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Japan

This Month

Japanese car makers made an early bet on hybrid vehicles, such as Toyota’s RAV4 hybrid.

Why even Toyota is falling behind in the EV race

Japan’s automotive giants are racing to develop solid-state batteries and forge foreign alliances to regain the edge in global sales as electric vehicle leaders BYD and Tesla take over.

  • Jessica Sier
Eric Gao is in China signing off on investments in a big new VC fund targeting Aussie tech firms.

New $1b VC fund will back Aussie start-ups with Chinese money

A Melbourne-based fund manager for Chinese money is set to close the first part of a targeted $1 billion to back Australian start-ups that could expand into China.

  • Jessica Sier
Defence minister Richard Marles meets with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and director general of the Japan Defence Agency, Gen Nakatani, on November 17.

Australia, US, Japan to strengthen military ties in face of China threat

Defence ministers agreed to a new “commitment to consult” over regional security issues and invited Japanese troops to train in Darwin.

  • Updated
  • Andrew Tillett

How Australia and Japan can keep global trade going

Middle powers can’t do much unilaterally but are large enough to mobilise coalitions for change to keep the world economy open and save the multilateral trading system.

  • Shiro Armstrong
Penny Wong has turned disciplined diplomatic language into an art form.

How to Trump-proof foreign policy

Don’t panic, don’t relax, look for opportunities, and stay close to our other allies. That’s a way to deal with a confronting new Washington.

  • Rory Medcalf
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The rituals of a ryokan prevail in this new international hotel

Banyan Tree makes its Japan debut in Kyoto’s historic temple district, and honours a revered art form.

  • Kate Hennessy
He just about burst a blood vessel after Woolworths made a commercial decision to stop stocking Australia Day paraphernalia.

Identity politics lessons for Democrats and Dutton

The anti-incumbent message sent by the US election is primarily about economic concerns. There is a risk the opposition leader overplays the ‘war on woke’ message at the next election.

  • Lidija Ivanovski
Donald Trump

Trump win puts global corporate tax deal ‘in peril’

Experts believe that countries will now be unlikely to apply rules over fears of retaliation from Trump-led administration.

  • Emma Agyemang and Paola Tamma
The Shibuya district in Tokyo. Rising interest rates are pushing companies to look at new sources of capital.

Macquarie, Wylie lead charge into Japan as deal activity surges

In a country once closed to foreign investors, companies are looking for new sources of capital and selling assets. But it isn’t easy getting through the door.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier
Hello Kitty display at the exhibition “As I change, so does she,” marking the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty at the Tokyo National Museum.

How a cute Japanese icon turned into a $6b industry

The Japanese icon, celebrating her golden jubilee, is emblematic of a global craze for child-like things that has grown in troubled times.

  • The Economist
Martijn Wilder, Pollination’s chief executive. The firm has announced a new investment from Japanese bank Mizuho.

Japanese giant Mizuho takes $30m stake in green advisory firm

Australian-founded investment bank and consultancy Pollination focuses on financing the transition from fossil fuels and already counts ANZ as an investor.

  • Primrose Riordan
Koala founders Mitch Taylor and Dany Milham in the early days of the business.

Milkrun founder Milham returns to his roots at Koala

Koala co-founder Dany Milham will return to the chief executive role at the online furniture retailer he created in 2015, as it booked an annual profit.

  • Paul Smith
Shigeru Ishiba arrives for a press conference a day after Japan’s lower house election.

Japan’s election mess goes well beyond its borders

Japan risks entering a new phase of policy inertia that could stifle its attempts to exert more influence over global politics.

  • Jessica Sier

October

xx

Inflation falls; Trump wants revenge: Harris; Woolies’ profit mess

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

Shigeru Ishiba arrives for a press conference a day after Japan’s lower house election.

Ishiba threatens to become Japan’s Scaramucci

After years of relative stability, Japanese politics is about to enter a shaky period after a terrible showing by the LDP.

  • Gearoid Reidy
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Palestinians walk through the destruction left by the Israeli air and ground offensive on Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.

Australia condemns Israel’s ban on UN aid agency UNRWA

Australia has joined international condemnation of Israel over its efforts to nobble top UN body that looks after almost 6 million Palestinian refugees.

  • Updated
  • Andrew Tillett
German Stefan Kaufmann, a newly-appointed president of Olympus speaks during an interview in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo on Aug. 10, 2023. ( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images ) .

Olympus CEO exits after allegation he bought illegal drugs

The company’s shares declined more than 7 per cent, the biggest intraday slide in almost three months, after it said Stefan Kaufmann had resigned all positions.

  • Edwin Chan
Economic policies of both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris would have repercussions in Asia.

Trump or Harris, America’s Asia trade strategy won’t change

Whoever wins next week’s election, Asia’s international economic diplomatic challenge remains the same: to keep the global multilateral trade enterprise alive.

  • Peter Drysdale and Liam Gammon
“We couldn’t dispel public anger over the political funds issue,” Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday.

Japan PM vows to stay on after losing majority

Public support for the LDP has nosedived after revelations last year that members were secretly enriching themselves with funds from supporters.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier
Resources Minister Madeleine King at the Australia-Japan Joint Business Conference in Nagoya, Japan.

Luring investment in Aussie hydrogen a tough task: King

Resources Minister Madeleine King says drawing Japanese investment in Australian hydrogen projects was difficult because of existing global subsidies.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/japan-b1c