Peter Landers
@peterjlanders.bsky.social
Asia business and finance editor, The Wall Street Journal. Based in Singapore after a decade as Tokyo bureau chief.
It seems Dentsu lost about $2 billion last year, its fifth year out of the last seven in the red. The idea that a Japanese ad agency would run Western ad and PR agencies better than their previous owners was flawed, I daresay. www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
決算:電通Gが過去最大の赤字、次期社長は佐野傑氏に 海外事業不振で損失 - 日本経済新聞
電通グループの2025年12月期の連結最終損益（国際会計基準）が過去最大の赤字だったことが12日わかった。海外事業の買収に関わる損失が発生し、赤字額は前の期（1921億円の赤字）から大きく膨らむ。配当は初のゼロとする。五十嵐博社長（65）が退任し、中核会社の電通の佐野傑社長（55）が次期社長に就く人事も固めた。新体制で再建を急ぐ。13日に決算や社長人事などを発表する。25年12月期の最終赤字額
www.nikkei.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:56 AM
It seems Dentsu lost about $2 billion last year, its fifth year out of the last seven in the red. The idea that a Japanese ad agency would run Western ad and PR agencies better than their previous owners was flawed, I daresay. www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
Tina Brown: “The fashion to write off legacy media as a dinosaur trade extinguished by the headwinds of change fails to ask why Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker was able to crisply revitalize that paper of record.”
Bafflement with Bezos
The whole debacle of the Washington Post brand hara-kiri last week dispatched the myth that a tech billionaire could save serious journalism.
open.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 7:03 AM
Tina Brown: “The fashion to write off legacy media as a dinosaur trade extinguished by the headwinds of change fails to ask why Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker was able to crisply revitalize that paper of record.”
Two years ago Jesper Koll predicted the Nikkei would hit 55,000 by 2025. He was off by a few weeks, but as market predictions go, this one was about as good as they get. Today, the Nikkei closed above 55,000 for the first time. Congrats to Jesper. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CX6...
【日経平均3万8千円台の理由】海外投資家の目線で徹底解説／注目の個別銘柄／上昇はいつまで続く／どんな外国人が買っているのか／S&P500の動向など世界の動きと比べていく／アメリカ大統領選による影響は？
YouTube video by PIVOT 公式チャンネル
www.youtube.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Two years ago Jesper Koll predicted the Nikkei would hit 55,000 by 2025. He was off by a few weeks, but as market predictions go, this one was about as good as they get. Today, the Nikkei closed above 55,000 for the first time. Congrats to Jesper. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CX6...
If China thought it could peel off Japanese support for Takaichi through relentless attacks … call that a fail.
February 8, 2026 at 2:03 PM
If China thought it could peel off Japanese support for Takaichi through relentless attacks … call that a fail.
I consider this a failure of journalism more than of medicine. As Yamanaka says, advances in basic research can take decades to translate into patient care. Yet how many hundreds of articles did Nikkei etc. write in the 2010s suggesting clinical advances were imminent?
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
武田薬品、京大とのiPS細胞共同研究を終了 10年で新薬得られず - 日本経済新聞
武田薬品工業と京都大学iPS細胞研究所（CiRA）は3日、10年間続いたiPS細胞の産学連携研究を2025年度末に終了すると発表した。人材育成や基盤技術の蓄積では成果を残した一方、具体的な新薬にはつながらなかった。終了する共同研究プログラム「T-CiRA」は16年度にスタートし、武田が10年間で200億円の研究費用を提供する、日本の製薬業界では最大規模の産学連携だった。武田には人材交流を通じて
www.nikkei.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:07 AM
I consider this a failure of journalism more than of medicine. As Yamanaka says, advances in basic research can take decades to translate into patient care. Yet how many hundreds of articles did Nikkei etc. write in the 2010s suggesting clinical advances were imminent?
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
It took a 19-hour flight but I should be safe from snowstorms and 10-degree (F) weather for the time being.
January 25, 2026 at 10:41 AM
It took a 19-hour flight but I should be safe from snowstorms and 10-degree (F) weather for the time being.
Two issues with Changi-JFK flight:
1) 17 straight hours in the air
2) Discovering it’s 20 degrees F on arrival (it was 80 when I left my apt)
Shouganai
1) 17 straight hours in the air
2) Discovering it’s 20 degrees F on arrival (it was 80 when I left my apt)
Shouganai
January 20, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Two issues with Changi-JFK flight:
1) 17 straight hours in the air
2) Discovering it’s 20 degrees F on arrival (it was 80 when I left my apt)
Shouganai
1) 17 straight hours in the air
2) Discovering it’s 20 degrees F on arrival (it was 80 when I left my apt)
Shouganai
Nikkei print circulation falls to 1.25 million, down about 6% from 1.33 million a year ago and down more than 50% from a decade ago. We don’t know how many 押し紙 undistributed newspapers they are printing so real circulation may be under 1 million. Still a lot for this day and age.
January 17, 2026 at 9:01 AM
Nikkei print circulation falls to 1.25 million, down about 6% from 1.33 million a year ago and down more than 50% from a decade ago. We don’t know how many 押し紙 undistributed newspapers they are printing so real circulation may be under 1 million. Still a lot for this day and age.
It’s a problem if one employee is stealing money from customers, but if a hundred of them are doing it … maybe that’s your business model?
digital.asahi.com/articles/ASV...
digital.asahi.com/articles/ASV...
プルデンシャル生命、顧客500人から着服など31億円 社長辞任へ：朝日新聞
プルデンシャル生命保険の社員ら約100人が、約500人の顧客に対し、金銭をだまし取ったり、お金を借りて返さなかったりといった不適切な行為をしていたことが、同社の社内調査で分かった。顧客から受け取った…
digital.asahi.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:04 AM
It’s a problem if one employee is stealing money from customers, but if a hundred of them are doing it … maybe that’s your business model?
digital.asahi.com/articles/ASV...
digital.asahi.com/articles/ASV...
For how long have Japanese said “Itadakimasu” before a meal? Centuries, right? Nope, first written citation is from 1891.
www.nikkei.com/article/DGKK...
www.nikkei.com/article/DGKK...
国会図書館、電子化進む 所蔵2割・486万点を一括検索 文献の深掘り容易に - 日本経済新聞
国立国会図書館（東京・千代田）が蔵書のオンライン公開を始めてから25年余り。外国刊行物を除く所蔵資料の2割に当たる486万点が電子化され、デジタルコレクションに収録されている。光学式文字読み取り装置（OCR）の発達により、膨大な蔵書を全文検索し、知りたいことがどの本のどこに書かれているのか簡単に分かるようになった。さまざまな学術分野で研究の掘り下げに役立てられている。「近代以降の文献を調べるに
www.nikkei.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:36 AM
For how long have Japanese said “Itadakimasu” before a meal? Centuries, right? Nope, first written citation is from 1891.
www.nikkei.com/article/DGKK...
www.nikkei.com/article/DGKK...
冬の六義園 Rikugien (Komagome, Tokyo) in winter
January 3, 2026 at 10:32 AM
冬の六義園 Rikugien (Komagome, Tokyo) in winter
お正月の万両 Manryō (Ardisia crenata) to mark the New Year in Japan.
January 3, 2026 at 10:29 AM
お正月の万両 Manryō (Ardisia crenata) to mark the New Year in Japan.
元旦のキンギョソウ New Year’s snapdragon
January 1, 2026 at 8:18 AM
元旦のキンギョソウ New Year’s snapdragon
“Food in Singapore is not that good,” according to a Straits Times writer. (Quoted from the text—headline plays down the criticism) www.straitstimes.com/opinion/sing...
Singapore food is good, but why isn’t it better? Here are four theories
Can Singapore food be better? Are our cooks not good enough? Or is the emphasis on hygiene holding us back? Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
www.straitstimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:54 AM
“Food in Singapore is not that good,” according to a Straits Times writer. (Quoted from the text—headline plays down the criticism) www.straitstimes.com/opinion/sing...
79-year-old author of widely read book for Japanese learning English says he's been in Japan for more than 40 years and is still learning new Japanese words all the time. Me too.
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
大ヒット本「日本人の英語」 ピーターセンさんが語る現代の英語学習：朝日新聞
岩波新書に「日本人の英語」という本がある。昭和末期の刊行で、著者は米国出身でいまは明治大学名誉教授となったマーク・ピーターセンさん。日本人が陥りがちな英語の間違いをユーモラスに解説して、ベストセラー…
www.asahi.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:13 AM
79-year-old author of widely read book for Japanese learning English says he's been in Japan for more than 40 years and is still learning new Japanese words all the time. Me too.
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
www.asahi.com/articles/AST...
A big renovation project may lead to some interesting archeological finds at St. Mary’s Church in Lübeck where Dietrich Buxtehude once served as music director, says today’s Lübecker Nachrichten
December 21, 2025 at 5:38 AM
A big renovation project may lead to some interesting archeological finds at St. Mary’s Church in Lübeck where Dietrich Buxtehude once served as music director, says today’s Lübecker Nachrichten
Cliche alert: 一丁目一番地, referring to the 1-1 address at the center of a district (e.g. 1-1 Otemachi) as a metaphor for centrality, is now badly overused. Got a little nauseated reading a Nikkei reporter trotting it out yet again. Alternatives: 看板政策、目玉政策, 中心 etc.
December 20, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Cliche alert: 一丁目一番地, referring to the 1-1 address at the center of a district (e.g. 1-1 Otemachi) as a metaphor for centrality, is now badly overused. Got a little nauseated reading a Nikkei reporter trotting it out yet again. Alternatives: 看板政策、目玉政策, 中心 etc.
The stitching technique kagari-nui can be written 掛縫 but someone at Mazda incorrectly thought the reading of the characters was kakenui. Now this incorrect reading has been enshrined in their marketing and Americans think it is a real Japanese word.
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...
An SUV That Isn’t Built Like a McMansion
In a segment that favors immense proportions, the handsome Mazda CX-90 is betting that many drivers want something a little less gargantuan.
www.wsj.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:55 AM
The stitching technique kagari-nui can be written 掛縫 but someone at Mazda incorrectly thought the reading of the characters was kakenui. Now this incorrect reading has been enshrined in their marketing and Americans think it is a real Japanese word.
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/ca...
This makes me nostalgic because I used that bridge several times on my first visit to Japan in the late 1980s. Shinagawa's station then was a mere shack compared to today's and now the west exit, too, will be transformed. www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
品川駅西側2つの歩道橋撤去 巨大駅前広場と環状4号線、進む大改造 - 日本経済新聞
品川駅西口（高輪口）からJR高輪ゲートウェイ駅へと向かう国道15号（第一京浜）の上空を、巨大な駅前広場が覆い、幹線道路の環状4号が横断する――。品川駅前の風景をがらりと変える大改造が、2030年代以降の完成を視野に着実に進んでいる。25年11月16日未明、国道15号を横断する2カ所の歩道橋「品川駅前歩道橋」「高輪歩道橋」の撤去が同時に完了し、整備事業が一歩前進した。京急本線を地上化、品川駅の東西自...
www.nikkei.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:37 AM
This makes me nostalgic because I used that bridge several times on my first visit to Japan in the late 1980s. Shinagawa's station then was a mere shack compared to today's and now the west exit, too, will be transformed. www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...
“Menu” confusion: In Japanese and apparently Korean, the borrowed English word can mean “an item on the menu,” “a dish offered by a restaurant.” I doubt one in 100 Japanese would imagine it doesn’t have that meaning in American English. Encountered this issue twice today.
December 4, 2025 at 6:22 AM
“Menu” confusion: In Japanese and apparently Korean, the borrowed English word can mean “an item on the menu,” “a dish offered by a restaurant.” I doubt one in 100 Japanese would imagine it doesn’t have that meaning in American English. Encountered this issue twice today.
Reposted by Peter Landers
Intense competition pushes some brands to adapt to Chinese tastes and introduce lower prices—and use the country as an innovation hub to learn from.
China Used to Be a Cash Cow for Western Companies. Now It’s a Test Lab.
Competition has pushed some brands to adapt to Chinese taste and introduce lower prices—and use the country as an innovation hub.
on.wsj.com
November 30, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Intense competition pushes some brands to adapt to Chinese tastes and introduce lower prices—and use the country as an innovation hub to learn from.
At the 1885 house of spice merchant Tan Yeok Nee, newly restored and open to the public in Singapore. This carp serves as a gutter on a rainy day.
November 2, 2025 at 12:19 PM
At the 1885 house of spice merchant Tan Yeok Nee, newly restored and open to the public in Singapore. This carp serves as a gutter on a rainy day.
National Orchid Garden, Singapore
November 1, 2025 at 12:03 PM
National Orchid Garden, Singapore
Corporate jargon peeve of the day -- why would a company talk about increasing DPS? Of course the dividend is per share. You could just say "increase the dividend."
October 23, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Corporate jargon peeve of the day -- why would a company talk about increasing DPS? Of course the dividend is per share. You could just say "increase the dividend."
Not a perfect analogy by any means, but Ishin could turn into a kind of Japanese CSU to the LDP’s CDU, with Osaka substituting for Bavaria.
digital.asahi.com/articles/AST...
digital.asahi.com/articles/AST...
「高市自民」へ急旋回 維新の「悲願」へ水面下で交渉、連立協議へ：朝日新聞
自公の連立解消からわずか5日。自民党と日本維新の会の党首会談で、連立協議を16日から開始することが決まり、事態が急展開した。政権維持と政策実現で利害が一致した形だ。 党首会談は自民側の呼びかけで開か…
digital.asahi.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Not a perfect analogy by any means, but Ishin could turn into a kind of Japanese CSU to the LDP’s CDU, with Osaka substituting for Bavaria.
digital.asahi.com/articles/AST...
digital.asahi.com/articles/AST...