Economy — 1,080 insights
Toyota investors cast doubtful eye on 20% ROE target
Economy

Toyota investors cast doubtful eye on 20% ROE target

Automaker faces pressure to focus on asset-light revenue sources like software Toyota Motor's new RAV4 sport utility vehicle features Arene, the automaker's first proprietary software platform. (Photo by Azusa Kawakami) TOKYO -- Investors are growing skeptical of Toyota Motor's prospects for achieving its target of 20% return on equity, pushing for more concrete action including bigger dividends from the company's cash hoard and more efficient use of assets.

July 8, 2026
‘Kioxia of today wouldn’t exist’ under Toshiba, Bain dealmaker says
Economy

‘Kioxia of today wouldn’t exist’ under Toshiba, Bain dealmaker says

Yuji Sugimoto, who led acquisition, says memory maker needed independence to grow Yuji Sugimoto, Bain Capital's representative in Japan, led the purchase of the company that would become Kioxia from Toshiba in 2018. (Source photos by Nikkei) TOKYO -- Memory maker Kioxia Holdings became the largest Japanese company in terms of market capitalization in June, a far cry from its former position as a unit of industrial conglomerate Toshiba.

July 8, 2026
Bridgestone’s airless tires hit streets of Japan after nearly 2 decades
Economy

Bridgestone’s airless tires hit streets of Japan after nearly 2 decades

Self-driving mobility service adopts AirFree for low-speed shuttle service The AirFree tires are debuting commercially in self-driving mobility vehicles serving older adults in Higashiomi, Japan. (Photo by Seiya Ota) TOKYO -- Bridgestone announced Tuesday the commercial rollout of its puncture-resistant airless tires, a product that had been in the works for 18 years from the prototype stage.

July 8, 2026
Japan maglev plan paves way to ultra-fast link for $2tn ‘megaregion’
Economy

Japan maglev plan paves way to ultra-fast link for $2tn ‘megaregion’

Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka line likely to reshape region home to 66 million The Linear Chuo Shinkansen will cut travel times between Japan's biggest cities to less than half the current fastest options. (Central Japan Railway) TOKYO/NAGOYA/SHIZUOKA, Japan -- With Japan's efforts to build an ultra-fast maglev train line connecting Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka a step closer to reality after a local governor's approval, public-private hopes are high for the creation of a new massive economic corridor.

July 8, 2026
What is left of Hong Kong’s rule of law?
Economy

What is left of Hong Kong’s rule of law?

John Lee's new national security powers cast fresh doubt on courts delivering independent justice Chow Hang-tung, vice-chair of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, attends a news conference in Hong Kong on Sept. 5, 2021. © Reuters Patrick Poon is a board member of the Asian Lawyers Network, and East Asia lead of the Human Rights Measurement Initiative.

July 8, 2026
Japan’s Shimizu bets on humanoid robots to tackle construction labor crunch
Economy

Japan’s Shimizu bets on humanoid robots to tackle construction labor crunch

Company eyes fiscal 2030 for robots that can walk around, paint and coat walls Shimizu is testing out the ability of this robot from China's Unitree to patrol construction sites on foot. (Photo by Kohei Okuyama) TOKYO -- Japanese general contractor Shimizu plans to introduce AI-powered humanoid robots at its construction sites by around fiscal 2030, aiming to have them handle such work as painting and plastering in a bid to alleviate the industry's severe labor shortages, Nikkei has learned.

July 8, 2026
Japan’s MUFG Bank to tap AI, satellite images for collateral appraisals
Economy

Japan’s MUFG Bank to tap AI, satellite images for collateral appraisals

New system promises to reduce labor-intensive evaluations for loans to small businesses MUFG Bank is considering sharing its planned system with regional banks, many of which are struggling with labor shortages. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) TOKYO -- MUFG Bank plans to combine satellite imagery data and artificial intelligence in a system to inspect real estate used as loan collateral starting in fiscal 2027, shaving up 10,000 hours annually from time devoted to on-site inspections.

July 8, 2026
Japanese anime’s production costs jump as global viewership booms
Economy

Japanese anime’s production costs jump as global viewership booms

Studios scramble to secure talent as streaming services stoke demand Crunchyroll hosts the Anime Awards. The streamer is busy acquiring distribution rights for Japanese anime. (Crunchyroll) TOKYO -- The growing worldwide popularity of Japanese anime has driven up production costs by more than 50% over the past several years, with streaming services spending more on content in a bid to gain subscribers.

July 8, 2026
Why CPUs are now at the center of the AI race
Economy

Why CPUs are now at the center of the AI race

Nvidia's Vera CPU compute tray is displayed during Nvidia GTC in Taipei on June 3. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) US chipmakers lead, but China players aim to increase local market share TAIPEI/PALO ALTO, California -- The global AI boom is reshaping one of the semiconductor industry's most important battlegrounds: CPUs.

July 8, 2026
Uzbek plan to open up aviation unfolds with new airport, airline IPO
Economy

Uzbek plan to open up aviation unfolds with new airport, airline IPO

Japan, South Korea, Saudi investors break ground on new hub near Tashkent A model of the new airport near Tashkent. (Press Service of the President of Uzbekistan) TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan's plan to build a new airport near the capital Tashkent is part of a drive to liberalize its aviation industry that also includes a planned listing of the state airline in 2027, as experts see a boom in arrivals to Central Asia.

July 8, 2026
Toyota-backed Chinese self-driving unicorn Momenta hits Hong Kong market
Economy

Toyota-backed Chinese self-driving unicorn Momenta hits Hong Kong market

Startup with 9 of world's top 10 carmakers as clients raises over $750m in IPO A Momenta robotaxi is displayed at the booth of the Chinese autonomous driving startup at the Auto Shanghai show in April 2025. © Reuters HONG KONG -- Shares of Chinese self-driving startup Momenta opened up nearly 2% on their debut in Hong Kong on Wednesday, as investors weighed hopes that its technology will define the future of autonomous vehicles against worries about profitability.

July 8, 2026
VinFast rolls out $7,100 EV to tap Vietnam’s underpenetrated car market
Economy

VinFast rolls out $7,100 EV to tap Vietnam’s underpenetrated car market

Cheapest model yet comes as Hanoi tightens rules on gasoline-powered motorcycles VinFast has priced the VF2 at 188 million dong ($7,148), making it the company's cheapest EV. (Vingroup) HANOI -- EV maker VinFast has announced its cheapest model so far, aiming to broaden car ownership in Vietnam through mass market affordability.

July 8, 2026