Japan

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is in Florida to discuss trade issues with President Donald Trump. One issue on the table: Japan’s desire to be excluded from steel and aluminum tariffs that went into effect last month. Other key U.S. allies, including Australia, Canada, the European Union and Mexico have been granted exemptions. Plenty of […]

President Donald Trump prides himself on being deal-maker-in-chief, and that includes arms sales to foreign militaries. In Japan for his Asia trip, the president said the Japanese could shoot North Korean missiles out of the sky when they buy “lots of additional military equipment” from the U.S. He also said that would mean lots of […]

Japan is holding a snap election on Sunday. Prime Minister Shinzō Abe is widely expected to retain power, with his party maybe losing a few seats from its huge majority. In many ways, the election is a referendum on the prime minister’s economic reforms, known as Abenomics. It’s also a vote about national security. Click the […]

Kobe Steel in Japan has admitted that some of its employees falsified strength data of some of its rolled aluminum. That metal is used in a lot of things worldwide, like cars, planes and trains. Investigations are underway, but what will the consequences be for the company and the wider Japanese manufacturing sector? Click the […]

Japan and the European Union say they’re close to agreement on a broad free-trade deal. It would be the largest such pact for the EU. The two trading partners have been hammering out this deal since 2013, but negotiations have taken on new urgency recently.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Another day, another major Japanese conglomerate in financial trouble. This time, Toshiba. The company has announced it’s lost so much money, there’s “substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” What’s next for the company and for Japanese mega corporations like it? Click the audio player above to hear the full […]

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson begins a swing through Asia today. He’ll talk with leaders about the North Korean nuclear threat and bilateral trade deals. Tillerson’s first stop is Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is preparing to combat the country’s shortage of skilled labor with a new proposal — free education for some students. […]

Toshiba, a fixture of Japan Inc. for more than a century, is in big trouble — to the tune of $6.3 billion. The company announced that whopping loss after the market closed in Tokyo today, and that may not be the worst yet. Some news reports say Toshiba might not survive in its current form. […]