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June 30, 2026
 

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Nicholas Takahashi
Global sales in May, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu, fell 7.4% from a year earlier to 885,207 units, Toyota said Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 29, 2026
Toyota sales drop again in May as Iran conflict hits output
Toyota’s global sales in May, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu, fell 7.4% from a year earlier to 885,207 units.
Francois Provost, CEO at Renault Group, speaks during an event in Guyancourt, near Paris, in March.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jun 24, 2026
Renault reminds Nissan of its clout with ouster of ex-banker
The French carmaker, which holds 15% of voting rights, abstained from voting for the reappointment of influential outside director Motoo Nagai.
Nissan shareholders voted against the reappointment of outside director Motoo Nagai, while approving 11 other board nominees at the company’s annual meeting.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2026
Nissan shareholders vote out influential director at meeting
Motoo Nagai’s ouster represents Renault’s biggest power move at Nissan since ceding much of its influence over the Japanese carmaker in 2023.
Nidec CEO Mitsuya Kishida faced a barrage of questions from investors about Nidec’s survival during the firm's general shareholders meeting on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 18, 2026
Nidec investors vent frustrations over scandal at annual meeting
CEO Mitsuya Kishida faced a barrage of questions about Nidec’s survival as well as deep skepticism about his plan to turn the business around.
Toyota's global sales in April, including those of subsidiary Daihatsu Motor, fell 3.7% from a year earlier to 902,015 units.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2026
Toyota sales slide for third month in April on Middle East conflict
Toyota has weathered the conflict better than other carmakers, with Honda Motor and Nissan Motor reporting bigger drops.
Nidec CEO Mitsuya Kishida says the company will return to dealmaking once it recovers from scandals.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2026
Nidec boss hints at more M&A deals once scandals abate
CEO Mitsuya Kishida has underlined regaining trust as the Kyoto-based electric motor manufacturer’s top priority.
Toyota's manufacturing facility in San Antonio
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2026
Toyota files to build $2 billion assembly plant in Texas
The forthcoming factory would create 2,000 new jobs and deepen Toyota’s manufacturing footprint in its largest market.
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe in Tokyo on Thursday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2026
Honda and Nissan’s shifting fortunes could bolster case for tie-up
Honda’s losses and Nissan’s early signs of recovery have narrowed the imbalance that derailed their failed merger talks last year.
Nidec founder Shigenobu Nagamori in 2023. Nagamori instilled a hard-charging corporate culture at the company, demanding results pegged to ambitious, and at times unrealistic, targets.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2026
Nidec shares tumble after product quality issues compound bookkeeping scandal
The Kyoto-based world’s largest maker of precision motors said the issues involved changes made to materials, processes and designs without approval.
Toyota, known for conservative forecasts, is bracing for prolonged pressure on the price and supply of key materials due to disruptions linked to the conflict in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 8, 2026
Toyota forecasts abrupt profit drop on Iran; shares fall
The stock reversed gains and fell as much as 2.2% after the company issued an outlook for ¥3 trillion in operating income for the fiscal year ending March 2027.
Nissan is pushing ahead with a growth plan for China that calls for annual sales to reach 1 million cars by the end of the decade.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 26, 2026
Nissan is betting on ‘China speed’ to get back on its feet
The carmaker is pushing ahead with a growth plan for China that calls for annual sales to reach 1 million cars by the end of the decade.
A worker handles aluminum extrusions at the Kato Light Metal Industry factory in Kanie, Aichi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2026
Japanese manufacturers hurt most by aluminum shortage from Iran war
Domestic carmakers get about 70% of their aluminum imports from the Middle East, according to the nation’s top auto lobby.
Nissan plans to reduce the number of models from the current 56 to 45 and streamline 80% of its volume into three main "families” of vehicles built on shared platforms.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 14, 2026
Nissan’s Espinosa plans 20% reduction in models in plan to reinvigorate carmaker
The long-awaited strategy marks the CEO’s first effort to reshape Nissan after its troubled, two-decade partnership with Renault and an aborted merger with Honda Motor.
Toyota’s global sales in February fell 2.3% from last year to 806,905 units.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 30, 2026
Toyota sales fall, while Japan’s automakers brace for Iran impact
The carmaker was hurt by aggressive competition in electric vehicles in China and weak demand at home in Japan.
Almost one out of every three motorcycles sold globally is a Honda, generating the majority of the manufacturer’s operating profit despite accounting for less than a fifth of sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2026
Bikes keep Honda afloat, yet even that business is under pressure
The company’s costly misfire on electric cars has dramatically increased the stakes for it to avoid making the same mistakes with motorcycles.
A Sony-Honda Afeela 1 Signature electric vehicle. Development of the first- and second-generation Afeela EVs will be shelved effective immediately, the companies said in a joint statement.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 26, 2026
Honda and Sony drop joint EV development project
The decision to scrap the venture underscores the strain on legacy automakers due to high costs and fluctuating demand.
CEO Toshihiro Mibe broke with Honda’s long history as an internal combustion engine whiz in an effort to reinvent the company as an electric motor powerhouse by 2040, but his vision of initially achieving 40% EV sales by 2030 is now in tatters.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Mar 16, 2026
Honda’s car troubles began long before its disastrous bet on EVs
The carmaker invested too much and too late into a short-lived electric-vehicle boom, and now finds itself saddled with an aging line-up and questions about its future.
Honda will cancel the development and launch of three electric vehicle models that had been planned for North America.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
Honda warns of ¥2.5 trillion charge on global EV downturn
The carmaker said Thursday that it would cancel the development and launch of three EV models that had been planned for North America.
While Tokyo is becoming a kind of test bed for the world’s leading robotaxi ventures, Japan is lagging when it comes to the regulatory framework needed for autonomous vehicles to gain traction.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
U.S. self-driving startup Nuro begins testing in Tokyo
While Tokyo is becoming a test bed for the world’s leading robotaxi ventures, Japan is lagging when it comes to regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.
George Leondis will succeed Jeremie Papin as Nissan's finance chief from April 1.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2026
Nissan replaces CFO as carmaker struggles with turnaround
The personnel change comes as pressure is mounting on the carmaker to refresh an aging lineup in order to reignite demand.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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