Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Table of Contents
Panasonic Makes Business Decision to End Olympic Association
One of Osaka’s highest profile business tie-ups will come to an end. After 37 years, Panasonic Corporation, one of Osaka’s best known companies in business circles, will end its sponsorship deal with the Olympics. Panasonic announced this week that its business relationship with the Olympic and Paralympic Games will end this December. That is when the latest contract between Panasonic and the IOC expires. Since 1987, Panasonic provided cameras, sound equipment and projectors among other electronic essentials to the IOC, in return for prominent advertising. However, in recent times, Panasonic’s business focus has shifted away from these areas, into emerging technologies.
Decision Part of Panasonic’s “Business Reorientation”
Confirming the decision to end the Olympic partnership this week, Panasonic executives reiterated it was a decision rooted entirely in current business realities.
“We still support the philosophy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 100%”, Panasonic said in a press statement.
“However, the decision to end our marketing partnership with the IOC is due to wider business considerations.”
Panasonic has shifted the focus of its core business in recent times. Previously known for its TVs, cameras and home electronics, Panasonic now seeks to expand into renewables. As such, the business pivoted in recent years to focus on areas such as solar panels, batteries for electric vehicles and other growth industries.
It’s a sad day for those nostalgic for Japan’s past when companies like Panasonic dominated both home technologies and sports event advertising boards. However, most analysts agree this is a sound business decision. They believe this pivot is essential for Panasonic’s long term growth as a business.
Automation Moves Closer for Shinkansen
Japan Railways announced this week that it plans to have unmanned, fully automated commercial Shinkansen services running within 4 years. Under plans announced this week by the JR Group, services between Niigata and Tokyo, as well as between Nagoya and Osaka aim to achieve at least partial automation by fiscal 2028. Furthermore, JR hopes to achieve complete automation of the network sometime in the 2030s.
Naturally, there has been no word yet on what JR will do for the staff such moves would render redundant. Nor has there been any word on prices coming down amid the reduced labor costs. Nevertheless, plans remain at an early stage, so we shall have to wait and see how this develops.
Former Sharp Plant Set of Solar Business Makeover
Another of Osaka’s giants in the electronics business is looking at a similar revamp this week. Sharp Corporation ceased production at its LCD TV screen manufacturing plant in Sakai City last month. They cited “unsustainable losses” as the main reason behind this “difficult business decision.”
However, the now-abandoned plant may not remain silent for long. Under plans announced this week, Sekisui Chemicals announced plans to turn part of the plant into a solar battery production site. The batteries in question, perovskite batteries, primarily constitute iodine. As the world’s second largest producer of iodine, Japan is in a prime position to benefit from this growing business opportunity.
Sharp has already converted part of the plant into an AI data center, as it seeks to diversify its own product line. Softbank Corporation are also in talks with Sharp to acquire space within the site to build and AI data center of their own.
And Finally…
It may only be September, but Halloween fever is here in Osaka already.
Universal Studios Japan announced this week plans for the centerpiece event of this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights”. Previous incarnations featured the likes of Zombies and Bioweapons from the popular Resident Evil gaming franchise. However, this year’s fearsome feature creature is “Chainsaw Man”. As the name suggests, this creepy figure has chainsaws for limbs as well as an extra-large chainsaw protruding from where most of us have a head!
Despite being a popular figure in the worlds of anime and manga for several years, this is the first time Chainsaw Man will appear at Universal Studios.
The Halloween season at USJ starts this week and runs until November 4th.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
