Toyota to raise US auto prices by more than $200 from July, Bloomberg News reports

Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp will raise prices of some vehicles it sells in the U.S. by more than $200 from July, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.
Some Toyota- and Lexus-branded models will have their prices increased by an average of $270 and $208, respectively, the report said, citing Nobu Sunaga, a spokesman for the company.

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3 hours ago

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I started using corporate lingo ironically – and now I can't stop

I nodded as a coworker listed out a few suggestions on ways her team and mine could collaborate in the next few months. 'Yeah, that sounds like a good way to synergise,' I said. And then we both made a face. Almost a decade ago, when I started my first official 'office job', I made a silent vow to myself that I would never become One of Those. A corporate drone on autopilot, mindlessly regurgitating buzzwords and key phrases day in and day out to no real end until I would one day reach my final form: a glorified LinkedIn bot. I didn't really 'use' corporate lingo so much as make fun of it – in a good-natured, tongue-in-cheek sort of way. It was a quick fix for lightening the mood for everybody, myself included: 'Well, since that project fell through, guess that's one less loop to close, huh?' But these days, I find myself starting to slip into corporate lingo unironically, the same way I started doing years ago with skinny jeans, emojis, and the acronym 'LOL'. LINGO LIMBO More people are expressing annoyance or frustration with it these days, especially on social media, but make no mistake – corporate lingo is nothing new. From the 'value chains' of the 1980s and 1990s to the 'key performance indicators' you hear your own manager wax on about today, such jargon has long been a mainstay of working life. Like with most things that eventually trigger widespread discussions and accusations online of being 'annoying' or 'cringe', there's a legitimately useful element to corporate lingo's villain origin story. Business and work have grown more complex over the last few decades. Thanks to globalisation, the systems we operate in have become more interconnected and as a result, more expansive and intricate. So have the individual roles we play in those systems. We started needing quicker, simpler ways to sum up big or complicated ideas – or ideas that weren't that big or complicated, but were just a mouthful to say. After all, it's definitely easier to say 'outsourcing' than 'farming this out to a peripheral individual, group or organisation so I have more time and energy to focus on more important things'. But over time, something happened to corporate lingo: People started creating buzzwords and phrases for things and situations that didn't seem to require it at all. We stopped postponing or revisiting discussions of an issue and started 'circling back' instead. We eschewed talking to each other and started 'touching base' instead. And then people started 'checking in', but not just any checks, mind you. Temperature checks. Sense checks. Vibe checks. Instead of coining new terms to neatly condense big, complicated ideas, we now seem to be finding overly complex ways to phrase very simple things. WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL Again, it's not a bad thing to develop lingo over the course of engaging with other fellow humans in labour. Well before we became office dwellers, plenty of colloquialisms from agricultural work had been leaving the farm to become part of everyday English. For example, "No reason to have a cow about that" or "beat a dead horse". Such jargon of yore does the work it's meant to do, which is to replace a wordy sentiment or thought process with a bite-sized turn of phrase. In comparison, what exactly does the phrase 'moving the needle' accomplish, particularly when in most cases, you immediately have to go on to explain exactly what needle you're hoping to move and in which direction? (Yes, we've done it, we've made shop-talk more efficient – all we had to do was transform our seven-word statement into a 15-word run-on behemoth.) The danger is when we're more concerned about communication for communication's sake, rather than the purposes and objectives for which we're communicating. Are we trying to be in the know, or simply appear so to others? Are we really achieving or improving productivity, or just performing it? MAKE WORK JARGON WORK AGAIN Either way, corporate lingo is here to stay. The exact words and phrases in rotation may come and go, but humans will always want to find a way to jazz up interpersonal communication simply because we're creative, social beings. So is there a way to salvage this? (Or, for the corporate jargon-heads out there: What are the actionable insights and key takeaways to be derived from this?) For my part, I still find myself resisting what I feel are inorganic attempts to shoehorn unnecessary lingo into conversations about work, but I'm trying not to be pedantic about it. If someone says 'Can we align or bridge the gap on this?', I respond, 'Sure, what's unclear right now?' If someone says 'Can I get a sense check on when this might be completed?', I give them a date. (But maybe I'll also have a little rant to a fellow coworker later on about why the question can't simply be 'When will this be done?') Instead of the snark I used to deploy perhaps a little too freely in response to cringey corporate jargon, I try to reach for the same attitude I employ whenever I'm speaking with someone who may not be entirely fluent in English – if I understand what they're saying, maybe how they're saying it doesn't have to matter as much. Still, at the end of the day, there's never any harm in asking, plain and simple: 'What do you mean?'

CNA

4 hours ago

• CNA

Gaia Series 91: Business Hotel Wars - Assassins from different industries

From heritage sweets to hospitality success, local disruptors and industry titans wage a stylish, sauna-filled war in Japan's fiercely competitive business hotel arena. In the ever-shifting landscape of Japan's hospitality industry, where bullet train stops double as commercial goldmines, a new breed of business hotels is rewriting the rules of the game. This week's episode of Japan Hour delves into the high-stakes battlegrounds of Takasaki and Sapporo, chronicling how independent players and retail giants are taking on established titans like APA Hotel, Toyoko Inn and Marriott with flair, resilience and a distinct local touch. In Takasaki, a pivotal hub in Northern Kanto, the space directly in front of the train station is ground zero for a clash of hospitality heavyweights. Here, APA Hotel and Toyoko Inn stare each other down, while Dormy Inn, a favourite for customer satisfaction, quietly builds its own loyal base. Amidst these giants stands a surprising victor: Coco Grand Takasaki, a business hotel that has managed to surpass its heavyweight rivals in both prestige and popularity. Guest reviews are effusive. 'This hotel might match Dormy Inn or even be slightly better,' one customer says. With room rates starting at ¥14,000 (S$120), Coco Grand offers more than just a place to sleep. Guests flock not just for rest, but for rejuvenation. The in-house sauna, about twice the size of typical hotel offerings, is a major draw. Lavish rooms, an open-air bath and even a mini pool lend the hotel an indulgent atmosphere, crafted with intention. That intention is no accident. Behind Coco Grand's design is architect Yoshihiro Kuwahara, known for his bold work in a vastly different category: The 'love hotel'. He applied the same principles to Coco Grand, aiming to create 'dreamy spaces that let guests forget their daily lives.' As he puts it, 'If you create something like that, they'll turn up. And they'll come back again.' Adding to the intrigue is the hotel's backstory. Its parent company, Kimoto Seika, began life not in hospitality, but in confectionery. Known for its Western-style sweets and a legacy spanning over seven decades, the company pivoted into the hotel business in 2008 with the hope of reviving Takasaki. 'Running a hotel has also unexpectedly improved staff perks,' says Director Takamaru Kimoto, noting that even their factory's break room features furniture of hotel quality. However, success is never static. APA Hotel is planning to erect a new facility mere steps away. As major chains prepare their counterattacks, the competition intensifies and Takasaki's quiet disruptor will once again have to defend its crown. If Takasaki is a turf war, then Sapporo is a seismic shift. Here, the story follows Belluna, Japan's largest mail-order company, and its audacious leap into hospitality. Known for its catalogue empire targeting women in their 60s and 70s, Belluna's pivot into hotels is part of a larger survival strategy amidst rising printing and paper costs. President Kiyoshi Yasuno, 80, is no stranger to disruption. With more than 3,800 employees and ¥208 billion in annual sales, his decision to invest ¥10 billion in building a towering 26-storey, 605-room hotel in Sapporo speaks volumes. 'Every product has the right timing to sell,' he says, a philosophy that now applies to room bookings rather than blouses. The hotel's new manager, 34-year-old Kazuki Okamura, is thrust into a whirlwind of pressure and expectations. 'There were times I thought I might not be able to fulfil what was entrusted to me,' he admits candidly. But deliver he does, even when the hotel's opening is abruptly brought forward by more than a month. Short on towels, linen and staff, Okamura hand-delivers pleas for early delivery and helps lug mattresses himself. His perseverance pays off. On March 1, the SAPPORO HOTEL by GRANBELL opens, with room rates starting at ¥16,000. Guests are immediately captivated. The panoramic views from the grand bath, the semi-open-air hot spring, and an opulent breakfast buffet featuring 75 dishes, including an all-you-can-eat seafood bowl, become instant hits. One diner calls it 'a jewel box', while another proclaims, 'Freshly made omelettes are the best.' The food strategy, combining local flavours with operational pragmatism, is ingenious. By outsourcing fish and meat prep, the team offers variety without overwhelming staff. The hotel's live kitchen adds a dose of spectacle, turning breakfast into an event. 'We want to offer as many dishes as possible,' Okamura says, 'but we're short of staff.' Despite the odds, Belluna's gamble is paying off. Bookings pour in at twice the expected rate, buoyed by inbound tourism and school holidays. President Yasuno's gamble to leap from mail-order to morning omelettes is starting to look like a masterstroke. As the episode closes, viewers are left with a clear message: in Japan's business hotel wars, it is not just about rates or location. It is about imagination, resilience and knowing exactly what your guests did not realise they needed.

CNA

11 hours ago

• CNA

South Korea's trade chief heads to US from Jun 22 as Trump tariffs cast long shadow

SEOUL: South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo will visit the United States from Jun 22 to Jun 27, the trade ministry said on Saturday (Jun 21), amid intensifying concerns over the impact of US tariffs. The visit will include discussions with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the third round of bilateral technical discussions, a ministry official told Reuters. Further details about the meetings were not disclosed. The two countries began trade talks in April, with Seoul seeking a path to slash the stiff tariffs US President Donald Trump is angling to impose. South Korea is currently facing a 10 per cent blanket tariff and a 25 per cent country-specific duty temporarily paused for 90 days. It agreed with the US during initial trade negotiations in April to craft a trade deal reducing tariffs by Jul 8. However, political uncertainty triggered by leadership upheavals had stalled progress. "Since a South Korea-US summit has yet to take place and key ministers have not been appointed under the new administration, negotiations are likely to focus on areas that the trade ministry can manage - excluding major issues such as defence cost-sharing and exchange rates," Heo Yoon, an economics professor at Sogang University, said. "Given these circumstances, reaching a comprehensive agreement on key negotiation frameworks and agendas is expected to be challenging." The announcement of Yeo's trip to Washington comes days after South Korea launched a task force on negotiations with the US. It comprises industry ministry officials overseeing trade, manufacturing, energy and investment. According to the Industry Ministry, it will deal with tariff and non-tariff matters across industry and the energy sector, while also coordinating with the private sector. Yeo, who heads the task force, said the team has a major responsibility as "businesses and the public have experienced great difficulties due to US tariff measures".