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Yoshihiko Noda
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda weighs bid for CDP leadership

Some party members are pinning their hopes on Noda for his conservative beliefs and rich political experience.
IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas says Japan's inflation is higher than 2% and inflation expectations have started to move toward, or "maybe even a little bit above" the BOJ's 2% target. As a result, the BOJ is normalizing the extremely loose monetary policy it has had for decades.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 24, 2024

IMF sees scope for Bank of Japan to keep raising rates

The BOJ can raise interest rates gradually as heightening inflation expectations leave further scope for normalization, the IMF said.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to Liberal Democratic Party members during a leadership election at its headquarters in Tokyo in September 2020.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

Ex-defense chief Shigeru Ishiba announces fifth bid for LDP presidency

The party heavyweight underscored a commitment to clean politics, pledging to work to restore trust in the LDP after a wide-ranging slush fund scandal.
Over 70% of high school or college students who provide long-term daily care for family members left disabled in traffic accidents said they have never talked about their situation with friends or public bodies, a survey showed.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2024

20% of children of traffic accident victims become family caregivers

Nearly 20% of young people in Japan whose parents have been killed or left permanently disabled in traffic accidents are caregivers of family members.
Lions players celebrate after a win over the Buffaloes on Wednesday at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Aug 25, 2024

A fight over free agency in NPB, with help from an American union

The union representing players in NPB is fighting to secure rights over players' images and give them the opportunity to make the jump to MLB sooner.
The government is expanding subsidies for the use of robotics by nursing care facilities to reduce the burden on care staff amid a chronic labor shortage.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2024

Japan to expand nursing care robot introduction support

The government is working to reduce the burden on care staff while maintaining the quality of care services by utilizing robots.
Typhoon Shanshan is the sixth typhoon to form in August, with the Meteorological Agency forecasting strong winds and potentially severe weather for a broad swath of the country from Tuesday as it approaches.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2024

Typhoon Shanshan set to become a 'very powerful' storm later this week

JR Central, JR West and JR East have all warned that the storm could prompt suspensions or significant delays for some shinkansen operations.
Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 25, 2024

Once allies, Ishiba, Kono and Koizumi set to battle for LDP president votes

The three, dubbed the "Koishikawa coalition" after kanji characters from each of their last names, will jostle for party member support in the Sept. 27 election.
Shigeru Ishiba
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 25, 2024

Ishiba adjusts remark about scandal-hit LDP lawmakers

Ishiba said that the LDP Election Strategy Committee should deliberate on whether lawmakers linked to the scandal deserve to be the party's official candidates.
The new V Point program offers a feature allowing members to earn double reward points when making payments with credit cards.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Aug 26, 2024

New V Point spurs corporate economic bloc race in Japan

Competition among corporate groups in Japan is intensifying further as they strive to expand their economic influence through shared reward points.
The Noto Peninsula quasi-national park in 2020, before the area was hit by the the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024

Government to help set up hiking trail in Ishikawa

The environment ministry plans to secure ¥900 million as related expenses in its fiscal 2025 budget request.
Boxes of Joban-mono marine produce such as flounder are lined up at the Hisanohama fishing port in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 2, 2024

Fukushima fishermen not in the clear yet

Challenges remain for the prefecture's fisheries industry a year after the release of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant began.
Police officers stand guard during a campaign speech by a candidate in the Lower House by-election in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 26, 2024

Tight security eyed for LDP election speeches after Trump attack

Security measures at speech venues are expected to include the use of metal detectors and the installation of bulletproof shields around speakers.
Suntory's canned cocktail Minus 196 Double Lemon on sale at a store in Sydney
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2024

Japan's Suntory bets on spirits expertise to boost U.S. canned cocktail market share

Suntory believes its annual RTD revenue could double from current levels to about $3 billion (¥434 billion) by 2030.
Naotoshi Iwamoto of Kansai Transmission and Distribution explains about how power grid operators cooperated to restore electricity in areas affected by the Jan. 1 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024

Industry collaboration leads to early power recovery in Noto

Eight regional utility groups dispatched a total of more than 4,000 workers to help restore power to more than 90% of outage-hit areas within about a month of the quake.
Kenta Izumi, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (left), receives 106 signatures from regional assembly members calling on him to seek reelection as the party head on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 27, 2024

Seven camps attend CDP leadership election briefing

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan held a briefing session on its Sept. 23 leadership election.
Demolition works were still being carried out on July 1 in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, six months after the New Year's Day earthquake in the Noto Peninsula.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024

Land ministry highlights disaster reduction measures in budget request

The budget request is up 18.1% from the previous year at ¥7.03 trillion.
Japan's pharmaceutical shares have gained 10% since the start of July through last week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2024

Japan's pharmaceutical stocks surge to record highs after market rout

The firms' market performance suggest investors favor defensive shares amid concern that global economic growth will slow.
The surprise 19% price increase comes even as PlayStation 5 sales have slowed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 27, 2024

Sony hikes PlayStation 5 price in Japan citing cost volatility

The surprise move comes even as PS5 sales have slowed and Sony is widely expected to refresh its offering with a revamp of the console in coming months.
Typhoon Shanshan as it moves closer to the Kyushu region in this satellite photo on Wednesday
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 28, 2024

Why Typhoon Shanshan's movements are so difficult to predict

Meteorologists are finding the path of Typhoon Shanshan, a very strong and slow-moving storm, highly unpredictable.
The government has decided to continue offering subsidies to curb electricity, gas and gasoline bills until the end of this year.
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2024

Japan to spend additional ¥980 billion to curb energy bills

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that his Cabinet plans to approve the additional spending on Sept. 3.
The Todoroki Falls in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Saturday. Seven high school students who had played in a river nearby experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 28, 2024

Over 100 people fall sick in Kumamoto with river eyed as potential source

The city has set up signs near the river due to the suspected norovirus cases, calling on visitors to refrain from playing in the water.
Nippon Ishin no Kai head Nobuyuki Baba (left) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discuss political reform in Tokyo in May.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 28, 2024

Hyogo governor's scandal could spell more trouble for Nippon Ishin

The party, still reeling from a mayoral election loss, gave its backing to Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito in his 2021 gubernatorial bid.
A government survey has found that 31.7% of men age 20 and older in Japan and 21% of women can be classed as obese.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 28, 2024

Obesity among Japanese men continuing to rise, government survey shows

The 2022 survey found that 31.7% of men age 20 and older had a body mass index, or BMI, of 25 or higher.
Quokkas have been dubbed the "happiest animal in the world."
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2024

Saitama zoo seeks donations for 'smiling' quokkas

The Saitama Children's Zoo in Higashimatsuyama is the only place in Japan where people can see quokkas.
A train carrying steel slabs leaves the U.S. Steel Edgar Thomson Works steel mill in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 29, 2024

Nippon Steel woos U.S. union with extra $1.3 billion investment

The United Steelworkers union has so far opposed a corporate tie-up with U.S. Steel.
Japanese workers in their 40s and 50s — known as the "lost generation" — saw their wages rise slightly in the second quarter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2024

Japan’s 'lost generation' gets a raise, and the economy, a small boost

The pay bump in the second quarter is vitally important to the economy, as consumption by Japanese workers in their 40s and 50s is an important driver of growth.
Kenta Izumi, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is struggling to get enough supporters to run in the upcoming party leadership election.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 29, 2024

CDP chief Izumi scrambles to find backers for reelection bid

Izumi's support base has weakened, with party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa withdrawing his support.
Police officers attend a workshop on cyberattack countermeasures in February.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 29, 2024

Japan's police agency requests ¥6 billion to tackle cyberattacks

The funds will mainly be used to enhance investigation capabilities and improve measures to fight phishing using generative artificial intelligence technology.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is the second CDP lawmaker to join the leadership contest after party veteran Yukio Edano announced his decision to run last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 29, 2024

Noda announces CDP leadership bid with eye on a comeback for the opposition

The former prime minister emphasized that a certain degree of experience is required to tackle the challenges Japan is facing.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years