Mitsui & Co. announced on March 6th that it has invested in a startup involved in nuclear fusion technology as the trading house seeks to take part in the commercialization and industrial development of fusion power generation. (News On Japan)

Aichi Prefecture has resumed discussions on attracting an integrated resort (IR) facility that would include a casino, a plan drawing renewed attention from residents of Tokoname City, the proposed host area. (News On Japan)

A new effort to revive a local shopping district is underway using a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, a leaderless structure in which individuals contribute what they can and decisions are made collectively. (News On Japan)

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A Tokyo-based investment firm that had planned to take over the closed zoo North Safari Sapporo in Minami Ward, Sapporo, and develop a new zoological park has decided to scrap the plan as of March 3rd. (News On Japan)

PayPay’s market capitalization is expected to exceed 2 trillion yen as the company prepares for a listing on the U.S. Nasdaq exchange. (News On Japan)

All Nippon Airways held a press conference to announce a change in leadership, with Executive Vice President Hisaichi Hirasawa set to assume the role of president on April 1st, stating that sweeping reforms to the airline’s struggling domestic operations are urgently needed as profitability continues to deteriorate. (News On Japan)

As price hikes spread from fast food to daily necessities and households grapple with rising living costs, the steady depreciation of the yen has emerged as a central driver of inflation, with multiple indicators showing that the currency’s purchasing power has fallen to roughly one-third of its mid-1990s peak, underscoring how three decades of economic stagnation, prolonged monetary easing and renewed fiscal expansion have left Japan far more vulnerable to imported inflation than other major economies. (News On Japan)

An AI startup that emerged almost overnight, Akari had long been known only to insiders due to its limited media exposure, but after receiving investment from Mitsubishi Electric at the end of January and seeing its corporate valuation surge past 100 billion yen, the Tokyo-born venture has rapidly positioned itself as a leading unicorn candidate in Japan’s AI sector. (News On Japan)

Honda announced on February 26th that it will introduce a new model of its SUV, the CR-V, with prices starting at 5,122,700 yen. (News On Japan)

Mizuho Financial Group has decided on a policy to improve operational efficiency through the use of artificial intelligence, aiming to reduce administrative work equivalent to as many as 5,000 employees over the next decade. (News On Japan)

The Japan Fair Trade Commission has conducted an on-site inspection of Microsoft’s Japanese subsidiary on suspicion of violating the Antimonopoly Act by potentially restricting the use of rival services. (News On Japan)

Food delivery service Wolt announced that it will withdraw from Japan on March 4th as competition in the domestic delivery market intensifies. (News On Japan)

A long-awaited spell of steady rain fell across Japan following a record stretch of low precipitation, offering much-needed relief to farmers and manufacturers that had struggled with water shortages. (News On Japan)

McDonald’s, which opened in Japan in 1971 and has long counted the Big Mac among its signature products, saw the burger’s price rise from 280 yen in 2008 to 480 yen before increasing further to 500 yen on February 25th, nearly doubling over the past two decades. (News On Japan)

Japan’s largest rice wholesaler, Shinmei Holdings, has laid out its view of where rice prices are heading and how it plans to secure the staple’s future, as households grapple with the sharpest price pressure in years and farmers continue to exit an industry where profits are thin. (News On Japan)

How will AI transform marketing? The answer, according to leading marketer Kazuki Nishiguchi, lies not in marginal efficiency gains but in a dramatic restructuring of business itself, as AI agents move closer to consumers and potentially displace even dominant platforms such as Amazon. (News On Japan)

Gold prices continue to surge, while China’s restrictions on rare earths and other developments are drawing renewed attention to mineral resources, prompting a closer look at resource strategies in an increasingly geopolitical era through an interview with Sumitomo Metal Mining President Shinsuke Matsumoto. (News On Japan)

Lawson has decided to enter the Indian market, with plans to open five directly operated stores in Mumbai in 2027 before expanding to 100 outlets by 2030 and ultimately aiming for 10,000 stores by 2050 as it seeks to establish a new pillar of overseas earnings in a country expected to see sustained growth driven by the world’s largest population. (News On Japan)

Japanese 7-Eleven feels like a different universe, while the American version is struggling and trying to “be more like Japan.” But what if the real reason has nothing to do with fresh sandwiches at all? (Asian Boss)