Category: 3. Business

By&nbspAP with Eleanor Butler

Published on
17/11/2025 – 8:19 GMT+1

Japan’s economy sank at an annualised rate of 1.8% in the July to September period, government data showed on Monday, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs sent the nation’s exports spiralling.

The fall in the annualised rate was still smaller than the 0.6% drop that the market had expected.

On a quarter-by-quarter basis, Japan’s GDP, meaning the total value of a nation’s goods and services, slipped 0.4%. That marked the first contraction in six quarters.

A big decline during the quarter came in exports, which were 1.2% down from the previous quarter.

Where possible, some businesses sped up shipments to beat the tariff deadline, inflating some of the earlier data for exports.

On an annualised basis, exports dropped 4.5% in the three months through September.

Imports for the third quarter slipped 0.1%, while private consumption edged up 0.1% during the quarter.

Tariffs are a major blow to Japan’s export-reliant economy, led by powerful automakers like Toyota Motor Corp., although such manufacturers have over the years moved production abroad to avoid the brunt of tariffs.

The US now imposes a 15% tariff on nearly all Japanese imports, down from an earlier rate of 25%.

The new GDP data comes as a challenge for new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took on the role in October.

Takaichi is already contending with tensions between Japan and China related to disagreements over Taiwan. Earlier this month, the prime minister said that Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked the self-governing island, which Beijing views as part of its territory.

Chinese and Japanese officials are expected to hold talks on Tuesday.

Baker McKenzie Switzerland acted as Swiss counsel to Schulthess Maschinen AG in relation to the Swiss legal aspects of financing its acquisition of Armstrong France SAS, a leader in the sale, rental and servicing of laundry equipment in France.

The Baker McKenzie team was led by Markus Wolf (partner, Banking & Finance) and included Tatiana Ayranova (senior associate, Banking & Finance) and Sadia Raja (trainee lawyer, Banking & Finance).

 

On 12 November 2025, the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Civil and Commercial Court delivered a landmark judgment in the case of Jonathan David Sheppard v Jillion LLC. The case has attracted significant attention due to the citation of ‘fake cases’ in submissions to the Court. The judgment not only addresses the specific conduct in question but also sets out broader guidance for legal professionals and clients alike, particularly regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and secondary sources in legal research.

Access the judgment

Background: the facts of the case

The dispute arose from an employment claim brought by Jonathan David Sheppard against Jillion LLC. During the proceedings, the defendant’s legal representative, an unnamed Dubai-based lawyer, submitted an application for an extension of time to file a defence. In support of the application, the lawyer cited several apparent cases, including “Al Khor International School v. Gulf Contracting Co. (QFC 2022)” and “Doha Bank v. KPMG (QFC App 2019)”.  

However, when the Court Registry ordered the legal representative to provide copies of the judgements, it became apparent that the cases did not exist. The lawyer initially claimed difficulty accessing the judgments on the Court’s website but later admitted, via a witness statement, that the references were included in error due to reliance on secondary sources.

The Court’s findings

The QFC Court concluded the lawyer’s conduct amounted to a breach of Article 35.2 of the Rules and Procedures of the Civil and Commercial Court, which prohibits providing false or misleading information to the Court. The Court determined that the conduct was intentional because the lawyer had persisted in referencing the fake cases even after being challenged by the Registry. The Court found the lawyer had committed a contempt of court.

However, the Court decided not to impose a penal sanction on the lawyer. Instead, it accepted the lawyer’s apology and determined that the publication of the judgment itself would serve as a sufficient deterrent to future conduct of this kind. The Court also chose to anonymise the lawyer’s identity, noting that public identification would be a disproportionately harsh penalty given the size of the legal profession practicing in the GCC.

The use of AI in litigation

The judgment situates the problem of ‘fake cases’ within a global context. The Court referred to the widely publicised US case of Mata v Avianca Inc (2023), where lawyers relied on AI-generated, non-existent cases in court submissions. Similar issues have arisen in England and Wales, Canada, and Australia, prompting courts and regulators to issue guidance on the responsible use of AI and the necessity of verifying legal authorities.

The QFC Court acknowledged that AI and digital tools can enhance legal research, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. However, it emphasised that lawyers have a professional duty to verify the accuracy of any authorities cited, whether found via AI, internet searches, or traditional research methods.

Practical implications for legal practitioners

• The key lesson from this case is the absolute necessity for lawyers to verify the existence and content of any case law or authority cited in court.
• Reliance on secondary sources, incomplete databases, or AI-generated content without proper verification is not acceptable and may result in findings of contempt or professional misconduct.
• The QFC Court announced that a draft Practice Direction would be published alongside the judgment. This Practice Direction will require all advocates before the Court to verify any case or authority cited, with sanctions, including public identification and disgrace, for breaches.
• The submission of fake cases can have serious consequences, not only for the lawyers involved but also for their clients. Courts may disregard arguments based on non-existent authorities, potentially weakening a client’s position.

Final thoughts

The judgment in Jonathan David Sheppard v Jillion LLC serves as a timely warning to the legal profession and clients alike. The use of fake cases, whether intentional or through careless reliance on AI and secondary sources, will not be tolerated by the QFC Court. Legal practitioners must ensure that all authorities cited are genuine and properly verified.

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Layoff Tactics Keep Changing, and the Blunders Keep Coming

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JBS Boosts Ground Beef, Wagyu Steak Production to Stem Beef Losses

Meatpackers like JBS and Tyson Foods are being squeezed by the lowest U.S. cattle supply since the 1950s. It is driving their beef costs to record levels, and leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in losses as a result.

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  (END) Dow Jones Newswires

  November 17, 2025 01:15 ET (06:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Artificial intelligence (AI)
initiatives have come thick and fast in the travel industry over the course of 2025.

Consumer-facing solutions covering all parts of the traveler experience and B2B tools helping companies show-up on the AI platforms are all vying for attention.

In the background, travel
technology providers are scrabbling to create solutions to help travel brands drive
efficiency as well as be seen on AI platforms

With consumers getting more comfortable using the technology for trip planning, the pace of experimentation
is unlikely to let up. Phocuswright Research’s U.S. Consumer Travel report revealed
48% of millennials and 42% of Gen Z are more or much more comfortable with using
AI to help them plan trips compared to a year ago.

In its latest research, “How
AI is reshaping every step of the traveler journey,” Lufthansa Innovation Hub (LIH) has
laid out some of the most interesting use cases
announced so far across eight stages. The study looks at recent AI developments
across stages, including inspiration and planning, booking and purchase, in-flight experience
and in-destination activities.

Developments from online
giants, including Expedia with its AI-powered Trip Matching feature and
Booking.com using AI to gain a better view of traveler intent, often grab the
most headlines. 

The two companies are also among
the first partners named to have apps in the recently announced ChatGPT
initiative.

Beyond the U.S., online travel agencies (OTAs) such as MakeMyTrip and Trip.com Group have also unveiled their own initiatives. And many travel startups and smaller companies, including many in
PhocusWire’s Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2026 and some of the class of 2025,
also have skin in the game.

In the planning and inspiration
stage, LIH also calls out large and small players: AI trip planner Mindtrip, for
example, alongside Google, which announced earlier this year that it is using
Gemini to identify location place names from screenshots.

There is no shortage of developments
in the travel booking stage. LIH highlights a move from Indian airline Indigo,
which enables travelers to search, book and manage flights within a chat interface,
while Turkish Airlines has announced a Modern Context Protocol (MCP) server,
which enables AI platforms to access live airline data. Another worth mentioning is Kiwi’s development of an MCP server enabling AI assistants to trawl its
platform for flights.

For the airport experience, Lufthansa
highlights use cases for helping passengers during disruptions. United Airlines,
for example, provides personalized messages via text or email to passengers
during disruptions. There are also initiatives to get passengers through the
airport terminal more efficiently, such as AI-powered walk-through security scanners
at Frankfurt Airport.

Beyond consumer developments

While the Lufthansa study
looks at recent traveler-facing initiatives, there have also been many
announcements around B2B developments. Airlines are increasingly using AI for
route and aircraft optimization and to help them recover operations more
efficiently during disruptions.

United has also announced an
investment in and collaboration with voice and conversation AI specialist AiOla
with what it has described as “limitless applications.” Examples include safety
reporting and maintenance.

Further
recent examples of more behind the scenes developments include Apaleo’s launch
of an MCP server enabling AI agents to perform tasks across hotel operations, including
checking availability and modifying reservations.

More
recently, Boom unveiled its Business Agentic Manager for the short-term rental
industry. The agent makes decisions across functions such as marketing, guest
communications and financial reporting.

And,
Mirai has unveiled Sarai, enabling hotels to offer guests natural language
search and booking in text and voice in numerous spoken and written languages. The
initiative is part of a wider strategy to provide a “direct-sales ecosystem,”
according to the company.

It’s
too early to predict who might win the AI race in travel. Many executives are
concerned about the power the OTAs wield and the deals they have struck with AI
platforms. Others feel more confident that the companies who own the inventory, such as airlines and hotels, could have the upper hand.

What
is clearer is that the rapid pace of innovation will not subside; new models will emerge, and
everyone from supplier-direct to intermediaries and metasearch somewhere in
between will be disrupted.