
Japan's ispace envisions profitable lunar missions despite setbacks: CEO
KATSUYA MIYAO
TOKYO -- Despite two successive failures to land a lunar probe on the moon, Japanese startup ispace has not deviated from its plans to commercialize lunar transportation.
Founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada explained to Nikkei its roadmap for the future and spoke on the challenges facing his company in developing and attaining its goals.

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Asahi Shimbun
25 minutes ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Asian markets gain, with Japan's Nikkei up 3.5%, lifted by deal on Trump's tariffs
A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo) Asian shares rallied on Wednesday, with Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index up 3.5% after Japan and the U.S. announced a deal on President Donald Trump's tariffs. The agreement as announced calls for a 15% import duty on goods imported from Japan, apart from certain products such as steel and aluminum that are subject to much higher tariffs. That's down from the 25% Trump had said would kick in on Aug. 1 if a deal was not reached. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,' Trump posted on Truth Social, noting that Japan was also investing 'at my direction' $550 billion into the U.S. He said Japan would 'open' its economy to American autos and rice. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 3.5% in afternoon trading to 41,171.32. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.4% to 25,470.25, while the Shanghai Composite index was little changed, gaining less than 0.1% to 3,582.30. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.7% to 8,737.20 and the Kospi in South Korea edged 0.4% higher to 3,183.77. 'President Trump has signed two trade deals this week with the Philippines and Japan which is likely to keep market sentiment propped up despite deals with the likes of the EU and South Korea remaining elusive, for now at least,' Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at Kohle Capital Markets, said in a report. There was a chorus of no comments from the Japanese automakers, despite the latest announcement, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Corp. Japanese companies tend to be cautious about their public reactions, and some business officials have privately remarked in off-record comments that they hesitate to say anything because Trump keeps changing his mind. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association also said it had no comment, noting there was no official statement yet. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the agreement as beneficial to both sides. Toyota stock jumped 14% in Tokyo trading, while Honda was up nearly 11% and Nissan added 8%. In other sectors, Nippon Steel, which is acquiring U.S. Steel, rose 2.4% while video game maker and significant exporter Nintendo Co. added 0.7%. Sony Group surged 4.6%. Wall Street inched to another record on Tuesday following some mixed profit reports, as General Motors and other big U.S. companies gave updates on how much Trump's tariffs are hurting or helping them. The S&P 500 added 0.1% to the all-time high it had set the day before, closing at 6,309.62. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4% to 44,502.44. The Nasdaq composite slipped 0.4% from its own record, to 20,892.68. So far, the U.S. economy seems to be powering through the uncertainty created by Trump's on-and-off tariffs. Many of Trump's proposed taxes on imports are currently on pause, and the next big deadline is Aug. 1. Talks are underway on possible trade deals with other countries that could lower the stiff proposals before they kick in. Trump said he reached a trade agreement with the Philippines following a meeting Tuesday at the White House, that will see the U.S. slightly drop its tariff rate for the Philippines without paying import taxes for what it sells there. In the bond market, Treasury yields sank as traders continue to expect the Federal Reserve to wait until September at the earliest to resume cutting interest rates. The yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.34% from 4.38% late Monday. In other dealings early Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 15 cents to $65.46 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard added 16 cents to $68.74 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 146.78 Japanese yen from 146.64 yen. The euro cost $1.1740, down from $1.1754.


Asahi Shimbun
25 minutes ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Ishiba denies reports he will resign, says he will focus on trade deal with the US
TOKYO--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied reports he plans to announce his resignation over a historic defeat of his ruling party in a weekend election, saying instead he wanted to make sure a new tariff agreement with the United States is appropriately implemented. Ishiba has been under growing pressure to step down as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, lost their majority in the 248-member upper house, the smaller and less powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament on Sunday, shaking his grip on power and Japan's political stability. The loss means Ishiba's ruling coalition, which also lost a majority in the more powerful lower house in October, now lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, making it even more difficult for his government to achieve any policy goals and worsening Japan's political instability. Ishiba had announced his intention Monday to stay on to tackle pressing challenges, including tariff talks with the U.S., without creating a political vacuum, sparking calls from inside and outside his own party for a quick resignation to respond to the election results. With the tariff deal with the U.S. paving the way for his possible departure, Japanese media said he is expected to soon announce plans to step down in August. The Yomiuri newspaper, in an extra edition Wednesday, said Ishiba had decided to announce his resignation by the end of July after receiving a detailed report from his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, paving the way for a party leadership vote to choose his successor. Ishiba denied the report and said he wants to focus on the U.S. trade deal, which covers more than 4,000 goods affecting many Japanese producers and industries. Ishiba, who met party heavyweights and former prime ministers Taro Aso, Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday at party headquarters, told reporters afterwards that they did not discuss his resignation or a new party leadership contest. They only discussed the election results, shared the sense of crisis and confirmed the need to avoid party discord, he said. Ishiba welcomed the trade agreement Wednesday, which places a 15% tax on Japanese cars and other goods imported into the U.S. from Japan, down from the initial 25%, saying it was a product of tough negotiations to protect the national interest and that it would help benefit both sides as they work together to create more jobs and investment. But Ishiba declined to comment on his possible move and only told reporters that he has to closely examine the trade deal first. In Sunday's election, voters frustrated with price increases exceeding the pace of wage hikes, especially younger people who have long felt ignored by the ruling government's focus on senior voters, rapidly turned to emerging conservative and rightwing populist parties, like the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito. None of the opposition parties have shown interest in forming a full-fledged alliance with the governing coalition but they have said they are open to cooperating on policy.

an hour ago
Key 10-Year JGB Yield Hits Over-16-Year High of 1.6 Pct
News from Japan Economy Jul 23, 2025 17:48 (JST) Tokyo, July 23 (Jiji Press)--The key yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds, regarded as the country's benchmark long-term interest rate, reached 1.6 pct in Tokyo trading on Wednesday, hitting the highest level since October 2008. The yield on the newest 10-year issue stood at 1.590 pct in late trading, up from 1.500 pct a day earlier. Selling spread in the JGB market after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that his country and Japan have concluded an agreement to impose a 15 pct U.S. reciprocal tariff on imports from Japan. The safe-haven appeal of government bonds decreased as investors appeared to be relieved that the tariff rate was lowered from the 25 pct Trump had notified Japan of earlier this month. Bond yields move inversely to prices. "Selling picked up on speculation that the Bank of Japan will find it easier to raise interest rates, now that uncertainties over the tariff negotiations are over," said an economist at an asset management firm. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press