OSAKA, Japan & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 13, 2026--
Tanger Med and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation, organized the Japan Roadshow 2026, with meetings in Osaka and Tokyo. The initiative aimed to strengthen economic and industrial ties between Morocco and Japan by showcasing investment opportunities within Tanger Med's integrated port, logistics and industrial platform, while fostering trade exchanges and industrial cooperation, particularly in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, logistics and renewable energy sectors.
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The roadshow promoted supply-chain integration, technology transfer and sustainable manufacturing, while facilitating direct engagement and business exchanges with leading Japanese corporations.
Located on the Strait of Gibraltar, at the crossroads of major East–West maritime routes, Tanger Med provides access to European, African and international markets. Connected to more than 180 ports worldwide, Tanger Med Port Complex handled over 11.1 million TEUs and 161 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, confirming its position as the leading container port in Africa and the Mediterranean.
Japan is a major industrial partner within the Tanger Med ecosystem. For two decades, Japanese companies have established and expanded their operations across its industrial and logistics zones. Their cumulative investments are estimated at JPY127 billion (approximately USD800 million), generating around 17,500 direct jobs and JPY222 billion (approximately USD1.4 billion) in annual exports to Europe, Africa and other international markets.
Companies operating within the platform include Yazaki, DENSO, NSK, JTEKT, Fujikura, Furukawa Electric, Sumitomo Electric, Nippon Express and KansaiPaint. Their presence reflects the advantages offered by Tanger Med's integrated ecosystem, combining world-class port infrastructure, strategic geographic location, specialized industrial zones, efficient logistics services and tailored investor support. Their activities span automotive components, electrical systems, advanced manufacturing and logistics. Japanese automotive suppliers based at Tanger Med are integrated into the supply chains of major manufacturers, including Volkswagen, Škoda, Porsche, Renault, Stellantis and Opel.
Tanger Med Industrial Platform covers 3,000 hectares, hosts more than 1,500 companies and supports nearly 145,000 jobs across nine specialized economic zones. It offers an integrated environment combining industrial infrastructure, logistics services and 360° One-Stop-Shop approach, supporting investors from company establishment and administrative procedures through to operational start-up and business development.
The platform's international connectivity and industrial partnerships provide Japanese companies with an integrated environment developing manufacturing, logistics and export operations, while serving European, African and other international markets.
www.tangermedzones.com/
* Source: AETOSWire
Aerial view of Tanger Med Industrial Platform in northern Morocco, showcasing its integrated industrial and logistics infrastructure and strategic location on the Strait of Gibraltar. (Photo: AETOSWire)
BERLIN (AP) — It was the sound of e-silence.
No Microsoft Outlook email chimes, no Teams message pings, no new notifications and, very possibly, no work getting done.
Microsoft 365 teetered on the edge of becoming Microsoft 364 as the global outage stretched from Thursday into, ironically (or fittingly, depending on your personal outlook), Friday the 13th. The disruption has impacted an unknown number of netizens, but the total could be as high as 450 million — the figure the tech giant touts as the number of paid customers of the Microsoft 365 apps.
Many of us were doing the same thing: Refresh, refresh, refresh.
But what really happens when an essential workplace tool goes quiet and the silence is heard around the world?
Sadly, it seems, the extended break online did not mean that we went outside — or even offline. Thousands used the 21st century technology of social media to complain about the 20th century invention of email. Memes sprang up across the internet as brands like airlines rushed to capitalize early Friday on an unexpected long weekend.
“Emails can wait. The world has been waiting long enough,” Air India wrote on X. “Consider this your cue to plan that getaway.”
The airline's post featured a photo with a view out an airplane window with the quip, “A change of outlook we'd highly recommend.”
Burger King instead opted for a message directed at Microsoft: “whoever’s troubleshooting and working on the outage rn…take your time. go out and get a Whopper.”
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, valiantly pitched some healthy offline ideas like taking a break from screens or stretching and walking.
We could do that. We could take advantage of a world and a workday where our inboxes don't demand all of our attention. We could savor the unexpected serenity of an enforced e-silence. We could take a walk! Really, we could.
Or we could stay inside, tethered to our laptops and desktops and smartphones, drafting hot takes instead of emails.
And again: Refresh, refresh, refresh.
For some unfortunate souls, Teams sadly still worked. Others were forced to pivot to alternate forms of communication.
“Having meetings on WhatsApp now instead,” one Redditor wrote.
“My boss pointed out the program that has our training on still works,” someone else posted.
Still more turned to other screens for entertainment: “Feet up on the sofa, coffee in hand and playing a bit of xbox, wonderful start to the day,” another said. “Hopefully outlook is down for the remainder of the day.”
But the outage also brought a nostalgia not seen since the 1900s.
“It’s actually been quite fun in the office," another Redditor wrote. "It feels like a bit of a social event — everyone is chatting, we’ve ordered breakfast in, planning a pub visit this afternoon if it continues. Is this what the 90s felt like?”
But for many of us, the Internet Age is all-consuming. Even if our ears got a break for a few hours from the constant dings and pings of notifications, our fingers remained ready to reply-all at a moment's notice.
Refresh, refresh, refresh.
The Associated Press uses several Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. The outage gave Dazio some peace and quiet to write this report.
AP journalist Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
A person walks by a Microsoft logo and sign outside the Microsoft Visitor Center at the company's headquarters Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Redmond, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
