Panasonic Holdings Corporation

Three major copper-clad laminate producers have raised prices in succession, driving PCB-related stocks to strengthen against the market trend. At the end of August, Kingboard Laminates issued its seventh price increase letter this year, raising FR-4 copper-clad laminate prices by 10 percent across the board, adjusting prepreg prices by specification, and raising thin fabric prices by up to 20 percent. Panasonic then announced it would raise copper-clad laminate prices from September 1, with some products up by as much as 30 percent, and Nan Ya Plastics followed with increases of 20 to 25 percent. Boosted by this, Goldenmax International surged to its daily limit up, closing the morning session at 76.45 yuan, with more than 180,000 lots locked on the limit-up board, turnover exceeding 3.7 billion yuan, and a total market value of 55.6 billion yuan. Yihao New Materials rose by the 20 percent daily limit, GD-Goworld posted a strong run of two limit-up moves in four sessions, and Sihui Fushi, Sdic, and Wanyuan Tong rose more than 10 percent, while China Jushi and Founder Technology also advanced. According to a China Securities Journal report on September 9, several electronic fabric companies and downstream copper-clad laminate producers said the market has shown relatively good acceptance of the new round of price increases, that electronic fabric supply is somewhat tight, and that leading companies are actively expanding capacity, with new projects expected to come on stream this year and next, at which point price trends will need further market confirmation.

The Board of Investment (BOI) has revealed that Japan remains a key investment partner for Thailand. In 2025, Japanese investors applied for investment promotion for 302 projects with a total value exceeding 113.7 billion baht, more than doubling from the previous year. In the first half of 2026, there were 123 projects worth 32.79 billion baht, reflecting that Thailand remains an important investment base for Japan, particularly for investments aimed at upgrading technology and increasing production efficiency to support the transition of global industries. BOI Secretary-General Narit Therdsteerasukdi stated that Japanese investment is entering a new cycle, building on existing production bases to develop high-value products. For instance, Isuzu is investing over 15 billion baht to upgrade its pickup truck production base, Mazda is investing 7.4 billion baht to produce new hybrid models, Mitsubishi has announced an additional investment of 16 billion baht by 2030, and Honda plans to invest 12 billion baht by 2029 to produce two new car models. This makes Thailand the only country outside Japan to produce a total of eight car models. Meanwhile, the automotive supply chain is shifting towards EV and hybrid components, such as Astemo investing 3.5 billion baht to produce PCU inverters and Aisin investing in hybrid transmission systems. The electronics sector is also expanding into advanced components, with Murata producing MLCCs and Panasonic producing upstream materials for circuit boards. The new factory will be the first production base for MEGTRON materials in ASEAN to support AI. Additionally, there are investments in aviation and agri-food, such as NMB-Minebea investing over 2.6 billion baht to open an aircraft parts factory in Lopburi, and Toyo Saikan investing 2.47 billion baht to produce plant-based beverages. A survey by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce (JCC) indicates that 23% of Japanese companies plan to increase their investment in Thailand in 2026, while 48% will maintain their current investment levels. The BOI also supports the establishment of regional offices in Thailand, with over 40% currently coming from Japan.

Face recognition 'face pass' services are gradually expanding at station ticket gates, supermarket payments, and baseball games. Trial Holdings has introduced a payment service using NEC's face recognition technology at 15 stores in Tokyo and Fukuoka Prefecture, and at Yomiuri Giants games at Tokyo Dome, face pass entry and hands-free payment at some shops using Panasonic Connect technology have become possible. Hitachi and Tobu Railway have introduced face recognition ticket gates at Ikebukuro Station on the Tobu Tojo Line and plan to make them usable for payments at nearby commercial facilities. Panasonic Connect evangelist Kunio Furuta expects the face recognition market to grow from 55.7 billion yen last year to around 130 billion yen by 2030. Meanwhile, the ID Authentication Technology Promotion Association has pointed out concerns about tracking user behavior and is urging businesses to operate carefully to avoid privacy violations.

A new CSIL study reports that lighting fixture production in Asia and the Pacific now exceeds $58 billion, driven by urban construction, energy-efficiency mandates, and rapid adoption of connected LED systems. The 244-page report highlights Havells India's 18.9% revenue surge to ₹6,572 crore, Beacon Lighting Group's record A$176.3 million first-half sales, and ongoing smart lighting expansions from Signify, Opple Lighting, and Panasonic Lighting. China remains the region's largest producer, followed by Japan and India, with exports representing about half of total production and North America as the leading destination. The study covers 13 markets, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, and provides forecasts through 2027 across residential, professional, and outdoor applications.

Tesla registered roughly 12,000 vehicles in Japan in the first six months of this year, more than doubling its 2025 full-year total of over 10,000. June registrations jumped 183.7% year over year to 3,997 vehicles, making Tesla Japan's second-best-selling imported brand for the month behind Mercedes-Benz and ahead of BMW. To keep up with demand, Tesla plans to increase its delivery sites in Japan by 60% this year, from seven to 11, adding locations in Yokohama, Kobe, the Greater Tokyo Area, and Nagoya. The company also added Mikawa Port in Aichi prefecture as a second import entry point, roughly doubling annual import capacity to about 48,000 vehicles. Japan's revised EV subsidy framework, which emphasizes supply-chain security and V2X capability, favors Tesla due to its Panasonic battery cells and bidirectional charging support, while reducing incentives for Chinese EV makers like BYD.

Panasonic Holdings reported a 2.1-fold increase in first-quarter operating profit to 182.5 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2027, and raised its full-year earnings forecast. The full-year operating profit outlook was lifted from 550 billion yen to 590 billion yen, while net profit was raised from 420 billion yen to 450 billion yen. Following the announcement, shares closed at 4,284 yen on July 31, up about 20 percent from the previous day. The first-quarter profit growth was driven by business-to-business operations including the energy segment, which covers automotive batteries, and the industrial segment for factory automation, while the connect segment, which posted an operating loss in the previous year, also returned to profitability.

The Nikkei 225 surged, closing up 4.03% from the previous trading day at 64,362.02. Strong earnings from AI and semiconductor stocks, along with gains in major shares, lifted the index, which at one point rose 5.65% to 65,364.73. The Bank of Japan decided to keep its policy rate unchanged at its monetary policy meeting, passing without surprise as expected by the market. Among individual stocks, Tokyo Electron and Oriental Land jumped sharply, Panasonic Holdings ended at a bid price near its daily limit up, and Advantest and SoftBank Group also posted significant gains. The TOPIX rose 1.29% to 4,003.30 points, and trading value on the Prime Market was 10.106984 trillion yen.

Panasonic Holdings Corp. reported a first-quarter net profit of 135.17 billion yen, an 89.2% jump from a year earlier, driven by higher sales. Operating profit more than doubled to 182.46 billion yen, while revenue grew 6.4% to 2.02 trillion yen. For the fiscal year ending March 2027, the company raised its net profit forecast to 450 billion yen and operating profit to 590 billion yen, up from prior guidance of 420 billion yen and 550 billion yen respectively. The full-year net sales outlook was also revised higher to 7.80 trillion yen, a 3.1% decline from the prior year, compared with the earlier projection of a 5.6% drop to 7.60 trillion yen. Shares in Tokyo closed 2.2% higher at 3,584.00 yen.

Elon Musk publicly endorsed Micron Technology, saying the memory chipmaker provided Tesla with a significant allocation of memory chips on reasonable terms despite an industry-wide supply crunch. Speaking during Tesla's earnings call, Musk said the allocation will support Tesla's expanding AI ambitions, including Optimus humanoid robots and robotaxi development. Micron is one of the world's largest producers of DRAM and NAND memory chips, and tight memory supply has become a key bottleneck as AI infrastructure spending accelerates. Musk also said Tesla has ordered equipment for a development chip fabrication plant and praised suppliers including TSMC, Samsung, and Panasonic for investing billions of dollars to expand AI computing and battery manufacturing capacity.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang met with executives from several Japanese suppliers at a Tokyo izakaya, signaling the company's deepening reliance on Japan's industrial base for its AI expansion. The gathering included Kioxia Holdings, Shin-Etsu Chemical, Tokyo Electron, Ajinomoto, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Taiyo Yuden, Panasonic Holdings, and Nitto Boseki, spanning flash memory, silicon wafers, manufacturing equipment, chip-packaging film, fiber-optic cables, capacitors, and ultra-thin glass cloth. Huang stated that Japan provides foundational technologies for semiconductor manufacturing, and Tokyo Electron's CEO noted NVIDIA has substantial expectations for the Japanese supply chain. The meeting underscores the critical role of these specialized suppliers as NVIDIA, valued at more than $5.1 trillion, scales its AI infrastructure.

On July 8, multiple research firms maintained their top investment ratings on 13 stocks and raised their target prices. Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities raised its target price for Kumagai Gumi from 2,200 yen to 2,250 yen, for Penta-Ocean Construction from 2,400 yen to 2,500 yen, and for Infroneer Holdings from 2,850 yen to 3,150 yen, maintaining bullish ratings on all three. Goldman Sachs raised its target price for Sumitomo Electric Industries from 3,125 yen to 3,400 yen, for Hitachi from 6,100 yen to 6,300 yen, for Mitsubishi Electric from 7,000 yen to 7,400 yen, for Panasonic Holdings from 4,220 yen to 5,000 yen, and for Anritsu from 4,700 yen to 5,300 yen, maintaining buy ratings. Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory raised its target price for NHK Spring from 3,060 yen to 4,480 yen, and for MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings from 6,000 yen to 6,100 yen, maintaining bullish ratings. Nomura Securities raised its target price for As One from 3,400 yen to 3,500 yen, and for Pilot Corporation from 1,867 yen to 1,950 yen, maintaining buy ratings. Nikko Securities raised its target price for Chubu Electric Power from 3,000 yen to 3,500 yen, maintaining a bullish rating.

Panasonic is seeking to localise its U.S. supply chain for energy storage systems as it prepares to produce battery cells at a plant in Kansas for data centres, CEO Yuki Kusumi said on Tuesday. The company plans to begin mass production of battery cells for data centres at the Kansas plant of its energy unit, which also makes batteries for Tesla, in the financial year ending March 2029. Kusumi said Panasonic does not plan to make lithium iron phosphate batteries, as they are less suited to its focus on distributed systems that smooth peak power demand at individual servers. He added that Panasonic was not struggling to secure supplies from China, even as Beijing added 20 Japanese firms to a dual-use export control list this week, though Panasonic was not among those targeted.

The Nikkei 225 may hand back some of Thursday's sharp gains on Friday amid weak global cues. The index skyrocketed 3,191.38 points or 4.61 percent to finish at 72,366.34, snapping a two-day slide that had tumbled almost 3,200 points or 4.2 percent. Gains were led by financial shares, automobile producers and technology stocks, with Softbank Group surging 7.90 percent and Panasonic Holdings soaring 3.50 percent. The lead from Wall Street is soft as the major averages ended mixed, with the Dow adding 71.72 points or 0.14 percent while the NASDAQ slumped 118.03 points or 0.46 percent. Investors digested data showing the core PCE price index moved further above the Federal Reserve's target, new orders dropped more than expected, and GDP slowed in the first quarter. Crude oil prices jumped on supply disruption threats after a projectile hit a cargo ship near Oman across the Strait of Hormuz, with West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery up 1.49 dollars or 2.12 percent at 71.83 dollars per barrel.

The Fourth China International Supply Chain Expo has opened its Healthy Life Chain section, drawing more than 100 leading companies across Medical Technology, Quality Living, and Heritage Wellness zones. Global players GE Healthcare and Siemens Healthineers are demonstrating full China-for-China R&D and manufacturing capabilities, while AstraZeneca features an AI-powered drug discovery platform. Chinese innovators including BGI with a human genome foundation model and Longwood Valley with a domestically produced orthopedic surgical robot are also taking center stage. In consumer health, Procter & Gamble, L'Oréal, Panasonic, and Starbucks are showcasing digital intelligence and sustainability in their supply chains, with Starbucks connecting directly to Yunnan coffee farms for full traceability. Chinese TCM brands such as Guangzhou Phar. Holdings, Xin Bao Tang, and Zhendong Pharmaceutical are accelerating global expansion and vertical integration of authentic herb supply chains, alongside AI-driven diagnostic tools like smart pulse-taking devices.