Japan's Itochu invests in US self-driving startup May Mobility
The transaction occurred in April as part of a capital and business alliance. The two sides will finalize details of the partnership later.
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The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: More Japanese people in Gunma buy foreign rice as prices rise
In Gunma Prefecture, more Japanese people are buying rice from other countries because Japanese rice is expensive and sometimes hard to find. Gunma has many people from other countries living there. Many shops and convenience stores run by people from Asia and South America sell rice from places like Thailand, India and Pakistan. At Alh Mini Mart and Restaurant in Tatebayashi, you can buy more than 10 kinds of rice from different countries. The manager, Aung Tin, is from Myanmar. Aung Tin said that most buyers were foreigners before, but now more Japanese people come to buy rice. The shop also sells California rice. The store sells both Japonica rice (the kind Japanese people usually eat) and long-grain Indica rice, like basmati and jasmine rice. Basmati rice is used in biryani, a dish with rice, meat, and spices. At the store restaurant, they serve biryani and cook it by layering rice and other foods in a rice cooker. Aung Tin said, "The key is to keep the rice firm when cooking." Gunma Prefecture has a high number of foreign residents, about 4.3% of the population. Because of this, there are more shops and restaurants selling foreign rice. At Chyandora, a convenience store near JR Maebashi Station, they sell jasmine rice from Thailand and Vietnam. About 30% of the customers are Japanese. Neupane Bhesham Raj, the store's manager from Nepal, said, "With the rise in rice prices in Japan, purchases by Japanese customers significantly increased." He also said, "The taste is quite similar to Japanese rice." More companies are also importing rice from other countries, but prices are going up. The demand for foreign rice is rising in Gunma. (Japanese original by Tetsuya Shoji, Maebashi Bureau) Vocabulary import: to bring products from another country to sell tariff: a tax paid when bringing goods into a country Japonica rice: the short, sticky rice usually eaten in Japan Indica rice: long, thin rice, like basmati and jasmine biryani: a dish with rice, meat, and spices population: the number of people living in a place demand: how much people want to buy something
Nikkei Asia
3 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Foreign entrepreneurs fuel innovation in Kyoto
Number of funded startups in Kyoto nearly doubled to 79 last year from 44 in 2014, according to a report by Initial Inc., a Japanese startup information platform. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu) Nikkei staff writers TOKYO -- Foreign entrepreneurs are blending tradition and technology in Kyoto, as Japan seeks to attract international talent and boost its startup ecosystem. The nascent trend suggests a model for how traditional industries can find new relevance through technological integration.
Asahi Shimbun
4 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Japanese game maker Nintendo reports robust profits on strong Switch 2 sales
Nintendo, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises, reported an 18.6% surge in net profit for the first fiscal quarter Friday on the back of strong demand for its new Switch 2 console. Kyoto-based Nintendo Co.'s April-June profit totaled 96.03 billion yen ($640 million), up from nearly 81 billion yen. Quarterly sales more than doubled to 572.36 billion yen ($3.8 billion). Nintendo said it sold 3.5 million Switch 2 game consoles globally on the first four days after it hit store shelves June 5, a record pace for a Nintendo game machine. Its sales continue to be strong, it said. The company said the new console's higher price added to sales growth momentum. The new version sells for about $450 compared to $300 for the previous Switch when it first went on sale in 2017. Especially popular games included 'Mario Kart World' and 'Donkey Kong Bananza.' 'Pokemon Friends,' which went on sale last month for the older Switch, can be also played on the new Switch. The Switch works both as a handheld portable machine and as a home console. Nintendo stuck to its forecast to sell 15 million Switch 2 machines through this fiscal year. Nintendo left unchanged its profit forecast for the year through March 2026, at 300 billion yen ($2 billion) profit, up nearly 8% on year. Nintendo stock, which has steadily climbed in the past year gaining more than 50%, edged down nearly 1% before earnings were announced. There are some worries about the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Japanese exports, but that did not appear to affect Nintendo's overall projections.
