Food & Beverage

Sapporo has a holding in Yebisu Garden Palace, but the fund is questioning the synergy between Sapporo's alcoholic beverage and real estate businesses.
Food & Beverage

Singapore-based fund pressures Sapporo on management reform

3D wants Japanese brewer's outside directors to be more involved in oversight

7 November 2022
About 70% of the customers at the first CoCo Ichibanya restaurant in India are Indians, say the Japanese partners who operate the business. (Photo courtesy of Ichibanya)
Food & Beverage

Japanese-style curry chain ups ante in India

Mitsui & Co., Ichibanya launch second restaurant, new menu items

3 November 2022
Seijo Ishii will test the global waters with a two-week pop-up shop in Singapore. (Rendering courtesy of Seijo Ishii)
Retail

Japan upscale retailer Seijo Ishii heads to Singapore for pop-up debut

Supermarket operator to test products and bolster brand in first overseas foray

31 October 2022
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida explains his anti-inflation package on Oct. 28. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) 
Inflation

Japan unveils $200bn package to combat highest inflation in decades

Tokyo consumer prices up 3.4%; Kishida calls rapid forex fluctuations 'undesirable'

28 October 2022
CP Group's chicken processing plant in Vietnam is the largest in Southeast Asia. 
Food & Beverage

CP Group's chicken plant in Vietnam starts shipping to Japan

Thai company eyes exports to 10 nations from Southeast Asia's largest facility

26 October 2022
Lekh Raj Juneja, chief executive of Kameda Seika says growing awareness of the environment and animal welfare offers growth opportunities for the food maker. (Photo by Rurika Imahashi)
Companies

Japan snack maker Kameda Seika to ride gluten-free trend

Indian-born CEO Lekh Raj Juneja stresses 'power of rice' to grow overseas

25 October 2022
A palm oil plantation in Indonesia. Kao plans to introduce a grievance mechanism initially for 50 farmers in the country to report on suspected human rights abuses. (Photo courtesy of Kao)
Business trends

Japan consumer goods sector buys into sustainable procurement

Kao, UCC among companies examining human rights and other supply chain issues

24 October 2022
A GrabKitchen site in Singapore. (Photo by Kentaro Iwamoto)
DealStreetAsia

Grab to close cloud kitchen services in Indonesia

Company says 'tough step' will help ensure 'continuity' of its other businesses

24 October 2022
A Jollibee fast-food restaurant in New York. The company is focusing on increasing its footprint in North America and China. (Photo courtesy of Jollibee Foods)
Companies

Asian fast-food giant Jollibee eyes doubling sales in 5 years

CEO unveils post-pandemic plan that includes M&As in recent interview

21 October 2022
Japanese government data shows real wages falling and consumers cutting back on spending.
Inflation

Japan's food inflation soars to 31-year high, cutting consumption

Prices rise for 90% of products amid wave of hikes by producers: Nikkei data

21 October 2022
A Mixue Bingcheng shop in Shanghai. The chain has grown by fielding low-cost, takeout-only locations. (Photo by Noriyuki Doi)
Food & Beverage

$1 bubble teas fuel Chinese drink chain Mixue's rise to the top

With over 21,000 shops, market leader brews IPO plan and overseas expansion

20 October 2022
Gopizza currently has 60 outlets across South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Hong Kong.(Screenshot from Gopizza Facebook page)
DealStreetAsia

South Korea pizza chain raises $25m for bigger slice of India market

Gopizza wants 100 stores in India by 2023, up from 15 now

18 October 2022
Kappa Create announced the resignation of its president over allegations that he had illegally accessed sensitive business information of a rival company.  (Photo by Nikkei)
Food & Beverage

Japan's sushi operations scandal undermines industry reputation

Low-cost chains struggle to hold down prices against inflation and weak yen

17 October 2022
A demonstration kitchen at IFF's Singapore base. (Photo courtesy of Business Wire)
Food & Beverage

Singapore hosts huge R&D center for U.S. food additive giant IFF

Maker of flavors and scents aims to taste success amid region's economic growth

15 October 2022
Okinawan officials are promoting Naha Airport as an international freight hub for Asia.
Transportation

Seafood, other Okinawa exports to catch resumed flights to Taiwan

Logistics group Yamato will use cargo holds on China Airlines planes for airfreight

14 October 2022
Drought conditions have caused Mississippi River water levels to drop, triggering barge draft restrictions.
Inflation

Food inflation worries reignite as U.S. barge prices hit new highs

Surging fertilizer costs add to hunger threat in emerging nations

14 October 2022
Kura Sushi's global flagship location in Osaka is designed to attract foreign customers. (Photo by Tatsuya Yoshida)
Food & Beverage

Japan's Kura Sushi plans New York location in expansion abroad

Chain targets $1bn in overseas sales by 2030 as weak yen hits earnings at home

12 October 2022
Sushi Oribe Master chef Naoya Kawasaki says chefs are asked to "be more entertaining" in Malaysia. (Photo courtesy of Sushi Oribe)
Food & Beverage

Now hiring: sushi chefs lured out of Japan by higher wages

Growing popularity of Japanese food pushes restaurant job offers up drastically

8 October 2022
Stream article image
Life

An insider's guide to Tokyo's Koreatown

Where to shop and eat in Shin-Okubo, one of the city's buzziest districts

8 October 2022
J.M. Xu, 29, of Hong Kong has built up a collection of about 2,000 bottles of rare Japanese whisky. (Courtesy of J.M. Xu)
Life

Japanese whisky reaches new heights ahead of centenary

Rare bottles fetch record prices as pandemic draws young Asian buyers

7 October 2022
Stream article image
Life

Where to feast on Japan's regional flavors -- without leaving Tokyo

Let the capital take you on a culinary journey around the nation

6 October 2022
A supermarket seafood counter in Bangkok. Thailand's shrimp supply has suffered so much that the government greenlit imports in August. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)
Food & Beverage

Thai shrimp output plunges by half from peak as disease spreads

World's former top exporter greenlights emergency imports to meet demand at home

6 October 2022
NH Foods says a new method of making cultivated meat may reduce production costs. (Photo courtesy of NH Foods)
Food & Beverage

Lab-grown meat: Japan's NH Foods finds way to cut production costs

Discovery may slash production costs to 1/20th, company says

5 October 2022
McDonald's has tested wooden utensils and paper straws at some locations in Japan since February. (Photo by Yuhei Kambe)
Food & Beverage

McDonald's switches to paper straws, wooden utensils across Japan

Hamburger chain's shift to eliminate 900 tonnes of plastic waste annually

4 October 2022
Jollibee is looking to expand Tim Ho Wan, the Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant chain, in China by opening a further 100 shops in the next four years. (Source photos by Cliff Venzon and Getty Images)
Food & Beverage

Jollibee cooks up Tim Ho Wan expansion in China despite COVID hit

Philippine fast food operator aims for 100 dim sum shops on mainland in 4 years

28 September 2022