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Sep 26, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Japan's three megabanks plan to invest up to 5 billion yen ($35 million) each in Japanese chipmaker Rapidus, which aims to mass-produce cutting-edge semiconductors, Nikkei has learned. The government-backed Development Bank of Japan will also contribute 10 billion yen, bringing the major banks' total capital contribution to 25 billion yen ($175 million). The aim is to secure the funds needed for investment, and to stabilize cash flows ahead of the start of mass production in 2027.
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Sep 16, 2024 | 
nature.com | Yoshiaki Nakamura |Jun Watanabe |Naoya Akazawa |Kozo Kataoka |Yoshinori Kagawa |Kun-Huei Yeh | +10 more
AbstractThe interim analysis of the CIRCULATE-Japan GALAXY observational study demonstrated the association of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based molecular residual disease (MRD) detection with recurrence risk and benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in resectable colorectal cancer (CRC).
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Jun 16, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Ryo Mukano |Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Japanese memory chip maker Kioxia Holdings has ended production cuts after 20 months in light of a recovering market, with lenders agreeing to a new line of credit, Nikkei has learned. Kioxia in June raised operating rates on production lines back to 100% at its Yokkaichi plant, in Mie prefecture, and at its Kitakami plant, in Iwate prefecture. Both produce NAND flash memory.
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May 8, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Sei Matsumoto |Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Nissan Motor will extend financial support to an auto parts manufacturer that was once part of its affiliated supplier network but struggled to recover after the carmaker spread out its supply chain, Nikkei has learned. Nissan will provide 6 billion yen ($38.6 million) to Kasai Kogyo through a placement of a special class of shares with reduced voting rights. The Japanese automaker does not intend to make Kasai Kogyo a subsidiary.
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Mar 14, 2024 | 
nature.com | Yoshinori Kagawa |J. Joshua Smith |Emmanouil Fokas |Jun Watanabe |Florian R. Greten |Hideaki Bando | +3 more
AbstractDespite therapeutic advancements, disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer have not improved in most trials as a result of distant metastases. For treatment decision-making, both long-term oncologic outcomes and impact on quality-of-life indices should be considered (for example, bowel function).
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Feb 7, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Japan's Mizuho Financial Group plans to take a roughly 15% stake in Kisetsu Saison Finance (India), which issues loans to individuals and small businesses online. The investment is estimated at 12 billion rupees ($145 million). Mizuho looks to absorb Kisetsu Saison's know-how in digital lending to tap India's growing demand for financing.
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Jan 19, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Mizuho Financial Group plans to double the value of its assets under management to $1 trillion, or roughly 148 trillion yen, over the next 10 years, a top executive at the Japanese banking conglomerate told Nikkei in an exclusive interview.
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Dec 9, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Satoshi Tezuka |Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Dai-ichi Life Holdings this week announced an unusual competing takeover bid to acquire Benefit One, a corporate welfare benefits provider in Japan, for which another company is already offering a bid, stepping away from the life insurance company's stance as a long-time stable shareholder of the Japanese company. The Japanese insurance company announced on Thursday that it will launch a takeover bid for Benefit One.
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Nov 27, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group President and CEO Jun Ohta, who died Saturday, defied the stereotypes of bankers in Japan with his constant push for reform in an industry bound by convention. At Japanese banks, those working in product development and government relations typically tend to occupy the top of the hierarchy. But Ohta was a rare bank chief with a nose for business.
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Oct 11, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Jun Watanabe
TOKYO -- Japanese companies are increasingly looking to sell properties not connected to their main business operations, prompted by a call this spring from the Tokyo Stock Exchange to improve investment performance. The low price-to-book ratios of Japanese companies has long been a problem. A P/B ratio of less than 1.0 means that the market value of the company is less than its book value, implying that breaking up the company would create more value than keeping it intact.
