China Executive Insights
Markets hopes for resolution of product safety issues with FDA Olympus CEO Bob White has had a tumultuous first year at the helm of the Japanese company. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kotaro Igarashi) TOKYO -- Olympus CEO Bob White has largely erased a nearly 30% slide in the company's share price after a roller-coaster first year at the helm of the world's largest gastrointestinal endoscope maker.
Sony Group, Nintendo among initial constituents of 20-member gauge New index reflects growing clout of Japan's content-driven companies. TOKYO -- Nikkei announced on Wednesday that it will begin calculating and publishing a new stock index, the Nikkei Japan Entertainment Content Stock Index, aiming to capture the share price trends of Japanese companies behind globally popular games, anime and characters. The index will consist of 20 Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed companies in entertainment content-related sectors such as game software and toys, selected primarily based on market capitalization. At the launch, constituents will include Sony Group, Nintendo, Bandai Namco Holdings and Toho. Japan's content industry has drawn growing attention as an investment theme. Last year, there was a period when the combined market capitalization of nine major entertainment companies, including Sony Group, exceeded that of nine leading automakers. With the Japanese government positioning the content industry as one of its strategic growth areas, many investors are betting on the further expansion of the sector.
AI holdings drive Vision Fund gains as billions more committed to ChatGPT maker SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, left, has made one of the group's biggest bets with a huge investment in counterpart Sam Altman's OpenAI. © Reuters TOKYO -- SoftBank Group on Wednesday reported a record full-year net profit of 5 trillion yen ($31.6 billion), quadrupling from a year earlier, as the Japanese technology investor increased its bet on ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
Seoul discussions aim for stabilization despite 'wider and wider' gaps in interests U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, center, arrives at Incheon International Airport ahead of a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, hours ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival in China. © Reuters SHANGHAI -- Trade representatives from China and the U.S. huddled in South Korea on Wednesday in last-minute preparations for a high-stakes summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Struggling carmaker beginning to see results from business restructuring plan Nissan Motor is beginning to see results from Re:Nissan, the restructuring plan Ivan Espinosa, the president and CEO appointed last year, is implementing. (Photo by Marina Inoue) TOKYO -- Nissan Motor forecasted on Wednesday a net profit of 20 billion yen ($127 million) for the fiscal year ending in March 2027, which would mark its return to the black for the first time in three years as the automaker works to turn around its business.
Six companies removed from global standard index including materials and energy majors The potential outflow from active and passive investors due to the stock exclusion is estimated at around US$1.7 billion. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) JAKARTA -- Indonesian equities plummeted on Wednesday after an index provider removed six local companies from the domestic global standard index following a quarterly review and the weakening of the rupiah.The Jakarta Composite Index closed 1.98% lower at 6,723.32, while the rupiah weakened to an all-time low of 17,535 on the dollar. A total of 428 stocks weakened, weighing on the index. MSCI has retained its status for Indonesia in the emerging market category. The index provider also removed 6 stocks from the MSCI Global Standard Index and 13 Indonesian stocks from the MSCI Global Small Cap Index. Major companies such as Amman Mineral Internasional, Barito Renewables Energy, Chandra Asri Pacific and Sumber Alfaria Trijaya were downgraded to small cap index.This review leaves 11 Indonesian stocks in the MSCI Global Standard Index and 43 stocks in the MSCI Global Small Cap Index.
Chinese state mouthpieces signal government's expectations and red lines U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted with an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport as he starts his visit to China on May 13. © Reuters SHANGHAI/TOKYO -- U.S. President Donald Trump is making his first visit to China in nearly nine years, as the rival superpowers aim to stabilize their fraught relationship. The American president arrived Wednesday evening and is scheduled to stay until Friday. An itinerary released by the White House includes plenty of face time with Chinese President Xi Jinping, from formal bilateral talks starting Thursday morning to a state banquet, tea and a working lunch. Their discussions are expected to touch on a host of hot topics, such as the Iran war, trade and export controls, tensions over Taiwan, and artificial intelligence. Trump is bringing an entourage of corporate executives including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook and NVIDIA's Jensen Huang. There are high expectations that the president will help seal commercial deals for aircraft and U.S. farm goods.
Tax bump follows Modi's urging to avoid gold, cut fuel use, promote EVs and work from home A saleswoman shows off gold necklaces inside a jewelry store in Kolkata on Jan. 28. Dealers are reeling now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Indians to curtail purchases of the precious metal. MUMBAI -- Indian jewelers are bracing for a significant decline in domestic sales now that the government has more than doubled import duties on precious metals like gold, silver and platinum in a bid to ease pressure on the country's external account and consequently on the rupee.
Prosecutors demand ex-education minister pay back $275m or serve extra 9 years Nadiem Makarim, a former Indonesian education minister and co-founder of the country's ride-hailing giant Gojek, faces 18 years in prison for alleged graft in the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops for remote schools. © Reuters JAKARTA -- Indonesian prosecutors on Wednesday demanded 18 years in prison for Nadiem Makarim, a former education minister and founder of ride-hailing company Gojek, for his alleged role in a corruption case connected to the 9.3 trillion rupiah ($531 million) procurement of Google Chromebook laptops.
Sources say Alibaba out of DeepSeek deal; Tencent still aiming to invest Chinese tech titans Tencent and Alibaba are betting heavily on integrating in-house AI into their vast ecosystems. (Source photos by Tomoko Wakasugi and Itsuro Fujino) HONG KONG -- Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group missed sales expectations for the March quarter, as they were unable to monetize artificial intelligence as quickly as investors were expecting, though the Chinese tech giants have pledged to continue to invest in and leverage AI.
Instrument maker Shimadzu and others to use optical lattice atomic clock Shimadzu President Yasunori Yamamoto speaks next to BIPM Director Annette Koo and Riken President Makoto Gonokami May 12 in Kawasaki, Japan. (Photo by Akitoshi Sugiura) TOKYO/KYOTO, Japan -- A new type of atomic clock developed in Japan is close to being adopted as the tool for measuring the official length of a second.
Japanese engineering group Kanadevia's products include energy and desalination equipment. (Photo by Arisa Moriyama) OSAKA -- Hong Kong-based investment firm Oasis Management owns more than 5% of Japanese engineering group Kanadevia, according to a securities filing Tuesday.