ENEOS Holdings announced that a tanker operated by one of its group companies has successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East. (News On Japan)

Aichi Financial Group, which owns Aichi Bank, and Mie Prefecture-based Sanjusan Financial Group announced that they have reached a basic agreement toward a management integration. (News On Japan)

Nissan Motor announced its financial results for the year through March 2026 on May 14th, reporting a net loss for the second consecutive year as the company continues efforts to rebuild its business. (News On Japan)

Despite a prolonged downturn in the publishing industry, a bookbinding machine manufacturer based near Lake Biwa has continued to expand globally by adapting to a major shift in the way books are produced. (News On Japan)

The impact of Japan’s growing naphtha shortage is spreading across a widening range of industries, raising concerns about manufacturing, logistics, and even daily consumer life. (News On Japan)

The yield on Japan’s benchmark newly issued 10-year government bond rose to 2.60% in the Tokyo bond market on May 13th, marking its highest level in approximately 29 years since June 1997. (News On Japan)

The “ink shock” caused by tensions in the Middle East is beginning to spread across Japan’s food packaging industry, prompting manufacturers to simplify designs and reduce ink usage as concerns grow over naphtha supplies and rising printing costs. (News On Japan)

Bloomberg reported on May 11th that SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son held discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron regarding investment in AI data centers in France. (News On Japan)

Foreign acquisition of Japanese land has become a growing topic of debate in recent years, and now the trend is reaching Ashiya, one of the Kansai region’s most prestigious residential areas, where soaring property prices are increasingly being linked to demand from wealthy Chinese buyers. (News On Japan)

A tanker carrying approximately 45,000 kiloliters of crude oil from Azerbaijan arrived in Japan on May 12th, marking the first time Azerbaijani crude has reached the country as the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues. (News On Japan)

Major snack manufacturer Calbee will switch the packaging of some of its products to black-and-white designs as instability in the Middle East disrupts the procurement of printing ink and other materials. (News On Japan)