On April 27, 2026, SEGA signed an MOU with Thailand's largest conglomerate, the C.P. Group, to jointly develop entertainment business across ASEAN. With Sonic and Angry Birds at the core, the deal targets a $14B+ Southeast Asian gaming market. We unpack who the CP Group is, what SEGA stands to gain, and the real risks behind Japanese gaming's biggest ASEAN bet yet.
After 62 days stranded in the Persian Gulf, Japan's VLCC Idemitsu Maru passed through the Strait of Hormuz on April 28 — without paying Iran's transit toll. The story echoes the 1953 Nissho Maru incident that forged a unique bond between Japan and Iran.
Oriental Land Company, operator of Tokyo Disney Resort, posted record revenue of 704.5 billion yen ($4.4 billion) for fiscal 2026—yet operating profit fell, and the stock has been cut nearly in half since 2023, hitting a fresh year-low days before the earnings release. Here is what is making investors nervous about the 'house of mouse' in Japan, from shrinking margins and demographic headwinds to a 330 billion yen cruise gamble.
Fujitsu is doubling down on its sovereign AI strategy with the FUJITSU-MONAKA CPU series, choosing Rapidus as a manufacturing partner and 'coexisting' with NVIDIA's GPUs rather than competing. We compare Japan's hybrid approach to China's fully autonomous Loongson (LoongArch) and Europe's Arm-based SiPearl, revealing how Japan's pragmatic balance defines a third path in global chip sovereignty.
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% on April 28, 2026 by a 6-3 vote, with three dissenters proposing a hike to 1.0% — a first under Governor Ueda. We unpack Ueda's press conference, allegations of pressure from the Takaichi administration, the sharp upward revision in inflation forecasts, the immediate market reaction, and the divergence between domestic and international assessments.
Nissan revised its FY2026 operating outlook from a 60-billion-yen loss to a 50-billion-yen profit. The 110-billion-yen swing reflects cost cuts, yen weakness, and a one-off provision reversal tied to the US repealing its greenhouse-gas vehicle rule. Net loss still expected at 550 billion yen for a second straight year of red ink.
Tokyo Gas raises its monthly base fee by ¥150 ($0.94) starting October, the first hike since 1980. But in Japan, many are reacting with 'isn't 46 years of NO change the weird part?' A look at how Japan compares to US, UK, and Sweden gas bills, what yen weakness and LNG imports mean, and why this signals the end of Japan's deflation era.
Submarine cables carry 99% of international data traffic, and roughly 90% of new construction is controlled by just three companies: SubCom (US), Alcatel Submarine Networks (France), and NEC (Japan). Japan now wants 35% of that market by 2030, and NEC's CEO is targeting 40%. We unpack the AI-era infrastructure race, the Taiwan Strait cable cuts, the exclusion of China's HMN, and why undersea cables have become the new front line of geopolitics.
Kumamoto Prefecture, Koshi City and Mitsui Fudosan signed a partnership agreement on April 27 to launch a 31-hectare 'Kumamoto Science Park' core hub — modeled on Taiwan's Hsinchu — to anchor Japan's semiconductor revival around TSMC's 3nm Kumamoto fab by 2030. We compare it with the US CHIPS Act and EU Chips Act, and unpack the land-price spikes and labor crunch already reshaping the region.
Mitsubishi Electric is in talks to transfer 50% of its $4.3B auto parts subsidiary to Taiwan's Foxconn, with a deal expected by May. As BYD captures 19% of the global EV market, how is Japan's auto supply chain being reshaped?
Blaze Entertainment has confirmed that Evercade's NEOGEO support will continue into 2027, sharpening the contrast with PLAION's faithful-recreation NEOGEO AES+. With six games per cartridge at roughly $5 per title versus AES+ cartridges at $89.99 each, the two officially-licensed approaches to SNK's legendary console couldn't be more different — and Japanese media is calling it the 'Reiwa NEOGEO War.'
