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July 05, 2025
 

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CONSUMERS

Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2018
It pays to listen to the the real needs of women consumers in Japan
The country's male-dominated businesses are starting to ditch long-held views about what kinds of products women want as female consumers flex their growing spending muscle.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 26, 2018
Tokyo inflation holds steady, offering little cheer for Bank of Japan
Tokyo's core consumer price inflation was unchanged in October from the previous month, government data showed Friday, offering little encouragement for Japan's central bank as it struggles to reach its ambitious 2 percent inflation target.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 18, 2018
Lagging inflation and indecisiveness could delay Bank of Japan's exit from easing
The Bank of Japan's preferred inflation gauge fell for the second straight month in April, dropping from 0.9 percent in the previous month to 0.7 percent, as consumer prices refuse to cooperate with the BOJ's 2 percent inflation target, according to government data released Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 26, 2017
Osaka's ¥1 sales energize shoppers but not good for BOJ's inflation quest
Osaka is famed for it's cheap prices, with ¥1 supermarket sales, ¥10 drinks and discount train tickets sold right next to the station. That attracts thrifty consumers and tourists, but may be undercutting the central bank's efforts to generate sustained price rises.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 5, 2017
More retailers in Japan accept virtual currency
With the use of virtual currency spreading, especially overseas, more retailers in Japan are opening up to payments from tourists via the blockchain technology.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2017
China shoppers ended 2016 on spending spree but headwinds seen brewing
Chinese consumers flocked to malls, restaurants and cinemas ahead of the year's biggest holiday season, highlighting the consumption power transforming the economy.
JAPAN / GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES
Jan 3, 2017
Tokyo Olympics fueling expectations of an economic boom — and fear of a bubble
Third of six parts
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2016
No-frills clothier Shimamura finds favor in sluggish Japan, tops Uniqlo in income growth
No-frills fashion. Cheap and cheerful. Call it what you will, Shimamura Co. has a money-making formula for selling clothes in Japan's moribund economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 26, 2016
As Japan grays, retailers covet youthful masses in Vietnam
These days, Thu Huong no longer shops at the fresh produce market near her home, opting instead to hop in a taxi and head off to Aeon Co.'s 9-month-old mall in Hanoi. There, as she shops for her family of five, she can bask in the air-conditioning and enjoy free Wi-Fi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2016
Abenomics brings salarymen no relief as wives limit allowances
Japan's long-suffering salaried workers, famous for toiling long hours, have found no relief under the Abenomics reflation program, recording two of the three worst years when it comes to their monthly pocket money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2016
Gap's Old Navy will exit Japan as chain copes with sales decline
Gap Inc.'s Old Navy is pulling out of Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2016
Sucked into deflation again, Japan's $2 cup noodle binge is sign of the times
Japanese consumers cannot get enough of cup ramen, with spending on them surging by more than a quarter over the past year. That sounds like good news, but for a country still struggling to escape deflation it is a worrying signal.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 4, 2015
'Pyonghattan': Unofficial economy brews up bling for North Korea's growing middle class
Nail salons, massage parlors, cafes and other signs of consumerism were unheard of in rigidly controlled North Korea just a few years ago, but they are slowly emerging in one of the world's last bastions of Cold War socialism.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 4, 2015
Chinese desire for fancy toilet seats spurs 1,400% rally in Laox shares
Thousand-dollar rice cookers and toilet seats that know when you enter the room.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2014
Complaints over online toy purchases on the rise, NCAC warns
With the Christmas shopping season quickly approaching, the National Consumer Affairs Center is warning people to be careful when buying toys online in order to avoid being defrauded.
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2014
Shoppers start coping with higher sales tax
Tuesday's hike of the consumption tax to 8 percent saw mixed reactions in Tokyo and Osaka. While consumers in both cities seemed resigned to the increase, there was concern about the additional transportation and food costs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2014
Hidden tax hike surprises await unwary consumers
Tuesday's consumption tax hike will in principle affect all domestic purchases of goods or services, but there are still gray areas where consumers may get surprised by unexpected levies, government officials warn.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 24, 2014
Selective consumption tax breaks inch closer
The consumption tax is going up to 8 percent next Tuesday, but consumers also have to brace for a another hike in October 2015, when the Abe administration plans to raise it all the way to 10 percent — double what it has been since 1997.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 8, 2014
Farmers not waiting for politicians
When it comes to trade policy, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces a choice between the fears of an aging farm lobby and the hopes of suburban families.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2014
Snow-clogged roads trigger food shortages, send vegetable prices surging
The heavy snowfall that hit the Kanto and other regions the last two weekends sends vegetable prices skyrocketing and causes shortages of some food types.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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