Japan

Deutsche Telekom is in talks to buy out shares in its U.S. unit T-Mobile from Japan's Softbank , CEO Tim Hoettges said on Friday, noting that under a shareholder agreement it has the right of first refusal.

Japanese shoppers queued at Uniqlo stores and crashed its website on Friday as the clothing chain began selling face masks with breathable fabric used in the brand's popular underwear, preparing for the coronavirus outbreak lasting through summer.

Three months after the World Health Organization recommended singing "Happy Birthday" twice during hand washing to fight the coronavirus, Japan's Fujitsu Ltd has developed an artificial intelligence monitor it says will ensure healthcare, hotel and food industry workers scrub properly.

Nissan Motor Co on Friday said it will cut more shifts at its three assembly plants in Japan due to falling demand, as the automaker struggles to recover from a drop in sales triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Blackstone, Bain Capital and Taisho Pharmaceutical are among the final bidders for Takeda Pharmaceutical's consumer drug business in Japan, a deal that could be worth up to 400 billion yen ($3.7 billion), three people familiar with the deal said.

Japan lifted all coronavirus-related curbs on domestic travel on Friday, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe calling on people to go sightseeing or attend concerts and other events to help the nation's economy bounce back from a pandemic recession.

Palantir Technologies Inc on Thursday said that Japanese insurance holding company Sompo Holdings Inc  is investing $500 million in the Silicon Valley data analytics company, whose clients range from global banks to the U.S. government and the Central Intelligence Agency.

The United States is in talks with Japan about its concerns with U.S.-made Aegis Ashore air defense radar stations, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday, after Tokyo suspended plans to deploy two of them.

A former Japanese justice minister and his lawmaker wife were arrested on Thursday on suspicion of vote-buying, prosecutors said, in a serious blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he struggles with falling public support.