The consumption tax hike has brought the restaurant industry — already grappling with shortages of labor and rising costs of materials — yet another challenge in keeping customers and attracting new ones. Major restaurant operators have taken various measures out of fear that the tax ...

At this year's Tokyo Game Show, the big draw was next-generation 5G networking — setting pulses racing with the prospect of a radically more immersive gaming experience. Offering data transmission speeds around 100 times faster than 4G, 5G is expected to enable more seamless imagery ...

Organizers say they expect the Rugby World Cup to bring ¥437.2 billion in economic benefits, pinning their hopes on the 400,000 foreign visitors who are projected to visit Japan for the tournament. As that estimate only takes into account the impact before and during the ...

As the unrelenting heat continues, people young and old are resorting to a low-tech way to stay cool this summer: portable electric fans. Stores selling the fans, some of which conveniently attach to the neck or wrist, say they are selling at a brisker pace ...

Major convenience store operators begin introducing measures to curb food waste as companies step up efforts to address the issue.

A garlic and apple farm in the northeast of the country has recognized that its survival largely depends on finding the next generation of workers to replace the aging local population. That is why Aomori Japan Farm Co. is keen on training a group of ...

A wearable "third arm" for construction workers is among the latest innovations under development in Panasonic Corp.'s burgeoning collaboration with academia to make robots an increasing part of people's lives in aging Japan. Panasonic already has expertise in using robots in manufacturing but has reached ...

Haruna Endo never saw it coming, but after over a decade of trial and error, she is finding success selling her konnyaku (devil's tongue) jelly by creating eye-catching products to consumers from both Japan and abroad. "It was as if I was struck by lightning," ...

Rurika Koike, 18, is a one-of-a-kind champion. She won the all-Japan high school tournament this summer for excellence in the art of making soba. In the annual championship, 154 students from 32 schools from northern to southwestern Japan don caps and white aprons to test ...

Carlos Ghosn's ouster as chairman of Nissan Motor Co. signals that the automaker is seeking to reshape itself to better deal with a rapidly changing market environment, breaking from nearly two decades under his charismatic leadership style, according to some analysts. Chasing volume and sharing ...