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The National Police Agency is planning to introduce driver's licenses for automatic transmission trucks and buses, as such vehicles accounted for about 90% of large buses and 70% of large trucks sold last year.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2024

Japan eyes automatic transmission licenses for trucks and buses

The move comes in response to the spread of AT vehicles and the issue of driver shortages.
The average daily room rate of hotels in Japan for March marked the highest level since August 1997, as the country saw a record number of foreign visitors in March.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 19, 2024

Japan hotel prices near 30-year high as weak yen lures record tourists

The average daily room rate for March was about ¥20,986 ($136), the highest level since August 1997 and a nearly 20% increase from the same period in 2023.
The possibility of a deepening conflict between Israel and Iran suggests higher energy prices for energy import-dependent Japan, meaning more downward pressure for the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 19, 2024

Oil poses more risks for yen as Japan depends on energy imports

Crude oil futures jumped on Friday following reports that Israel launched a missile strike on Iran.
The average condo price in central Tokyo's 23 wards came to ¥104.64 million in fiscal 2023, topping ¥100 million for the first time on a fiscal year basis.
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2024

Tokyo-area condo prices hit record high for third year in a row

In central Tokyo's 23 wards, the average condo price rose 5.7% to ¥104.64 million, topping ¥100 million for the first time.
Japanese businesses traditionally all hire graduates at the same time each year, but about one in 10 recruits fresh from college quit their jobs within a year, government data shows.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 20, 2024

Japanese AI tool predicts when recruits will quit

The tool crunches data on employees at a company, from their attendance record to personal information such as age and gender.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a news conference after a policy meeting at BOJ headquarters in Tokyo on March 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 20, 2024

BOJ's Ueda says 'very likely' to hike rates if inflation keeps rising

The BOJ must maintain loose monetary policy for the time being as underlying inflation remains "somewhat below" its 2% target, Gov. Kazuo Ueda said.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during an event in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 20, 2024

Japan finance chief issues fresh warning on excessive yen moves

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki repeated his warning to investors against pushing down the yen too much.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (from left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok hold a trilateral meeting at the Treasury Department in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Apr 20, 2024

Political heat prods Japan and South Korea to team up on weak currencies

The matter is all the more urgent with Middle East tensions threatening to push up oil prices and accelerate cost pressures.
New York police said the man, who they identified as Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, did not appear to be targeting Trump or others involved in the trial.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 20, 2024

Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway

Police said the man, who they identified as Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, did not appear to be targeting Trump.
Vitor Gaspar, director of fiscal affairs at the International Monetary Fund, speaks at a news conference during the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 19, 2024

Japan should pursue fiscal consolidation, IMF economist says

With Japan's inflation mostly in line with the Bank of Japan's 2% target, an IMF economist is encouraging fiscal consolidation.
Boxes of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 developed by Walvax Biotechnology and Abogen Biosciences
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health / FOCUS
Apr 20, 2024

China's drugmakers can't sell mRNA shots but haven't quit yet

While Chinese firms are pursuing new targets for the novel messenger RNA technology, they face a tough path, crimped by a lack of revenue.
Ukrainian service members fire a multiple launch rocket system toward Russian troops. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago, arms manufacturers have experienced something of a reversal of fortune.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2024

Defense companies are luring Germany’s struggling autoworkers

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago, arms manufacturers have experienced something of a reversal of fortune.
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 21, 2024

Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift

Robust sales of products using CBD, a compound found in marijuana, are attributed to rising demand for products that offer relaxation and stress relief.
Lithium powder from recycled batteries in Nevada in March
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 21, 2024

Japanese trading firms look abroad to diversify lithium supply

The resource-limited country is aiming to create a stable supply of the mineral, which is critical for producing batteries for electric vehicles.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at an event held by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the U.S.-China Business Council on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in November.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 22, 2024

Raimondo says Huawei’s chip breakthrough is years behind U.S. tech

Raimondo said the technology gap shows the Biden administration’s success in imposing export controls on China.
More than half of respondents in a recent survey say they would continue to buy a product at the same supermarket even if prices rose by 10%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 22, 2024

Higher price tolerance among Japan's shoppers supports further BOJ rate hikes

A recent survey by an inflation expert showed that more than half of respondents would keep buying a supermarket product even if prices rose by 10%.
The Nikkei stock market rally has paused, but the market has an upside potential toward the end of the year, according to Allianz Global Investors.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 22, 2024

Allianz says Japanese stocks will defy geopolitics and yen volatility

The asset manager expects support from solid corporate fundamentals and the long-term outlook for artificial intelligence.
Japanese startup Turing plans to unveil a self-driving car with at least 30 minutes’ driving range next year and develop a fully autonomous car by 2030.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2024

An AI star seeks to bring self-driving cars to Japan by 2030

The mind behind an AI algorithm that beat a shogi master now has his sights set on a fully self-driving vehicle by 2030.
A submerged street after heavy rains in Qingyuan, in China's southern Guangdong province, on Sunday
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Apr 22, 2024

Unseasonal floods batter 'factory floor of the world' in China

As home to factories crucial to the world, China's Guangdong province has prepared for floods — but not on this scale.
Wind turbines off the coast of Zhunan Township, Taiwan. Misguided policies threaten to sink outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s hopes of achieving his renewable energy targets.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2024

Taiwan’s wind power ambitions are in peril

Misguided policies threaten to sink outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s renewable energy targets, putting a lot on the incoming administration's plate.
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2024

Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub

Massive redevelopment plans for the former site of Japan's world-famous fish market aim to turn the waterfront land into the new face of Tokyo.
The Fair Trade Commission took an administrative action against Google for using tactics that limited Yahoo Japan’s ability to compete in targeted search ads.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 22, 2024

Japan watchdog says Google hurt local rival’s ability to compete

From 2015 to 2022, Google blocked Yahoo Japan from technology needed to receive targeted ad revenue from searches on mobile devices, the FTC said.
The new V Point reward point program will have a combined number of 154 million subscribers from its two former programs, the largest in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2024

New 'V Point' program launched after merger

The combined number of subscribers to the two former programs was 154 million, the largest in Japan.
The dollar's resurgence has come on the back of a slew of signs that the U.S. economy avoided the slowdown many anticipated.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2024

U.S. dollar’s extended reign delivers stark wake-up call to markets

Global investors are talking about "U.S. exceptionalism” after a predicted slowdown to the nation's economy didn't transpire.
About 60% of small and mid-sized companies plan to raise wages in fiscal 2024, a government survey shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2024

70% of Japan companies to raise pay-scales in FY 2024

Survey results showed that about 40% of firms were struggling with labor shortages even after raising wages.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda hasn’t ruled out responding to exchange rates with a policy move if the impact on prices is seen to be "non-negligible.”
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 23, 2024

BOJ to hold rates with focus on hawkish signals to buoy yen

Gov. Kazuo Ueda and his fellow board members are set to keep the short-term rate around 0% to 0.1% at the end of their two-day policy meeting.
Yum China, which operates KFC and Pizza Hut, plans to add more than 5,000 outlets by 2026 with more than 50% of them outside megacities.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 23, 2024

China’s small towns thrive as more opt out of demanding megacity life

As an economic downturn in China’s biggest cities prompts layoffs and competition for remaining posts, many are finding a better quality of life elsewhere.
An employee prepares to place a mortar into a box at an arms production facility in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Apr 23, 2024

Cash shortages and attacks take toll on Ukraine's growing arms sector

Firms are struggling to fund production and secure long-term deals, and all are concerned about being targeted in intensifying Russian missile strikes.
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.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2024

Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further

Comments by Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki came after the dollar rose to ¥154.85, its strongest levels against the Japanese currency since 1990.
Tesla remains the dominant EV maker in the U.S. market, but its earnings have been under pressure for several quarters.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2024

Tesla speeding up release of cheaper cars after sales miss

The maker of electric vehicles plans to release more affordable models by the end of this year or in early next year.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo