Omron agrees to acquire US industrial computer maker OnLogic for $675M
The all-cash buyout of the Vermont PC maker gives the Japanese automation group edge computing hardware to run physical artificial intelligence systems on factory floors.
Japan
All coverageMaterials, equipment, robotics and the economic-security agenda reshaping Japanese industry.
Hitachi and Fanuc unite on physical AI to automate factories
The Japanese manufacturers will combine edge chips and robot arms at Ibaraki test sites ahead of an external commercial rollout…
Shinko buys Japan Display plant to build advanced packaging hub
The 373,483-square-meter Mobara factory will yield a 51.4 billion yen gain for JDI while giving Shinko flip-chip substrate…
Murata completes Vietnam inductor plant for power components
The 3-billion-yen facility in Dong Nai expands passive component manufacturing outside China as electric vehicles and server…
Harmonic Drive pitches integrated actuators for robot joints in 2026
The motion specialist focuses on modular strain wave units as parent firm Harmonic Drive Systems projects ¥68.0 billion in annual…
FANUC expands US packaging robotics with AI and delta cells
The Japanese automation maker paired generative AI programming with washdown delta robots ahead of trade demonstrations in…
Suzuki selects BYD LFP battery cells for inaugural Japanese mini EV
The procurement decision equips Suzuki's e SKY kei car with a 26 kilowatt-hour pack, intensifying cost competition against…
Mitsubishi Materials taps Vietnam tungsten to counter China curbs
The Japanese refiner began commercial shipments from Masan High-Tech Materials on Oct.
Sumitomo Bakelite expands Asian chip molding compound lines
New production lines in Suzhou and Singapore will double mold underfill capacity and triple granular compound output to supply…
Nissan Chemical builds China unit for lithography materials
The Tokyo supplier will transfer 210 million yuan to manufacture anti-reflective coatings in Zhangjiagang, expanding local…
Idemitsu Kosan Produces Recycled Naphtha at Chiba Refinery
The Japanese refiner integrated a 20,000-ton chemical recycling unit to crack plastic waste into crude oil substitute, closing…
Yaskawa deploys compact MotoMini arm for cleanroom lines
The 0.5-kilogram payload manipulator addresses semiconductor packaging space constraints as half-year group revenues reach 285.6…
Yaskawa Electric orders hit record high on chip tool demand
The Japanese automation maker lifted full-year revenue guidance to 600 billion yen as motion control orders jumped 38% across…
Rapidus holds 2nm chip timeline as 17 partners join network
The Japanese venture keeps its 2027 mass-production goal while enlisting Cadence and Synopsys to lower design barriers against…
Hitachi and FANUC partner to deploy physical AI in factories
The Japanese industrial giants will combine HMAX Industry software with autonomous robot arms, scheduling global commercial…
Yaskawa Electric releases CIP Safety card for factory drives
The JOHB-NSC3-MA option card integrates Ethernet-based CIP Safety protocols across four inverter lines to reduce hardwiring in…
Harmonic Drive pitches integrated robot actuators for 2026
The motion specialist targets humanoid and cobot makers with gear-motor units as its parent company projects ¥68.0 billion in…
Kawasaki Heavy unveils quadruped AI robot for shipyards in 2026
The four-legged machine navigates vertical hull plates using abdominal magnets to automate hazardous welding and inspection at…
Suzuki launches Japan's cheapest mini EV using BYD batteries
The 2.12 million yen e SKY undercuts domestic rivals and presses Japanese cell makers as lithium iron phosphate chemistry…
Towa plans Kyoto plant to onshore chip packaging equipment
The 5 billion yen facility in Ujitawara will produce resin compression molding systems for artificial intelligence chips starting…
Tokyo Electron nears 1 trillion yen profit on memory capex
Surging wafer equipment demand from Samsung Electronics and SK hynix puts Tokyo Electron's annual operating profit target within…
Iwatani and Cosmo approve 50 billion yen Chiba hydrogen hub
The joint venture will restore an idled 80-ton daily generator and build a liquefaction unit at Cosmo Oil's refinery, creating an…
FANUC America unveils packaging robotics for PACK EXPO 2026
The showcase pairs an IP69K-rated delta robot with SCARA sorting and generative AI code generation, targeting food processing and…
Mitsubishi Heavy buys shipyard land in Shimonoseki buildout
The 100 billion yen investment will construct a hull-block factory backed by 40 billion yen in Japanese economic security…
Semiconductors
More →Shinko buys Japan Display plant to build advanced packaging hub
The 373,483-square-meter Mobara factory will yield a 51.4 billion yen gain for JDI while giving Shinko flip-chip substrate…
Murata completes Vietnam inductor plant for power components
The 3-billion-yen facility in Dong Nai expands passive component manufacturing outside China as electric vehicles and server…
Sumitomo Bakelite expands Asian chip molding compound lines
New production lines in Suzhou and Singapore will double mold underfill capacity and triple granular compound output to supply…
Batteries & EV
More →Suzuki selects BYD LFP battery cells for inaugural Japanese mini EV
The procurement decision equips Suzuki's e SKY kei car with a 26 kilowatt-hour pack, intensifying cost competition against…
Suzuki launches Japan's cheapest mini EV using BYD batteries
The 2.12 million yen e SKY undercuts domestic rivals and presses Japanese cell makers as lithium iron phosphate chemistry…
Panasonic Energy opens Osaka battery hub for advanced cells
The 24,500-square-meter Kadoma facility consolidates 500 engineers to cut development lead times by 15% as the supplier prepares…
Robotics
More →Omron agrees to acquire US industrial computer maker OnLogic for $675M
The all-cash buyout of the Vermont PC maker gives the Japanese automation group edge computing hardware to run physical…
Hitachi and Fanuc unite on physical AI to automate factories
The Japanese manufacturers will combine edge chips and robot arms at Ibaraki test sites ahead of an external commercial rollout…
Harmonic Drive pitches integrated actuators for robot joints in 2026
The motion specialist focuses on modular strain wave units as parent firm Harmonic Drive Systems projects ¥68.0 billion in annual…
Shipbuilding
More →Mitsubishi Heavy buys shipyard land in Shimonoseki buildout
The 100 billion yen investment will construct a hull-block factory backed by 40 billion yen in Japanese economic security…
Imabari Shipbuilding wins two Aframax tankers from Carlova by 2030
The Greek shipowner reserved delivery slots in late 2029 and 2030, turning to Japanese yard capacity as South Korean builders…
Mitsubishi Heavy buys Shimonoseki site in $638M yard plan
The group signed a contract on Oct. 2 to acquire 14.5 hectares for a new hull block plant, backed by up to 40 billion yen in…
Energy & Minerals
More →Mitsubishi Materials taps Vietnam tungsten to counter China curbs
The Japanese refiner began commercial shipments from Masan High-Tech Materials on Oct.
Idemitsu Kosan Produces Recycled Naphtha at Chiba Refinery
The Japanese refiner integrated a 20,000-ton chemical recycling unit to crack plastic waste into crude oil substitute, closing…
Iwatani and Cosmo approve 50 billion yen Chiba hydrogen hub
The joint venture will restore an idled 80-ton daily generator and build a liquefaction unit at Cosmo Oil's refinery, creating an…
Trade & Policy
More →
Japan leads India FDI with $5.7 billion as factories expand
Ministry data shows Tokyo supplied 28.8% of New Delhi's $19.81 billion first-quarter equity inflows as automakers and component…
Japan urges China to expedite rare earth export approvals
Japanese delegates in Beijing raised administrative export delays as Chinese magnet shipments to Japan fell 17.1% in August…
Japan offers U.S. chip investment to win semiconductor tariff relief
Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa met Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to protect Japanese chip suppliers using Tokyo's $550…