Environment
Japan Inc. plays catch up in scramble to bioplastics
ESG investor pressure prods businesses to slash waste and reuse materials
Materials
Nikkei Markets
Asian stocks jump as Trump comments fuel hopes of trade deal
Chinese companies contribute the most to A300 index's gains
Markets
Nobel boost: Battery stocks surge following Yoshino win
Asahi Kasei and Tanaka Chemical ride laureate's coattails to gains
Business deals
Australia's Orora to sell fiber arm for $1.2bn to Nippon Paper
Shareholders to receive bulk of sale's proceeds; stock soars 20%
Technology
Nobel laureate Yoshino created the rechargeable world we live in
Chance encounter with Oxford scholar's paper led to discovery of lithium-ion battery
Science
Japan's Yoshino wins Nobel for lithium-ion battery breakthrough
Light but powerful cells fuel modern tech revolution and support renewables
Business trends
Thai food companies fund police on national border to stop swine fever
Desperate move by CP, Betagro, Thai Food will set up checkpoints to protect $3.3bn industry
Companies
Nippon Steel's alloy steel plants closure to last for extended period
Toyota and Bridgestone already start sourcing autoparts materials from other suppliers
Business deals
Trade war sparks $650m Sumitomo Chemical deal in South America
Japanese company to buy Australian agrichemical peer's soybean-focused assets
Economy
Japanese companies rush to raise short-term funds at negative rates
Commercial paper gains popularity as banks cope with BOJ's subzero policy
