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May 03, 2026
 

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SOFTBANK

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son is driving a plan to establish a standalone artificial intelligence robotics and data center company in the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2026
SoftBank to create and list AI firm Roze in U.S.
The investment firm aims to create and float such a vehicle as soon as this year, though the timing on that could slip to 2027, people familiar with the matter said.
Softbank Corp. CEO and President Junichi Miyakawa
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2026
SoftBank prepares to manufacture batteries for AI data centers
The Tokyo-based group is one of the world's foremost supporters of AI, having committed hundreds of billions of dollars to investment in data centers, cloud services and startups.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo in February 2025.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 23, 2026
SoftBank is going all in on OpenAI, but at what cost?
SoftBank Group's founder Masayoshi Son invested in OpenAI despite potential exposure to a liquidity crunch.
SoftBank has been piling on debt as its founder Masayoshi Son seeks to position himself as a linchpin in the global AI boom, with large-scale investments into OpenAI.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2026
SoftBank seeks $10 billion margin loan backed by OpenAI shares
SoftBank has been piling on debt as its founder Masayoshi Son seeks to position himself as a linchpin in the global AI boom.
SoftBank Group's mega loan highlights how much debt founder Masayoshi Son is willing for the company to take on as it seeks to secure the firm¡¯s pivotal role in the global AI race.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2026
SoftBank lenders ask more banks to join $40 billion OpenAI loan
The move forms one of the biggest tests yet of creditor sentiment toward the Japanese conglomerate's debt-fueled push further into artificial intelligence.
A newly established AI company led by SoftBank, NEC, Sony Group and Honda Motor will apply for a government-backed AI development support program run by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 12, 2026
SoftBank and others set up new firm to develop high-performance AI
Engineers from SoftBank and Tokyo-based AI developer Preferred Networks Inc. are expected to participate in the development.
SoftBank Group is one of the few Japanese companies that regularly issue corporate bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 9, 2026
Japan wants to transform its sleepy corporate bond market
The hope is to make it a source for much-needed growth capital and provide more avenues to funding.
SoftBank Group is currently exploring raising as much as $40 billion in the loan market, mostly to help finance its investment in U.S. tech giant OpenAI.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 9, 2026
SoftBank unit plans debut euro bond as group makes big AI push
SoftBank Group's aggressive push into AI has drawn some scrutiny from ratings firms.
Shunichi Koshimura, director of Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science, speaks during a news conference in Sendai on Thursday.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
Tohoku University and SoftBank to develop disaster prevention AI tech
The joint project aims to use generative artificial intelligence to pass on memories and lessons from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
SoftBank¡¯s latest bet on OpenAI comes on top of more than $30 billion the company has already injected into the startup.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2026
SoftBank secures record $40 billion bridge loan for OpenAI stake
The loan is SoftBank's largest-ever borrowing denominated solely in dollars.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (left), SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (center), and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, following a groundbreaking ceremony at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2026
SoftBank planning massive $500 billion data center in Ohio
SoftBank is seeking to build the AI computing complex at a former uranium enrichment complex owned by the U.S. Energy Department.
The new service starting April 1 that aims to keep communication infrastructure operational following emergencies such as disasters will be free to use and not require prior registration.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2026
Major phone carriers to launch ¡®Japan Roaming¡¯ for use in disasters
The aim of the new service is to ensure the communication infrastructure essential for life and economic activities remains operational during emergencies such as disasters.
Tokyo-based PayPay priced the initial public offering of American depositary receipts at $16 apiece for its U.S. stock exchange debut.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 12, 2026
PayPay and SoftBank raise $879.8 million in payments firm¡¯s U.S. IPO
It is the biggest listing for a Japanese company on a U.S. stock exchange in a decade.
SoftBank Group is seeking up to $40 billion in loans to help finance its investment in U.S. tech firm OpenAI, people familiar with the matter said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 6, 2026
SoftBank seeks record loan of up to $40 billion for OpenAI stake
The bridge loan would be its largest-ever borrowing denominated solely in dollars.
This former GM and Foxconn factory in Lordstown, Ohio, seen here in October, is set to be converted by SoftBank for data center equipment manufacturing.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 3, 2026
SoftBank¡¯s Ohio power plant delivers an AI sticker shock
The underlying message is that the old model of just building giant power plants to meet whatever new peak demand forecast we dream up is unsustainable.
PayPay and a SoftBank Group unit aim to raise up to $1.1 billion in what would be the largest-ever U.S. IPO by a Japanese company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 3, 2026
PayPay and SoftBank seek $1.1 billion in payments firm¡¯s U.S. IPO
The digital payments firm¡¯s initial public offering is expected to price on March 11.
U.S. artificial intelligence developer OpenAI said Friday that it has secured $110 billion in new investment, including $30 billion from Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 28, 2026
OpenAI to get $110 billion investment from SoftBank and others
The investment will be used to boost its AI infrastructure amid intensifying competition over AI development.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son (left) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend an event in Tokyo in February 2025. SoftBank¡¯s investment gain on OpenAI stood at an estimated $19.8 billion as of December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 13, 2026
SoftBank swings to profit on valuation boost from OpenAI bet
As of December, SoftBank¡¯s investment gain on OpenAI stood at an estimated $19.8 billion.
PayPay's Nasdaq listing could be the largest ever by a Japanese company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 13, 2026
PayPay files for U.S. IPO and Nasdaq listing
The biggest mobile payments service in Japan is also seeking to expand its business in the U.S.
PayPay CEO Ichiro Nakayama (left) and Jack Forestell, Visa¡¯s chief product and strategy officer, attend a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 12, 2026
PayPay might form company with Visa for U.S. expansion
91²Ö¿â largest QR code payment service is looking to make its first move abroad.
Yen soars as Japan intervenes after issuing 'final' warning
Pedestrians walk past a stock quotation board showing the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, outside a brokerage in Tokyo on Thursday.
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Japan secures enough petroleum-derived naphtha to last into 2027
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a government meeting on the Middle East on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office.
Japan mum on yen intervention, heavy on jawboning, ahead of long holiday weekend
The yen was back in ?150-to-the-dollar territory after reports of intervention by the Japanese government.
Foreign business owners in Japan feeling the strain of tighter visa criteria
The streets of Ikuno Korea Town in the city of Osaka in December 2023
For tourists in Japan¡¯s outdoor sports scene, safety is not guaranteed
Each winter, countless tourists flock to Japan's famous snow-covered mountains, but a lack of top-down regulation on the country's outdoor sports industry can make certain activities unnecessarily risky.
¡®Sashiko¡¯ needlework artisan says craft is about 'the stories behind the stitching'
Traditional Japanese needlework has exploded in popularity, but a book from a third-generation artisan aims to bring more context to the craft's newfound popularity.
Tennis trailblazer Kei Nishikori announces his retirement
Kei Nishikori, who has won 12 titles on the ATP Tour and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings, on Thursday announced his retirement.
Documentary captures the long echo of Fukushima's nuclear disaster
Toru Yamada¡¯s documentary ¡°At the Triangle Intersection,¡± which delves into the lingering impact of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, follows Tetsu (center), the matriarch of the Watanabe family, her son, Takemasa (right) and her daughter-in-law, Shigeko.
Japanese fried chicken with a Southern twist
A buttermilk-inspired marinade gives a rich umami flavor to your fried chicken.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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