Biden’s Age-Old Problem

|SPERM
The online baby boom in unconventional families

29.03-05.04.2024
ALBANIA €6.25 DENMARK DKR57 HONG KONG HK80 LITHUANIA €8.99 OMAN OR 3.250 SINGAPORE $11.95 UK £5.99
AUSTRALIA $11.00 EGYPT E£ 65.00 HUNGARY HUF 5.990 LUXEMBOURG €7.90 POLAND PLN29.99 SLOVAKIA €6.50 US $10.99
AUSTRIA €10.00 FINLAND €7.60 IRELAND €7.00 MALTA €7.00 PORTUGAL €7.00 SOUTH AFRICA R55.00 ZIMBABWE ZWD4.00
BAHRAIN BD4.25 FRANCE €7.50 ISRAEL NIS35 MONTENEGRO €8.30 QATAR QR65 SPAIN €7.00
BELGIUM €7.00 GERMANY €7.50 ITALY €7.00 MOROCCO MDH70 MALAYSIA RM27.90 SWEDEN SKR119
CHINA RM80 GIBRALTAR £6.05 KUWAIT KD3.00 NEW ZEALAND $14.00 ROMANIA LEI 42.00 SWITZERLAND
CYPRUS €7.00 GREECE €7.50 LATVIA €6.50 NIGERIA $3.40C SAUDI ARABIA SR35.00 CHF10.60
CZECH REP CZK180 HOLLAND €7.00 LEBANON LL10,000 NORWAY NKR119 S LEONE SLL30,000 UAE AED42
 INTERNATIONAL EDITION
M a r c h 2 9 - a p r i l 0 5 , 2 0 2 4 _ VO l . 1 8 2 _ N O. 1 0

FEATURES

18
The
Inconceivable
Search
for Sperm
Making motherhood a
reality in the face of virtually
every cultural taboo.
by Valerie Bauman

28
America’s
Greatest
Workplaces for
Job Starters 2024
Newsweek and Plant-A
teamed up to identify the best
companies to begin your career.

POTENTIAL Mentoring and

other support make for a good
MONK E YBUSiNE SSiMaGE S /G E T T Y

work experience and the start

to flourishing careers.

COVER photograph by
isabella antonelli/Getty

NEWSWEEK (iSSN2052-1081), is published weekly, 40 times a year—except one week in January, February, april, May, June, July, September, December and two weeks in March and august. Newsweek international
is published by Newsweek Magazine llc, aldwych house, 71-91 aldwych, london, Wc2B 4hN, UK. printed by Mrc print lTD, The Old police Station, Water Street, Newcastle Under lyme, Staffordshire. ST5 1hN. For article
reprints, permissions, licensing, Back/Bulk issues Newsweek.com/licensing Brian Kolb Newsweek@EnveritasGroup.com

D E PA RT M E N T S
54
GlOBal EDiTOr iN chiEF _ Nancy Cooper
VicE prESiDENT, DiGiTal _ Laura Davis
DirEcTOr OF OpEraTiONS _ Melissa Jewsbury
OpiNiON EDiTOr _ Batya Ungar-Sargon
GlOBal pUBliShiNG EDiTOr _ Chris Roberts
SENiOr EDiTOr-aT-larGE _ Josh Hammer
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor _ James Etherington Smith (U.K.)
Executive Editor _ Alfred Joyner
Deputy publishing Editor _ Paul Rhodes
Director, podcasts and radio _ Jesse Edwards
Senior Editor, autos _ Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Newsletter and Editions Editor _ Emeri Montgomery
Newsletter producer _ Pronita Naidu
Senior Editorial Operations Manager _ Connie Sideras
Deputy Managing Editor _ Leea Jackson
Editorial Director, asia _ Danish Manzoor
SENIOR EDITORS
Senior Editors _ Shane Croucher,
Meredith Wolf Schizer, H. Alan Scott
Senior Editor, life & Trends _ Marc Vargas
Senior Editor, politics _ Jenni Fink
EDITORS
audience Editor _ Ben Kelly
autos Editor _ Jake Lingeman
live Blogs Editor _ Alex Backus
russia Editor _ Yevgeny Kuklychev
News Editor _ Matthew Cannon
Weekend Editor _ John Fitzpatrick, Jason Lemon
DEPUTY EDITORS
Deputy Editors, Opinion _ Jason Fields,Philip
Jeffery, Ramsen Shamon
Deputy Editor life & Trends _ Charlotte Nisbet
Deputy Editor, National Security & Foreign policy _ Tom O’Connor
Deputy Entertainment Editor _ Megan Cartwright
Deputy planning Editor _ Remi Odejimi
Deputy News Editor _ Anna Commander
2 NE WSWEEK .COM
▾ In Focus ▾ Periscope
06 Srinagar, Kashmir 08
Ramadan
Reflections
12
14
Deputy Entertainment Editor _ Megan Cartwright
associate Editors, My Turn _ Carine Harb
audience Editor, Trends _ Rebecca Flood
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Editor at large _ Naveed Jamali
contributing Editor _ John Feng
contributing Editors, Opinion _ Lee Habeeb
PUBLISHING EDITORS
adrian croft, Ed cummins, James Debens, Yannick Demoustier,
Bruce Janicke, David Johnson, Emma lee-Sang, anthony
Murray, Jason Nuckolls, Dom passantino, anthony phillips,
Manasa rao, Dave Siminoff, Grayson Thomas, Sam Wilson
C R E AT I V E
art Director _ Carrie Bremner
contributing art Director _ Michael Bessire
Digital imaging Specialist _ Katy Lyness
CORRESPONDENTS
chief royal correspondent _ Jack Royston
congressional correspondent _ Alex J. Rouhandeh
Diplomatic correspondent _ David Brennan
White house correspondent _ Daniel Bush
SENIOR WRITERS
Jack Beresford, Brendan cole, Katherine Fung, alice Gibbs,
Khaleda rahman, anna Skinner, ryan Smith
WRITERS
Melissa afshar, anders anglesey, Giulia carbonaro, alyce
collins, Ellie cook, James crawford-Smith, pandora Dewan,
aristos Georgiou, alice Gibbs, lauren Giella, leonie helm,
Matthew impelli, Thomas Kika, Soo Kim, Kaitlin lewis,
Sophie lloyd, Nick Mordowanec, Tom Norton, Ewan palmer,
aleks phillips, Shannon power, Darragh roche, Meghan
roos, Winston ross, roberto Saviano, aila Slisco, andrew
Stanton, Jessica Thomson, Maria Volpe, robyn White
INTERNATIONAL EDITION
M a r c h 2 9 - a p r i l 0 5 , 2 0 2 4 _ VO l . 1 8 2 _ N O. 1 0
▾ Culture
Politics 44 Entertainment
F rOM lEF T: K arWai Ta NG/ WirE iM aGE/GE T T Y; N aT i KK a /G E T T Y
Biden’s Age The Fall and Rise
Problem of Katt Williams
Finance 54 Parting Shot
Gen Z’s Pockets Ramy Youssef
Full of Cash
My Turn
I’m Suing
Harvard Over
Antisemitism
12
VIDEO
Director, Video _ Jessica Durham
Deputy Directors, Video _ Jon Jenkins-Lowe (U.K.),
Maghen Reynolds (U.S.)
Senior Video News Editor _ Nandini Krishnamoorthy
Senior Video producers, News _ Olivia Cataldo, Alexis Sogl
Senior Video producers, lifestyle &Entertainment
_ Alyssa Hodenfield, Luke Smith
Video assignment Editor _ Tiffany Latta
Video producers _ Mickey Hutchings, Julius Kumi-Darfour,
Rose Lee, Liz Macro, Jevh Maravilla, Renae Whissel
SOCIAL MEDIA
head of Social Media _ Mark Muir
Deputy head of Social Media _ Grace MacRae
Social Media coordinator _ Devin Robertson
Social Media associates _ Shea Donovan, Jack Haley
pUBliShED BY
Newsweek Magazine LLC
chief Executive Officer _ Dev Pragad
Global chief commercial & Growth Officer _ Kevin Gentzel
chief Strategy Officer _ Dayan Candappa
chief Operating Officer/chief Financial Officer _ Alvaro Palacios
Global General counsel _ Rosie Mckimmie
chief product Officer _ Bharat Krish
chief Technology Officer _ Michael Lukac
chief information Officer _ Sujay Nelson
chief of Staff _ Ryan Kinney
SVp audience _ Josh Awtry
SVp Finance/General Manager EMEa _ Amit Shah
SVp, human resources _ Leiann Kaytmaz
Global head of programmatic and partnerships _ Jeremy Makin
Vice president, Strategy _ Nalin Kaul
Managing Editor, content hubs _ Kyle McGovern
Director of Strategic partnerships _ Adam Silvers
Vice president, Digital Marketing _ Kevin Hickman
Senior Manager, Strategic partnerships _ Patricia A. Hartendorp
Director of rankings _ Josh Smith
rankings Business Manager _ Elizabeth Preston
Senior Sales Director _ Chantal Mamboury
head of Subscription Operations _ Samantha Rhodes
Newsstand Manager _ Kim Sermon
 TO FIND COMMON
GROUND
Newsweek is where diverse voices and opinions meet — a place where curious and open minds come to get
a broader understanding of the key issues shaping our world. We provide a forum that enables you to find
common ground by participating in good-faith debate with others across political, social and cultural divides.

p
PER WEEK

Order now at Newsweek.com/Try

▾ ▾ ▾ ▾
Unlimited access to Browse the site Exclusive access to the Plus all newsletters
Newsweek.com ad-free Newsweek app and podcasts

Subscriptions are charged annually at €49 in the Eurozone, £49 in the UK and US$49 in the USA and all other territories. Offer is open to new subscribers only and expires March 31, 2024.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Land of Light
Turkish Riviera
Magnificent natural beauty, majestic weather, and rich history! The Turkish Riviera’s wondrous skies and idyllic
blue sea welcome you all year long. This citrus-scented coastal region offers ancient ruins, pristine beaches,
charming cities, and lavish resorts where the art of Mediterranean living is elevated to new heights.
I
magine a 1000-kilometer-long coast, protected
by soaring mountains on one side, with a year-
round mild Mediterranean climate and 300 days
of sunshine. The Turkish Riviera offers an amazing
holiday escape for every type of traveler, from
families or honeymooners to solo adventurers
along sun-kissed shores dotted with picturesque
towns and villages. The region promises surprising
encounters with well-preserved ancient cities
intertwined with turquoise coves and misty
mountains, where classical art and democracy once
flourished. The Turkish Riviera will immediately
enchant you with the earthly pleasures of
coastal living as well —delectable Mediterranean
cuisine, a cultural calendar brimming with music
festivals, yacht regattas, golf, swimming and
cycling tournaments, as well as a diverse array of
aquatic and mountain sports that will keep you
busy for the duration of your stay. From stunning
accommodation options and refined delicacies to
extensive historical heritages, the Turkish Riviera
promises a life well-lived!
A PAMPERING BREAK ALONG
THE MEDITERRANEAN
— complexes, blending the latest holistic treatments
Built to blend in perfectly with the nature
surrounding them, elegant beachside luxury
resorts are where summer is enjoyed in high style
on the Turkish Riviera. Premium quality resorts
provide a ritzy collection of rooms and villas
with stunning sea views, catering to all tastes.
Grand swimming pools, aquapark facilities, a
la carte and rich buffet restaurants, sports and
entertainment facilities, luxurious spas and
golf courses comprise a full vacation package
for visitors. In addition to a wide selection of
luxury resorts, the coastal region stretching
from the city of Fethiye to Alanya also offers
several boutique hotels, rental houses and villas
tucked away in the historical streets of old city
centers and on private terraces carved into
mountainsides, overlooking the azure sea from
tranquil infinity pools. For those who would
like to have a splendid back-to-nature holiday,
there is also a wide selection of rural retreats
Kekova, Antalya
and glamping spots, ranging from off-grid rustic
cabins in forests and lakelands to beach huts that
score top marks for their setting.
The soothing effects of the balmy Mediterranean
climate make the Turkish Riviera the ideal spot for
wellness breaks as well. Supported by the healthy
Mediterranean diet based on local olive oil, fresh
herbs, fish and produce, you can turn your visit
into a truly rejuvenating experience. Many of
the hotels in the region offer revitalizing spa
like seawater therapy, yoga and meditation with
traditional hamam (Turkish bath) rituals. It is
always a good idea to visit a hamam to unwind
after a long day of sightseeing to relax your mind
and body, and an essential part of Turkish culture,
the hamam offers a mystical bathing experience
not only to get yourself squeaky clean, but also to
pause the stress of modern life.
HISTORY IMMERSED
IN STUNNING NATURE
—
Once you choose your accommodation, you
may turn your attention to activities galore. With
shores, forests and mountains each peppered
with millennia-old ruins, the Turkish Riviera is
the perfect destination for history buffs. Three
magnificent ancient regions, Lycia, Pamphylia and
Pisidia, merge within the borders of Antalya and

The anc�ent c�ty of Myra
are easily and delightfully accessible via day trips
and sea excursions. The city of Patara charms
visitors with its two-thousand-year-old theatre
and the parliament building, where each city in
the Lycian League was represented according
to its size, as a precursor of the modern
parliamentarian system. Nearby, Olympus
adjacent to the village of Çıralı, recalls the heroic
tale of Bellerophon, who rode his winged horse
Pegasus to defeat the fire-breathing monster,
Chimera. Side and Aspendos, on the other hand,
link antiquity to modernity with their majestic
Roman theatres restored to their former glory
and hosting summer music festivals and dance
performances today. Myra, where, St. Nicholas
became the bishop, the visitors are welcomed
with the magnificent view of the Lycian Rock Cut
Tombs, located within citrus orchards and next
to the great theatre from the Roman Period. You
can learn more about the life of St. Nicholas by
visiting his house, which has been converted into
a museum in ancient Myra, today’s city of Demre.
The Turkish Riviera experience goes beyond
such historical surveys and provides amazing
adventures in nature as well. First and foremost,
it is a great sailing destination. You may opt for a
chartered yacht or a gulet —a traditional two or
three-masted wooden sailing boat— to explore
the pristine shoreline of Antalya, encircled by
lush green forests. Beldibi, Kemer, Tekirova,
Adrasan, Kekova and Kaş are the highlights of
any cruise itinerary with their coves, bays and
marinas to berth. The Lycian Way, meandering
between the mountains and the turquoise sea
for 500 kilometers from Fethiye to Antalya, is the
country’s first waymarked long-distance trekking
route with awe-inspiring archaeological stops
along the way. Known as the “Land of Light”, Lycia
offers the modern-day traveler a natural scenery
dotted with breathtaking temples dedicated to
Apollo, the god of light, and monumental tombs
towering from mountaintops or jutting from
ancient harbors.
The region is also a paradise for adventurers
looking to enjoy caving, camping and biking in
and around stunning waterfalls and magical pine
and cedar forests of Kemer, Mount Olympos
and Tahtalı Mountain. Saklıkent, on the other
ADVERTISEMENT
Raft�ng �n Köprülü Canyon
World Music, Culture and Art Festival, another
well-known festival held in Antalya. As a member
of the European Festivals Association, the festival
hosts many outstanding soloists, symphony
orchestras, ensembles, and performers from all
around the world alongside the participation of
the Antalya State Symphony Orchestra and the
Antalya State Opera and Ballet.
Welcoming art lovers with the splendor of
ancient times, Antalya also offers delightful
stops at every corner for tasty breaks. Antalya’s
pedestrian-friendly, cobblestone streets, cheerily
full of laid-back cafés and bars, are impeccable
places to have a Turkish coffee or a cocktail
before heading to country-chic traditional diners
or stylish fish and meze restaurants lined along
hand, offers ski enthusiasts with the unique the sea. Choose the fresh catch of the day from
dual experience of an invigorating ski adventure the display (red mullet, grouper, swordfish or
coupled with a dip in the azure waters of the anything in between), and make sure to start the
Mediterranean in springtime; and yes, on the meal with a choice from the notable selection
same day! of mezes such as hibeş (a spread of tahini,
cumin, red pepper flakes and lemon juice) and
Along the scenic route between Kalkan and Mediterranean delicacies like rock samphire and
Kaş, one can discover immaculate beaches with sea beans, followed by hot appetizers like grilled
crystal-clear water, including Kaputaş Beach, octopus, or shrimp baked in butter and garlic
Akçagerme Beach and Hidayet Cove. A little sauce. The hearty feast should end with pumpkin
bit further, one of the best-kept secrets of the dessert served with tahini and walnuts. For those
Turkish Riviera awaits at Kaleköy, a coastal village wishing to continue the night, Antalya never lacks
guarded by a medieval castle. Accessible only by good local bars or live music venues, where one
boat, this cozy settlement has been built upon the can dance the night away. To venture deeper
ruins of the ancient city of Simena, the sunken into the culinary universe of the region, you can
parts of which can be explored by kayaking tours treat yourself to popular local dishes like şiş köfte
around Kekova Island, just off the shore. But (meatballs on skewers), cooked to excellence in
the ultimate aquatic adventure is underwater! Antalya and served with a local version of piyaz
Crown your visit with diving explorations in Kaş to (white bean salad with tahini sauce).
discover the exciting, ancient underwater terrain
encompassed by an assortment of the rich, The Turkish Riviera’s microclimate produces
beautiful and colorful underwater fauna some of the best fresh fruits of Türkiye
and flora that is the Mediterranean. —particularly citrus trees (especially
the trademarked Finike oranges),
The Turkish Riviera Antalya avocados, pomegranates,
To the east of Antalya lies Alanya, will immediately
yet another hidden gem along kiwis and Anamur bananas. Elmalı
enchant you with is famous for its Acıkara grapes,
the Turkish Riviera. This appealing
the pleasures of a resurrected endemic variety
seaside haunt was founded as
coastal living! that has been around since the
a fortified city by Seljuks in the
13th century. The citadel is still times of Lycians and produced
intact and open to visitors, jutting award-winning regional wines. While in
out from the rocky hilltops to overlook Antalya, you may also consider sampling
the Mediterranean. The streets winding from the vast array of local jams made of watermelon,
the citadel down to the sea have a timeless orange or bergamot skins, before taking the
feel, enveloping traditional houses immersed in winning choices back home as souvenirs.
their lush terraced gardens. The hexagonal Kızıl
Kule (Red Tower) was built to protect a historic As a true holiday paradise with its unique climate,
shipyard on the waterfront and now houses an picturesque nature, modern cities and sandy
ethnographic museum. On the other side of the beaches, as well as the remains of countless
giant hill, the 2-km-long Kleopatra Beach greets ancient civilizations, the Turkish Riviera is a must-
sun worshippers as a golden stretch of sand. see for any traveler coming to Türkiye. Take a
moment to imagine what your dream holiday can
look like, and then let us bring it to life here on the
CULTURAL AND Turkish Riviera!
GASTRONOMICAL DELIGHTS
—
For those who appreciate city life, Antalya is an
urban playground with constant vibrancy. The SCAN THE QR CODE
city hosts the International Aspendos Opera and for more Turkish Riviera
Ballet Festival as well as the Side International experiences
 In Focus
THE NEWS IN PICTURES

6 NE WSWEEK .COM
 S R I NAGA R , K A S H M I R

Ramadan Reflections
A Kashmiri Muslim elder recites the Quran at Dastgeer Sahib,
a Sufi shrine in indian-controlled Kashmir, on March 12, the
first day of ramadan in the region. The ninth month of the
islamic lunar calendar, ramadan is a time of deep spiritual
reflection and observance commemorating the Quran’s
revelation to the prophet Muhammad. Throughout this
holy month, many practicing Muslims fast from dawn to
dusk, beginning with a pre-dawn meal known as “suhoor”
and breaking their fast after sunset with “iftar,” typically a
substantial meal shared with family and community members.
Nearly two billion Muslims celebrate ramadan worldwide.
The month concludes with the celebratory Eid al-Fitr.

▸ YAWA R N A Z I R
GE T T Y

April 05, 2024 NE WSWEEK .COM 7

Periscope N E W S , O P I N I O N + A N A LY S I S
 Why cash has become king with Gen Z. ▸ P.12
POLITICS
Biden’s Age
Problem Tears
Democrats Apart
After being depicted as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory,’ questions
surrounding the president’s advanced years are dividing his party
Just over a month after a special counsel
report brought questions over Joe Biden’s age
to the forefront of the 2024 presidential campaign,
Democrats are torn about the best way of addressing
what is becoming one of the election’s defining issues.
The president, 81, and his advisers struck back after
Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on February 8
depicted him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
Biden staged a rare evening press conference
within hours. In the days that followed, Vice Pres-
ident Kamala Harris called the report “politically
motivated,” and First Lady Jill Biden joined a chorus
of surrogates vouching for Biden’s fitness and energy.
But as the president and his team have tried to
move on from the damage caused by the report,
GE T T Y; TOP RIG HT: G E T T Y
White House allies and other Democrats
have grown increasingly worried that the
strategy of downplaying Biden’s age as a dis- by
traction is the wrong approach to an issue
DA N I E L
that can’t be easily swept under the rug. BUSH
While party insiders are privately fretting
Photograph by OLIVIER DOULIERY
that Biden isn’t making a more forceful case for why
he can serve as president well into his 80s, Democrats
disagree over what the best message is to dispel the
public’s fears about his age—and whether Biden or
his surrogates are the most effective messengers.
The concerns and competing theories about
Biden’s best path to winning reelection reflect the
anxiety many Democrats feel about a general election
rematch against former President Donald Trump, the
presumptive Republican nominee.
Biden’s historically low job approval numbers
and lackluster showing in head-to-head polls against
Trump have fueled increasingly intense chatter that
Democrats would be better off picking someone else.
“Democrats have a better option than Biden,” Ezra
Klein, a progressive columnist and vocal
Trump critic, wrote in The New York Times
soon after Hur’s report came out. Hur
added more fuel to the fire by drawing
attention to what polls show is one of
Biden’s biggest vulnerabilities. “In a way,
NE WSWEEK .COM 9
Periscope POLITICS

the special counsel did Biden a favor
because some of us have been scream-
ing aggressively from the sidelines
that people who work with him on
a regular basis need to come out and
say” that he’s doing his job well, said
a former senior Biden administration
official who remains in contact with
the White House and asked not to be
named in order to speak candidly.
Despite growing calls for Biden and
his surrogates to mount a more robust
defense, there’s debate in the party
Defending Biden’s
Mental Capacity
Harris was far from the only Dem-
ocrat with sharp words for Hur’s
characterization of Biden. Democrats
in Congress, administration offi-
cials and other supporters have also
responded in recent weeks by heap-
ing a steady diet of praise on Biden’s
energy and work ethic.
“Joe is 81, that’s true, but he’s 81
doing more in an hour than most
people do in a day,” Jill Biden wrote in
to lean too heavily on surrogates to
defend him, or for supporters to make
claims about his health that may come
across to some voters as exaggerated.
“Surrogates going out there and say-
ing he’s as sharp as a tack, that doesn’t
get him anywhere,” said Tad Devine, a
veteran Democratic strategist. “Biden
has to do most of this himself.”
Yet when Biden has tried to defend
himself, the effort has sometimes back-
fired. The press conference he held
the day the special counsel report was

FROM BELOW: CHIP SOMODE VILL A /GE T T Y; SAUL LOEB /AFP/GE T T Y

about what that should look like. a campaign email to supporters after made public offered a stark reminder.
Harris voiced the frustrations of the special counsel report was released. “My memory is fine,” Biden said in
White House and Biden campaign Some Democrats have since warned response to questions about the find-
officials when she said Hur’s focus it’s a mistake for the Biden campaign ings. Minutes later, he took a question
on Biden’s age was “gratuitous” and about the Middle East and mixed up
“clearly politically motivated.” Hur is a the leaders of Egypt and Mexico.
former U.S. attorney for Maryland who The mistake came the same week
was nominated to the post by Trump. that the president said he had spoken
But it was Biden’s attorney general, “Surrogates going out with dead European leaders when he
Merrick Garland, who appointed Hur meant to refer to the current leaders of
to serve as special counsel in the probe
saying he’s as sharp as France and Germany.
into Biden’s handling of classified doc- a tack, that doeesn’t Several White House officials dis-
uments after he served as vice presi- get him anywhere... missed it as a common slip-up, and
dent. Hur found that Biden retained Biden has to do most multiple people who’ve known Biden
classified information after leaving the of this himself.” for years said he has never had a knack
vice presidency but said investigators
did not uncover enough evidence to
warrant criminal charges.
The finding was in line with a Justice
Department policy against charging
sitting presidents with a crime.
But the decision was overshadowed
by Hur’s conclusion that the president
had a “limited memory” and could not
recall key moments in his professional
or personal life, among them the date
of his son Beau Biden’s death.
Hur, who has resigned as special
counsel, defended the report at a
House oversight hearing March 12.
“My assessment in the report about
the relevance of the President’s mem-
ory was necessary and accurate and
fair,” Hur said in his opening statement
at the hearing. He added that he “did
not disparage the president unfairly.”

10 NE WSWEEK .COM
 for remembering names. The Biden
campaign did not respond to a request
from Newsweek for comment.
One longtime Biden adviser argued
that his verbal miscues should not be
viewed as evidence that he’s not up to
the job of being president and said not
enough attention is paid to Biden’s
physical fitness for a man his age.
“He works out several days a week
with a trainer, and he’s in better physi-
cal shape than he was 15, 20 years ago,”
said the adviser, who asked not to be
named. “He got more attentive to his
physical condition.”
Biden’s physical stamina and mental
acuity were also under the microscope
more recently in his State of the Union
address. More than 32 million people
watched the speech, one of the largest
audiences Biden will have between
now and Election Day in November.
The president spoke for over an hour
and took time to address his age directly,
a possible preview of his messaging on
the issue in the general election. Biden
noted that he’s faced questions about
his age since he was elected to the U.S.
Senate in 1972 at age 29.
“In my career I’ve been told I’m
too young and I’m too old,” he said.
“Whether young or old, I’ve always
known what endures. Our North Star.
The very idea of America.”
Biden also joked about his age,
something he’s done in speeches and
during a recent appearance on NBC’s
Late Night with Seth Meyers.
“I know I may not look like it, but I’ve
been around a while,” Biden said.
Trump Would Be Second
Oldest President
The president’s allies also claimed
that he is in better shape than Trump,
who is 77 and would be the second
oldest U.S. president ever after Biden.
Democrats argued that in campaign
appearances Biden comes across as
AGE DISCRIMINATION Despite being 77, Trump
has not faced the same criticism as Biden, below
left with Kamala Harris and Mike Johnson.
more stable than Trump, pointing to
Trump’s tendency to forget facts, mis-
speak and make false claims. Polls con-
sistently show most Americans think
both men are too old to serve another
term, but also reveal more think that
way about Biden than about Trump.
Among American adults, 59 per-
cent said they thought both of them
were too old to serve second terms as
president, according to an ABC News/
Ipsos poll conducted after the special
counsel report was released. Yet 27
percent said only Biden was too old,
compared with just 3 percent who
said only Trump was.
“Biden is really the one that is seen
as having an age problem,” said Cliff
Young, the president of public affairs
at Ipsos. “It’s definitely a partisan issue.”
He added: “Republicans are much
more critical of Biden’s age than Dem-
ocrats are critical of Trump’s age.”
Perhaps wary of age-related attacks
himself, Trump has not put Biden’s age
at the center of his campaign. “Biden
is not too old, he’s too incompetent!”
Trump wrote on his social media plat-
form, Truth Social, days after the Hur
report. Newsweek contacted the Trump
campaign about the comment.
Biden and Trump’s speaking
styles and approach to campaign-
ing accentuate their differences.
Trump began running for president
in earnest last year and favors big
campaign rallies that often draw thou-
sands of supporters.
Biden waited until the start of the
election year to hold his first official
campaign rally, following a play-
book used by recent Democratic and
Republican incumbent presidents
seeking reelection. Biden has ramped
up his 2024 schedule since then,
including campaign appearances in
South Carolina, Michigan, Nevada
and North Carolina.
Biden and Trump both secured
enough delegates to clinch their par-
ty’s nominations on March 12 after
big victories on Super Tuesday the
week before, but the former has held
few large campaign rallies. Biden
has opted instead for smaller events
that allow him to connect with indi-
viduals but that lack the energy of a
big campaign event.
The strategy lets him showcase
his skills as a retail politician, said
Seth Harris, Biden’s former top labor
adviser and a senior fellow at the
Burnes Center for Social Change. The
more of those types of events Biden
does, the better he’ll be able to show
Americans that he is up to the task of
serving another four years, Harris said.
“He just needs to be seen in public
more doing ‘Biden’ things,” Harris said.
“People need to see him interacting
with other Americans.”
Other Democrats agreed Biden
needs to start campaigning more and
address his age more directly in light
of the special counsel report.
“There has to be a recognition,” said
Devine, “that the issue of the presi-
dent’s age is going to be front and cen-
ter in the election.”
▸ Daniel Bush is newsweek’s White
House correspondent. Follow him on
X @DanielBush
NE WSWEEK .COM 11
Periscope

F I NA N C E

Gen Z’s Pockets

Full of Cash
Digital wallets and bank cards might appear to
be the modern way to pay, but physical money
is making a comeback among young adults

Generation Z is embracinG consumer education and advocacy

cash, despite digital money being
the primary way of spending, saving
and investing in 21st century life.
Some 69 percent of Gen Zers (born
between 1997 and 2012) in the U.S.
and U.K. were using cash more than
they did in 2022, found a 2023 study
by HarrisPoll on behalf of Credit-
Karma—and nearly a quarter (23
percent) are using it for the majority
of their purchases.
The research checks out
with the trend of keeping
large amounts of cash at
home rather than putting
it in a bank account, check- HIGHAM
ing or savings, which can
be seen on social media. Using cash
instead of card or online transac-
tions has become increasingly popu-
lar on TikTok, with myriad accounts
explaining how to do “cash stuffing.”
The budgeting hack involves
withdrawing money from your
bank—often in large amounts, such
as an entire month’s paycheck—and
sorting it into envelopes or another
system to keep at home. This way,
budgeters have “buckets” of money
for certain expenditures, such as eat-
ing out, clothes, holidays and so on.
“The idea is that once the money is
gone from that envelope, you can no
longer spend money on that bucket,”
Rod Griffin, senior director of
for Experian, told Newsweek.
While experts agree that the
trend isn’t new, it seems to have
surged in popularity with the social
media generation.
The TikTok page for Monets Money,
which has 1.3 million likes and
almost 70,000 followers, has dozens
of videos on how to do cash stuffing,
explainers on what you need to know
about the trend and how to budget
your monthly paycheck.
Another account, CDN
by Girl Cash Stuffer, demon-
ALISS strates similar tactics for
storing your cash and has
in excess of 220,000 fol-
lowers, with one of her cash-stuffing
tutorials reaching 8.9 million views
since April 2023.
Cash Stuffing—Good or Bad?
Experts are divided on the benefits
of the technique, with some raising
concerns about the safety of the
practice, while others say it can be
an effective way to budget. Others
point out that it can result from long-
standing distrust of banks in certain
ethnic communities.
“It seems as though they’ve started
to become ‘smarter’ and realize that
having easy access to spend isn’t what
it’s made out to be,” Christian Maldo-
nado, founder & CEO at Finsult said
of “zoomers.” “Being able to just tap
your phone for payment is showing
Gen Z how their sporadic and mind-
less spending can spin out of control
and affect their way of living,” he told
Newsweek. “Cash is giving them a way
to physically not only see their money
but also tangibly appreciate it more,
since it’s not on a screen, for example.”
Financial analyst Doug Carey
agrees that the use of cash among
young people is good because it can
help them manage their budgets.
“I believe cash stuffing is actually a
really good idea for a lot of younger
people who have trouble with their
budgets and a hard time saving
money,” he told Newsweek. “I force my
younger children to use cash as much
as possible so they feel the pain of
spending the money that they earned.
Unlike digital money, cash is tangible
and can be seen and felt.”

12 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024


“You put the paper money in your
wallet, and can physically see the bills
declining when you’re shopping,”
Erica Sandberg, personal finance
expert at CardRates, told Newsweek.
“There is no distance between the
transactions. Pulling out eight $20
bills to buy a pair of shoes feels more
‘real’ than tapping a card on a screen.”
Sandberg said that as many Gen
Zers have grown up with their par-
ents using cards instead of physical
money, it means they’re more enam-
ored with the novelty of using cash,
describing it a “cool new invention”
of sorts for the younger generation.
“Pulling out eight
“Cash stuffing is a classic technique
for a reason; it works,” she said. “You
determine how much money you
want to spend on certain categories
in a week or month. Add it to an enve-
lope and spend accordingly. When it’s
GE T T Y
gone, you’re done until the next cash
Photograph by ILDAR ABULK HANOV
infusion.” Meanwhile, Teri Williams,
president & COO of OneUnited Bank,
explained to Newsweek that cash is
commonly used by Black people in
America because of a longstanding
distrust of banks.
A Matter of Trust
“There has always been a higher use
of cash in the Black community, so
for OneUnited Bank, the trend is not
new,” she said. “For Black Americans,
there has been a historic distrust of
banking and a belief that having cash
is more secure.”
Williams said she was not sur-
prised to hear Georgia District
Attorney Fani Willis speaking about
keeping large amounts of cash in her
house, during a recent court hear-
ing linked to an attempt to remove
her from former President Donald
Trump’s election interference case.
When Willis was asked to explain
why there was no banking trail relat-
ing to purchases made while traveling
with Nathan Wade, the special prose-
cutor she has been accused of having
an improper relationship with, Wil-
lis said she frequently keeps cash at
home and uses it for spending.
“As the nation’s largest Black-owned
bank, we have worked to improve
trust in the banking system,” Wil-
liams continued. “We also under-
stand and respect our customers’
$20 bills to buy a
pair of shoes feels
more ‘real’ than
tapping a card on
a screen.”
interest in holding cash. Although
there are many benefits to digital
banking, using cash can help young
people understand they are spending
‘real money’ and need to set limits on
their purchases.”
While this may work for some,
others have concerns about large
amounts of cash being kept at home.
“Gen Zers don’t want to learn from
their parents, they don’t trust them,”
Kelly Ann Winget, CEO of Alterna-
tive Wealth Partners, told Newsweek.
“They trust strangers on the inter-
net, and, of course, it is common for
young people to rebel to an extent.
“However, without real financial
education and tools, the ‘stuffing’
strategy isn’t sustainable, especially
for growing wealth. Cash sitting in an
envelope, during a time when infla-
tion is a tangible 10 to 20 percent for
real Americans, loses value every day.”
Erika Kullberg, a financial expert
with more than nine million TikTok
followers, said cash users forgo some
of the protection offered by banks.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat it—
there are valid concerns when you
move away from digital money,” she
told Newsweek. “Cash transactions
can be cumbersome, and they lack
the built-in fraud protection that
digital methods provide.”
Griffin told Newsweek that young
people who just use cash may also
shut themselves off from future
opportunities like buying a home, as
they can’t develop a healthy credit
score. “ Younger consumers may
see these as distant goals, but the
financial steps they take while they
are young will impact them when it
comes time to realize some of these
goals,” he said.
▸ Aliss Higham is a newsweek repor-
ter focusing on U.S. issues. She can be
reached at a.higham@newsweek.com
NE WSWEEK .COM 13
Periscope

OPINION October 7 have laid bare what was

I’m Suing
always there—a Jewish exception.
A double standard that polices the
actions that harm and demean

Harvard Over Rife

almost every group imagin-
able, except Jews.

Antisemitism
I applied to the university’s Divinity School to be an
ambassador for Orthodox Jews and build bridges with
other cultures; instead I’m battling discrimination
In JudaIsm, there Is an Idea Jew in the program, I wanted to
of passing down knowledge be an ambassador for my people. I
and traditions “l’dor v’dor”—from wanted to share my culture with
generation to generation. As if called other community leaders and learn
to fulfill my part, I learned that I was about theirs. I came to Harvard
accepted to Harvard Divinity School to build bridges.
while visiting the Auschwitz-Birke- Never would I have imagined
nau concentration camp in Poland. that I’d need to fight for my right to
I have always b e en p assion- exist on campus. Never would I have
ate about my Jewish identity and thought that I’d have to sue Harvard
wanted to explore to be treated as an equal.
that identity from an As my lawsuit lays
academic and plural- by
out in great detail, the
istic perspective. SHABBOS v i c i ous attacks on
As the only Orthodox KESTENBAUM Jewish students since
My personal introduction to
antisemitism at Harvard began in
the first month of my first semes-
ter, when Harvard’s Palestine Sol-
idarity Committee student group
invited Mohammed el-Kurd to
speak on campus.
As noted by the Anti-Defama-
tion League, el-Kurd has a history
of “unvarnished, vicious antisem-
itism” and claims Zionists have
“internalized the ways of the Nazis.”
Just the other day, el-Kurd called
for the world to be “de-Zionized”
and proclaimed “we must normal-
ize massacres.” Although he claims
to have misspoken, his rhetoric
speaks for itself.
When Jewish students, myself
included, protested el-Kurd’s invi-
tation to Harvard’s campus, we
were met with shrugs. For a uni-
versity that has a record of rescind-
ing speaker invitations, Harvard’s
silence was deafening.
I was also shocked to learn that
Harvard permits the Palestine Soli-
darity Committee and other groups
to hold an annual “Israeli Apartheid
Week,” funded with Harvard money
designed to fund student initiatives,
as my lawsuit lays out.
During these events, student activ-
ists have built what they call “apart-
heid walls” meant to criticize Israel’s
efforts to prevent terrorist attacks;
plastered Harvard Yard with imag-
ery designed to compare Israel to the

FILING SUIT Kestenbaum says Jewish

students have suffered “vicious attacks”
since October 7 and antisemitism has
multiplied exponentially on campus.

14 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024


Nazis; and invited more antisemitic
speakers to infect Harvard’s commu-
nity. After the April 2022 Apartheid
Week, a swastika was found in the
undergraduate Currier House.
Since October 7, antisemitism on
campus has multiplied exponen-
tially. On my way to class, people
FROM LE F T: EITA N VAN N; AN DRE W LICHTE N STEIN/CORBI S /GE T T Y
direct chants at me to “globalize
the intifada”—to kill all Jews in the
world—or to “free Palestine from
the river to the sea”—to annihilate
the only Jewish state and its Jewish
inhabitants, including my family.
One might expect that Harvard
Divinity School—with its mission
emphasizing “Diversity, Inclusion,
and Belonging,” and with religious
tolerance one of its core tenets—
would be a safe place for Jews.
Harvard Divinity, however, has,
as my lawsuit alleges, proven to be
a fount of anti-Jewish sentiment
following a Hanukkah ceremony in
December 2023. Posters in the Yard of
Jewish hostages have been vandalized.
and discrimination. The school’s
Religion and Public Life Depart-
ment faculty have released state-
ments blaming Israel for a variety
of alleged crimes and defending
students who call for the genocide
of Jews. Harvard Divinity hosts
no events, speakers, or programs
that feature any Zionist or pro-Is-
rael perspectives.
Instead, the school regularly
“about time” and, as it was happening,
“On my way to class,
people direct chants
at me to ‘globalize the
intifada’—to kill all
Jews in the world—or
to ‘free Palestine from
the river to the sea.’”
ISOLATED People cross Harvard Yard
invites speakers with antisemitic
views, such as when it hosted a
former Palestine Liberation Orga-
nization spokeswoman to pres-
ent the antisemitic film Israelism,
which argues American Jews
indoctrinate their children with
pro-Israel sentiment.
A host of senior Harvard Divin-
ity faculty attended and applauded
the event, and none pushed back on
the outrageous accusations being
spewed against Jews. As the only
Orthodox Jew in the room, I felt iso-
lated and threatened.
More of the same harassment
happens in classrooms across Har-
vard, where discussion of Israel
is near-universally approached
through the antisemitic lens of
settler-colonialism, of apartheid.
The student body parrots these
professors’ views: At Har vard
Divinity School, I’m surrounded
by classmates who proudly iden-
tify with Hamas, Hezbollah
and the Houthis.
As but one example I cite in my
lawsuit, a student posted an event
in a forum for Harvard Divinity
School students, for which a key-
note speaker had said October 7 was
live-tweeted their glee.
When I asked the student how
she could promote an event where
one of the speakers advocates for
the murder of Jews, the student
responded: “I’m comfortable pro-
moting this event.”
I was horrified at how normal-
ized and accepted antisemitism is
among my colleagues.
There is also no safe space for
NE WSWEEK .COM 15
Periscope
Jews to grieve at Harvard. When I
put posters up of Jewish children
who have been taken hostage by
Hamas on a Harvard Divinity bul-
letin board—where students are
encouraged to post about victims of
violence—every single time, without
exception, they were ripped down.
I tried working with Harvard on
the problem. I repeatedly expressed
my concerns to administrators
about what I have experienced. But
time and time again, as I allege in my
lawsuit, evidence of uncontrolled
discrimination and harassment
fell on deaf ears.
Harvard has made it clear that it
“In a profoundly telling
is either unable or unwilling to com-
bat antisemitism: Antisemitism is a
COMMUNITY Harvard Hillel’s building
provides a central gathering place for
Jewish students on campus. Kestenbaum
wants to protect Jewish students.
16 NE WSWEEK .COM
OPINION
feature of Harvard, not a bug. In a
profoundly telling move, in January,
Harvard selected a professor who
has been widely criticized for his
anti-Israel views as the head of its
latest antisemitism task force.
The new semester has brought
no change. After our lawsuit was
file d during Harvard’s winter
break, I returned to campus to
see that Jewish hostage posters
move, in January,
Harvard selected a
professor who has been
widely criticized for
his anti-Israel views
as the head of its latest
antisemitism task force.”
placed in Harvard Yard had been
vandalized with antisemitic slo-
gans. In but one shocking example,
someone scrawled “head still on” on
the poster of Kfir Bibas, the baby
abducted by Hamas death squads on
October 7. Other vandalism claimed
that Jews were responsible for the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
One Harvard employee chal-
lenged me in an email to “debate”
him on a secluded bridge while
telling me he “hate s Zionism
with a passion.”
In a video later that same day,
he made his intentions clear when,
while holding a machete, he spoke
about his “plan” while featuring
an image of my social media post
regarding the vandalized Israeli
hostage posters.
It is incredible to think Har-
vard was not aware of their own
employee’s public rantings which,
long before my lawsuit, included
one claiming that “Israel should be
wiped off the map.”
Standing in Auschwitz when I was
accepted at Harvard, I thought about
all the positive change I could create
for myself and others. I was excited
to seize the promise of Harvard and
its incredible opportunities.
But for myself and many
other Jewish students, this has not
been our reality. I have been unable
to be the cultural ambassador I
had hoped to be.
Maybe, however, my fulfillment
of l’dor v’dor at Harvard is less
about passing on my traditions
to others, and more about finally
doing something to protect the
generations of Jewish students that
come after me.
▸ Shabbos Kestenbaum is a stu-
dent at Harvard Divinity School. All
views expressed are the author’s own.
April 05, 2024
Airline
technology
that opens
the world of
e-commerce
shipping.
Every online shopping site is looking for reliable
solutions for fast delivery of their products.

Airlines and their supply-chain partners own the

assets to meet the growing demand for speed in
delivery by e-commerce retailers worldwide.

Connecting this demand with an airline’s supply

of capacity can bring a nice revenue increase
via air cargo.

SmartKargo provides the technology and know-how

to help airlines and their partners connect from the
desktop to the doorstep.

Learn more
Contact us at hdq@smartkargo.com or scan the
QR Code below to read a case study.

Enabling e-commerce. Delivered.

 the

i n c o n c e i va b l e
search for

Making motherhood a reality in the face of virtually every cultural taboo

by

VALERIE BAUMAN
GE T T Y

18 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024

 ingle women and lgBTQ+ couples
are increasingly pursuing pregnancy
via known donors—people they find on the internet,
in Facebook groups and through dating-like apps.
In her own quest to become a solo mother by choice,
investigative journalist Valerie Bauman has spent
the past four years embedded in the world of free-
lance sperm donation, attempting to get pregnant.
Along the way, she interviewed dozens of donors,
recipients, donor-conceived people and relevant
experts. She learned that freelance sperm donation
thrives in a corner of the online world where wom-
en’s dreams come true: Many find decent men who
will get them pregnant for little-to-no-cost. It’s also
a place where men go for easy sex.
20 NE WSWEEK .COM
Either way, more Americans are turning to this
world to build their own unconventional families,
whether driven by cost, fear of assisted-fertility insti-
tutions or a desire to know the biological other half
of their child. Nearly 171,000 American women used
sperm from a bank to get pregnant in 1995. By 2016
that number had risen to more than 440,000. As more
FAMILY PLANNING
U.S. women wait longer to marry and have a child, the Many LGBTQ+ couples
demand for donor sperm has grown. Rosanna Hertz, and single mothers
author of single by chance, mothers by choice, by choice find fewer
estimated that approximately 2.7 million American barriers to making
a family by utilizing
women are single mothers by choice. This excerpt
the unregulated
from newsweek reporter Bauman’s new book, sperm market and DIY
inconceivable, provides a window into how exactly insemination than
the world of unregulated sperm donations work. by using IVF (right).
April 05, 2024

They inseminaTe Themselves in cars, public
restrooms and cheap motel rooms. They pray over
urine-drenched sticks, guzzle supplements by the
dozen and sometimes have unprotected sex with
men they’ve only just met on the internet, Facebook
groups or dating-like apps—whatever it takes to
make their baby dreams come true.
What could possibly drive a woman out of the
cool, clinical embrace of the health care industry
for one of the biggest medical decisions of her life?
For some it’s the insurmountable costs imposed
by the reproductive industry, or discrimination,
or a lack of insurance coverage. Others just want
to know the person who will help create their child.
I am one of those women. Like most, I started
FROM LE F T: JACOB LU ND/GE T T Y; WILD PIXE L /GE T T Y
out scrolling through the sperm bank websites,
analyzing donor profiles and squinting at their
baby pictures. I even made a color-coded spread-
sheet (green for positive attributes, red for negative
“Shopping for a sperm donor
at a bank felt a lot like SHOPPING ON AMAZON
minus the real-world reviews.”
FERTILITY
and yellow for things that gave me pause). But like
many women, I soon realized that sperm banks
weren’t the answer, not for me. I wanted to know
the person who would help me create my child, to
be able to give my kid answers and insights into
where they came from.
This is a story of spitting in the face of virtu-
ally every cultural taboo around family, fertility
and procreation for the sake of making moth-
erhood a reality.
In July 2020, shortly after my revelation that I
could become a mother on my own terms, I sat on
the couch, computer in my lap, compulsively scroll-
ing through various sperm bank websites. Over sev-
eral days I built the spreadsheet entitled “Babies.” I
added 19 columns that listed the characteristics I
could find on each donor using whatever details the
banks provided for free—and what I could glean
from photos. Some of the characteristics were phys-
ical: height, weight, build. Eye color and hair color
are always listed, but some banks even provide
details on the donor’s hair texture and thickness.
Race and ethnicity were also included.
Other categories were more practical, including
sperm motility and price and whether the donor
had any reported pregnancies or children of his
own. Sometimes the gender of the donor’s children
was listed, which was helpful, I suppose, for those
who had a gender preference. These weren’t neces-
sarily the things I cared about most.
I had money in the bank, ready to spend on
sperm. But something felt off to me about this
transaction. It was maddening. The decision was
too important to make based on the limited infor-
mation available.
On the sperm bank websites, when you’re search-
ing for free, you typically get a short bio about the
donor’s education, hobbies and basic medical his-
tory. Some companies, at no extra cost, offer short
recordings of the donors’ voices, usually with the
men explaining why they want to donate or describ-
ing a relationship that has been meaningful in their
lives. For me, it just felt so sterile. There was no way
to get a real read on these guys. Plus, they were
getting paid—was it just about the money? Could
they really be prepared to face my kid in 18 years,
if he or she showed up seeking a relationship? And
damn, 18 years seemed like a long time for that kid
to wait for answers.
NE WSWEEK .COM 21
 FERTILITY

suppress a gleeful giggle, because...I was definitely

“I soon realized the world of going to find a sperm donor on the internet. And
that was crazy, but I was going to do it anyway. This
unregulated sperm donation is as revelation meant that I could stop ignoring the

FASCINATING as it is seedy.”
nagging fears and uncertainties that were prevent-
ing me from pulling the trigger on a bank donor.
When my kid asked me who their biological father
was, or why he helped me make a baby, I wanted to
Shopping for a sperm donor at a bank felt a lot have good answers.
like shopping on Amazon minus the real-world This was a path that would allow me to get to
reviews. You often can select several donors and know the donor and potentially allow the child to
then compare them directly on the bank websites meet him before age 18. I could make sure that the
DREAMING
with their key stats listed side by side. It was exactly biological father of my child was someone I would
Bauman (right, with her
like the product comparisons Amazon offers to baby brother Jack) had
feel confident introducing to my future kiddo. Even
allow customers to weigh which humidifier or dreamed of becoming better, I discovered some donors had private Face-
vacuum they want to purchase. But this was so a parent herself. She book groups for the parents of the donor children
much more important than the average consumer used longer-lasting to connect so half-siblings could meet each other
fresh sperm to get
decision. It was making me scrutinize the men and have a sense of family.
pregnant rather than
based on physical attributes as if I were shopping frozen (below).
This was extremely enticing to me as someone
for a designer baby. I care a lot less about hair and who was going to be raising a child without a father.
eye color than I do about the kind of person these The more family, the more love, the better.
donors are. And damn my journalistic instincts, but
I was having a hard time trusting someone else to
do the screening for me. I wanted to know this per-
son. I wanted a baby, yes. But it was important to
me that the baby grow up to be a kind and happy
person. None of this information was going to help
me make that happen. I wasn’t totally sure what I
wanted, but this wasn’t it.
Restless, I did what I always did when I needed
to think: took to the streets of Washington, D.C.
I walked mile after mile for nearly two hours
when something occurred to me. I stopped
short, pulled out my phone and Googled: “sperm
donor that you know.”
I scanned for a few minutes—enough time to
realize that finding a sperm donor who I could
actually meet was a thing that could happen. I put
my phone away and rushed home.

Online Matching
So many intereSting thingS appeared before my
eyes...something called the Known Donor Registry,
which allows people to search for sperm donors.
Facebook groups where sperm donors listed their ser-
vices—for free? And an app called Just a Baby, where I
could swipe left or right on potential donors?!
As I scanned through the various links, a warm
sense of certainty came over me. Then I had to

22 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024


FROM LEF T: E VAN HURD/CORBI S /GE T T Y; VALERI E BAUMAN
Dipping My Toe In
Catfish! Catfisshhhhhh, i thought to myself. i
had been on the Just a Baby app for less than 48
hours before I stumbled across a man with a Clark
Kent jaw, paper-cut-sharp cheekbones and wavy
brown hair. He was altogether too beautiful to be
real. He also had the sexy cache—and hero status—
of being a New York City firefighter. More impor-
tantly, he was smart (a degree in business) and had
interesting, artistic hobbies, including sculpture.
Most importantly, his motivation seemed altruistic.
He was only helping people via artificial insemina-
tion—and he knew he didn’t want to produce kids
into the double digits. Both were important to me.
I mustered the courage to swipe right, and we
matched and exchanged contact information. He
was getting off work and was still in uniform when
he answered my video call.
He took off his red firefighter helmet, flipped his
hair and grinned a toothpaste-commercial smile. I
was dazzled. Damn. Those are some good genes, I
nearly said out loud.
“Oh! You’re real!” I actually did say this out loud,
instantly blushing.
The dream started to feel more tangible. The Fire-
fighter shared photos from his childhood and of his
entire family tree. It gave me a sense of connection
that I wanted my child to feel. He was willing to meet
the child and have a relationship, of sorts. But he
wanted no legal or financial rights or obligations.
It was a perfect arrangement.
The Firefighter said that he appreciated the
thought I had put into my profile.
I had posted the following on Just a Baby and, later,
on sperm donor groups on Facebook:
Seeking a donor in or near the Washington, D.C.–
metro area. Artificial insemination only. Will consider
working with folks willing to travel. Here’s the rub: I’m
looking for someone who’s willing to be in the kid’s life
from birth, not every day or even every week or month.
Not a coparent, but someone who can answer questions
for the kid and provide a healthy explanation about why
you chose to help their mom bring them into the world.
I’d love to make a new lifelong friend who shares my
values and wants to stay in touch, get updates on the
kiddo, and attend the occasional birthday party. I’m
hoping to find someone reliable and kind.
A little about me: I’m an aspiring single mother by
choice. I grew up the oldest of four, and the only girl. I
loved caring for my little brothers and always wanted
to be a mom. I’ve just found success in my career as a
journalist that has never been matched in my personal
life. It is my dream to become a parent, please help me
make that happen.
Ultimately, plans with The Firefighter fell through.
I was hesitant to travel during the pandemic and
wanted to find someone who lived closer.
We parted ways, and I went back to Just a Baby to
start swiping again.
How It Started
i soon realized the world of unregulated sperm
donation is as fascinating as it is seedy. In the months
that followed, I learned that the whole movement first
emerged on Craigslist and on Yahoo message boards
in the early 2000s before migrating to the newer web-
sites and apps of today.
Back then, donors would list their availability to
donate sperm and occasionally they would have a
taker. Even more occasionally, a woman or lesbian
couple would find these online discussions and post
that they were seeking a donor. Often these arrange-
ments were anonymous meetups with no way for
NE WSWEEK .COM 23
either party to stay in touch. Sometimes the exchanges
involved sex, other times it was just a hand off of a
sterile cup full of sperm in a brown paper bag.
Now, two decades later, unregulated, gray-market
sperm donation was exploding online, just as I started
dipping my toe in. My reporter senses were set ablaze.
This was going to be a huge story. And I was living
it. I started taking screenshots of interesting posts on
the pages and noting different donors and recipients
who seemed to be particularly active in the Face-
book groups. I spoke to the people who dominated
the world and asked questions as I tried to grasp the
nuances of this bizarre social interaction.
But this story is bigger than any one player. It’s
about the confluence of demand and supply—espe-
cially at a moment when millions of Americans were
sitting at home, quarantined during a pandemic with
nothing to think about but their mortality. These
factors spurred an online baby boom.
In 2021, nearly 3.7 million births were recorded in
the U.S.—a 1 percent increase compared with 2020,
according to CDC data. That may seem small, but keep
in mind that the prior five years before this uptick, their backseat DIY insemination.
birthrates were steadily declining by roughly 1 per- “I kept my legs up for 15 minutes, then we drove off
cent a year. Despite the turnaround, the number of and went about our day,” she said.
births in 2021 failed to catch up with the 2019 total The couple hadn’t anticipated getting the golden
due to a drop in births between 2019 and 2020. ticket: a first-time success. But a few weeks later
Latrice had a vivid dream that she was pregnant.
One Couple’s Story “It felt so real,” she said.
Latrice, a stunning african american woman with The next morning, she took a test, and it was posi-
long black hair and a penchant for bright red lipstick, tive. Now the couple has an 18-month-old son.
had her head on a pillow, her legs in the air and
her toes squished against the ceiling of her bright A Different Kind of Baby Boom
blue Chevy Equinox. one factor that resuLted in this boom in the
Her wife had just inseminated her using a “lube- unregulated market is that many fertility clinics
launcher”—a syringe-like device designed to shoot closed their doors as “nonessential” medical proce-
lubricant into a vagina. The couple had traveled an dures were put on the back burner during the pan-
hour from their Michigan home to pick up a cup of demic, and as sperm banks had to pause accepting
sperm from Ron, a super donor who estimates he’s new donations—leading to a shortage. Even after
produced 65 children and has more on the way. clinics reopened, people who couldn’t afford to spend
For three days in a row, they had a conception rou- thousands of dollars on sperm from a bank, or costly
tine with Ron’s help. After picking up the sperm in a fertility procedures, increasingly went online to find
cup inside a paper bag from Ron, they would drive free or cheap sperm. PRODUCTIVE
a short distance before pulling into a quiet hospital Another upside to a freelance sperm donor is that Bauman found a
parking lot. Then Latrice laid down and scooted her you’re getting fresh sperm (which lives up to five days sperm donor online,
resulting in a successful
5-foot-1-inch frame as far into the backseat as she in a woman’s body), and sometimes receiving multi-
pregnancy. The
could. Her wife crouched on the edge of the opposite ple donations per cycle. By comparison, frozen sperm mom-to-be and an
seat, her legs dangling out the partially open rear door. is almost exclusively administered once per cycle, and ultrasound picture
It only took a few seconds for the couple to complete it only lives in a woman’s body for up to 24 hours— of her unborn child.

24 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024


“I wanted to know the person
who would help me create my child,
to be able to GIVE MY KID ANSWERS
and insights into where they came from.”
making timing around ovulation incredibly critical.
Many of these women, like me, seemed to be in
their later 30s and realizing that they were in a now-
or-never moment. There’s data to back up this existen-
tial crisis: In 2021, new births among women ages 20
to 24 declined by 3 percent, but they rose as much as
5 percent for women ages 25 to 44.
Many people gain access to unregulated sperm
donation through the Known Donor Registry, a
website where donors and recipients can draft pro-
files and seek each other out. The KDR describes
itself as a free community resource and platform for
connecting donors and recipients. As such, it has a
lengthy “terms of use,” in which it makes clear that
members are responsible for vetting the accuracy of
donor profiles and for any interaction that may take
place. It’s not clear how legally binding the terms
of use are; however, people have been kicked off
and blocked from KDR for not complying with the
rules. The site’s code of conduct requires users to be
respectful and abstain from using illegal drugs and
transmitting STIs. It also recommends legal contracts
and bars any requests for payment in exchange for
gametes. Members may not “state or imply” that sex
is a more effective way to get pregnant than artificial
insemination methods.
One of the most popular sperm donation Face-
book pages saw its membership grow by thousands
per month at times, tripling between June 2020 and
FROM LE F T: HANN AH LEE ; VALER IE BAUMA N
June 2022, and eventually reaching about 24,000
members. By August 2023, membership had grown
175 percent. As more recipients flocked to the page,
the donor population has grown, too.
I found Facebook groups to be the real lifeblood of
this world. Unlike Just a Baby, which is essentially Tin-
der for getting knocked up and an extremely unreg-
ulated setup, the Facebook groups allowed recipients
and donors to exchange information on a semi-public
forum, so there’s a little bit more accountability. The
FERTILITY
posts range from insemination advice to pregnancy
announcements. Recipients looking for sperm will
frequently post a picture along with their location
and a few details about what they want in a donor.
Similarly, donors will post photos of themselves
and/or their successes. Think: cute baby pictures
and positive pregnancy tests. All of this is a bid to
attract new recipients.
The groups are also a place where everyone is
encouraged to video chat first before meeting in
a preferably public place for the first time. The
moderators are mostly donors, but there are a few
recipients, too.
Moderators do their best to screen out the
creeps and trolls. But like any other internet com-
munity, I quickly learned that it’s tough to keep
up with sometimes.
All of this was wildly new territory for me. But
there was a palpable sense of empowerment among
successful recipients: They had gamed the system,
found a shortcut around the reproductive industry
and still wound up with a baby—and a complete
family. It intrigued me, particularly in the larger
social context of humanity and how we define fam-
ilies. Increasingly, women are becoming parents
without a father present, and LGBTQ+ couples are
finding ways to build families on their own terms.
These online spaces make it possible for many people
in marginalized groups to have biological children
since the conventional health care system largely
favors coupled heterosexual people with plenty of
financial resources.
This is a moment when people are talking more
openly about what it means to build different kinds
of families and reproductive rights are at the fore-
front of politics and culture. Along my personal jour-
ney, I’ve explored the psychological, legal and ethical
ramifications of finding free or cheap procreation
assistance online and going through with the pro-
cess of starting a family with the help of a stranger.
Could this be a critical moment of empowerment
for new kinds of families? Or a risky prospect with
myriad complications to consider?
What does it mean if the answer is both?
▸ Adapted with permission from inconceivable:
super sperm donors, off-the-grid insemination,
and unconventional family planning by Valerie
Bauman. © 2024. Published by Union Square & Co.
NE WSWEEK .COM 25

Q A &
Valerie
Bauman
BY MEREDITH WOLF SCHIZER
Q _ Were you ultimately success-
ful in your quest to conceive?
A _ I am currently preg-
nant, due in mid-May. i can’t
wait to meet my son!
Is there anything you would have
done differently along the way?
There is a donor I mention in the
book who I worked with that I call
“The Conquistador.” We attempted
to have a romantic relationship
while also trying to get me preg-
nant. I regret that situation.
You lay out many pitfalls in trying
to conceive in the unregulat-
ed market. How can would-be
parents avoid getting burned?
The key is taking your time to vet
potential donors properly and
establishing some trust. Unlike a
sperm bank, you have the op-
portunity to truly get to know
the person who is donating half
the DNA that will create your
child. Take advantage of that
and don’t rush that process.
Additionally, i often see people
focusing only on a donor’s phys-
ical attributes and seeking donor
anonymity. They may just want to
have sperm shipped to them, or
even meet a donor at a roadside
motel without ever exchanging
26 NE WSWEEK .COM
BOOKS
real names. That’s not a healthy Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of
decision for the recipient or the the prospective parent—the recip-
donor-conceived child. That’s how
you wind up with a donor who has
severe psychological issues that
ient—to choose a donor carefully.
Finding someone who has self-im-
posed limits, good motivations and
FROM LEF T: UNION SQUARE & CO. ; CO URTE SY VALERI E BAUMAN
could be passed on to your child. a willingness to meet the child and
in other cases, those recipi- stay in touch regarding potential
ents will find their donor trying to family health issues should be the
coerce them into performing sex goals of any prospective recipients.
acts. Unfortunately, some women
will submit to those pressures out
of desperation to get pregnant.
You discuss contracts between
people trying to conceive and
Consider—what if your child tracks sperm donors. How
down this donor one day through can both partners
a consumer DNA site. Would you balance the legal
really want your kid to develop a protections con-
relationship with someone that tracts can provide
disgusting? The world of freelance against the possi-
sperm contains many creeps who bility of garnished
are just trying to get laid. It also
contains men with a breeding fetish
who want to see their DNA spread
far and wide—without regard for
the children who then must contend
with dozens of siblings. It takes time
to find the good donors who are
genuinely seeking to help would-
be parents build their families.
Do super donors create a problem
for donor-conceived people? How
can their rights be protected?
Most donor-conceived people I’ve
spoken with are extremely troubled
by super donors who create chil-
dren by the dozens without limits or
any intention to connect half-sib-
lings or maintain relationships
with the offspring. protecting their
rights is tricky, because the U.S.
legal and legislative systems are
loathe to place any formal limits on
how many children any one person
can have—or how they go about it.
EXPECTANT Bauman’s book includes
her own experiences and those of
others looking to become moms. She
is looking forward to welcoming a son.
April 05, 2024
wages or claims of child support
levied against the donor?
This goes back to vetting—for the
donor and the recipient. The two
parties should know each other well
and have established some trust.
That said, unless you’re in California
(which has laws governing known
sperm donation and home insem-
ination), there are no guarantees.
The best thing you can do is hire a
family attorney specializing in ART
(Assisted Reproductive Technolo-
gy) to guide you and draft the con- INSPIRED Bauman’s personal journey was only
tract. Even this has no guarantees. the starting point for the deep dive into the
Another layer of protection unregulated sperm market that became her book.
would be to go through a clinic
for the actual insemination using
known-donor sperm. Unfortunate- ly, most clinics add thousands of
dollars of unnecessary costs to
the process by requiring freezing
and quarantining of sperm. My
hope is that the freelance sperm
phenomenon will push more clinics
to embrace more liberal interpre-
tations of FDA guidelines, which
allow for in-clinic procedures
when a known donor is already a
“sexually intimate partner.” While
some clinics erroneously conflate
sexually intimate partners with
romantic partners who would
actively parent any resulting child,
the more progressive clinics con-
sider someone a sexually intimate
partner when someone’s sperm
has previously been inside of the
recipient—even if via artificial
insemination. So, one home insem-
ination would get you past the FDA
regulations and allow for the use of
fresh sperm (which is much better
than frozen) in a clinic setting.
Do you think the unregulated
sperm market is a good option for
some people who, for whatever
reason, aren’t well-served by the
traditional health care system?
I don’t condemn or recommend the
freelance sperm market. It’s not
right for everyone. The fact is, it’s
happening, it’s considered a viable
option by many and it’s helping
create families around the world
that otherwise wouldn’t exist. I do
think it’s a sign that the traditional
health care system is failing and
bankrupting prospective parents.
Do would-be adoptive parents
face similar obstacles as those
using the unregulated sperm
market to conceive? Are there
synergies that could be utilized
to improve the process and
outcomes for both groups?
People seeking to adopt are
dealing with a massive amount of
bureaucracy, which is completely
different from what prospective
parents face in the freelance sperm
marketplace. Even in the fertility
clinics, single mothers by choice
and LGBTQ+ people are not going
to encounter as many obstacles,
red tape and costs as those found
in the world of adoption. I don’t see
any obvious solutions that would
change things in both realms, un-
less society has a major shift in how
we think about and define families.
What effect, if any, do you think
the recent Alabama Supreme
Court ruling will have on the
unregulated sperm market?
The Alabama Supreme Court ruling
is already resulting in canceled
embryo transfers and egg re-
trievals, and people who have
already made embryos are not
able to find companies willing to
transport them to a state where
transfers are possible. All of this
is going to drive more people
to the freelance sperm world,
where regulations don’t exist.
NE WSWEEK .COM 27
 A M E R I C A’ S

GE T T Y

28 NE WSWEEK .COM
 etting a career started is never easy.
First-day stumbling blocks can give
way to larger questions about choosing the right
career path. Imposter syndrome, information
overload, the challenge of new colleagues: it’s
almost enough to make you miss the routine of
sending out endless résumés to online job de-
scriptions. ¶ The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported in December 2023 that there were more
job openings than applicants (with 0.7 applicants
for
per opening), a trend that has held since May
2021. That means the landscape favors people
on the lookout for work. But even with an abun-
dance of open positions, people just entering the
workforce should consider their options carefully
2024
to get a real sense of which companies will help
them flourish as they begin their careers. ¶ To
help improve the job-finding process, Newsweek
has partnered with Plant-A, a data intelligence
firm, for the second annual ranking of companies
that excel at hiring people getting their careers off
the ground.. The data, divided into small, medium
and large segments based on each company’s size,
is compiled from responses from workers with
less than five total years of employment experi-
ence who are currently at companies with more
than 500 employees. ¶ This survey aims to benefit
people early in their career by surfacing compa-
nies that could be a good fit for them. It presents
a portrait across industries—including advertis-
ing and marketing, engineering, health care and
software firms, among others—to highlight com-
panies that are making the best moves to attract
fresh talent. ¶ We hope the ranking serves as a
resource for helping to find matches between job
starters and the companies looking to hire them.
Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief
NE WSWEEK .COM 29
 Methodology
NEWSWEEK AND PLANT-A
insights Group are partnering
for the second year to determine
America’s Greatest Workplaces for
Job Starters 2024 recognizing the
greatest workplaces in the United
States by their performance on a
range of relevant metrics from the
perspective of job starters.
The methodology for this
ranking is based on a five-stage
evaluation.
The first phase was a pre-study
survey that interviewed HR pro-
fessionals to identify current and
future employee satisfaction drivers.
The second phase was the main
employee survey among employees
with up to 5 years working experi-
ence who reviewed employers they
were familiar with. The independent
study is based on more than 75,000
Job Starters who provided more
than 540,000 company reviews
collected in 2022 and 2023.
The third phase was an elabo-
rate desk research project in which
we collected overall 8 KPIs relevant
for job starters in the workplace
(e.g., reviews and information from
social media platforms overall and
with respect to career opportunities
and a culture and management that
fosters their career development).
In the fourth phase, we applied
media monitoring, reviewing all
published press of the past 24
months (December 9, 2021 – De-
cember 10, 2023) of all recognized
companies to identify potential le-
gal disputes around the workplace.
The fifth step was the validation
step. We calculated an individual
company score based on our
scoring model. The best companies
in the tiers of 5,000+ employees,
1,000 to 4,999 employees and
500 to 999 employees have been
recognized as “America’s Greatest
Workplaces for Job Starters 2024.”
30 NE WSWEEK .COM
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Avis Budget Group
The desk research was kindly
Brookfield Infrastructure
supported by Onclusive, the leading
Partners
media monitoring partner with its
world-class sentiment technology. Circana
For company-related information, DEPT
we worked with privCo, a service that
tracks private company financial in- EssenceMediacom
formation in a proprietary database. Federal Heath
Additional resources for company
Halo Branded Solutions
data were ZoomInfo and Seamless AI.
Healthcare Services Group
This work is based on primary and
ISG
secondary market research and
analysis of publicly available data ITA Group
or provided to plant-A insights Market America
Group llC. placement in the ranking
is a positive recognition based on R/GA
research of publicly available data TechTarget
sources at the time, the informa-
WE Communications
tion provided in the validation
survey and an extensive survey of
employees in the U.S. in 2022 and AEROSPACE & DEFENSE
2023. The ranking is the result of
a detailed research process which, AAR
PharmaCann
due to the interval of data collection
Aerotech Inc.
and analysis, is a reflection of data Tagawa Gardens
from the last 24 months. Further- Amentum
more, events following December Ball Aerospace APPAREL RETAIL
10, 2023, were not a subject of this & Technologies
ranking. Newsweek and Plant-A
Boeing America’s Thrift Stores
make no claim to the completeness
of the companies examined. The Fidelity Technologies Backcountry
results of this ranking should not GA Telesis Aviation Boot Barn Holdings
be used as the sole source of infor- Investments
mation for future deliberations. The David’s Bridal
Goulds Pumps
information provided in this ranking Designer Brands
should be considered in conjunction HII
Express
with other available information.
Honda Aircraft Co.
Plant-A nor any of its subsidiaries or Fashion Nova
their respective officers, direc- Honeywell Aerospace
Sportsman’s Warehouse
tors, shareholders, employees or Joby Aviation LLC
agents accept any responsibility or Warehouse Shoe Sale
Qarbon Aerospace
liability with respect to the use of
or reliance on any information or Radiance Technologies APPAREL, FOOTWEAR
analysis contained in this ranking. & ACCESSORIES
Raytheon Intelligence
The quality of companies that are & Space
not included in the ranking is not 5.11
disputed. This work may not be Raytheon Technologies
American Apparel
published, transmitted, broadcast, Textron
copied, reproduced or reprinted American Eagle
in whole or in part without the ex- Outfitters, Inc.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
plicit written permission of Plant-A Ascena Retail Group Inc.
insights Group llC. Copyright ©
Bailey Nurseries Balfour & Co.
2023 plant-A insights Group llC. All
rights reserved. Co-Alliance Carter’s
April 05, 2024
 C&F Financial Access DMC

Citi Ace Parking Management

Citizens Alorica

City National Bank Best Beverage Catering LLC

Enterprise Financial C&W Services

Services Corporation
Compass Group
First Financial Bank
Delaware North
KeyBank
DMS Facility Services

EverRise
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Facilities Management
Services
AM
GTT Global
CPSI
Healthcare Linen
CSLBehring Services Group
Genentech ITG Communications
HBCS Incorporated
Lilly Kaman’s Art Shoppes
Natera Maximus

Qualfon
BUILDING PRODUCTS
RMS Merchandising

Chico’s FAS Neapco Holdings Cabinetworks Group Taher

Cintas TEAM Industries, Inc. Central Concrete Target Hospitality

Delta Apparel U.S. Manufacturing Chase Industries Tech-24

Eddie Bauer Engineered Floors TTEC

Footlocker
AUTOMOTIVE & CONSUMER Valley Services
Hampton Affiliates
VEHICLE RETAIL
Haggar Idaho Forest Group
Apple Automotive
CHEMICALS & PLASTICS
Madewell Kohler
Samuels Jewelers Automotive Parts MarinoWare BASF
Headquarter
Sun & Ski Sports MI Windows and Doors Cabot
AutoNation
Tom James Pella Dow
Bob Moore Auto Group
Windsor Techo-Bloc Ecolab
CarMax
Zumiez Wells Concrete L&L Products
Lithia Motors
PPG
AUTO PARTS Mercedes-Benz
BUILDING PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTORS State Industrial Products
Tiara Yachts
Ada Technologies Techniplas
Toyota Carlsbad Builders FirstSource
ATC Drivetrain
Walser Ferguson
Cummins
COAL & MINING
White Cap
Dakkota Integrated Systems BANKS Halco
Dana BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES
Banc of California
Lacks Enterprises COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL
Bank of America 2020 Companies ENGINEERING
Manufacturers
Industrial Group Bank OZK AAA Landscape
GE T T Y

A.J. Kirkwood
Michelin Banner Bank Access & Associates (AJK)

▸ V I E W T H E L I S T O N L I N E AT Newsweek.com/agwjs-2024 NE WSWEEK .COM 31

 TDIndustries Bain & Company

TEC Industrial Georgia Tech

Wagmans GovCIO

Walbridge Aldinger Public Consulting Group

Walsh Construction Retail Merchandising

Solutions
Walters & Wolf

CONSUMER FINANCE
COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT
& SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTORS 1st Franklin Financial

Academy Mortgage
ABC Bus Companies
ACE Cash Express
Hahn Automotive
Warehouse, Inc. AmCap Mortgage Ltd.
Imperial Dade American Advisors Group
Mac Papers and Packaging American Express
Ross Video DAI
AATA International GE Johnson
Construction Company GoodLeap
AECOM COMMERCIAL PRINTING
General Production Homeside Financial
Ahern Service
Marketing Alliance Group New American Funding
Allstate Sales Group Goodfellow Bros.
Taylor USA Mortgage
Ambassador Services H&M
Veterans United
Atlas Halff Associates Home Loans
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS
Baker Group HR Green & OFFICE SUPPLIES
Blue Wolf Capital CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Icon Mechanical
Construction & Engineering A10 Networks
BrandSafway
21st Century HealthCare
J.F. Shea American Banknote
C.S. McCrossan Corporation Ambarella
C&S Companies J.J. White
Bad Boy Mowers AMCON Distributing
CHA Consulting Jacobs Solutions Company
C&K Trucking
Champion JH Findorff & Son Apple
Digital Diagnostics
Classic Floors Ferrazzano John E. Green Fender Musical
Duke Manufacturing Instruments Corporation
Cleveland Group Johnson Controls
HIS ITG Brands
Concrete Strategies KCI Technologies
HP Mars
Construction Kiewit
Wall Family Enterprise Scentsy
Labor Contractors
LINAK U.S.
Construction Partners Verifone Systems
M3 Engineering CONGLOMERATES
CVC & Technology Voyant Beauty

D.P. Electric MCC Electric Berkshire Hathaway Wacom

E.R. Snell Contractor Michael & Son Bloomberg L.P.

CONSUMER PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTORS
Engineered Structures Michael Baker EY

Fagen Phalcon NOCO Animal Supply

Company LLC
Faith Technologies R.C. Hunt Electric Technic
Ichor Systems
Ferrovial Raba Kistner
CONSULTING National Auto
GAI Consultants S&B Parts Warehouse

Gannett Fleming Siemens Allied Solutions Oil-Dri of America

32 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024

 Retailers and Manufacturers Teaching Strategies Sysco
FOOD & BEVERAGE RETAIL
Rush Enterprises Texas A&M

The Estée Lauder UCF

FOOD & BEVERAGE PRODUCERS C&K Market
Companies
University of Dayton Dillons
Abbyland Foods
University of Hawaii Foodland Super Market
CONVENIENCE STORES Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc.
& GAS STATIONS University of Maryland
California Natural Products
Garafalo Markets
University of South Florida Hannaford
AC&T Co. Campbell
USC Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Kum & Go Case Farms LLC
Vanderbilt University Market Basket
Kwik Trip Daisy Brand

Dakota Provisions Publix

Love’s Travel Stops ENTERTAINMENT
& Country Stores Save Mart Supermarkets
Darigold
Pilot Flying J Chicken Soup for the Schnuck Markets
Soul Entertainment, Inc. Del Monte Foods
QuikTrip Stater Bros.
Kansas City Chiefs Dole
ShopRite Los Angeles Sullivan’s Foods
Live Nation Ferrara Candy Co.
SpartanNash Wakefern Food
Los Angeles Angels Idahoan Foods
Wallis Cos. Walt’s Food Center
Saga Communications J&B Group

Salem Media Group John B. Sanfilippo & Son Wayfield Foods

DRUG & MEDICAL RETAIL
San Francisco 49ers McCain Foods USA Wegmans
Good Neighbor Pharmacy Weis Markets
TAIT McCormick

Peco Foods
EDUCATION SERVICES FOOD & BEVERAGE DISTRIBUTORS FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION
Rich Products
Adams and Associates Smithfield Foods, Inc. Adams Resources & Energy
Pepsi Midamerica
Arizona State University Welch’s Alaska Air
Pet Food Experts
Boston University
Restaurant Depot Wells Enterprises BNSF Railway
C2

Child Development Schools

Duke University

Emory

Festivals of Music

Harvard University

Johns Hopkins University

KinderCare

LeafSpring School

Learning Care Group

MTC

National American
University

Oregon Health
& Science University

Saint Louis University

GE T T Y [2]

School Specialty

Teachers on Reserve

▸ V I E W T H E L I S T O N L I N E AT Newsweek.com/agwjs-2024 NE WSWEEK .COM 33

C.R. England Team Technologies

ConGlobal WellSpan Health

Foodliner Zimmer Biomet

General Dynamics
HEALTH CARE PRODUCTS
Hallmark Aviation Services

JetBlue Good Samaritan

Medical Center
Koch
STAAR Surgical Company
Postal Fleet Services

Transport America
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
Union Pacific

United Airlines A & E Health Services

A Caring Heart
UPS
Case Management
Wadhams Enterprises
Abrazo Community
XPO Health Network

AccentCare
GENERAL RETAIL AdventHealth
Altamonte Springs
Amazon
Adventist Health Partners
Bealls
Ascension Texas
HealthEquity Presbyterian
Boscov’s
Athletico Physical Therapy
Help at Home Privia Health
Savers
ATI Physical Therapy
Henry Ford Health Providence Health
Aveanna & Services
HEALTH CARE DISTRIBUTORS Hometeam
Barnes Healthcare Services Riverside Community
HonorHealth Hospital
Adapt Health BayCare
HSM
Saint Francis
Joerns Healthcare Behavioral Health Works
Human Care Hospital - Memphis
Carelon Behavioral Health T & N Reliable Nursing Care
Incare Home
HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT Health Care Group
Centene Take Care of Sarasota
Bio-Techne Children’s Specialty Group James A. Haley
VA Medical Center Telecare
Boston Scientific Community Care Health Trinity Health
Kindred Healthcare
Brookdale Concentra U.S. Renal Care
Legacy Health Services
Cardinal Health Dana-Farber
McLaren Health Care UC Davis Health
Haemonetics Dignity Health
Medical Facilities UPMC CCP
Hanger Erickson Senior Living of America, Inc.
Upstream Rehabilitation
ICU Medical Essentia Health Memorial Hermann
Virginia Health Services
Healthcare System
Mass General Brigham Family Care Network
Mercy Medical Center
McKesson Family Healthcare HEALTH CARE SERVICES
Associates Michigan Healthcare
Medtronic Professionals
Good Samaritan A Place For Mom
Mercy Health Hospital San Jose Montefiore
A&T Health Care
MICRO Halcyon Home Novant Health
Acadian Companies
Philips HCA Healthcare Oak Street Health
Accountable
Stryker Health Connect America Orlando Health Healthcare Staffing

Tactile Medical Healthcare Stat Homecare Piedmont Addus HomeCare

34 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024

 Advocate Aurora Health Hospital Espanol Texas Health Resources Fabuwood Cabinetry
Auxilio Mutuo de PR
Albany Medical Center UNC REX Healthcare Shaw Industries Group
IBJI
Alliance Union Health The Home Depot
HealthCare Services J. Knipper & Company
Universal Health Services
Ambercare Jackson Healthcare
UT Medical Center
HOTELS, RESORTS, CASINOS
Atlantic Health Johns Hopkins Medicine & CRUISE LINES
WakeMed
Atrium Health Lake Regional
WellStar 155 East Tropicana
Health System
Aurora Health Care
Accel Entertainment
Magellan Health
Avalon Health Care HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES Apple Leisure Group
Aya Healthcare Mayo Clinic
Kentucky Trailer Cache Creek Casino Resort
Baptist Health Medical Data Systems
MAC Trailer Hagadone Hospitality
Baptist Health Care MedPro Healthcare Staffing
Hilton Worldwide
Baptist Health MedStar Health
South Florida
HOME & ELECTRONICS RETAIL HVMG
Memorial Health
BAYADA Marriott
Memorial Health Systems Baker Furniture
Baylor Scott & White Health Marriott Vacations
Mercy Fastenal Company Worldwide
BJC HealthCare Gardens Alive
Methodist Health System The Post Oak Hotel
Boston Medical Center H.J. Martin & Son
MicroBac Laboratories Valencia Hotel Group
Care Hospice HOM Furniture
National Healthcare Wynn
Children’s Hospital Rent-A-Center
and Health System Nationwide
Children’s Hospital HUMAN RESOURCES &
Safe Streets USA
Children’s Mercy
NBN Group EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Talk 4 Less Wireless
Children’s National Hospital
Northside Hospital Communications
CHOA A.S.G. Staffing
Northwest Talk Mobile
Cincinnati Children’s Community Hospital AAA Staffing
Whirlpool
Hospital Abacus Service
NYU Langone Williams-Sonoma
Compass Health
ABBA Staffing
Ochsner
Covenant Health and Consulting
OhioHealth HOME FURNISHINGS
DaVita Accu Staffing
PeaceHealth
Dental Care Alliance Century Furniture Addison Group
Planned Parenthood
Doctors Hospital
RadNet
Education Affiliates
Sage Dental
Epic International Staffing
St. Luke’s
Fidelity Health Care
ScribeAmerica
Froedtert
Senior Care Centers
Genesis HealthCare
Health & Rehabilitation
HCSC
Sharp HealthCare
Health Catalyst
Spectrum
Healthesystems Community Health

HealthPartners SSM Health

HealthPro Heritage St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital
GE T T Y [2]

HealthStream
Sutter Health
Home Medical
Equipment Specialists Taconic Biosciences

▸ V I E W T H E L I S T O N L I N E AT Newsweek.com/agwjs-2024 NE WSWEEK .COM 35

Aerotek STAFF FORCE, Inc. Swift Transportation EA Engineering Science
Corporation and Technology
C4 Technical Services TalentBridge
TEC Equipment Engineered Plastic
CGS Global Team Staffing Solutions Components
W.W. Williams
CoAdvantage Tech USA Facilities Performance
Wagner Equipment Group
Educare Medical Staffing Technica
Walters Wholesale Electric Farmer’s Business Network
Educational Data Systems Technical Engineering
Consultants Federal International
ESS INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY
US Tech Solutions Food Safety Net Services
Express Employment
Professionals Wagner Technical Services Baldwin Technology Ice Industries
Company
HSS M1 Support Services
INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTORS Caterpillar Inc.
I-TECH Resources PTS Advance
Emerson
ICON Consultants A2 Global Electronics Sonic Systems
+ Solutions Fortis Insdustries
IT BY DESIGN Tessco
C & B Operations Illinois Tool Works
IT Trail Blazers
Dakota Supply Group ITT INSURANCE SERVICES
Kelly Services
IBT Micro Solutions Enterprises
Life Style Staffing Auto-Owners Insurance
Kaman Automation
ManpowerGroup (Kaman Distribution) INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS Bankers Financial
Randstad M. H. Logistics Elevance Health
ABB Electrification
Robert Half MacAllister Machinery Humana
Barnes Group
SafeGuard Global Michigan CAT Insurance Office
Chase of America
Sparks Personnel Services Ohio CAT
E&E Manufacturing Sedgwick
SPI OTC
Engineered Controls State Farm Mutual
International Automobile Insurance Co.

Fairbanks Scales United HealthCare Services

G & W Electric UnitedHealth Group

Goodman

Hamilton Company
INSURANCE UNDERWRITING
ITR INDUSTRIES Aflac
Itron Amalgamated Life
Safe Fleet Holdings Bankers Insurance Group
Tech International Capital Blue Cross
Tech-Etch CNA Financial
Technimark Country Financial
Wall Colmonoy Fidelity National Financial
Waters Hagerty Insurance Agency
Zebra Technologies Health Plans (HPI)

Highmark Health
INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
HSAG

AMA Plastics John Hancock

Automotive Quality Loews

& Logistics
MetLife Services
Banner Engineering and Solutions

36 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024

 Primerica
Corporation Service
Safety Insurance Group Company

Safeway Insurance Daifuku

St. Bernards Healthcare Daimler Trucks

North America
The Hartford
Deloitte
Driveline Retail
INTEGRATED OIL & GAS Merchandising

Murphy USA Education Management

Corporation Limited

Engineering Research
INVESTMENT BANKING, & Consulting
TRADING & BROKERAGE
Faegre Drinker
Jefferies Group Fair Isaac Corporation
JPMorgan Chase Ford Audio-Video Systems
R.J. O’Brien & Associates GEA
Saddle Creek Logistics Taghleef Industries
HPE
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Schneider
Intermountain Health
& FINANCIAL ADVISORY U.S. Xpress Enterprises
PAPER PRODUCTS
J.J. Keller & Associates
Edward Jones Warehouse Services Georgia-Pacific
Jefferson Hospital
Fidelity Warehouse Specialists Kimberly-Clark Association

IMA Financial Group Lahey Clinic

MEAT, POULTRY & FISH PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION Management Concepts
Northwestern Mutual
Perdue Farms Markel
Academy Bus
LEISURE FACILITIES Pilgrim’s Pride McAngus Goudelock
Huntington Coach & Courie
ACAC Fitness and Veterans Transportation Morgan & Morgan
Wellness Centers OIL & GAS DRILLING,
EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION Production Resource
California Athletic PHARMACEUTICALS Group
Club Management
Halliburton Saalex Corp
Cedar Fair A&Z Pharmaceutical
Marathon Oil SADA
Healthtrax International AstraZeneca
SAFEbuilt
Hershey Entertainment OIL & GAS EQUIPMENT & SERVICES Bayer
& Resorts SalesMakers
Boehringer Ingelheim
In-Shape Family Fitness TechnipFMC plc Pharmaceuticals St. Joseph’s Health
Onelife Fitness Bristol-Myers Squibb Tailored Brands
Six Flags
OIL & GAS REFINING, Merck Takeda Pharmaceutical
STORAGE & TRANSPORTATION
TopGolf USANA UMass Memorial Health
UFC Gym Chevron Phillips Chemical Unity Health
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
M.G. Oil URC
LOGISTICS SERVICES Phillips 66 USPS
Abt Associates

Hospital Couriers Acadia Healthcare Vera Bradley Designs, Inc.

PACKAGING & CONTAINERS Veterinary Practice
Infor Acosta
Partners
ITS Logistics Aaron Thomas Company Baker & Hostetler LLP
GE T T Y [2]

VOANS
RGIS G3 Enterprises Castle Metals
Wildlife Conservation
Ryder System, Inc. Pratt Industries Chicago Transit Authority Society

▸ V I E W T H E L I S T O N L I N E AT Newsweek.com/agwjs-2024 NE WSWEEK .COM 37

 PUBLISHING

Gannett

Hal Leonard

REAL ESTATE

D’Aprile Properties

Dallas Market Center

Daniel Corp.

Fairfield Residential

Garden Commercial

Goldrich Krest

Greystar Real
Estate Partners

HRI Properties

Jack Conway

Keller Williams Realty

MACO Management

MRD Apartments Good Food Restaurants GardaWorld Appian

MSC Good Times Restaurants Law Enforcement Attentive

Specialists
Real Estate One Hooters Businessolver
Safe Haven Security
S.L. Nusbaum Realty Hospitality Certinia
Restaurant Group Securitas Electronic
Yes Communities Security Change Healthcare
Incredible Pizza Company
Securitas Security Cisco
RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION Inspire Brands Services USA Comtech
Jack’s Family Restaurants Security USA Credit Karma
Dabella
KRAF Inc. Vector Security DoorDash
M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.
Landry’s Vivint Entertainment Partners
MAC’D
RESTAURANTS Epic Games
Penn Station SEMICONDUCTORS
Faire
Abby’s & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT
Raising Cane’s
Fooda
Amac Association Red Robin Applied Materials
Gourmet Burgers GoodRx Holdings
Applebee
Intel Google
BJ’s Restaurants Restaurant
Management Group Jabil Gopuff
Bloomin’ Brands
Restaurants Unlimited Micron Technology GrubHub
Burger Lounge of America
Texas de Brazil NVIDIA H1 Insights
C&R Management
The Cheesecake Factory Texas Instruments HealthPlan Services
Carrols Restaurant Group
Wahoo’s Fish Taco Icertis
Darden Restaurants SOFTWARE & INTERNET SERVICES
iCIMS
Dutch Bros. Coffee SECURITY & ALARM SERVICES
Adobe ID.me
GE T T Y [2]

Freddy’s Frozen
Custard & Steakburgers ADT AMC Bridge Indeed

GameWorks Allied Universal AppDirect Information Builders, Inc.

38 NE WSWEEK .COM April 05, 2024

Intuit Enterprise Holdings Apexon

Itransition Hertz Applied Insight

LinkedIn Jack Williams Tire Co. Booz Allen

Lumen Technologies Jiffy Lube CAI Thales

M-Files PetVet Care Centers Coalfire Systems Vention
Microsoft Corporation Safe Harbor Cognizant Wachter
MicroStrategy Safeguard Properties Computer Design
& Integration
Namecheap Sam’s Xpress Car Wash TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES
Computer Enterprises
Noble Systems YMCA of Montclair
Computing Technologies Bandwidth
Paycom
Conduent Concentrix
Postmates
SPECIALTY FINANCE
Customer Motorola Solutions
Restaurant.com Ally Engineering Services
Qualcomm Technologies
RetailData Applied Data Finance Fiserv
Spectrum
Sabre Systems Bankers Healthcare Foundever
Group, Inc. Tak Communications
SAP G2.com
Financial Recovery Technology Solutions
SAS g2o
Services
Telephone and
Shipt i3 Corps
Florida Blue Data Systems
Softpath System ICF

Softvision SPECIALTY RETAIL Information Systems TEXTILES

and Networks
Stripe
AutoZone IT Coalition American & Efird
Take-Two
Interactive Software Baker & Taylor IT Convergence IES Communications
Tala Bass Pro Shops iTech

Technisys SA Beauty Brands Jack Henry & Associates UTILITIES

TelaDoc Health Chewy Management
Science Associates Ameren
TELUS Goodwill Industries
Micro Focus Dominion Energy
of Greater Grand Rapids
Uber
Oracle Edison International
James Avery Craftsman
Workday
Pet Supermarket Oracle Cerner Entergy

SPECIALIZED CONSUMER SERVICES Scheels Perficient NorthWestern Energy

Smart & Final Publicis Sapient Public Service

ABC Home Holdings Enterprise Group
SA Technologies
Commercial Services
Warby Parker Sage IT
Amazing GRACE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS
Personal Care Services SoftwareONE
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Apple Vacations Starburst Data Harley-Davidson
Bags Amdocs Tech Data Rivian Automotive
Beauty Express

Beauty Management

Best Friends PLANT-A INSIGHTS GROUP is a research, analytics and technology firm that produces inde-
pendent, unbiased company rankings and recognition across a wide variety of industries, cat-
Brake Masters
egories and sectors through extensive market research and analytics. All research projects are
CareGivers independently administered and performed by the highest standards of neutral and transparent
research methods.
Engine & Transmission
Exchange

▸ V I E W T H E L I S T O N L I N E AT Newsweek.com/agwjs-2024 NE WSWEEK .COM 39

Japan’s SMEs Uphold Tradition Amid Global Challenges
Japan’s bustling manufacturing sector
continues today to be characterized by a
blend of ancient craftsmanship and modern
innovation. This unique fusion, known as
monozukuri , encapsulates the essence of
the Japanese manufacturing philosophy —
a commitment to excellence, precision, and
continuous improvement.
Amidst the challenges of globalization, tech-
nological shifts, and economic fluctuations,
Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) stand as the guardians of this revered
tradition. Amongst these small yet pivotal
Japanese manufacturing firms, companies are
resiliently navigating contemporary hurdles
while championing the monozukuri spirit.
Osamu Yamaji, President of Toray Opelon-
tex – a specialist in industrial products cen-
tered on technologies in organic synthetic
chemistry, polymer chemistry, and biochemis-
try – highlights the strategic pivot Japanese
firms have made towards niche markets,
particularly in highly functional materials.
“The ability to actively develop new op-
portunities by closely analyzing the mar-
ket has been generating good results,” Mr.
Yamaji notes, emphasizing the resilience and
adaptability of Japanese firms in the face of
international competition and the aftermath
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Masaaki Nishikawa, President of cosmet-
ics firm Saishunkan Pharmaceutical, points
to the stringent quality demands of the do-
mestic market as a crucible for excellence.
“This has empowered Japanese companies to
strengthen their skill set and deliver high levels
of quality,” Mr. Nishikawa asserts, suggesting
that the domestic market rigors have equipped
Japanese firms to excel on the global stage.
In the realm of luxury goods, Shun Tsuji,
President of KISHUN, sees the current eco-
nomic climate as an unprecedented opportuni-
ty. With the yen’s weakness attracting foreign
tourists, Mr. Tsuji believes that “introducing
those tourists to Japanese cultural heritage
and craftsmanship” could not only boost sales
but also elevate the global appreciation for
Japanese jewelry. He also highlights the con-
cept of “Urban Mining,” leveraging Japan’s
accumulated wealth of gemstones and metals
as a sustainable resource that underscores the
nation’s innovative approach to craftsmanship.
Norimasa Kitazawa, President of Pigeon
Corporation – a leading global baby care
company – addresses the challenge of the
“Galápagos effect,” where uniquely Japanese
products fail to resonate overseas. By focusing
on market-specific demands and incorporating
emotional storytelling into its products, Pigeon
has managed to capture hearts across diverse
markets. “Our company has successfully built a
reputation for promoting products that meet
customer expectations on a global scale,” Mr.
Kitazawa proudly states, showcasing how
empathy and understanding are as much a
part of monozukuri as technical excellence.
Hidekazu Sakamoto, Chairman of health
supplements business Umeken, reflects on
Japan’s aging demographic, turning what could
be seen as a challenge into a strength. With
the global fascination with Japan’s longevity,
it has spiked interest in Japanese health and
wellness. “Food and supplements are contrib-
uting to this, and with this attention, I think
that more people are paying attention to our
healthy products,” Mr. Sakamoto observes, in-
dicating how demographic trends can actually
open new avenues for growth and influence.
In this landscape of innovation and tradition,
Akira Sedei, President of Co-medical, captures
the essence of how Japanese firms differenti-
ate themselves in the global market. He states:
“The advantage that Japanese companies
have is that they are always thinking about
what the customers want and then they tai-
lor their products to meet those needs.” This
customer-centric approach, as Mr. Sedei notes,
is central to creating “true fans of our brands,”
distinguishing Japanese firms from their global
counterparts who might chase transient trends.
Yoshio Kawami, CEO of Holbein Art Materi-
als, lends further insight into the evolution of
Japanese manufacturing in the face of global
market dynamics. He reflects: “It is true that
in the past, products labeled as ‘made in
Japan’ sold exceptionally well solely because
of their origin. However, in recent times, be-
ing made in Japan alone is not sufficient to
guarantee strong sales.” This acknowledg-
ment by Mr. Kawami underscores a pivotal
shift; to maintain relevance and appeal on the
international stage, Japanese products must
transcend their geographic origins through
unparalleled quality or unique added value.
These leaders’ insights highlight a critical
message: the essence of monozukuri, with
its deep roots in craftsmanship, quality, and
innovation, remains a powerful engine for
Japanese manufacturing. Amidst the seismic
shifts of the 21st century, Japan’s SMEs are
not just surviving; they’re thriving, innovat-
ing, and expanding the global reach of their
storied manufacturing culture.
In a world where the pace of change ac-
celerates by the day, Japan’s commitment
to monozukuri — a blend of tradition and
forward-thinking — offers a blueprint for
sustainable, quality-driven growth. As these
companies continue to navigate the com-
plexities of global markets, their dedication
to the art and science of making things well
ensures that the flame of Japanese crafts-
manship burns brighter than ever.

Umeken: From Centuries of Traditional Kampo Medicine to Skincare Innovation

“Our products push the
limits by contributing to
health both inside and
outside the body.”
Hidekazu Sakamoto,
Chairman, Umeken Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1978, Umeken began as
a company researching Japanese
Kampo medicine from the oldest
health food used in Japan, pickled
plums. The traditional techniques
for making Japanese Kampo into a
ball shape have been handed down
from generation to generation for
more than 200 years.
The company’s chairman,
Hidekazu Sakamoto, explains:
“This technology allows us to
combine as many as 45 differ-
ent oriental herbs into a single
ball, allowing us to offer products
tailored to our customers’ needs.”
Since its inception, the compa-
ny has grown internationally and
maintained a presence in overseas further and achieve an overseas
markets for over 30 years in re- sales ratio of 50%.
gions such as the United States,
South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
In 2020, Umeken launched
the cosmetics brand Optimo,
which delivers skincare products
using ingredients grown on its
own farm. Mr. Sakamoto adds:
“Supplements contribute to health
from the inside of the body, but
cosmetics contribute to health As Japan’s population ages, the
from the outside,” which is the company hopes to pass on its unique
reason behind Umeken’s expansion Japanese materials and formulation
into the skincare industry. technology to young people in the
The company has already been country and worldwide.
exporting its products to South-
east and Northeast Asia, Oceania,
and North America, and Ume-
ken aims to expand its business https://umeken.co.jp/en
Radiant Reinvention: Saishunkan Pharmaceutical’s Pursuit
of Cosmetics Excellence
Saishunkan Pharmaceuti-
cal leads with high-quality,
medically-driven products
like Domohorn Wrinkle, em-
phasizing innovation and ex-
cellence for global expansion.
Headquarters and factory in
Kumamoto prefecture
Saishunkan Pharmaceutical has
built its strategic success on qual-
ity, innovation, and global expansion.
“Japanese firms were slow to
enter foreign markets,” company
president Masaaki Nishikawa ex-
plains. “However, we’ve embraced
our unique value proposition and
expanded overseas while maintain-
ing our commitment to quality.”
Despite Japan’s demographic
shift, Saishunkan has continued
Crafting the Threads of Innovation:
Toray Opelontex’s Vision in Textile Evolution
Toray Opelontex pioneers
in the textile industry with
its groundbreaking LYCRA®
fiber, revolutionizing apparel
with invisible yet impactful
elasticity, while leveraging
partnerships and sustainable
practices for a brighter, more
resilient future.
Cross section of LYCRA®
T400® fiber
Established as a joint venture be-
tween the Japanese chemical busi-
ness, Toray, and the U.S. fiber and
technology solutions business, The
LYCRA Company, Japanese fiber
manufacturer Toray Opelontex is
revolutionizing the textile industry
with its elastic products.
“We’re not just creating
cosmetics; we’re
crafting a legacy of
radiance, where quality
meets innovation.”
Masaaki Nishikawa, Lashiku brand
President, Saishunkan ‘Freeze-dried Rice Porridge’ set
Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
needs, integrating traditional
Chinese medicine concepts with
the latest scientific research,”
the president states.
And Saishunkan has ambitious
goals for the future, as it aims to
become a JPY 10 billion company
in overseas business, one that cli-
ents believe is indispensable, and
one that has a vibrant work envi-
Domohorn Wrinkle products, which mark their 50th anniversary
ronment for employees.
to focus on supporting customers familiar with local markets, we can
through the various life stages. move more quickly and effectively.”
“We are a company that provides Innovation is highlighted by
products and services for the skin, the success of the Domohorn
body and mind, both domestically Wrinkle brand.
and overseas,” Mr. Nishikawa says. “We continually evolve this
“By collaborating with companies range to address customer www.saishunkan.co.jp
“Our ‘invisible’
products create
‘visible’ value,
fulfilling our mission
and embodying our
slogan: ‘Small but
Diamond’.”
Fabric with excellent elasticity
Osamu Yamaji, President, using LYCRA® fiber
Toray Opelontex having already established the
fundamental technology.”
The company has two core While it has less elasticity than Mr. Yamaji emphasizes: “Our
products. The first is Polyurethane LYCRA® fiber, it provides the right greatest mission is continuing to
LYCRA® fiber, a thin and transpar- balance between style and comfort. provide social value to custom-
ent synthetic fiber that can stretch In recent years, there has been a ers in Japan in order to embody
up to seven times. The material strong need to establish a recycling our slogan, ‘Small but Diamond’.
was initially used for apparel in- system for textile products. Osamu LYCRA® fiber is ‘invisible’ but creates
dustries before expanding to many Yamaji, President of Toray Opelon- ‘visible’ value, to the fabric, and then
different fields. tex, points out: “We to people, and finally to society.”
The second product, are currently devel-
LYCRA® T400® fiber, oping methods to
is a bicomponent fi- recover and reuse
ber in which PET the components of
and PTT polymers final fabrics that are
are joined together collected from cus-
within each filament. LYCRA® fiber tomers or shops, www.toray-opt.co.jp
Co-medical: Japan’s Comprehensive
Beauty Care Company
Founded in 2014, Co-medical offers a complete spectrum of products, from skin care
to health supplements, designed to enhance and empower both outer and inner beauty.

“We want to help make
people happy, make
them enjoy the beauty
of themselves.”
Akira Sedei, President,
Co-medical Co., Ltd.
www.co-medical.jp
A total beauty brand, Co-medical ter just one bottle, users will notice
boasts a comprehensive variety improved skin hydration and re-
of products designed to leave cus- duced fatigue,” Mr. Sedei explains.
tomers feeling happy and healthy. Co-medical’s products have
“We aim to inspire pride and received awards recognition. No-
smiles – so when someone looks tably, the hugely popular Shonan
in the mirror, they feel a sense of Beauty Eyelash Serum has been
achievement,” says the company’s given ‘best buy’ status by
president, Akira Sedei. the prestigious cosmetics ANDO
Be it skin, hair, eye or oral magazine LDK the Beauty.
care, Co-medical’s world- “Our serum is formu- ANDO men’s line is meticulously
class products cover ev- lated without ingredients refined to protect the skin from
ery cosmetic need. What’s that could stain the skin, everyday stress,” Mr. Sedei reveals.
more, the Japanese firm highlighting our commit- The result of extensive re-
also promotes inner health, ment to products that are search into men’s skin, ANDO is
thanks to its leading-edge both high-performing and typical of Japanese companies’
dietary supplements. safe,” Mr. Sedei says. dedication to remaining in step
For example, the CO Meanwhile, Co-medi- with clients’ needs.
Moist Goddess Placenta cal’s product range also “We’re always thinking about
Drink not only offers reflects a growing inter- what customers want,” Mr. Sedei
outer benefits, but also Shonan Beauty est in skin care among declares. “We tailor our products
invigorates the body. “Af- Eyelash Serum male customers. “Our to meet those requirements.”

Bringing Color to Life

With over 100 years of history, Holbein has the ability to meet specific artistic needs.
“We support the fusion
of people and people,
cultures and cultures,
and contribute to the
prosperity of future
society.”
Yoshio Kawami, CEO,
Holbein Art Materials Inc.
In a world where the arts and
crafts sector faces challenges from
digital creations, Holbein remains
an emblem of tradition and innova-
tion, maintaining an unwavering
commitment to quality products.
“Being made in Japan alone
is no longer sufficient to guar-
antee strong sales,” notes the
company’s CEO, Yoshio Kawami.
Lightfastness testing
Holbein’s success, he emphasizes, lies
in offering high-quality products that
go beyond the allure of the “Made-in-
Japan” label. With a history rooted
in scarcity, the company’s founders
sought exceptional materials and
ways to stand out from the crowd.
The company’s dispersion tech-
nology, a groundbreaking innova-
tion, allows it to work with more
than 400 different pigments.
“Our technology team, typical-
ly from a chemistry background,
is responsible for developing this,”
Mr. Kawami explains, highlight-
ing the meticulous craftsman-
ship involved in creating Holbein’s
Vernét oil colors, a fusion of tra-
ditional and modern materials.
Three roll mill (Vernét oil color)
The SQ-T Cat’s Tongue water-
color brush stands as a testament
to Holbein’s dedication to meeting
artists’ needs. Developed in collabo-
ration with a partner company, it
addresses challenges related to tra-
ditional brushes. “Our industry, the
paintbrush market, is small but with
the right investment, replicating
the properties of animal hair with
synthetic fibers would be relatively
straightforward,” the CEO adds.
Standard pigments
Holbein’s plans extend beyond
Japan, with the company actively
seeking overseas collaborations
and driving forward with the
younger generations leading on
the improvements.
“We believe art is an integral
part of a well-rounded education
and our mission is to empower
artists to convey their unique
visions effectively,” Mr. Kawami
says, pointing to relationships in
the U.S., China and South Korea.
“Looking ahead, we view the
next seven years as a significant
milestone in our ongoing journey
of development,” Mr. Kawami
concludes. “One that paves the
way for our endeavors far into
the future.”
www.holbein.co.jp
KISHUN Inc.: Pioneering Sustainability
in Japan’s Jewelry Landscape
With its eco-conscious ethos and global outreach, trailblazing KISHUN Inc. is revolutionizing Japan’s jewelry
industry, crafting a new narrative in the glittering world of adornment.
“Our approach in
business is B2B2C, so
in that sense a reliable
local partner outside
of Japan is vital to our
business operations.”
Shun Tsuji,
President, KISHUN Inc.
In the glistening landscape that
is Japan’s jewelry industry, KI-
SHUN Inc. stands as a shining
example of innovation and sus-
tainability. Established in 2014
by Shun Tsuji, the company has
carved a niche for itself by of-
fering a holistic approach to the
sourcing, manufacturing, and
selling of colored stones and
diamonds. With a deep-rooted
connection to Japan’s cultural
heritage and a forward-thinking
mindset, KISHUN is poised to
lead the charge in transforming
the jewelry landscape.
Mr. Tsuji’s journey into the
world of jewelry was not merely
a business venture but a passion
project rooted in his family’s
legacy in the kimono industry.
Recognizing the intrinsic link
between traditional attire and
ornamental adornments, Tsuji
saw an opportunity to bridge
the gap between the two worlds.
He notes: “People often choose
a kimono to complement their
jewelry and vice versa, so as a
kimono seller, the idea of becom-
ing a jeweler myself has always
been in the back of my mind.”
The company’s ethos is cen-
tered around the concept of
“Urban Mining,” a sustainable
approach to sourcing precious
gemstones and diamonds from
secondhand sources. This not
only reduces environmental
impact but also highlights the
craftsmanship and artistry
inherent in Japanese jewelry.
By breathing new life into dis-
carded pieces, KISHUN aims
to challenge perceptions and
promote a culture of conscious
consumption.
In recent years, Japan’s jew-
elry industry has faced signifi-
cant challenges, including de-
mographic shifts and changing
consumer preferences. With an
aging population and a shrinking
workforce, there is a pressing
need for innovation and adap-
tation. Mr. Tsuji acknowledges
these challenges, stating: “There
are a lot of problems because of
this population decline and the
increase in elderly people... We
cannot employ enough people
on a year-to-year basis.”
To address these challenges,
KISHUN has embraced techno-
logical advancements and stra-
tegic partnerships to expand
its reach both domestically and
internationally. The company’s
foray into e-commerce with
the launch of Pocket-By-Kishun
has opened up new avenues
for growth, particularly among
younger demographics. By le-
veraging online platforms and
digital marketing strategies,
KISHUN has been able to tap
into the burgeoning demand
for affordable, yet stylish jew-
elry options.
Moreover, KISHUN’s partici-
pation in international events
such as the JCK Jewelry Exhibi-
tion in Las Vegas underscores
its commitment to global ex-
pansion. Mr. Tsuji explains: “We
would like to continue partici-
pating in such events [around
the world], especially those
related to jewelry.”
In addition to its commer-
cial endeavors, KISHUN is also
dedicated to promoting ethical
practices and social responsibil-
ity within the industry. Mr. Tsuji
emphasizes the importance of
upholding ethical standards
in sourcing raw materials and
manufacturing processes, par-
ticularly in light of issues such
as child labor and environmen-
tal degradation associated with
traditional mining practices.
Looking ahead, Mr. Tsuji
envisions a future where KI-
SHUN continues to push the
boundaries of innovation and
sustainability in the jewelry in-
dustry. With a focus on quality
craftsmanship, environmental
stewardship, and community
engagement, the company is
poised to shape the future of
Japanese jewelry for genera-
tions to come.
As Mr. Tsuji reflects on his
aspirations for the company’s
legacy, one thing is certain:
KISHUN Inc. is not just a busi-
ness; it’s a beacon of hope and
inspiration for a brighter, more
sustainable future.
https://kishun.co.jp
 Culture HIGH, LOW + EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

44 NE WSWEEK .COM APRIL 05, 2024

 A LL T H E F E E L S
Ramy Youssef’s favorite thing about stand-up is sharing his innermost feelings. ▸ P.54

Katt Williams’ Wild ride of an appear-

ance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay
Shay podcast started the year with one clear mes-
sage: the comedian has far more than nine lives.
In a conversation spanning almost three hours,
Williams, 52, discussed his family, career, legal
issues, grievances with other comedians and this
year’s presidential election, among many other sub-
jects. He also shared claims so wild that it was for-
givable to expect a punchline (the assertion that his
and Ludacris’ fates in Hollywood were decided at a
meeting with “the Illuminati” is a highlight; Luda-
cris dismissed the allegations via a freestyle rap).
On a personal front, the statements were no less
sensational. He was reading fluently at 3 years old.
He got accepted into college at 7. He read 3,000
nonfiction books a year in “multiple languages”
between ages 8 and 12. He moved from Ohio to Flor-
ida by himself at 13, and later lived with sex workers.
The interview was social media gold. In the two
E N T E RTA I N M E N T months following its January 3

The Fall
release on YouTube, it garnered
by over 60 million views. Countless
R YA N snippets of Williams’ cognac-fu-
SMITH eled chat with NFL legend

and Rise
Sharpe have become viral hits
on social media. And, according to research by
Booking Agent Info, Google searches for the come-

of Katt
dian exploded by 1,328 percent, rising from 85,900
to 1.2 million searches just 24 hours after the inter-
view. Per the celebrity database, Williams’ pre-Club

Williams
Shay Shay Instagram following stood at 798,052. As
FILM MAGIC /G E T T Y; TOP RIGHT: FR A ZER HA RRI SON /GE T T Y

of press time, it exceeds 1.3 million.

“The study’s track of growth following the inter-
view showcases how a single media appearance can
lead to a substantial increase in public interest and
He’s had a string of run-ins with the law, online following,” Sophie Miller, a celebrity contact
yet the comedian’s popularity continues agent at Booking Agent Info, told Newsweek. “Katt
Williams’ digital footprint [has] expanded dramat-
to grow—with a recent podcast ically, reflecting the power of viral content.”
appearance blowing up the internet It also reflects the power and resilience of
Williams himself, whose past scandals would be
enough to topple Hollywood mega stars.
“Every time they try to put you down, they try to
put you to the back, you bounce up [higher],” for-
mer Denver Broncos tight end Sharpe told him.

Photograph by JA SON MERRIT T NE WSWEEK .COM 45

Culture
“You move right back to the front.”
Williams responded: “Trampoline
skin is something that you ask God
for,” before diving into football analo-
gies to explain that he works tirelessly
at being the best that he can be, what-
ever the intentions of his detractors.
Katt Williams’ Scandals
Williams’ movie debut as Money
Mike in the 2002 classic comedy Fri-
day After Next secured his status as
one of Hollywood’s bright new stars,
but it wasn’t long before he was draw-
ing the wrong kind of headlines.
In December 2006, the comic
pleaded no contest to the misde-
meanor charge of carrying a con-
cealed firearm, after he was found
with a gun at Los Angeles Interna-
tional Airport the month prior. It led
to three years of probation and a fine.
In November 2008, he was pulled
over in New York for driving a car
without license plates. On search-
ing the vehicle, a gun was found.
Charges were eventually dropped in
July 2009. Four months later, Wil-
liams was charged with burglary and
E N T E R TA I N M E N T
“His trials and
tribulations never
overshadowed his
comedic brilliance,
which is why he
is a force to be
reckoned with.”
trespassing after his arrest on suspicion
of breaking into a home near Atlanta.
The year 2011 saw Williams
arrested in Palmdale, California, after
a heated confrontation with a trac-
tor driver. The driver, who was work-
ing on a home where Williams was
staying, alleged that three women
attacked him with rocks and clods
of dirt. When the complainant’s wife
arrived to collect him, Williams, he
alleged, blocked their exit. The come-
dian was subsequently charged with
felony intimidation of a witness.
In November 2012, Williams was
arrested in Oakland, California, on
suspicion of assault with a deadly
weapon, after an 18-year-old man
alleged that the star hit him in the
head with a bottle. A week earlier, a
former assistant filed a lawsuit accus-
ing him of inflicting “permanent
injuries” via a closed-fist punch.
The following month saw Wil-
liams arrested three times. One arrest
stemmed from police finding fire-
arms and marijuana in his Los Ange-
les-area home, leading to felony child
endangerment charges (he has three
biological and seven adopted chil-
dren). The case fell apart weeks later.
January 2013 got off to a bad start
when Williams was arrested for
failing to appear in a Sacramento
County courtroom over reckless
driving charges.
In 2014, the star was arrested and
charged, along with notorious rap
mogul Marion “Suge” Knight, for
stealing a paparazzo’s camera in Bev-
erly Hills, California. After pleading
no contest to robbery in April 2017,
Williams received three years’ proba-
tion and was ordered to undertake a
year of anger management classes.
The comedian was arrested at least
four times in six months in 2016, the
bulk of charges stemming from alter-
cations in Georgia and California.
And footage went viral of Williams
losing an altercation with a 17-year-
old boy on a soccer field in Florida.
His chapter of legal woes appears
to have ended with an October
2018 arrest in Portland, Oregon,
on a charge of assault in the fourth
degree. Williams allegedly got into
a fight with a town car driver over
a dog that he had brought with him.
Williams told Sharpe that he had
PAST TROUBLES Williams with his
attorney in Los Angeles Superior
Court for his 2015 arraignment over a
robbery charge, related to a camera.
ApRIL 05, 2024
 been in jail “30 times,” adding: “If it’s
dangerous to be in the hood, and you
have to have a gun on you for protec-
tion, and it’s either be judged by 12
or carried by six, I’m always going to
have my heater on me...Unfortunately,
I smoke cigarettes and weed. If you
catch me 15 times, 15 times I’m going
to have it on me.”
Yet Williams’ run-ins with the
law merely punctuated his success.
To date, he has 12 stand-up specials
under his belt—a feat for even the
most accomplished of comedians.
Ongoing Success
Often referred to as the “under-
ground king of come dy,” Wil-
liams—given name Micah Sierra
Williams—cut his teeth on the
stand-up circuit, years after leaving
his deeply religious parents’ home at
the age of just 13. He lived in Miami,
Oklahoma City, and then Sacramento,
before heading south to Los Angeles.
He continues to hone his craft.
Williams is in the midst of his
U.S. Dark Matter Tour and told Sharpe
that it is his 19th 100-nighter. Busi-
ness, all evidence shows, is booming.
At one point on Club Shay Shay,
Williams said that his penchant for
FROMH LEF T: FRE DERICK M . BROWN/GE T T Y; K E VORK DJAN SE ZIA N/GE T T Y
cursing in his stage acts has seen him
shut out of “mainstream” comedy. He
also said Joe Rogan would not want
him on his powerhouse podcast, The
Joe Rogan Experience, because of this.
“If you were a comedian that
cussed, you were ridiculed by the
mainstream comedy-geist,” Williams
explained. “That would be like me
being on Joe Rogan. Joe don’t want
me on there. I need to be on Shannon.
Joe’s got six comedians that’s never
been funny [that] he wants to push
out. That’s really how it is.”
“I love Katt,” Rogan responded on X
last month. “He’s one of my favorite
comics, and I’d love to have him on.
PODCAST PAL Former Denver Broncos tight
end Shannon Sharpe said Williams “bounces
up’”when people try to put the comedian down.
We talk about him all the time. If he’s
down, I’ll make it happen.” That one
of the most listened-to podcasters is a
fan shows that the attention garnered
from the interview is merely a repre-
sentation of Williams’ popularity.
Addressing Controversy
Social justice journalist and national
media contributor Lisa Durden
told Newsweek that Williams holds
a “magnetic” presence. “His sharp
wit and unique perspective captivate
audiences far beyond the stage,” she
said. “Katt is fire in films, TV and, of
course, on that comedy stage. He’s a
comic genius, only one of a few who
consistently pack arenas.
“His appeal with audiences is not
simply because he makes them laugh,
but because he also makes them
think. Katt’s authenticity and fearless-
ness in addressing controversial top-
ics has created a loyal fan base that
appreciates his unapologetic style.”
“ When people ask, ‘ Where has
Katt Williams gone wrong?’ I say he
hasn’t,” Durden added. “He’s simply
faced his fair share of challenges like
all of us. Every struggle Katt faced was
a triumph. Every mistake he’s made
was a lesson learned. His trials and
tribulations never overshadowed his
comedic brilliance, which is why he
is a force to be reckoned with.”
Evan Nierman, CEO of global PR
firm Red Banyan, told Newsweek that
Williams’ interview allowed him to
rewrite a narrative that had largely
been accepted as fact over the years.
Nierman said it “received huge
attention and catalyzed a career
revival because he did something
vital that I often recommend to cli-
ents: he pressed the truth.
“Katt has been a source of contro-
versy for years and was painted as a
bitter comedian who let opportu-
nities pass him by until he became
a ‘has-been.’ Until that interview,
that negative narrative went largely
unchallenged and was propagated
by his critics. Negative attention Katt
received, for everything from legal
issues and accusations of drug use to
disparaging comments made about
other comedians to the infamous
‘fight’ video, bolstered that narrative.”
Unlike most other celebrities,
Williams took a name-and-shame
approach to his interview; he called
out a host of fellow comedians, some
of whom he accused of stealing jokes.
“Americans love two things that
Katt has now given them: personal
perspective and a comeback story,”
Nierman said. “Katt...told his side of
the story, and didn’t shy away from
tough questions. He spoke unapolo-
getically and in a way that resonated
with the audience. Fans are ready to
love him again and see him succeed.
“The public now realizes that not
everything they read or hear has
truth behind it. This time when Katt
spoke, they were ready to listen, and
it has been doing wonders for his
career ever since.”
▸ Ryan Smith is a newsweek enter-
tainment reporter. You can contact
him at r.smith@newsweek.com
NE WSWEEK .COM 47
Japan’s SMEs Innovate Amid Global Manufacturing Shifts
In the tapestry of global manufacturing, Japa-
nese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
have emerged as pivotal players, contributing
significantly to Japan’s thriving semiconductor,
electronics, and advanced machinery sectors.
These industries have long been synonymous
with Japan’s technological prowess and commit-
ment to innovation, and SMEs play a crucial role
in upholding this reputation on the global stage.
Japan’s journey in manufacturing excellence
dates back decades, with the post-World War
II era witnessing a remarkable resurgence fu-
eled by a relentless focus on quality, precision,
and continuous improvement. This era birthed
iconic names like Toyota, Sony, and Panasonic,
setting the stage for Japan’s dominance in
various technological domains.
However, the landscape has evolved, with
regional competitors emerging and global dy-
namics shifting. Masayoshi Imoto, President of
IIX INC. – a display technology manufacturer –
notes this evolution, stating: “There is often an
assumption that Japanese high-quality and high-
pricing can be considered over-specification, and
to some extent, I do agree with this assumption.
However, multiple Japanese companies are able
to compete in the global market as niche players.”
Mr. Imoto emphasizes the unique strengths
of Japanese SMEs, particularly their ability to
provide bespoke, high-quality solutions. “Japa-
nese companies can provide special unique
services that cater to specific needs and things
that no one can copy,” he says.
Niche Excellence and Global Competition
Ken Kitano, Chairman of Logic & Design Co. – a
specialist in enhancing and restoration tech-
nology – echoes this sentiment, highlighting
Japan’s attractiveness in the global market due
to supply chain disruptions, favorable exchange
rates, and the reliability of Japanese products.
“Japan is at a very interesting time right now,
due to the supply chain disruptions caused by
COVID-19 and the tensions between China and
the U.S.,” he says. “Japanese products on the
global scene are very attractive once again.”
Michihiro Tamenori, President of Seishin Trad-
ing – a manufacturer of switchgear and switch-
board apparatus – further elaborates on Japan’s
strengths, especially amidst challenges like the
COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions.
“The yen’s depreciation is indeed driving in-
creased business demand,” says Mr. Tamenori.
“Despite the growing dominance of China
and Southeast Asia in the market, Japanese
products maintain a reputation for superior
quality. And although Japanese companies
might not be as quick to act, their longstand-
ing and consistent business practices over the
years serve as an advantage for us.”
Challenges and Opportunities
Tadashi Naruse, President of Shinhokoku Material,
agrees with this sentiment, whilst also highlight-
ing the challenges and opportunities faced by
Japanese SMEs in the global market. He notes:
“The way the world has unfolded over the past few
years has meant that there are plentiful disrup-
tions within supply chains. Additionally, with the
depreciation of the yen, Japanese companies have
been put in an advantageous position for export.”
Masato Tozawa, President of Restar Embed-
ded Solutions – a supplier of electronics, business
and office services – stresses the demographic
challenges faced by Japan’s manufacturing sec-
tor, particularly the aging workforce. He states:
“There is certainly a decline in the labor force...
The aging of the labor force, including the expe-
rienced craftsmen who have been the backbone
of Japan’s manufacturing history, presents a
formidable challenge for the sector. While cer-
tain aspects of business within manufacturing
companies can be digitized, there remains a
substantial part of the process that relies solely
on the expertise of human craftsmen. Transfer-
ring knowledge and skills from one generation to
another can prove to be a challenging endeavor. “
Confronting such challenges, Fumiyuki Kanai,
President of KOKUSAI Electric Group – a global
leader in batch deposition equipment and single-
wafer treatment technology – emphasizes the
importance of dialogue (Tai-wa) and technological
innovation in meeting customer needs, noting:
“We always value Tai-wa as our company phi-
losophy, whilst our strategy is to compete in a field
where we can leverage our unique technological
capabilities. We think that this is critical; not only
understanding their needs but also communicat-
ing how we can best meet those needs.”
Meanwhile, Yasuhiro Hara, President of UL-
VAC-PHI, Inc. – a company born from a stra-
tegic alliance between U.S. company Physical
Electronics and ULVAC – sheds light on strategic
initiatives aimed at global expansion and supply
chain diversification. He says: “We actively utilize
the ULVAC Group’s supply network. From that
perspective, our major business was dealing
with the United States, and from that core, we
are now steadily starting to expand to other
countries. This strategic approach aims to have a
significant impact on the business as a whole, and
we are expecting to generate a notable impact.”
Leading with Innovation and Quality
Japanese SME manufacturers continue to up-
hold Japan’s legacy of innovation, quality, and
reliability in the semiconductor, electronics,
and advanced machinery industries. As they
navigate challenges and seize opportunities
in a rapidly evolving global landscape, these
SMEs remain at the forefront of technological
advancement and economic growth, showcas-
ing Japan’s enduring commitment to excellence.

True Image Clarity Through Innovative Technology

Logic & Design’s patented technology provides enhanced images for a range of industries.
the company caters used by AI to make images
its products and soft- clearer, instead it improves the
ware to various indus- data that already exists.
tries; from disaster As company representative
and crime prevention director Kimiaki Sato says: “We
to the security and take the real image and make it ASIC (LISr-ISP)
medical fields. more visible.” LISr® can be used
The company’s pat- in a wide range of settings, from The company is working to
ented LISr® technol- poor weather conditions to night mass produce its technology
ogy processes images vision monitoring images. It also in chip form so it can be em-
Ken Kitano, Chairman of the Board, (right); down to the very instantly enhances the clarity bedded in cameras working in
Kimiaki Sato, Representative Director, (left) minute pixels before of images, enabling them to be fields from security to disas-
Logic & Design Co., Ltd. optimizing the more easily processed by AI, ter prevention.
Japanese firm Logic & Design contrast through and is currently
is at the forefront of providing a h i s to g ra m . being used to
clear, untampered images with Th i s p ro c e s s great success in
its enhancing and restoration does not involve the field of oph-
technology. Founded in 2018, the presumption LISr-101 thalmology. www.lad.co.jp
 KOKUSAI Electric Group: Pioneering
Semiconductors with Cutting-Edge Technologies
KOKUSAI Electric Group’s batch deposition and single-wafer treatment equipment is highly regarded by
semiconductor device manufacturers around the globe and enjoys a world-leading market share.
KOKUSAI Electric Group, a global
leader in batch deposition equip-
ment and single-wafer treatment
technology, continues to revolu-
tionize the semiconductor indus-
try. Renowned for its sophisticated
batch ALD (Atomic Layer Deposi-
tion) technology, KOKUSAI Elec-
tric Group is addressing the critical
challenges faced by semiconductor
manufacturers worldwide.
Semiconductors, integral to nu-
merous industries and everyday life,
have undergone a significant evolu-
tion over the past seven decades.
At the forefront of this evolution
stands KOKUSAI Electric Group,
leveraging its extensive semicon-
ductor expertise since becoming an
independent specialty manufactur-
er of semiconductor manufacturing
equipment in 2018.
Focusing primarily on the deposi-
tion process, crucial for semiconduc-
tor performance, KOKUSAI Electric
Group’s recent listing on the Tokyo
Stock Exchange Prime Market in
October 2023 reflects its anticipa-
tion of future growth. With semicon-
ductor structures becoming more
complex and three-dimensional, pro-
ductivity challenges in the deposition
process have intensified.
Indeed, today decreasing pro-
ductivity and increasing difficulty in
the deposition process are the most
important issues for semiconductor
device manufacturers. The wafer sur-
face has become more complicated in
shape, where an enormous number of
narrow and deep holes and grooves
are formed. This expands the surface
area requiring deposition. In addition,
the travel distance of gas required
for deposition has become longer,
increasing the time required for depo-
sition. This reduces productivity and
increases the necessity of deposition
with a high degree of difficulty.
KOKUSAI Electric Group address-
es these challenges with its strengths
in batch ALD technology and treat-
ment technology. Batch ALD technol-
temperatures. With the increas-
ing demand for plasma-based film
property improvement, KOKUSAI
Electric Group’s equipment finds
applications in NAND, DRAM, and
is poised for adoption in Logic.
Looking ahead, KOKUSAI Elec-
www.kokusai-electric.com/en tric Group is poised to capitalize on
the burgeoning SiC (Silicon Carbide)
power device market with its ultra-
high temperature activation anneal-
ing equipment. This technology is
expected to drive further growth in
SiC power device systems, aligning
with industry trends.
“The batch ALD* technology is a very sophisticated As the semiconductor market
technology and can be realized only through the continues to expand, driven by data
accumulation of many leading-edge technologies. center growth and environmental
sustainability initiatives, KOKUSAI
Through the technologies and expertise accumulated Electric Group remains committed
over our long history, we solve customers’ problems to innovation. With its corporate
and thereby contribute to society.” slogan “Technology & Tai-wa** for
Tomorrow,” the company prioritizes
Fumiyuki Kanai, President, KOKUSAI Electric Group understanding customer needs and
delivering innovative solutions while
upholding the principles of sustain-
able development. Embracing the
KOKUSAI Electric Group Way, a new
management concept, the company
aims to create value while contribut-
ing to the realization of a sustainable
society and the fulfillment of SDGs
(Sustainable Development Goals).
Through continuous innovation
and commitment to ESG (Environ-
mental, Social, and Governance) ef-
forts, KOKUSAI Electric Group is
poised to shape the future of the
semiconductor industry while foster-
ing sustainability and growth. With
its cutting-edge technologies and un-
wavering commitment to excellence,
KOKUSAI Electric Group continues
to lead the charge in semiconduc-
tor innovation, paving the way for
Produced in Toyama prefecture, Japan, and South Korea
a brighter and more sustainable
(Photo: Products and Toyama Technology & Manufacturing Center)
future. In an ever-evolving techno-
ogy enables high-quality thin-film technology is highly sought after in logical landscape, KOKUSAI Electric
deposition with excellent step cov- fields like 3D NAND manufacturing. Group’s dedication to research and
erage and productivity, making it a Moreover, the company’s treat- development ensures that it remains
logical solution for semiconductor ment technology offers superior at the forefront of semiconductor
evolution. Recognized for its prowess, isotropy and step coverage, enhanc- advancements, driving progress and
KOKUSAI Electric Group’s batch ALD ing film properties across various shaping the industry’s trajectory.

* The KOKUSAI Electric Group refers to a technique for thin-film deposition at an atomic layer level involving a process of cyclical supply
of multiple gases as "ALD.”
** Tai-wa is a Japanese word meaning dialogue or conversation between people face-to-face who are willing to understand each other with a
sense of empathy. At times, the subject of Tai-wa can be things besides people. For us, Tai-wa implies respecting everyone, being sincere, and
acting wholeheartedly – that is our attitude towards work. This is our group’s DNA that we value to last forever.
IIX INC.: Pioneering Sustainable Display Solutions Globally
IIX INC. leads the world in
innovative display technology,
emphasizing sustainability,
global expansion, and
strategic partnerships for
industry excellence.
Suriawase-DeMura engineering
Founded in 1999, under the vision-
ary leadership of President Masay-
oshi Imoto, IIX INC. has emerged
as a beacon of innovation in the
electronics manufacturing industry,
with a focus on advanced display
technologies. As it celebrates its
25th anniversary, the company is
driven by a commitment to “Infi-
nite Harmony and Unity,” aiming to
make a positive impact on society
through delivery of high-quality
products and services, while also
prioritizing employee well-being
and development. At the core
“Dedicated to sustainability,
our unique DeMura process
exemplifies our global com-
mitment to environmental
responsibility and techno-
Eco-friendly biodegradable resins
logical innovation.”
able resins, underscoring its
Masayoshi Imoto, commitment to sustainability.
President, IIX INC. In pursuit of global expansion,
IIX has strategically focused on
of IIX’s success is its pioneering emplified by its holistic approach China, establishing partnerships
DeMura process, a sophisticated to problem-solving and innova- that leverage synergistic effects and
method for correcting unevenness tion. By embracing the Japa- drive innovation, adopting a pay-as-
in OLED displays, which is also nese concept of Suriawase, the you-go service billing model which
compatible with next-generation company has mastered the art eliminates the need for customers’
displays such as MiniLED and μLED. of collaborative solutions, secur- initial investment in equipment with
This proprietary technology not ing its position as a global niche on-site field engineer services.
only ensures the highest quality of leader. This strategy extends As IIX marches towards an
display products but also signifi- beyond its primary focus on dis- IPO and further diversification
cantly reduces play solutions, of its business portfolio, its ethos
waste, thereby incorporating of sustainability, innovation, and
contributing to environmen- global collaboration continues to
environmental tal building guide it toward industry leader-
sustainability. control sys- ship and a lasting global impact.
IIX’s dedi- tems and de-
cation to ex- velopment of
cellence is eco-friendly
further ex- DeMura process offers the highest quality biodegrad- www.iix.co.jp

Alloy Evolution Crafted by Shinhokoku Material

“Our approach is to
monitor the semiconduc-
tor industry, offer
solutions to specific
issues, and become an
R&D-driven company.”
Tadashi Naruse, President,
Shinhokoku Material Corp.
Shinhokoku Material, a creative
leader in low-thermal-expansion
alloys, focuses on semiconductor
industries, with eyes on over-
coming the challenges in enter-
ing established overseas sup-
ply chains. The Japanese firm’s
strategy lies in collaboration
with manufacturing equipment
companies, offering tailored so-
lutions for specific tasks that
other companies do not attempt.
Shinhokoku Material provides only-one invar type low thermal expansion alloys.
Thermal expansion
measurement equipment
“Our mission is not just to
provide standardized prod-
ucts,” says company president,
Tadashi Naruse. “Our target
at this point is to become an
R&D-driven company that can
contribute to the development
of customers.”
The importance of overseas
expansion is clear for Shinho-
koku Material and the president
reveals: “We plan to leverage
the network we have built up
so far and visit several overseas
manufacturers and institutes
this year.”
The company’s competitive
edge lies in its ability to control
the composition of its alloys
within a narrower range than
standard, and manage it in abso-
lute values using chemical titra-
tion. Its low thermal expansion
alloys boast unrivaled precision
at 0.01ppm/K, surpassing con-
ventional methods.
An example of llow-thermal-
expansion cast alloy
vesting in new developments
and facility expansions.
“We would like to be recog-
nized as a distinguished manu-
30kg vacuum induction furnace
facturer of additive manufac-
for R&D melting
tured alloys that can provide
Shinhokoku Material’s relent- tailored solutions for the cus-
less commitment to innovation tomers,” he expresses, highlight-
aims to develop new alloys that ing 3D printing as a pivotal pillar
can withstand use in strong in their strategic evolution.
magnetic fields, ultra-high vac-
uum environments and under
high stress and hydrogen en-
vironments to become a global
niche leader in this field.
Looking ahead, Mr. Naruse
envisions sustained growth, in- www.shst.co.jp
 “Our multifaceted re-
search and development
incorporates cross-
country synergies to
strengthen the solutions
we provide and fortify
the impact we have.”
Yasuhiro Hara, President,
PHI GENESIS: Fully automated multi-tech XPS
ULVAC-PHI

The Power of Surface Analysis Unleashed

At the forefront of surface analysis, ULVAC-PHI sets the stage for global expansion and technological breakthroughs.
Global commerce is a dynamic Partnerships have emerged as
place, where the strategic posi- a cornerstone of ULVAC-PHI’s
tioning of companies is crucial, strategy, with a focus on joint re-
particularly in the face of evolv- search and development. “R&D is
ing economic policies and market a driving force for the market,” the
demands. ULVAC-PHI, born from president explains, citing trends
a strategic alliance between U.S. in the U.S., Europe and even Asia.
company Physical Electronics and “We’re keen to find companies
ULVAC, epitomizes the conver- that can collaborate with us, those
gence of expertise and innova- that will allow us both to draw
tion, and aims to maximize the forth the best technologies in a
competitive advantage afforded mutually beneficial relationship.”
to Japanese companies. The company’s legacy of surface
“Our major business initially fo-analysis innovation, stemming from
cused on dealing with the United the symbiotic relationship between
States, expanded further in Ja- PHI and ULVAC technologies, con-
pan, and from that core, we are tinues to drive its success. This
now steadily starting to expand has been credited to the collabo-
to other countries,” says Yasuhiro ration for propelling ULVAC-PHI
Hara, the company president. This to become a global leader in the
expansion, fueled by a commit- underlying technology.
ment to diversifying supply chains, “At that time this surface analy-
underscores Japan’s growing sig- sis technology was something that
nificance in the global market. was unknown in Japan,” reflects
Mr. Hara. “It was
through ULVAC-PHI’s
promotion of this tech
that it spread widely
throughout Japan,
not only to industry
players, but also to
governmental depart-
ments, universities,
and R&D laboratories.
“This push has
really been the key
driving force behind
PHI nanoTOF3+: Latest generation of TOF-SIMS the development of
surface analysis technology,” the
president continues, “and it has
since become a technology that is
applied to a wide range of fields
around the world. Honestly, I think
this is the greatest benefit that
came from our collaboration.”
ULVAC-PHI’s surface analysis
products find diverse applications
across a variety of industries, with
batteries and semiconductors
emerging as key growth areas, not
only on the R&D and quality con-
trol front but also in ways where
the product outputs can become
key indicators in business manage-
ment. This foresight underscores
the company’s commitment to
anticipating industry trends and
meeting evolving customer needs.
“Due to further deepening our
research and understanding from
the customer’s perspective, we
understood that their objective at
the time of purchase changes as
they continue to utilize the device,”
says Mr. Hara. “Slowly, as they use
the device, new needs may emerge.
We have a strong corporate pur-
pose to become a company that
is always thinking about what will
best serve the customers, not what
will sell the most.”
Then there is the introduc-
tion of groundbreaking products
like the PHI GENESIS and PHI
nanoTOF 3+ that reflects ULVAC-
PHI’s dedication to innovation. The
PHI GENESIS is a culmination of
customer-centric design, tailored
to meet evolving market demands,
while the PHI nanoTOF 3+ offers
cutting-edge capabilities in ion
identification and high-resolution
imaging, poised to revolutionize
the aforementioned industries of
batteries and semiconductors. The
key benefit is not only the 2D
imaging, but the fact that the
device can produce 3D images,
importantly allowing users to see
the depth of a material. Users can
analyze when something is broken
or faulty and then troubleshoot it.
Looking ahead, ULVAC-PHI sets
its sights on expanding its global
footprint over the next few years,
particularly in emerging markets
like Southeast Asia and India.
“We already have a leading
share when it comes to the surface
analysis instrument market, but
we want to get even bigger than
that,” states the president. “We
want to be the unquestionable
giant, the unquestionable leader
of the global market, blazing open
new possibilities for applications
of our technology. Towards this
end, we are putting huge invest-
ments into R&D and therefore are
actively seeking R&D partners
around the world to grow with us.”
www.ulvac-phi.com/ja

Laser adjustment
Seishin Trading: Pioneering Innovation
and Global Partnerships in Manufacturing
A journey from trading to cutting-edge technologies, collaborative excellence, and the strategic response to
market dynamics in the ever-evolving global landscape.
As global logistics have faced disrup-
tions in recent years, due to the CO-
VID-19 pandemic and the U.S.-China
decoupling, for example, Seishin
Trading has kept a focus on Japan’s
unique position in the market.
Seishin headquarters
“Despite the growing domi-
nance of China and Southeast
Asia, Japanese products maintain
a reputation for superior quality,”
says Michihiro Tamenori, the com-
pany president.
By embracing flexibility and
agility, though, Seishin Trading
aims to differentiate itself from
competitors through strategic in-
vestments across various indus-
tries and regions. Its wide port-
folio spans precision equipment,
diverse analysis, safety and envi-
ronment, and electronic materials,
and the company looks to take
a proactive approach, anticipat-
ing stricter government environ-
mental regulations, particularly in
analysis. In the field of precision
equipment, the company’s laser
processing machines, including
the well established Stealth Dicing
series, are used by world-leading
electronics companies.
Seishin Trading’s belief that
staying ahead of the curve on
the latest technological advance-
ments is essential, has contrib-
uted to the development of the
world’s first vertical ALGaN-
based ultraviolet-B laser diodes.
This technology, born out of col-
laboration with Japanese uni-
versities, is aimed at advancing
power output in the future, with
anticipated applications in the
fields of healthcare and industry.
“We are currently working on
establishing the manufacturing
technology for perovskite solar
cells as one of our new products,”
Mr. Tamenori explains. “The goal of
these solar cells is to replace tra-
ditional batteries, particularly base
cells. Notably, several prominent
printing companies in Japan are
also intrigued by this product, and
we’re striving to make this avail-
able in a minimum of three years.”
One of the obvious success fac-
tors for the company has been, as
the president says, “transforming
our clients’ inconveniences into
conveniences,” which often pres-
ents valuable business opportuni-
ties. And through innovation and by
manufacturing devices that gener-
ate customer profits, Seishin Trad-
A sample subdivided by the laser processing machine
ing has established its current lofty
status, contributing to the chip
resistor market through its crafts-
manship and efficient proposals.
With the continued challenges
in Japan, however, there is an
acknowledgment in the compa-
ny’s business model that a shift
towards seeking collaborative
partners overseas is required.
“When a partnership or con-
tract is formed, it is based on
trust and can ultimately lead to
substantial economic benefits,”
the president says, highlighting a
flexibility to target India and fur-
ther afield. “Our ambitions extend
beyond just the ASEAN region.”
As the semiconductor industry
undergoes predicted fluctuations,
cautious optimism remains. While
not directly focused on semicon-
ductors, Seishin Trading is closely
“Regardless of the
changing times, the value
of transforming our
clients’ inconveniences
into conveniences
remains unchanged.”
Michihiro Tamenori, President,
Seishin Trading Co., Ltd.
tied to chip registering, especially
in applications such as electric
vehicles. With an eye on tech-
nological shifts and potentially
transformative ideas, with past
experiences of mp3 players, there
is an ongoing need for innovation.
And looking ahead, the presi-
dent envisions Seishin Trading’s
future revolving around develop-
ment and a continued customer-
centric approach.
“My goal is to reinforce our ex-
isting sales team,” Mr. Tamenori
says, “believing that Seishin will
continue to grow and strengthen
by remaining steadfast alongside
our clients.”
www.seishin-syoji.co.jp/en
Restar Embedded Solutions’ Ambidextrous
Approach as a Business Integrator
The newest member of the Restar Group, Restar Embedded Solutions aims to support SMEs in their journey
towards digitization and digitalization, as a trusted supplier of electronics, business and office services.
Following its acquisition by the
Restar Group, Tsuzuki Embed-
ded Solutions became Restar
Embedded Solutions Corpora-
tion in January this year, a
move aimed at supporting the
company’s sustainable growth
and its mission to be a “busi-
ness integrator,” creating value
together with its clients as
it looks to expand its global
operations.
“The Restar Group aims to
be an ‘Electronics Value Plat-
former,’ and the Group’s core
business is the sale of semicon-
ductors and electronic compo-
nents and the provision of solu-
tions,” says Restar Embedded
Solutions President Hirofumi
Yanase. “We believe that the
value of the know-how, network
and human resources that we
have developed over the years
will be maximized and lead to
further growth in the electronic
devices business.”
A fully-integrated solutions
provider, Restar Embedded
Solutions has three main busi-
ness areas: OEM sales, ARM
development, and maintenance
support for embedded devices,
electronic components and
software; business integra-
tion services encompassing
DX (digital transformation),
IoT and collaboration; and
office services, including EC
services, business support ser-
vices and ESS (ecology, safety,
security) solutions.
The company has built a di-
verse portfolio of clients that
extends beyond the manufac-
turing industry, encompassing
areas such as office supplies
and mid-sized companies, and
is deeply involved in collabora-
tive efforts with its clients, en-
gaging in various new projects
such as test marketing and col-
laborative initiatives aimed at
enhancing their profitability.
Taking a comprehensive and
ambidextrous approach, Restar
Embedded Solutions combines
consulting services with digital
tools to identify areas in need
Embedded devices
Digital signage
Electronic devices
Human interface
of improvement, subsequently
providing services that address
these challenges.
One of the issues the com-
pany is particularly focused on
is supporting Japanese SMEs
to adopt new digital technolo-
gies and innovations in order
to reduce labor shortages.
“We believe that the value
of the know-how, network
and human resources that
we have developed over the
years will be maximized and
lead to further growth.”
Hirofumi Yanase,
President & Representative
Director, Restar Embedded
Solutions Corporation
Platform solution
Supporting DX journey
“Our mission is to support
these SMEs in particular on
their journey to digitization
and digitalization,” adds Mr.
Yanase. “We aim to strengthen
this business by helping them
implement and adapt to digi-
tal technologies. And what
reassures our clients the most
is that the digital technologies
are implemented internally at
Restar Embedded Solutions.
We offer and recommend ap-
proaches that have been thor-
oughly tested internally.”
One significant value the
company brings to its clients
is the capability to integrate
analytical tools that allow them
to initiate the analysis and digi-
tization of their financial data
and operating environment.
Through digital technologies,
it presents a numerical repre-
sentation of the client’s operat-
ing environment, enabling them
to clearly visualize areas for
cost reduction. “Once we have
highlighted areas where costs
can be trimmed, we recommend
reallocating those resources
toward digital transforma-
tion initiatives. This shift in
resources is aimed at improv-
ing profitability and enhancing
productivity,” says Mr. Yanase.
With operations in Singapore,
Shanghai and Hong Kong, Re-
star Embedded Solutions aims
to expand its client portfolio in
the regions where it operates,
opening itself up to potential
partnerships with local elec-
tronic trading companies.
Restar Embedded Solutions
has witnessed significant
growth in operating income
over the past two years, and
the company’s acquisition by
Restar Group bodes even bet-
ter for the company’s aspira-
tions for global expansion and
sustainable business growth.
However, its broader mission
centers around ensuring the
well-being and prosperity of
its employees and their fami-
lies, the president stresses:
“We firmly believe that their
thriving is pivotal to our long-
term sustainability. To achieve
these objectives, we are active-
ly exploring opportunities for
upskilling, potentially through
collaborations or alliances.”
www.res.restargp.com/en
Culture

PA RT I N G S H OT

Ramy Youssef
Describing ramy youssef’s work isn’t easy, because he refuses to Your first special was Feelings and
settle on just one thing. “I feel really inspired to connect in the way that your new one is called More Feelings.
it makes sense.” That started out with stand-up, but has since morphed into So, how have your feelings changed?
acting, writing, directing and producing. The New Jersey native’s next endeavor, A lot of my life changed [since] the
on the heels of his appearance in the Oscar-winning film Poor Things, is the first special. All of a sudden, I was
new HBO stand-up special More Feelings (March 23). “I’m definitely living on a going to a show [Ramy, and] a stand-
prayer, and that’s probably the magic piece in this special, where it kind of feels up special. [Now] we’ve done a few
like everything’s just hanging by this really thin string.” A key to his material is seasons of Ramy, we’re entering
“looking for what allows it to feel like almost a weird, linear thought, but going the second season of Mo, I got to
into a lot of different things ... somehow it’s kind of all one thought.” But for do this film, I got married, so a lot of
Youssef, no matter if it’s for stand-up, his Hulu series Ramy or Netflix’s Mo, the those shifts are clear in this show.
process dictates creativity. “Some ideas are just so good for stand-up and some
you want to put on TV. I’ve started to think of what would really be best fit for What about your feelings
film. I’ve been dabbling in how to take my first swing at that.” do you like sharing?
It’s my favorite thing about stand-
up. I get into things that could be
perceived politically. I don’t like
getting into political conversations.
It’s more like, these are my feelings
about things that are happening that
do affect me directly, and the name
“feelings” is always really nice to me,
“I’m definitely because that’s all these thoughts are.
living on a
prayer, and Poor Things is your first big film.
How was working with Emma Stone?
that’s probably She has the best timing of
the magic piece anyone I’ve ever been near. She
in this special.” is just on another level.

Is your work behind the

camera as creatively satisfying
as being onstage?
Honestly, sometimes it feels nicer. I
think when you find something that
feels worth sharing, whether it is
FR A ZE R HARRI SON /G E T T Y

directly coming out of your mouth

or someone else’s, I find it to be just
as fun. Even if I’m behind the camera,
it’s still connecting. Going through
hair and makeup and picking clothes
is not fun. [laughs] —H. Alan Scott

▸ Visit Newsweek.com for the full interview

ADVERTISEMENT
CEO of Japanese Electric
Vehicle Startup Aims to Pump
Life into Sluggish Market
ITH ITS BUDGET ELECTRIC CARS
targeting rural dwellers, se-
nior citizens and new driv-
ers, Tokyo startup Apatech Motors
wants to change perceptions not
just about electric vehicles (EV),
but about cars in general. Since the
company’s launch in May of 2022,
chief executive officer Feng Sun and
his team have been on a mission
to spread the idea that cars used
mostly for short distances, or only
occasionally, do not need to be
fancy or pricey.
The biggest hurdle – also what
Sun refers to as the “blue ocean” of
opportunity – is that Japan, with a
penetration of just three percent,
lags behind players in the global EV
market. As a former fund manager,
Sun was jolted into entrepreneurship
during the pandemic that caused him
to reexamine how he could contrib-
ute to solving issues such as sustain-
ability and post-disaster recovery.
“In the process, I turned my
attention to the EV industry, which
I had been interested in for a while.
Additionally, with the expected
restart of nuclear power plants, the
cost of electricity is predicted to
become even cheaper,” Sun said.
200,000 Cars a Year from
New Factory
APATECH MOTORS NOW USES ORIGINAL
equipment manufacturing (OEM) to
design cars made in Chinese factories
according to Japanese requirements
as well as user needs. Pet owners and
last mile delivery services are part of
the specialist groups the company
is targeting. So far, the company has
put to market 50 of its 400-strong
fleet and has undertaken a feverish
drive to spread awareness and ac-
E N . A P AT E C H - M O T O R S . C O M
ceptance of EVs across the country.
This year, Apatech Motors will
open its own factory in Fukushima
prefecture, which suffered immense
damage in the 2011 Tohoku earth-
quake and tsunami and was also the
IS DETERMINED TO CHANGE PERCEPTIONS OF HOW
site of a nuclear accident. Apatech
Motors has named its current series
of cars ‘Ohkuma’, after the town
that was completely evacuated
following the accident. Apatech
Motors’ new factory is expected to
have an annual production capacity
of 200,000 cars per year.
“It’s about how much of the
market share we can capture. In the
Japanese market, there are about
2.5 million compact cars. We’re
aiming for a 10% share. For example,
our goal for this year is to reach
about 10,000 units. We’ve taken a
good look at trends in previous fis-
cal years, and we are inviting more
and more investors to partner with
us,” Sun said.
“It’s about how
much of the market
share we can capture.
In the Japanese market,
there are about
2.5 MILLION
COMPACT CARS.
We’re aiming for
a 10% share.”
THE CEO OF APATECH MOTORS, FENG SUN,
ELECTRIC CARS ARE PERCEIVED.
Introducing EVs Through
Car Sharing and Subscriptions
IN ADDITION TO THE SALE OF EVS,
Apatech Motors’ offerings include
car sharing and subscription services.
Unlike some existing share models,
where the company owns the cars, it
is car owners who will be encouraged
to lend their cars to others when
they are traveling, for example. Some
of the benefits include offsetting high
maintenance costs such as parking
and insurance fees.
Subscription-based services have
found success among Japanese
consumers. Apatech Motors wants to
use subscriptions to introduce EVs to
beginners uncertain about product
quality and give them a chance to try
out vehicles with the latest features.
Eventually, it hopes to convert these
users into owners. Currently, the
company’s compact model rents for
about $350 monthly, and its bigger,
commercial model $700.
“We don’t see ourselves in direct
competition with giant players like
Toyota and Honda. If they repre-
sent the JAL (Japan Airlines) and
ANA (All Nippon Airways) of the
APATECH MOTO RS [2]
automotive industry, we see our-
selves as a LCC (low-cost carrier),
approaching challenges in Japanese
consumer mobility from a different
perspective. We aim to rapidly pop-
ularize small EVs and as consumers

THE CURRENT LINEUP OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES INCLUDES THE LV270L COMMERCIAL VAN, THE TX200
CAR AND THE TX200L CAR, WHICH HAS ACCOMMODATIONS TO TRANSPORT YOUR PETS.
become more familiar with EVs, we
anticipate them purchasing larger
and more feature-rich EVs from
major brands,” Sun said.
Innovation Needed to Combat
Slow Infrastructural Development
THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAS COM-
mitted to net zero carbon emissions
by 2050, alongside a goal to have
all new car purchases by 2035 being
EVs or hybrids. The country has also
provided subsidies and incentives
for buyers and manufacturers. How-
ever, Sun is concerned that the pace
of infrastructural development, such
as increasing charging locations,
needs to be accelerated. Overcom-
ing these challenges requires inge-
nuity and innovative partnerships.
“For example, in Japan, there
are vending machines nationwide,
and we are exploring the idea of
using them as charging stations. If,
for instance, you buy a drink, you
can charge your vehicle for an hour.
We have been discussing this with
Japanese beverage manufacturers,
considering there are approximately
five million vending machines nearly
covering the country,” Sun said.
Part of Sun’s motivation comes
from an interest in fixing the imbal-
ance of Japanese companies in his
native China versus the number of
Chinese companies in Japan. Sun
says over the past two to three
decades, more than 30,000 Japanese
companies have set up shop in China.
He wants to use Apatech Motors to
NEWSWEEK BRANDED CONTENT STUDIO
Apatech Motors
is doing their part to
achieve the goal of
ZERO CARBON
EMISSIONS
by 2050 that was
set by the Japanese
government.
bring advanced Chinese technology
and knowhow to the Japanese auto-
motive industry, leading to increased
overall competitiveness. China is
among the top producers and users
of EVs. Apatech Motors is also Sun’s
way of repaying the kindness of
dozens of Japanese people who have
supported him since he first moved
to the country almost 25 years ago.
Electric Car Use Gaining Popularity
THERE IS NO DENYING THAT WHAT
lies ahead is an uphill task. Japan
has traditionally been one of the
top gasoline car producers in the
world. Electric or not, many young
people in urban centers have given
up using cars altogether. Overall,
Japanese consumers have been
remarkably slow to warm up to
using electric cars. Sun likens this
to the adoption of motor cars over
carriages in the early 1900s– slow,
steady and sure. His chief risk offi-
cer Tomohiro Noda agrees.
“One concern that many people
have is whether EVs are reliable in
case of any trouble. We are estab-
lishing maintenance and after-sales
systems to dispel these concerns. As
more people start driving our cars,
and the network for such services
is established, people will feel more
comfortable. People are also gradu-
ally changing how they use EVs. They
may consider using fuel cell or hybrid
vehicles for longer distances. The
idea is to change lifestyles, making
use of these convenient options. We
have no doubts about the wide-
spread adoption of EVs,” Noda said.
 Tomorrow's
capital projects
can't be built
with yesterday's The US government is investing
technology. trillions of dollars in capital programs.

Build a better tomorrow with Aurigo Masterworks Cloud

BUILD FASTER I BUILD SMARTER I BUILD STRONGER

Aurigo Masterworks, the leading capital planning and construction project

management software, empowers America to build smarter for tomorrow. Easy BUILD A BETTER
to use and configure, it's the power at your fingertips that helps you plan, build and TOMORROW
maintain your city’s capital assets.