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April 26, 2024
 

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Kantaro Komiya
For Kantaro Komiya's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), is seen in this handout image taken by LEV-2 on the moon, released on Jan. 25.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2024
Japan's SLIM moon probe unexpectedly survives lunar night
The lander touched down on the lunar surface last month, making Japan the fifth country to put a probe on the moon.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will delay the launch date of the second model of its new H3 flagship rocket from the initially planned Thursday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 13, 2024
Japan delays H3 rocket's second launch due to bad weather
The new launch date will be announced later, but weather conditions at the launch site, Tanegashima Space Center, appear to set recover late Friday.
Tokyo Metro plans to go public in the fiscal year that starts in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 26, 2024
Tokyo Metro to go public as Japan seeks to reap benefits of buoyant stock market
The company, which is owned by the national government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, will be listed in the year that begins in April.
Officials from iQPS celebrate in the city of Fukuoka in June after the successful launch of a rocket carrying a small satellite developed by the firm.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2023
Satellite imagery startup iQPS surges 82% in Tokyo debut
The stock opened at ¥860 per share versus its IPO price of ¥390, with trading delayed by nearly five hours due to a glut of buy orders.
Trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura (front right) speaks during a meeting of Group of Seven trade ministers in the city of Osaka on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2023
Eyeing China, G7 calls for 'immediate repeal' of bans on Japanese food
The ministers, after meeting in Osaka, did not mention China but denounced what they consider its rising economic coercion through trade.
Core machinery orders, the leading indicator of Japanese business spending, were down 1.1% in July from the previous month in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 14, 2023
Weak machinery orders darken outlook and raise policy challenge
Core orders, the leading indicator of Japanese business spending, were down 1.1% in July from the previous month, Cabinet Office data showed.
A promotional poster for the film "Barbie" in Tokyo earlier this month
CULTURE
Aug 12, 2023
Hollywood blockbuster 'Barbie' opens in Japan after controversy
Tickets sold fast in Japan as fans flocked to the theatrical release, timed to coincide with the start of the Bon holiday period.
Damage to buildings in Naha, Okinawa, seen on Aug. 3, after Typhoon Khanun passed through the area
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2023
Typhoon Khanun kills one, cuts power to a third of Okinawa homes
High winds hit power lines in Okinawa Prefecture and knocked out electricity to more than 200,000 households on Wednesday morning.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 26, 2023
Japan ramps up Russia sanctions and condemns nuclear deployment in Belarus
G7 leaders last week showed their resolve to support Ukraine with additional military aid and sanctions on Russia.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2023
Spending in Japan unexpectedly drops as wages fall for a full year
Household spending fell 1.9% in March from a year earlier, the data showed, against economists' median forecast for a 0.4% rise and following a 1.6% gain in February.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2023
Kishida urges extra inflation-relief steps as Japan's households struggle
The news comes as households grapple with intensifying cost-of-living pressures amid elevated inflation for items such as energy and food, hitting consumption and smaller businesses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 28, 2023
Japan's factory output posts biggest fall in 8 months on weak autos and chip sector
A fall of 4.6% in January from a month earlier marked the fastest decrease since May 2022.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 7, 2023
Real wages rebound in December on bonuses and household spending falls
Japan's real wages rose 0.1% in December from a year earlier, posting the first gain since March, a labor ministry data showed on Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2023
Japan's fourth quarter economic growth likely rebounded on tourism reopening
Signs of stronger momentum heading into 2023 could influence major companies and workers in Japan as they head into annual labor talks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 22, 2022
Japan revises up growth forecast on higher capital spending and wages
The projections underscore how the country is set to buck a global growth slowdown thanks to robust domestic demand supported by inbound tourism reopening.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2022
Japan's October factory output fell on global slowdown and weak chip demand
The feeble business activity highlights challenges for the world's third-largest economy, which has been lagging behind peers in recovering from the pandemic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 29, 2022
Japan retail sales up for eighth month on tourism reopening
The number of foreign visitors to Japan in October was almost 500,000, more than twice as many as in September.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2022
Japan's September factory output posted first fall in four months
Manufacturers took a hit from rising costs for raw materials and the global economic slowdown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2022
Japan to curb electricity costs amid weak yen and recession risks, PM says
The government will compile another economic stimulus plan by the end of October, including a rare measure to directly ease the rise of electricity prices, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2022
Japan's machinery orders posted surprise gains in July
The surprise increase in core orders — a barometer of capital expenditure — could provide temporary relief for policymakers.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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