Men wearing face masks watch as giant Olympic rings, which were temporarily taken down in August for maintenance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are transported for reinstallation at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFUKUSHIMA, March 25 (Reuters) - Thirsty Tokyo residents are about to get a bit of a break just as the summer heat arrives with authorities in the Japanese capital preparing to relax a ban on alcohol in restaurants and bars when it...…Men wearing face masks watch as giant Olympic rings, which were temporarily taken down in August for maintenance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are transported for reinstallation at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFUKUSHIMA, March 25 (Reuters) - Thirsty Tokyo residents are about to get a bit of a break just as the summer heat arrives with authorities in the Japanese capital preparing to relax a ban on alcohol in restaurants and bars when it...WW…

Men wearing face masks watch as giant Olympic rings, which were temporarily taken down in August for maintenance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are transported for reinstallation at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFUKUSHIMA, March 25 (Reuters) - Thirsty Tokyo residents are about to get a bit of a break just as the summer heat arrives with authorities in the Japanese capital preparing to relax a ban on alcohol in restaurants and bars when it...…Men wearing face masks watch as giant Olympic rings, which were temporarily taken down in August for maintenance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are transported for reinstallation at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File PhotoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFUKUSHIMA, March 25 (Reuters) - Thirsty Tokyo residents are about to get a bit of a break just as the summer heat arrives with authorities in the Japanese capital preparing to relax a ban on alcohol in restaurants and bars when it...WW…

By , TOKYO (Reuters) -Hitachi Ltd said on Wednesday it will buy U.S. software company GlobalLogic Inc for $9.6 billion, including repayment of debt, as the Japanese industrial conglomerate pivots from electronics hardware to digital services.The deal is the biggest Japanese outbound acquisition of a U.S. hi-tech company on record, according to Refinitiv data.The acquisition is part of Hitachi’s ongoing business portfolio overhaul, which includes the $7 billion acquisition of ABB Ltd’s power grid business last year and a series of divestitures of its domestic hardware subsidiaries.Hitachi’s...…By , TOKYO (Reuters) -Hitachi Ltd said on Wednesday it will buy U.S. software company GlobalLogic Inc for $9.6 billion, including repayment of debt, as the Japanese industrial conglomerate pivots from electronics hardware to digital services.The deal is the biggest Japanese outbound acquisition of a U.S. hi-tech company on record, according to Refinitiv data.The acquisition is part of Hitachi’s ongoing business portfolio overhaul, which includes the $7 billion acquisition of ABB Ltd’s power grid business last year and a series of divestitures of its domestic hardware subsidiaries.Hitachi’s...WW…

By TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Wednesday launched a search for eight people to join him as the first private passengers on a trip around the moon with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.He had originally planned to invite artists for the weeklong voyage slated for 2023.The rejigged project will “give more people from around the globe the chance to join this journey. If you see yourself as an artist, then you are an artist,” Maezawa said.The first stage of the selection process runs to March 14, with applicants needing to pass medical checks and, eventually, an interview with...…By TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Wednesday launched a search for eight people to join him as the first private passengers on a trip around the moon with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.He had originally planned to invite artists for the weeklong voyage slated for 2023.The rejigged project will “give more people from around the globe the chance to join this journey. If you see yourself as an artist, then you are an artist,” Maezawa said.The first stage of the selection process runs to March 14, with applicants needing to pass medical checks and, eventually, an interview with...WW…

By , The Xbox Series X - which the company has described as the “world’s most powerful console” - will retail for $499.99 (379.1 pounds) and a lower-priced Xbox Series S will sell for $299.99.The strategy offers consumers greater choice but the compact Series S faces criticism for being less powerful than the Series X, with less storage capacity and lacking advanced “ray tracing” graphics for titles like Capcom’s “Devil May Cry 5.”This was the first time Microsoft launched its gaming console globally on the same day and the company said it has seen the highest preorders for Xbox consoles...…By , The Xbox Series X - which the company has described as the “world’s most powerful console” - will retail for $499.99 (379.1 pounds) and a lower-priced Xbox Series S will sell for $299.99.The strategy offers consumers greater choice but the compact Series S faces criticism for being less powerful than the Series X, with less storage capacity and lacking advanced “ray tracing” graphics for titles like Capcom’s “Devil May Cry 5.”This was the first time Microsoft launched its gaming console globally on the same day and the company said it has seen the highest preorders for Xbox consoles...WW…

By , , TOKYO/CHICAGO/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Think Michelangelo vs Da Vinci. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Batman v Superman. Another epic rivalry is rejoined this week when Sony and Microsoft go head-to-head with the next generation of their blockbuster video-game consoles.Sony, whose PlayStation 5 (PS5) takes on Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S, is widely viewed as being in pole position to capitalise on a pandemic-driven boom in consumer spending that has buoyed the $150 billion video game industry.The Japanese company’s deep bench of games and broader fan base - it has sold over 100...…By , , TOKYO/CHICAGO/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Think Michelangelo vs Da Vinci. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Batman v Superman. Another epic rivalry is rejoined this week when Sony and Microsoft go head-to-head with the next generation of their blockbuster video-game consoles.Sony, whose PlayStation 5 (PS5) takes on Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S, is widely viewed as being in pole position to capitalise on a pandemic-driven boom in consumer spending that has buoyed the $150 billion video game industry.The Japanese company’s deep bench of games and broader fan base - it has sold over 100...WW…

By , Slideshow TOKYO/DUBAI (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp CEO Masayoshi Son said on Thursday the sale of chip designer Arm to Nvidia Corp will drive growth in computing power, in his first public comments since the $40 billion deal was announced in September.Son made the comments at a virtual summit about artificial intelligence hosted by Saudi Arabia, an anchor investor in the $100 billion Vision Fund, at which he reiterated his belief that AI would transform society.The Nvidia deal, part of a series of asset sales by Son, whose group has been shaken by soured investments and the COVID-19...…By , Slideshow TOKYO/DUBAI (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp CEO Masayoshi Son said on Thursday the sale of chip designer Arm to Nvidia Corp will drive growth in computing power, in his first public comments since the $40 billion deal was announced in September.Son made the comments at a virtual summit about artificial intelligence hosted by Saudi Arabia, an anchor investor in the $100 billion Vision Fund, at which he reiterated his belief that AI would transform society.The Nvidia deal, part of a series of asset sales by Son, whose group has been shaken by soured investments and the COVID-19...WW…

By Chief Executive Masayoshi Son last week announced a new investment management subsidiary that would park excess cash from a massive asset sale programme in liquid stocks. SoftBank has spent around $10 billion buying shares.Graphic - SoftBank's newly disclosed listed holdings .The group is pivoting towards investing outside the $100 billion Vision Fund with its focus on unlisted, late stage startups. The fund has buffeted the group’s earnings as the value of its holdings have fallen below acquisition price.The value of many of the listed shares is rising, driven by a tech stock rally,...…By Chief Executive Masayoshi Son last week announced a new investment management subsidiary that would park excess cash from a massive asset sale programme in liquid stocks. SoftBank has spent around $10 billion buying shares.Graphic - SoftBank's newly disclosed listed holdings .The group is pivoting towards investing outside the $100 billion Vision Fund with its focus on unlisted, late stage startups. The fund has buffeted the group’s earnings as the value of its holdings have fallen below acquisition price.The value of many of the listed shares is rising, driven by a tech stock rally,...WW…

By TOKYO (Reuters) - Britain is betting that satellite operator OneWeb will help it boldly go into a post-Brexit era. But it faces formidable challenges to complete a working constellation and rebuild a collapsed venture that has proved a money pit for investors.The British government and Indian telecoms conglomerate Bharti Enterprises said last week they would together put up $1 billion to buy OneWeb, which filed for bankruptcy after its biggest backer, SoftBank Group, declined to provide fresh funding.The deal offers a new lease of life for the venture, which was founded by U.S....…By TOKYO (Reuters) - Britain is betting that satellite operator OneWeb will help it boldly go into a post-Brexit era. But it faces formidable challenges to complete a working constellation and rebuild a collapsed venture that has proved a money pit for investors.The British government and Indian telecoms conglomerate Bharti Enterprises said last week they would together put up $1 billion to buy OneWeb, which filed for bankruptcy after its biggest backer, SoftBank Group, declined to provide fresh funding.The deal offers a new lease of life for the venture, which was founded by U.S....WW…