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July 13, 2025
 

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Satoshi Sugiyama
Momoka Matsui and her co-worker Saki Matsumoto take photos of acrylic stand figure models of their favorite idols with cakes and teas, which they ordered at a Tokyo cafe where Matsui’s favorite boy band stopped by.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 5, 2025
Can Japan's take on fandom help drive spending?
The explosion of "oshikatsu" (supporting favored celebrities or characters), which entered the mainstream during the pandemic, has economists and the Bank of Japan taking note.
Inflation in Tokyo accelerated for a second month in December, as the government temporarily phased out utility subsidies, a result that will likely support expectations of an interest rate hike next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 27, 2024
Inflation in Tokyo accelerates, keeping rate hike prospects intact
The Tokyo core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food costs, rose 2.4% in December from a year earlier.
Consumer spending dropped 1.3% in October from a year earlier, data from the internal affairs ministry showed on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2024
Japan's soft consumer spending unlikely to deter BOJ from raising rates again
Economists attributed the underlying softness in consumption to rising prices and warm weather, which held consumers back from purchasing seasonal apparel.
Yasuyuki Kurosawa at his paddy fields in Meiwa, Gunma Prefecture. Tending the crops "is something that we cannot avoid, so we must do what we must do even if it's hot," the 77-year-old farmer said.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2024
Heatstroke risk won't stop Japan's aging farmers as temperatures soar
Agriculture accounts for about 1% of Japan's economy and almost 70% of its 1.4 million farmers are age 65 and above.
Naoto Ooka inspects a new heat-resistant rice breed called Emihokoro that has been planted at the government-run Saitama Agricultural Technology Center in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, on Aug. 7.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2024
As sweltering summers ravage crops, Japan bets on heat-resistant rice
Supermarkets have struggled to keep rice shelves stocked in recent months.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food climbed 2.7% in July from a year earlier, accelerating slightly from 2.6% in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 23, 2024
Japan's core inflation picks up, but demand-driven growth slows
The "core core" index, which is closely watched by the BOJ, dipped below the key 2% line for the first time since September 2022.
People walk along Takeshita street at Harajuku shopping area in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 15, 2024
Japan's economy rebounds strongly on consumption boost, backing case for more rate hikes
The Bank of Japan had forecast that a solid economic recovery will help inflation hit its 2% target and justify raising interest rates further.
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 14, 2024
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
These carefully choreographed images are often kept hidden in conservative Japan.
Masato Kanda, vice minister of finance for international affairs, reiterated the currency authorities' readiness to step into the market for speculative-driven foreign exchange moves.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2024
Japan warns of action over rapid currency moves
Comments by the government's top currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, reinforced Tokyo's readiness to intervene again to support a fragile yen.
Japan's core machinery orders fell 1.7% in January from the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2024
Japan core machinery orders fall more than expected
Core orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as a leading indicator of capital spending in the six to nine months ahead, fell 1.7% in January.
Japan's economy stumbled into a recession in the October-December quarter last year on weak domestic demand, preliminary estimates have shown.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 8, 2024
Japan household spending logs biggest drop in 35 months in January
Household spending in January decreased by 6.3% from a year earlier and was down for the 11th straight month.
Japan's factory output in January fell at the fastest pace since May 2020 due to a drop in automobile-related production.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 29, 2024
Japan factory output falls at the fastest pace in nearly four years
A production downturn in motor vehicles is also adding to concerns about the fragility of an economy that slipped into recession late last year.
A fight over Benefit One is the latest in a growing number of takeover deals in Japan, spurred in part by the Tokyo Stock Exchange pushing for improved corporate governance.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 8, 2024
Dai-ichi Life gets Pasona's nod on Benefit One acquisition
The agreement with Pasona Group, which owns 51.16% of Benefit One, is crucial for Dai-ichi to win the battle against digital health care provider M3.
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.
Akinori Ishii, of startup Tsubame Industries Co., sits inside the cockpit of ARCHAX, a giant human-piloted robot developed by him and CEO Ryo Yoshida, in Yokohama on Sept. 27.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 2, 2023
Japan startup develops 'Gundam'-like robot with $3 million price tag
The 3.5-ton robot has two modes: the upright "robot mode" and a "vehicle mode" in which it can travel up to 10 kilometers per hour.
BUSINESS
Aug 8, 2023
End of the line for snack carts on Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen
End of popular service comes amid a looming labor shortage and the trend of more people buying food before boarding.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2023
Typhoon Khanun kills two in Okinawa, injures at least 62
Roughly 25% of Okinawa Prefecture — around 166,000 households — had lost electricity as of Thursday morning
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 6, 2022
China's BYD to start selling EVs in Japan by early 2023
The world's largest EV-maker is stepping up its plan to either sell or make its cars available across major markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 9, 2022
Honda posts 16% rise in second-quarter profit and lifts outlook
The firm has been helped by robust performance in its motorcycle business, particularly in Asia.
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2022
Work stoppages and no chatting at lunch: Japan Inc. grapples with COVID
Relief for Japan's companies and the wider economy could be in sight as health experts project this wave of infection to peak early this month.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.
Apple’s Craig Federighi shows off a set of emoji at a conference on June 13, 2016. While the small pictures have proved helpful in conveying nuance in our texts, younger people are using them less often.
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.
Rare vintage shots and first-time shows at TOP’s 30th anniversary
The museum's curators selected a wide array of works from the archives for the milestone exhibitions. Among other photos, Nobuyoshi Araki's work from the series "Winter Journey" (1990) was included in the "Continuity and Change" exhibition that concluded in June.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning
Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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