Primedia Broadcasting shines with five finalists in 2025 Bookmark Awards!
The app brings all the best content from our four stations (702, CapeTalk, 947, and Kfm) into one central place, so our listeners never miss a thing. It is also home to exclusive Primedia+ content, including bespoke podcasts, videos, and more.
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TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Japanese voters see little hope for tariff reprieve in Mazda's hometown
When carmaker Mazda sneezes, everyone catches a cold, say people in its hometown of Hiroshima in western Japan, but these days car parts maker Yuji Yamaguchi fears a deep chill is on the way. "If Mazda builds fewer cars our orders will drop," said Yamaguchi, whose 110-year-old firm, Nanjo Auto Interior, has almost 1,000 employees making door panels and other parts for the carmaker, which accounts for more than 90% of its sales. "The key thing is whether we can remain profitable with lower volumes." The economic engine of Hiroshima, a manufacturing hub 800km southwest of Tokyo, Mazda faces US tariffs of 25% on cars, a dispiriting prospect for an electorate battling inflation and a weak economy. Japan votes on Sunday in an upper house election that looks set to weaken the grip on power of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has failed to win a tariff reprieve from the US, its closest ally and a crucial trade partner. "I no longer have expectations of the Japanese government," said Yamaguchi, a great-grandson of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. "I'm past frustration and have resigned myself to things." As people in Hiroshima and other car manufacturing regions brace for the inevitable fall-out from tariffs, Yamaguchi said he had little hope the government could turn the tide. US President Donald Trump has given no sign of relenting on his tariffs, and has even hinted at raising those against Japan. Mazda, which saw US sales fall 18.6% in May on the year and by 6.5% in June, is one of the Japanese carmakers most exposed to US tariffs. Imports bring in most of Mazda's American sales, but the importance of the wider industry for Japan is almost impossible to overstate. After Japan ceded global leadership in chips and consumer electronics, its car industry has grown to make up about 28% of the about $145bn (R2,584,231,702,000) worth of goods shipped to the US last year. There are more than 68,000 companies in Japan's car supply chain, a July survey by research firm Teikoku Data Bank showed, and the Jama industry group said they employ 5.6-million people, or about 8% of the labour force. "A supply chain is hard to rebuild once broken," said Hideki Tsuchikawa, research head at Teikoku Databank's branch in Hiroshima, which his firm estimates is home to more than 2,000 car suppliers. "Automobiles are a core national industry. Government support is essential." The tariffs could cost Mazda and other smaller Japanese carmakers US market share lost to bigger rivals, said Julie Boote, an autos analyst at Pelham Smithers Associates in London. Mazda, headquartered in Hiroshima where it has assembly plants, has so far declined to give a full-year earnings outlook, citing the uncertainty of tariffs. Mazda told Reuters its top priority was to protect suppliers, dealers and employees as it looked to overcome the tariff impact. It anticipated significant impact in the short term, the company said, adding it was taking all possible steps, such as asking for government countermeasures.
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Trump tariffs put 100,000 jobs at risk in South Africa: Lesetja Kganyago
US President Donald Trump's tariffs on South Africa could cause about 100,000 job losses, with the agriculture and automotive sectors hardest hit, Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago said on Wednesday. Kganyago told radio station 702 the impact of the 30% tariff, which Africa's biggest economy faces from August 1, could cause significant damage to specific industries. 'The impact in agriculture could be devastating because agriculture employs a lot of low-skilled workers and here the impact is on citrus, table grapes and wines.' Statistics showing South African car exports to the US slumped more than 80% in the wake of import tariffs imposed on cars by the Trump administration in April were concerning. 'If we do not find alternative measures the impact on jobs could be about 100,000, so that is what we face,' the governor said. South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, with the official rate at 32.9% in the first quarter of this year and an expanded definition at 43.1%. Farmer groups have also warned of the adverse impact of the tariffs on producers of citrus, macadamia nuts, grapes, wine, fruit juices and ostrich leather. In the citrus sector, the tariffs have put 35,000 jobs in jeopardy and threaten to devastate towns such as Citrusdal in the Western Cape that are heavily dependent on exports to the US.
Eyewitness News
09-07-2025
- Eyewitness News
Primedia Broadcasting shines with five finalists in 2025 Bookmark Awards!
Launched in 2024, our Primedia+ app is in the running for the best Publisher Innovation Award. The app brings all the best content from our four stations (702, CapeTalk, 947, and Kfm) into one central place, so our listeners never miss a thing. It is also home to exclusive Primedia+ content, including bespoke podcasts, videos, and more.
