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September 18, 2025
 

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AGENCIES

Kazuki Hara, the head of Japan’s Rating and Investment Information's sovereigns and international issuers department, says that confidence in the dollar as a key reserve currency has not been shaken.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2025
Japanese agency's affirmation of top U.S. credit rating helps Hong Kong funds
As long as Rating and Investment Information maintains its top rating for the U.S., Hong Kong funds are allowed to invest over 10% of their assets in Treasurys.
The U.S. debt crisis can’t be fixed without reforming entitlements, and that means Americans must retire later and pay more in taxes.
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2025
To fix the U.S. debt problem, Americans must retire later
The House’s proposed $3.7 trillion tax bill isn’t what sparked that Moody’s downgrade — it was the runaway growth of entitlement spending.
Moody’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating reflects growing concern over Washington’s unwillingness to confront rising debt, soaring deficits and interest costs — even as global investors keep piling into Treasuries.
COMMENTARY
May 19, 2025
Moody’s tells us what we already know about U.S. debt
Take the firm’s decision to strip the country of its top AAA credit rating seriously, not literally.
H.I.S. CEO Motoshi Yada holds a news conference on Monday in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 28, 2025
H.I.S. says it received COVID aid inappropriately
H.I.S. will return about ¥6.4 billion in subsidies, which were provided by the government to pandemic-hit companies to help them pay leave allowances to their workers.
SoftBank is unhappy that Moody's continues to issue ratings on the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2024
SoftBank blasts Moody’s for unsolicited ratings
It says it is considering legal action against the agency, which has continued to publish unsolicited ratings of the company over the past several years.
Check-in counters at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The tourism industry expects the demand for China travel to increase as Beijing resumes its visa exemption for Japanese citizens.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2024
Travel firms optimistic China's resumption of visa waivers will boost demand
China decided to resume the exemption for Japanese citizens after requests by Tokyo and business leaders, and will extend the period for visa-free stays to 30 days.
Tourists enjoy the beach in Malaga, Spain, on Aug. 14.
BUSINESS
Aug 20, 2024
Package deals make comeback in Europe among budget-conscious sun seekers
The combination of a cost-of-living crisis and disruption from strikes and glitches has added to the appeal of a fixed-price package without unexpected add-on costs.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games' opening ceremony, which will be held outside of a stadium for the first time in history, has attracted a lot of interest from Japanese fans.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 10, 2024
Japan fans shun pricey Olympics tickets even as top-tier packages sell out
Travel agencies report a noticeable drop in demand for Paris Olympics tours amid a weakening of the yen and the introduction of a new booking system.
The Japanese national flag waves at the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo on March 18.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2024
Moody's Japan analyst urges reform while BOJ takes time to raise rates
Christian de Guzman said he did not expect the budget-balancing target for fiscal 2025 to be met, but failure would not trigger a negative rating action.
Haneda Airport in Tokyo is packed with travelers at the start of the Golden Week holidays in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2024
H.I.S. posts first half-year net profit in five years
For the six months through April, H.I.S. reported a consolidated net profit of ¥3.8 billion ($24.2 million), against a net loss of ¥4.8 billion a year before.
A bid-rigging case represents the first time the Japan Fair Trade Commission has issued a cease-and-desist order order over a project related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BUSINESS
May 30, 2024
FTC issues cease-and-desist orders to JTB and other travel agencies
It is the first time the antitrust watchdog has issued such an order over a project related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specializing in gastronomy-themed tours, Arigato Travel, founded and directed by Anne Kyle, was once a one-woman operation. Today, it counts more than 100 employees.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 26, 2024
Anne Kyle: 'People want to know what life actually is like here’
The founder and CEO of Arigato Travel grew her business from a one-woman operation to a national outfit of more than 100 employees in a matter of years.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2024
Reservations open for subsidized trips to areas hit by Noto quake
Tours to Niigata, Toyama and Fukui prefectures sold out on a host of websites soon after the start Friday, displaying robust demand for the campaign.
A Chinese national flag flutters at the headquarters of a commercial bank on a financial street near the People's Bank of China in Beijing.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2023
Officials hit back after Moody’s downgrades China's credit outlook
The ratings agency downgraded its outlook from stable to negative, saying a need for bailouts could weigh on the country’s economic strength.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (left) and tourism minister Tetsuo Saito sign a memorandum of cooperation on tourism promotion on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2023
Japan and U.S. designate 2024 as tourism promotion year
Under the initiative, the two countries will hold travel campaigns for the general public and host events for travel agencies.
Federal spending and political polarization prompted Moody's on Friday to lower its outlook on the U.S. credit rating to "negative" from "stable."
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 11, 2023
Moody's turns negative on U.S. rating, drawing Washington's ire
Moody' lowered its outlook on the U.S. credit rating to "negative" from "stable" citing large fiscal deficits and a decline in debt affordability.
A trader on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on July 26
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 15, 2023
U.S. loss of AAA badge shows shift in views on government debt
Fitch Ratings flagged not only U.S. governance but also higher rates driving up debt service costs, an aging population and rising health care spending.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2023
U.S. public-transit systems face credit downgrades as riders stay away
Several public-transit agencies have been put on notice by S&P, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and DC’s Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 24, 2023
S&P 'unreasonable,' says SoftBank, after tech giant's rating downgraded
SoftBank criticized the decision and argued that selling off assets like Alibaba in exchange for cash was clearly better for its balance sheet stability.
JAPAN
May 3, 2023
Kinki Nippon Tourist admits overcharging municipalities by up to ¥1.6 billion
The travel agency has said it will return the funds, overcharged on commissioned work related to COVID-19 vaccination programs, after the amount is finalized.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
Over 90% of low-income families in Japan struggling to feed children
Save the Children Japan domestic program chief Sonoko Kawakami speaks at a news conference in Tokyo in July. A survey conducted by the group in June has found that over 90% of low-income households with children face food insecurity.
Japan’s front-line researchers see bright path ahead for dementia treatment
A scientist looks at scans of grains at the Memory Centre at the Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics of the University Hospital (HUG) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6, 2023.
Still plenty to fight for, says Japan’s team leader at worlds
Race walker Hayato Katsuki earned bronze for Japan on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships on Saturday.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
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By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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