Sony Corp. on Thursday renamed itself Sony Group Corp. in the first name change in over six decades, a symbolic change for the conglomerate that encompasses financial services, gaming and entertainment. The name change represents Sony's diversification of its business from its well-known electronics segment that rolled out Walkman portable music players and TVs that symbolized the "It's a Sony" slogan. Sony Group will seek to maximize synergies among its group companies and foster growth areas. Sony Electronics Corp. took on the name Sony Corp. from Thursday. Sony has been buoyed in recent years by its PlayStation game consoles and robust demand for its image sensors that are used in cameras and smartphones.

The logo of Sony Corp. is seen at the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, May 22, 2018. TOKYO – Electronics and entertainment company Sony Corp. said Tuesday it plans to spend $2.3 billion acquiring an additional 60 percent stake in EMI Music Publishing, home to the Motown catalog and contemporary artists like Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Pharrell Williams. Sony already owns 30 percent of EMI so once the purchase from Mubadala Investment Co. is finalized, it will own 90 percent of the company, CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in a news conference at Sony's headquarters. Mubadala is a government-backed investment fund controlled by the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates, a seven-state federation that also includes the Mideast commercial hub of Dubai. Its holdings include semiconductor maker Globalfoundries, and stakes in General Electric Co., Washington-based private equity firm The Carlyle Group and numerous utility and energy companies.

Sony Corporation said today that it will build an AI-based ride-hailing system in Japan in partnership with five taxi companies. The service will use artificial intelligence to manage taxi dispatches and forecast demand based on factors like weather, traffic and local events. Sony's announcement came just before Uber chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi, who is currently visiting Asia, said the company wants to form more partnerships with Japanese taxi companies. According to Bloomberg, Khosrowshahi, who joined Uber last August, said he believes Japan is an "incredible opportunity," but that the company's previous approach "frankly didn't work." Sony's ride-hailing system will launch this spring in partnership with taxi companies Daiwa Motor Transportation, Hinomaru Kotsu, Kokusai Motorcars, Green Cab and Checker Cab Group.