UK activist fund Palliser Capital has become a top-25 shareholder of Ajinomoto and is demanding a 30%+ price increase for its ABF semiconductor insulation material. We explore how a food company holds near-100% global market share in chip packaging and what the activist wave means for Japanese corporations.
Japan's METI raises the subsidy cap for quantum technology business demonstrations to ¥2 billion ($13M) per project, a tenfold increase. With ¥15 billion earmarked for business applications out of a quantum budget exceeding ¥100 billion, Japan pushes to industrialize quantum computing in logistics, drug discovery, and beyond.
NTT Docomo launches 'docomo Starlink Direct' on April 27, 2026, offering free satellite-to-smartphone communication for 22 million subscribers. Using SpaceX's Starlink constellation of 650+ satellites as cell towers in space, the service covers mountains, remote islands, and seas across Japan. We compare it with KDDI's pioneering au service and T-Mobile's U.S. rollout.
Japan Exchange Group will defer adding crypto-heavy companies to the TOPIX index. We analyze the impact on Bitcoin treasury firms like Metaplanet and compare Japan's cautious approach with the ongoing S&P 500 debate over Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) in the U.S.
Trump tariffs triggered a massive production shift by Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru from Japan to the US. With $35 billion in annual tariff costs industry-wide, we explore each maker's strategy, the impact on 5.5 million Japanese jobs, and how this echoes the 1980s trade wars.
Asia's largest satellite operator SKY Perfect JSAT has unveiled plans to build a 100-satellite constellation combining Earth observation and communications. With a $230M investment in Planet Labs' Pelican satellites and expanded partnerships with QPS Institute, the company is positioning itself as a 'space solutions provider', taking a fundamentally different approach from SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Leo broadband networks.
SmartHR, Japan's leading cloud HR platform, had targeted a Tokyo Stock Exchange listing at a ¥160B (about $1B) valuation. In July 2026 Bloomberg reported the IPO was pushed to 2027 at the earliest after investors balked at the price. We look at the ARR trajectory to ¥30B, the General Atlantic and KKR backing, and what the delay says about how AI is repricing SaaS.
Microsoft announced a $10 billion investment in Japan by 2029 to expand AI data centers, strengthen cybersecurity, and train 1 million engineers. We explore the partnerships with SoftBank and Sakura Internet, Japan's sovereign AI strategy, and why US tech giants are racing to invest across Asia.
Hong Kong activist fund Oasis Management has raised its KADOKAWA stake to 13.76%, surpassing Sony as the largest shareholder. We break down what this means for Elden Ring maker FromSoftware, the failed 2024 Sony acquisition, and the future of KADOKAWA's gaming empire.
Omron announced it will sell its founding electronic components business — relays, sensors, and connectors dating back to 1933 — to U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group at an enterprise value of ¥81 billion ($540M). A deep dive into Omron's strategic pivot to industrial automation and healthcare, and what this means for Japan's electronics industry restructuring.
NTT has developed multi-core optical fiber technology that quadruples submarine cable capacity without changing cable structure. Achieving 192 cores (48 fibers × 4 cores) with deployment targeted for 2029, this Japanese innovation addresses the explosive data demands of the AI era. We explore the technology alongside Big Tech's submarine cable investment race.