Tag - japanese

 
 

JAPANESE

Workers at 5,162 companies affiliated with Rengo secured an average wage increase of 5.25% in this year’s negotiations, according to the final update of pay deals announced Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2025
Japan’s 2025 wage talks conclude with highest gain in 34 years
Workers at 5,162 companies affiliated with Rengo secured an average wage increase of 5.25% in this year’s negotiations.
Foreign investors bought Japanese stocks for 13 straight weeks to June 27, their longest buying spree since 2013, data from Japan Exchange Group showed.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2025
Foreign buying of Japan stocks hits longest spell since 2013
The persistent buying — despite lingering concerns over U.S. tariffs and still sluggish domestic consumption — likely points to diversification away from U.S. equities.
Satoshi Kirishima (Katsuya Maiguma) goes into hiding after becoming a wanted man for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in “I Am Kirishima.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 3, 2025
‘I Am Kirishima’ peels back the mystery of a fugitive radical
Banmei Takahashi's drama gives shape to a man whose face appeared on wanted posters in police stations across Japan — and who stayed hidden for decades.
Bank of Japan policy board member Hajime Takata says the central bank is continuing to look for further opportunities to raise rates.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 3, 2025
BOJ rate hikes to resume after temporary pause, policy board member says
Hajime Takata said authorities "may need to nimbly shift back to the rate hike cycle in response to policy changes” in the U.S.
Aokigahara Forest in Yamanashi Prefecture. A man wanted by police in relation to the death of his father and the attempted murder of his mother at their luxury condominium in Shiga Prefecture earlier this year was found dead in Aokigahara Forest on May 11.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2025
Son of Shiga couple attacked in condo found dead in forest
Police identified the deceased as Makoto Iwasaki, a 50-year-old man wanted in relation to the death of his father and attempted murder of his mother in February.
Data compiled by the Japan Department Stores Association shows that tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025
Japan’s department store shares lag as tourist splurge slows
Tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
Opposition parties are proposing a consumption tax cut as inflation, especially food inflation, remains high.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2025
Consumption tax cut enters political conversation ahead of Upper House election
The Liberal Democratic Party opposes a reduction in the tax, but opposition parties are in favor of a cut.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 2, 2025
Japan’s record tax haul leaves questions over Ishiba’s handout pledge
Ishiba’s plan to distribute cash handouts of ¥20,000 per adult is expected to cost around ¥3.5 trillion, according to his Liberal Democratic Party.
Reito Watanabe, who allegedly stabbed his coworker, Daiki Yoshino, to death in a Tokyo law office, is escorted by police on Tuesday in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 2, 2025
Suspect in Tokyo law firm stabbing held grudge against victim, police say
The 50-year-old man, who is an employee of the firm, said unpleasant experiences at work involving the victim, his coworker, had brought him to his limit.
Tomonobu Kojima, admitted his involvement in the "Luffy" cases at the first hearing of his trial at Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 2, 2025
Senior member of 'Luffy' crime ring pleads guilty at hearing
Tomonobu Kojima, 47, said, "There is no mistake" regarding his charges of aiding robberies and committing fraud.
In adapting Masataka Matsuda’s 1998 play “On Summer Sand” to film, director Shinya Tamada decided to age up the central character, played by Joe Odagiri (left), by 10 years to bring out a deeper sense of despondency and grief.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 1, 2025
From stage to screen, a story of quiet connection in the still heat of Nagasaki
Director Shinya Tamada adapts "On Summer Sand" for film by filling the silences between scenes with heartbreak and slow healing.
The Bank of Japan's latest <i>tankan</i> survey beat consensus forecasts as the economy held up better than expected.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2025
Large Japanese companies surprisingly optimistic as U.S. tariffs bite 
In the tankan survey, automakers and smaller companies were relatively pessimistic.
A man was stabbed to death at Sunshine City commercial complex in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 1, 2025
Man arrested for allegedly killing employee at Tokyo’s Sunshine City
The male suspect reportedly brandished a bladed weapon and slashed the male victim, who was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a news conference at the White House on Feb. 7. Trade disputes, defense disagreements and diverging views on the Middle East have strained U.S.-Japan relations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 1, 2025
Is the shine coming off the U.S.-Japan ‘Golden Age’?
Trade talks between the two countries, initially expected to yield a quick agreement, have become a slog with the July 9 deadline fast approaching.
For non-native speakers of the language, diving into Japanese books on a whim might just broaden your horizons and offer a fresh perspective on any topic imaginable.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 30, 2025
Japanese language is your gateway to seeing the world anew
Whether you want to learn about regional geopolitics or the history of cheese, reading Japanese books can offer a whole world of new perspectives for non-native speakers.
Food price hikes in July are especially being set for confectionery items such as potato chips and chocolate.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025
Japan to see markups for 2,105 food items in July
Higher raw material, energy and labor costs are primary factors behind the expected price hikes in July.
The Aichi Prefectural Police took the suspect, Rikuto Ando, into custody on Monday on suspicion of murdering a 19-year-old woman.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 30, 2025
Man arrested on suspicion of fatally stabbing woman in her apartment
The suspect is believed to have fatally stabbed the victim multiple times in the chest with a kitchen knife.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda announces the start of the circulation of new banknotes on July 3, 2024.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2025
Japan’s new banknotes see slow adoption one year after launch
Roughly 5 billion new banknotes were in circulation as of the end of May, accounting for just 28.8% of all notes in use.
Japan's factory output in May fell 1.8% from a year earlier, missing expectations of a 1.6% rise.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025
Japan’s factory output misses expectations as U.S. tariffs hit
Industrial production increased 0.5% from the previous month, the industry ministry reported Monday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. Inflation in Tokyo slowed in June for the first time in four months as a result of government steps to reduce utility and gasoline prices.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 29, 2025
Measures to ease inflation must be speedy, says Prime Minister Ishiba
Ishiba has opposed lowering the sales tax ahead of an Upper House election where voters will vote on the performance of his minority government.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’