Toyota to start making EVs in Indonesia this year
TOMOYOSHI OSHIKIRI
JAKARTA -- Toyota Motor announced on Wednesday that it will begin producing electric vehicles in Indonesia this year, following several Chinese rivals into a country that last year introduced tax incentives for locally produced EVs.
Toyota intends to leverage its leading share in the country's auto market to aggressively expand its sales with the locally produced bZ4X SUV.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
12 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
China and EU: Differences over Economy, Security Stand Out
The European Union and China are both dealing with pressure from the high tariff policy adopted by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. It appears to have been shown once again that even under such circumstances, the two sides cannot always promote cooperation unconditionally by putting aside their differences on the economy and security. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, which is the EU's executive arm, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council — a position equivalent to president of the EU — visited Beijing and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials. The summit talks were initially scheduled to take place in Brussels, where the EU's headquarters are located. However, after China proposed that Premier Li Qiang attend the talks, von der Leyen reportedly requested a meeting with Xi and decided to visit China. The EU side appears to have considered it vital to have direct dialogue with Xi, who has concentrated all authority in his hands in today's China, in order to resolve various issues. 'As our cooperation has deepened, so have the imbalances. Rebalancing our bilateral relation is essential,' von der Leyen said during the meeting with Xi. Such remarks are meant to express the EU's frustration with some of China's actions, such as heightening economic coercion through trade. Specifically, the EU side expressed concerns over the influx into the EU of inexpensive electric vehicles manufactured with Chinese government subsidies, while also calling for abolishing export controls on rare earths that Beijing imposed in April. However, Xi said the challenges facing Europe do not come from China and criticized the EU for imposing additional tariffs on Chinese-made EVs. Regarding Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Costa urged Xi to use China's influence to press Moscow toward a ceasefire. The EU has been concerned that China has effectively supported the ongoing aggression through such acts as importing massive amounts of oil from Russia while exporting to the country materials that can be used for military purposes. In the past, the EU was less cautious toward China, which is geographically distant, and rather tended to regard it as an important economic partner. However, the EU has seen China seeking to expand its influence on Europe through its Belt and Road Initiative, a vision to create a vast economic zone, and witnessed the country aligning itself with Russia, the greatest threat to Europe. Given the situation, the EU's perception of China has grown increasingly harsh. Anticipating a prolonged confrontation with the United States, China has shown its willingness to improve relations with the EU, particularly by growing closer to Hungary and other forces, which have taken a noticeably conciliatory stance toward China and Russia. Such moves to disrupt EU unity in an apparent attempt to divide the bloc will only deepen the EU's distrust further. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 27, 2025)
Japan Today
13 hours ago
- Japan Today
Battling tariffs is no trivial pursuit for U.S. games retailer
Scott Serrato, 28, has noticed some price increases in the gaming industry but sees them as understandable for now By Beiyi SEOW At a strip mall in Maryland, a miniature landscape extends across a table between Dash Krempel and his friend as a war game unfolds. But their hobby is becoming more expensive as U.S. tariffs take a toll. Krempel, 29, told AFP the cost of models for tabletop games have surged from inflation, and continued rising since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners this year. UK-made figurines that cost $60 around three years ago now go for $94.50, he said. "Prices have gotten bigger," he added. "It's a very expensive hobby to begin with, so it's maybe pricing a lot of people out." Instead of buying more products, he now tries to support retailer Game Kastle College Park by renting tables to play in-store. For the shop's owner, Boyd Stephenson, stocking new board games, paints and hobby supplies has only become more challenging. To avoid the harshest of Trump's tariffs, some suppliers had to delay shipments or postpone new releases. As they raised their suggested retail prices, so has Stephenson at Game Kastle. About a fifth of his store's products have seen cost hikes, with increases ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent. "If we see higher prices or higher tariffs, I'm going to see higher wholesale prices, and then I have to raise my prices accordingly," he said. Asked what percentage of his store relies on imports, Stephenson replied: "Almost all of it." Stephenson estimates some 7,000 board games were released last year from 5,000 different companies. "You're really looking at 5,000 different approaches (to tariffs)," he said. "Some producers are saying, 'We're going to eat the cost.' Some producers are saying, 'We're passing the cost through all the way.' And other producers are doing some sort of mix of that." Like other U.S. retailers, Stephenson could face more cost pressures come August 1, when steeper tariffs are set to hit dozens of economies like the European Union and India. The elevated rates mark an increase from the 10 percent levy Trump imposed on goods from most economies in April. While China -- a crucial manufacturing hub for games -- is temporarily spared, Trump has separately imposed fresh 30 percent tariffs on products from the world's second biggest economy this year. US tariffs on Chinese products could return to higher levels from August 12 if officials fail to extend their truce. Yet, there is no quick fix to return manufacturing to the United States. "U.S. manufacturers just don't have the capacity to do that anymore," said Stephenson, showing an intricate board game figurine. "Really, the people that are good at that, that's China," he said. "The best modeling paints come from Spain." "So if you see tariffs get put up on the EU, then all of a sudden I'm going to have to pay higher prices on modeling paint when I bring it into the country," he added. Trump has threatened the bloc with a 30 percent tariff. Stephenson tries to absorb some cost hikes, but said: "I have to be able to pay the staff, pay the electric company, pay the landlord." Trump's on-again, off-again approach to duties has also made suppliers' price changes more unpredictable. "What is always universally bad for business is uncertainty," Stephenson said. He usually stocks up on inventory ahead of the year-end holiday season, but expects to be more strategic with purchases this year to avoid unwelcome surprises. Many companies are delaying merchandise imports as they lack certainty, said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation. "When the product is brought into the country and entered into commerce, you have 15 days to pay your tariff bill," he said. This causes problems when tariff rates change and businesses lack funds to pay for orders. Some businesses, and industry group the Game Manufacturers Association, have mounted legal challenges against Trump's blanket tariffs hitting various countries, noting nearly 80 percent of tabletop games sold in the U.S. are made abroad. But such complaints are an uphill battle. "The damage, especially for small retailers, has been significant," Gold said. © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
13 hours ago
- Japan Today
Urgent need for global approach on AI regulation: U.N. tech chief
A man works on the electronics of Jules, a humanoid robot from Hanson Robotics using AI, at the recent International Telecommunication Union AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva By Nina LARSON The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top tech chief said, warning that fragmentation could deepen risks and inequalities. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agency, told AFP she hoped that AI "can actually benefit humanity". But as concerns mount over the risks posed by the fast-moving technology -- including fears of mass job losses, the spread of deepfakes and disinformation, and society's fabric fraying -- she insisted that regulation was key. "There's an urgency to try to get... the right framework in place," she said, stressing the need for "a global approach". Her comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump last week unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy aimed at ensuring the United States stays ahead of China on AI. Among more than 90 proposals, Trump's plan calls for sweeping deregulation, with the administration promising to "remove red tape and onerous regulation" that could hinder private sector AI development. Asked if she had concerns about an approach that urges less, not more, regulation of AI technologies, Bogdan-Martin refrained from commenting, saying she was "still trying to digest" the U.S. plan. "I think there are different approaches," she said. "We have the EU approach. We have the Chinese approach. Now we're seeing the U.S. approach. I think what's needed is for those approaches to dialogue," she said. At the same time, she highlighted that "85 percent of countries don't yet have AI policies or strategies". A consistent theme among those strategies that do exist is the focus on innovation, capacity building and infrastructure investments, Bogdan-Martin said. "But where I think the debate still needs to happen at a global level is trying to figure out how much regulation, how little regulation, is needed," she said. Bogdan-Martin, who grew up in New Jersey and has spent most of her more than three-decade career at the ITU, insisted the Geneva-based telecoms agency that sets standards for new technologies was well-placed to help facilitate much-needed dialogue on the issue. "The need for a global approach I think is critical," she said, cautioning that "fragmented approaches will not help serve and reach all". As countries and companies sprint to cement their dominance in the booming sector, there are concerns that precautions could be thrown to the wind -- and that those who lose the race or do not have the capacity to participate will be left behind. The ITU chief hailed "mind-blowing" advances within artificial intelligence, with the potential to improve everything from education to agriculture to health care -- but insisted the benefits must be shared. Without a concerted effort, there is a risk that AI will end up standing for "advancing inequalities", she warned, cautioning against deepening an already dire digital divide worldwide. "We have 2.6 billion people that have no access to the internet, which means they have no access to artificial intelligence", Bogdan-Martin pointed out. "We have to tackle those divides if we're actually going to have something that is beneficial to all of humanity." Bogdan-Martin, the first woman to serve as ITU secretary-general in the organization's nearly 160-year history, also stressed the need to get more women into the digital space. "We have a huge gap," she said. "We definitely don't have enough women... in artificial intelligence." The 59-year-old mother of four said it was "a big honor" to be the first woman in her position, to be "breaking the glass ceiling (and) paving the path for future generations". But she acknowledged there was a lot of pressure, "not just to achieve, but to almost overachieve". Bogdan-Martin, who is being backed by the Trump administration to stand for re-election when her four-year mandate ends next year, said she was eager to stay on for a second term. "There is a lot to do." © 2025 AFP
