JPX CEO Hiromi Yamaji has confirmed Tokyo Stock Exchange will list Bitcoin and crypto ETFs as early as 2027. We compare Japan's plan with the $128 billion US spot ETF market, Hong Kong's quieter debut, and the EU's MiCA framework — and explain the 20% flat-tax reform that could unlock institutional capital.
JBIC and Japan's three megabanks have signed off on $2.221 billion in loans for the first three projects of a $550 billion US investment package—the price Tokyo paid to bring Trump's tariffs down from 25% to 15%. We unpack the deal, the dollar-funding crunch, and why critics call it a 'vaporware' bet.
Yamaguchi's premium sake brand Dassai and Japanese engineering giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have successfully brewed sake in space for the first time in human history. The result: a single 100ml bottle priced at $700,000. Inside the Dassai MOON Project, the long-term plan to build a brewery on the Moon, plus practical brewery-tour info for international visitors in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi.
Kioxia and Sandisk have achieved a world-first technological milestone toward 3D NAND flash memory exceeding 1,000 layers. Their multi-stacked cell array CMOS (MSA-CBA) structure with wafer-to-wafer Cu direct bonding successfully demonstrated QLC operation, and will be unveiled at the VLSI Symposium 2026 in Hawaii this June. We break down the technology, the three-way stacking race against Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron, and what soaring AI data center demand means for the NAND market.
On May 1, 2026, Epic Games Store and Fortnite finally returned to iPhone in Japan, ending nearly six years of exile. The launch follows Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act, but Epic accuses Apple of leaving 'barriers everywhere'—a 9-step install flow, a 5% Core Technology Commission, and transaction-monitoring rules that scared off third-party developers. Here's what it means for one of the world's largest mobile gaming markets, the global Epic vs Apple battle, and the future of iOS sideloading.
On April 30, Japan launched its first yen-buying intervention in 21 months — pulling the dollar from 160-plus to 155 within hours. Finance Minister Katayama's 'decisive action' line and Vice Minister Mimura's 'final evacuation warning' preceded the trigger. The dollar saw its largest one-day drop since December 2022. Two days after the BOJ held rates, the Finance Ministry decided to act.
The day after the Bank of Japan held its policy rate on April 28, the yen plunged to a 21-month low of 160.67 while 10-year JGB yields surged to 2.535 percent — the highest since 1999. We unpack what it means when a currency weakens and yields spike at the same time, and what it says about market trust in BOJ policy.
Japanese printing giant TOPPAN is leveraging semiconductor thin-film stacking technology to launch its 3D-printed cultured meat business, targeting commercialization beyond 2031. The vision: a home 'Meat Maker' that prints marbled wagyu from data and recipes — the ultimate local production for local consumption. We unpack TOPPAN's strategy alongside Integriculture's cell-agriculture platform, SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026, and the upcoming 2nd Japanese Society for Cellular Agriculture conference in Osaka.
In March 2026, Sony signed a binding deal to spin its TV business into BRAVIA Inc., a joint venture majority-owned by China's TCL. Behind handing over a Trinitron-era icon lies a sharper bet: pour electronics resources into Hawk-Eye and sports entertainment. We map the full strategy and what global investors should reassess about Sony.
SoftBank Group plans to spin off and list 'Roze,' an AI and robotics company, on US markets at a target valuation of $100 billion. We unpack Masayoshi Son's strategy in the context of the Stargate project, his OpenAI commitments, and how Japanese tech compares to US GAFAM and Chinese BAT giants.
Kao, famous for Biore and Attack, has launched its first overseas semiconductor cleaning center in Taiwan. Ajinomoto, the MSG maker, is pouring over 25 billion yen into ABF insulation films that hold nearly 100% global share. We explain how Japanese consumer goods companies—alongside Shin-Etsu, SUMCO, JSR, and TOK—became indispensable to the AI chip supply chain, and how they compete with US, European, Korean, and Taiwanese rivals.