Business / Economy Jan 11, 2019
Japan household spending falls for third straight month in November
Japanese households cut spending for the third straight month in November as unseasonably warm weather reduced the need for heating and winter clothing. Spending by households with two or more people fell 0.6 percent in real terms from a year earlier to ¥281,041, according to ...
Business Dec 12, 2018
Japan's antitrust watchdog to study four tech giants to see if fair business regulations are needed
The Fair Trade Commission has decided to launch a massive survey in January into the business practices of internet technology giants, a senior lawmaker said Wednesday.
Business / Economy Dec 7, 2018
Japanese government pledges to take 'every measure possible' to ease impact of consumption tax hike
The government pledged Friday to take full measures to alleviate the impact of a planned consumption tax hike in October next year, in a basic policy for its budget compilation work for fiscal 2019. The basic policy, adopted at a Cabinet meeting, said the government ...
Business Nov 9, 2018
It pays to listen to the the real needs of women consumers in Japan
by Yuko Takeo and Emi Urabe
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. While the result — more goods that emphasize the practical rather than the pretty — is the way it's long ...
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. The data comes ahead of the Bank of Japan's rate ...
Business / Economy Oct 20, 2018
The government is considering giving effective 2 percent rebates for cashless purchases of all goods and services at small shops after next year's planned consumption tax hike, it was learned Saturday. The rebate program will be in place for about one year from October 2019, ...
Business Oct 19, 2018
Day Two: Canada pot stores run out of supplies as lines get longer
Day two of legal recreational cannabis in Canada on Thursday saw more long lineups outside pot stores and supply shortages in parts of the country. Most consumers were exuberant about the end of prohibition, but a few expressed disappointment over not being able to buy ...
Business Sep 25, 2018
Popular Japanese cosmetic portal @cosme gaining foothold in Asia
by Elaine Li and Hidetoshi Takada
The operator of the popular beauty and cosmetic products portal site @cosme is rapidly gaining a foothold in Asia thanks to brisk demand for high-quality Japanese cosmetic brands. The cosmetics retailer, Istyle Inc., opened its second brick-and-mortar @cosme store in Hong Kong earlier this month ...
Business / Corporate Jul 21, 2018
Some of the major foreign supermarket chains that entered Japan around 2000 offering low prices made possible through bulk purchases have exited the country. Carrefour SA of France and Tesco PLC of Britain pulled the plug on their supermarkets in 2005 and 2013, respectively. Even the ...
Business / Economy May 18, 2018
Lagging inflation and indecisiveness could delay Bank of Japan's exit from easing
by Cory Baird
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 ...
Business / Corporate Apr 23, 2018
Roughly 1 in 3 Indonesians in major cities has recently purchased products from Japanese brands such as Sony and Uniqlo, according to a Japan External Trade Organization survey. The survey, conducted via smartphone on 720 individuals in Jakarta, Surabaya and six other cities in Southeast ...