U.S. and Japan dominate patents for chip material favored by Tesla
TOKYO -- The U.S. and Japan are home to the five top-ranked companies in patents for silicon carbide, a next-generation semiconductor material that can extend the range of electric vehicles.
Harder than silicon, the chip industry's mainstay material for decades, silicon carbide can handle higher electric currents with less loss of charge, making it a better choice for chips that control the flow of power in EVs.
Tesla took the lead in using silicon carbide power chips in EVs, giving the newer material
Japan tilts toward nuclear energy with METI back in driver's seat
TOKYO -- Japan's energy policy is expected to turn more nuclear power friendly under new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with officials with deep ties to the pro-nuclear Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry taking up top party and government posts.
Those appointments will bring METI back to the core of policymaking after it was sidelined under previous Prime Minster Yoshihide Suga , who pushed measures opposed by the ministry. This time, its sway may extend as far as foreign policy as the new government focuses on economic security, for
Energy crisis should force Europe and China to rethink green agendas
Vandana Hari is founder of Singapore-based Vanda Insights, which tracks energy markets.
The last thing the world economy needed as it struggled to regain momentum after the COVID delta variant wave was a widespread energy crisis fanning the flames of inflation, dealing a blow to manufacturers already hamstrung by supply chain snarls, and jeopardizing the ability of central banks to sustain monetary stimulus.
A confluence of factors, brewing over several months, has culminated in the severe gas and electricity shortages and price spikes that are plaguing Europe and threatening to worsen
What blockbuster? China spurns Hollywood's advances
NEW YORK -- Chinese moviegoers have not seen any Marvel film since "Spider-Man: Far From Home" in 2019.
The highly anticipated "Black Widow" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" have not secured release dates in mainland China even though they have already made splashes overseas and "Shang-Chi" was made with China in mind. The upcoming "Eternals" has not received a slot either.
Instead, Chinese moviegoers flocked over this week's National
China's National Day travel drops again, but movie theaters rebound
SHANGHAI -- Tourism during China's weeklong National Day holiday disappointed again this year as many would-be travelers stayed home due to recent coronavirus outbreaks.
Only 515 million domestic trips were made between Oct. 1 and Thursday, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Thursday, down 1.5% from a year earlier and 29.9% from the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
The decline added to signs of a consumer spending slump in the world's second-largest
U.S. submarine hits underwater object in South China Sea
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A U.S. Navy attack submarine struck an object while submerged in international waters in the South China Sea, officials said Thursday. They said there were no life-threatening injuries and the sub was still fully operational.
In a brief statement providing few details of an incident that happened five days ago, U.S. Pacific Fleet said the USS Connecticut remained in a "safe and stable condition." The Seawolf-class submarine's nuclear propulsion plant was not affected, it
KDDI-backed $270m fund to help smaller Japan companies go digital
TOKYO -- Japanese telecommunications company KDDI and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. will back a new fund that aims to acquire small and medium-sized enterprises and support their digital transformation, Nikkei has learned.
KDDI and SMBC, among others, will invest in the fund established by independent Tokyo-based investment company D Capital. They will also support companies acquired by the fund to implement digital transformations, by sending data experts into the organizations.
The fund will be set up in October with total commitments of about 30 billion yen
Japan oil giant ENEOS to buy renewables startup for $1.7bn
TOKYO -- Japanese oil giant Eneos Holdings is preparing to acquire Tokyo-based Japan Renewable Energy for over 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion), Nikkei has learned, a move that shows the pressure companies are under to act on climate change and decarbonize.
Eneos will purchase all shares from the startup's owners, Goldman Sachs of the U.S. and GIC, a Singapore sovereign wealth fund. The oil company is hammering out details with Goldman and plans to make an announcement as early
China GDP to slow to 5% in Q3 amid property woes: Nikkei survey
HONG KONG -- China's year-on-year economic growth is expected to slow to 5% in the July-September period, according to a survey of 29 economists conducted by Nikkei and Nikkei Quick News.
Strict COVID-19 measures and power shortages were seen as crimping the expansion in the world's second-biggest economy. Economists says that China's real estate troubles are the main risk for the remainder of the year, especially the impact of Evergrande's debt crisis on the
Evergrande and energy crises shows Beijing's need for systems thinking
S. Alex Yang is an associate professor at London Business School, specializing in supply chain finance and management. Angela Zhang is an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, specializing in Chinese regulatory governance. She is the author of Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation.
Two emerging threats to the Chinese economy have alarmed global investors.
The first is the Evergrande debt crisis, which has sent shock waves across financial markets and left investors feeling worried that another Lehman moment could be imminent.
The
