’s chairman, will step down from that post.

☆ Akio Toyoda Steps Down as Toyota President to Become Chairman
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Peter Landers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO— Toyota Motor Corp. said that Akio Toyoda , a scion of the founding family who has led the company as president since 2009, will step down from his role as president and chief executive and become Toyota’s chairman in April. Toyota said Koji Sato , who is currently chief branding officer, will become president and chief executive officer on April 1.

☆ Why we love to anthropomorphize space-faring robots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

We know Mars rovers are robots, but they feel like friends, or pets. "It's the way the rovers are designed," Abigail Freeman, the deputy project scientist of the Curiosity rover, told Insider. The first selfie NASA's Opportunity Mars rover snapped. Their ability to snap selfies on the Martian surface make them seem self-awareNASA's Curiosity Mars rover created this selfie in front of Mont Mercou. On February 12, 2019, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, sent the last commands to ask NASA’s Opportunity rover on Mars to call home.

☆ Boeing's role in building NASA's new rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

The mobile launcher with NASA's SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 to Launch Complex 39B on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “I worked over 50 Space Shuttle launches,” Boeing SLS program manager John Shannon told CNN by phone. Though more than 1,000 companies were involved with designing and building SLS, Boeing’s work involved the largest and most expensive portion of the rocket. The SLS rocket ended up flying its first launch more than six years later than originally intended. All of the “major components” for a third SLS rocket are also completed, Shannon added.

President Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are meeting at the White House on Friday. President Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on Friday as the U.S. and Japan increase security cooperation to counter China’s military buildup. “To be crystal clear, the United States is fully, thoroughly, completely committed to the alliance—and more importantly to Japan’s defense,” Mr. Biden said, kicking off their meeting in the Oval Office.

President Biden will meet at the White House on Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as the U.S. and Japan increase security cooperation to counter China’s military buildup. U.S. officials said the meeting between the two leaders will follow up on meetings in Washington earlier this week between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin , Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Japanese counterparts. Following that meeting, the two countries announced plans to protect Japanese satellites, equip Tokyo with long-range missiles and upgrade U.S. Marine forces in the country.

The first full-color image released from the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope is the sharpest infrared image of the distant universe ever produced, according to NASA. Space Telescope Science Institut / NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERONASA released the first batch of images from the tennis court-sized observatory to much fanfare in July. The exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light, as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope. Back to the moonFifty years after the final Apollo moon mission, NASA took key steps toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. Chinese officials have also said they intend to use the space station for space tourism and commercial space initiatives.

He has met the emperor and welcomed President Biden to his home, but Rahm Emanuel said an equally thrilling moment as ambassador to Japan came when he was offered a ride in the conductor’s cabin of a bullet train. His eyes opened wide. The train races toward Tokyo at more than 150 miles an hour. “Yeah, I want to! If you’ll let me,” Mr. Emanuel, 63, recalled saying.

☆ Japanese Companies Reach Natural-Gas Deals With Oman, U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Peter Landers | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jera, which has this LNG-fired power plant in Japan’s Chiba prefecture, and two other companies have agreed to purchase over two million tons of LNG annually from Oman. TOKYO—Japanese companies said they reached deals with Omani and U.S. producers for mid- to long-term natural-gas supplies, a move to lock up the fuel after turmoil this year caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The deals signal the renewed importance of relatively stable producers of liquefied natural gas or LNG, including the U.S. Japan is among the world’s largest importers of LNG, alongside China, and relies on the fuel for nearly 40% of its electricity production.

☆ NASA hasn't heard from its InSight lander in 5 days. It may have run out of power and died on Mars.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

NASA's InSight lander on Mars isn't responding to communications from Earth, likely due to low power levels. The solar arrays on NASA's InSight lander are deployed for a test at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, on April 30, 2015. An illustration of the InSight Mars lander. An artist illustration of the InSight lander on Mars. Then they instructed the robot to scoop up dirt and slowly trickle it next to the solar panels.

☆ Investing in Space: Temper your expectations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. One that repeatedly comes up is the need for tempered expectations when it comes to schedule targets across the industry. Take, for example, an unabashed thread by ABL Space on its progress toward the debut launch of its RS1 rocket. Company leadership should be ambitious and optimistic about deadlines – but expectations need to be managed clearly and realistically, as well. The best space companies set targets that are achievable, and keep cushion on their balance sheet for when they aren't.

☆ Viking 1 may have landed at site of ancient Martian megatsunami
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The mystery of the Viking landing site has long puzzled scientists, who believe an ocean once existed there. Now, new research suggests that the lander touched down where a Martian megatsunami deposited materials 3.4 billion years ago, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports. The interest in the potential for life on the red planet prompted scientists to select its northern equatorial region, Chryse Planitia, as the first Martian landing site for Viking I. “The landing site selection needed to fulfill a critical requirement — the presence of extensive evidence of former surface water. Next, the team wants to investigate Pohl crater as a potential landing site for a future rover, since the location might contain evidence of ancient life.

☆ Entrepreneur Caught in the Middle of U.S.-China Chip War
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Peter Landers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Semiconductor whiz Gerald Yin left the U.S. and spent 18 years in China building what he said would be a worldwide powerhouse in chip-making equipment. Now the American citizen’s lifework has been thrown into uncertainty as U.S. restrictions undermine the global industry integration he celebrated. Mr. Yin’s company, Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc., or AMEC, had been making big strides and was gunning for industry leaders based in the U.S. and Japan when Washington stepped in. Decades younger than its rivals, the Chinese maker of etching equipment and other tools for the semiconductor industry has said it picked up customers including Robert Bosch GmbH and U.S. chip maker GlobalFoundries Inc. Its equipment is used on dozens of production lines in Europe and Asia.

☆ Investing in Space: Rockets are only the beginning
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. But the CEOs of these companies will tell you that tapping into the global launch market isn't enough. "The big space companies of the future are not just a launch company on its own or a spacecraft manufacturer on its own. Breaking into the launch market may seem hard (and expensive) enough on its own. Virgin Orbit is similarly developing a satellite business, which CEO Dan Hart told CNBC he hopes can "unlock" space-based services.

Australia and Japan said they would deepen defense cooperation and that Japanese forces would train in Australia’s north, the latest move by U.S. allies to respond to growing strategic tensions with China. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan made the announcements after meeting in the western Australian city of Perth. The leaders said they agreed to update an existing 2007 security declaration between the two countries, reflecting the growing alignment between both nations.

Australia and Japan said that they would deepen defense cooperation and that Japanese forces would train in Australia’s north, the latest move by U.S. allies to respond to strategic tensions with China. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan made the announcements after meeting in the western Australian city of Perth. The leaders said they agreed to update an existing 2007 security declaration between the two countries, reflecting the growing alignment between both nations.

☆ Japan’s Fumio Kishida to Probe Church Targeted by Suspect in Abe Assassination
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Peter Landers | Chieko Tsuneoka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the government would invoke its authority to seek information from the church about its activities, a step never taken before against a religious organization in Japan. TOKYO—Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday ordered an investigation of the church founded by the late Rev. Moon Sun-myung, a step that could lead to the church being stripped of its legal status in Japan. The move was the latest fallout from the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July. The suspect in the killing wrote in online posts and a letter that he blamed the former Unification Church for his family’s troubles and said he was targeting Mr. Abe because of the former leader’s connections to church-linked groups.

Chinese and Japanese officials and business leaders gathered in Tokyo on Thursday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the resumption of official ties between Beijing and Tokyo. China and Japan on Thursday marked 50 years since the restoration of diplomatic relations with a muted ceremony that reflected what Tokyo described as many issues of concern between Asia’s two biggest economic powers. While the two countries maintained a veneer of politeness on the anniversary day, earlier this week they rehashed some frequent arguments. China accused Japan of encouraging separatist forces in Taiwan, while Japan objected to what it said were Chinese incursions into its territorial waters.

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