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Nissin Foods Holdings, one of the world’s largest instant noodle makers, plans to invest “many hundreds of millions of dollars” in the next several years for expansion in Japan and elsewhere, according to its chief executive officer. Nissin Foods expects continued demand for cheap precooked noodles even as the industry works to shed its image of being an unhealthy staple, President and CEO Koki Ando said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Instant Noodles Association summit in Manila on Wednesday. “We are planning to increase our investments,” said Ando, who also heads the association. The Tokyo-based company expects to boost capital expenditure up until 2030, devoting “many hundreds of millions of dollars” in Japan and other countries, Ando added. Instant noodles, originally from Japan and now a global staple, are undergoing a change as producers create healthier variations of the meal. They aim to revive interest in the product after consumption dropped in 2023 for the first time in four years. That followed a 14% increase between 2019 and 2022. Global consumption of instant noodles dipped nearly 1% to 120.2 billion servings in 2023, based on the latest industry data. Last year’s number “slightly exceeded” 2023, Ando said, adding that the industry group sees at least 120 billion servings this year. Demand grew during the COVID-19 pandemic with families holed up in homes. But consumption eased in 2023 as economies reopened and noodle prices rose in many countries, he said. China, Indonesia and India are the world’s top instant noodle markets. Nissin Foods reduced salt in its Udon noodle by a third between 2005 to 2024, company data shows. It also launched products fortified with various nutrients, such as protein, vitamins and minerals. Source link

Osaka University researchers said Wednesday that they have developed a method to test for pancreatic cancer with pancreatic cells or DNA collected through a modified catheter during gastric examinations. Professor Shinichi Yachida of Osaka University’s Graduate School of Medicine and his colleagues said that the effectiveness of the method has been confirmed through special clinical research mainly on patients. If put into practical use, the method would make it easier to detect pancreatic cancer early, which is often very difficult. Source link

The Tokyo High Court basically upheld Wednesday a lower court ruling ordering the government to pay damages to residents in Ibaraki Prefecture hit by the 2015 Kinugawa river flooding. In the lawsuit, residents in flooded areas along the river claimed that the government’s inadequate river management caused the vast disaster, seeking damages totaling about ¥220 million. Yasushi Nakamura, the high court’s presiding judge, determined that the government is partially held responsible and ordered the payment of some ¥28 million in damages to the plaintiffs, down from about ¥39 million ordered by Mito District Court. Tracing the district court’s ruling, Nakamura acknowledged that water overflowed from the river in the Wakamiyado and Kamimisaka districts of the city of Joso, in Ibaraki Prefecture, on Sept. 10, 2015, due to torrential rain caused by a typhoon, and flooded a wide area. The judge pointed out that the Wakamiyado flood damage should be attributed to the government’s failure to protect a dune that was acting as a natural embankment from being excavated in a private-sector development project. But he reduced the compensation order after reevaluating damage to household chattels. As for the Kamimisaka district, Nakamura brushed aside the plaintiffs’ claim that the government should take the blame for delaying its levee-raising work, saying, “Nothing particularly unreasonable was found in the levee renovation program.” “I feel like we’re losers because the high court’s ruling is worse than the district court’s,” Kazumi Katakura, co-lead plaintiff, told reporters after the ruling, expressing intention to appeal to the Supreme Court. An infrastructure ministry official in charge of the lawsuit said the ministry will appropriately respond to the latest court decision after consulting with other parties concerned. Source link

ON BOARD A PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT PLANE – “You’re flying too close,” the Philippine pilot warned over the radio, as a Chinese military helicopter edged to within 3 meters of a Philippine government plane on patrol over the flash point Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. The Feb. 18 incident, witnessed by The Japan Times from aboard a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft, was one of the countries’ closest encounters ever in the skies above the disputed waterway — and one that could well have ended in disaster. “You’re conducting dangerous maneuvers that endanger the lives of our crew and passengers,” the pilot went on to say, calling on the Z-9 chopper — deployed from a nearby People’s Liberation Army Navy warship — to “keep a safe distance.” Source link

About 70% of foreign nationals in Japan have been subjected to police questioning on the streets in the past five years — nearly six times more than Japanese — a survey released by lawyers in a racial profiling case showed Wednesday. It is the first time a survey has been conducted to compare police questioning between foreign nationals and Japanese, lawyer Motoki Taniguchi said in a news conference. The lawyers plan to submit the results as evidence for the court in an ongoing civil case between the plaintiffs — a foreign-born naturalized citizen and two foreign residents — who allege they were racially profiled by police, and the central and local governments. Source link

Negotiations within the consortium proposing a ¥9 trillion ($60 billion) management buyout of Seven & I Holdings have stalled over disagreements on who will control the 7-Eleven operator after it is taken private, people familiar with the matter have said. The founding Ito family and Itochu have yet to reach consensus on the composition of the board of the post-buyout entity, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The Nikkei newspaper reported that Itochu was set to pull out of the deal. Talks are ongoing and may still yield a breakthrough. But if the buyout proposal fails to materialize, Seven & I CEO Ryuichi Isaka may have little choice but to enter negotiations with Circle-K operator Alimentation Couche-Tard, which has proposed to take over the Japanese retailer at a valuation closer to $47 billion. Source link

Railway operators in Japan will restrict certain hazardous materials from being carried on board as part of a move to bolster security ahead of the 2025 Osaka Expo. The Japan Private Railway Association, a group of 73 operators, and six JR companies plan to expand the list of restricted items to include materials such as flammable liquids, high-pressure gases, explosives, poisons and pesticides, the transport ministry said Tuesday. The ministry ordered all railway companies to revise their anti-terrorism guidelines and ban hazardous chemicals that are currently allowed to be brought on board under certain conditions. Source link

Glasgow – Daizen Maeda scored twice as Celtic bounced back from a rare Scottish Premiership defeat to thrash third-placed Aberdeen 5-1 on Wednesday. Jota, Callum McGregor and Yang Hyun-jun were also on target for Brendan Rodgers’ men, who surged 16 points clear of Rangers. Celtic had suffered just a second league defeat of the season at Hibernian on Saturday, just days after a dramatic late Champions League exit to Bayern Munich. Normal service was resumed at Celtic Park with Maeda taking his tally for an impressive season to 25 goals. “It’s one of the great traits of this team, that resilience they have to bounce back when we slip,” said Rodgers. “The response has been very, very good. That’s a mark of the mentality of the team.” Maeda was restored as Rodgers’ central striker in three changes to the side that started in Edinburgh at the weekend. After a bright start from Aberdeen, the Japan international opened the floodgates with a composed finish from close range. Jota slotted in the second after a one-two with Arne Engels before captain McGregor added a third before halftime. Substitutes Luke McCowan and Yang combined for the South Korean to slot in the fourth 18 minutes from time. Shayden Morris pulled a goal back for the Dons as Celtic conceded at home in the league for the first time since Aberdeen’s last visit in October. But Maeda had the final say by rounding off the scoring with a tap in from Alistair Johnston’s teasing cross. “He is a wonderful example for our team, the work ethic, mentality, humility within it and when he plays wide or central, he scores for us,” added Rodgers on Maeda. Source link

Japanese comedian Teruyoshi Uchimura and television announcer Asami Miura topped the list of ideal male bosses and that of female bosses, respectively, for the ninth consecutive year, a survey by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance showed Wednesday. In the survey, respondents who are starting their careers this spring said that Uchimura and Miura look “approachable” and “gentle.” In the male category, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, who achieved over 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases last season, ranked second for the second straight year. In the female category, comedian Asako Ito moved up to second place from third. Meanwhile, shogi champion Sota Fujii topped the list of ideal male new employees chosen by respondents in their 30s to 50s, and actor Mana Ashida topped the female list. The survey also showed that 51.5% of respondents who are starting their careers said that it is not necessary to communicate with bosses outside of work, with over 70% of respondents in their 20s to 50s saying the same. The survey was conducted online from Jan. 10 to 20, covering 1,000 students and 880 working adults across Japan. Source link

WASHINGTON – Federal workers faced fresh uncertainty about their futures on Tuesday after Elon Musk gave them “another chance” to respond to his ultimatum that they justify their jobs or risk termination, contradicting guidance from some Trump administration officials that the request was voluntary. The confusing back-and-forth has rippled through the federal bureaucracy, with some agencies instructing workers to comply and others not. It has become a test of how much power Musk wields over the government’s operations as he pursues an unprecedented cost-cutting campaign with President Donald Trump’s backing. Twenty-one workers resigned from his “Department of Government Efficiency” in protest on Tuesday, saying they refused to aid the downsizing effort. Source link