Nikkei Asia

TOKYO -- Plans for artificial intelligence data centers in Japan would more than quadruple the country's capacity in eight years, a Nikkei survey shows, putting it among the top players behind the U.S. and China and bringing it closer to AI sovereignty.

TOKYO -- As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reshuffles her cabinet as early as mid-September, she will try to install people who can most effectively communicate with the U.S. in key posts to prepare for added pressure from Washington on both the economic and security fronts.

TOKYO -- With the number of domestic organ transplants meeting only a fraction of demand, some in Japan are turning to intermediaries who illegally broker operations overseas.

TOKYO -- Leading Japanese travel agency JTB plans to invest 600 billion yen ($3.83 billion) through 2035, looking to expand its global business as domestic travel faces limited growth potential.

TOKYO -- Japan's Rakuten Group plans to launch a direct-to-mobile satellite communications service as early as this year through a partnership with U.S. company AST SpaceMobile, competing directly with SpaceX's Starlink system.

TOKYO -- Japan's record-breaking budget requests for fiscal 2027 include 12.17 trillion yen ($78 billion) under an uncapped framework for growth investment in areas such as AI and space, adding to concerns about swelling spending fueled by defense and debt servicing costs.

TOKYO -- Japan's Ministry of Defense will develop satellites equipped with artificial intelligence capable of analyzing surveillance data in space, Nikkei has learned, aiming to strengthen the country's capacity to disrupt attacks by using long-range missiles through speeding up decision-making.

TOKYO --The Japanese government has announced 213.1 billion yen ($1.37 billion) in aid over a decade to Imabari Shipbuilding and others in a first round of support for capital spending in the shipbuilding industry.