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JAPANESE

A 15-year-old boy, arrested for fatally stabbing an elderly woman in the city of Chiba, told authorities he committed the crime in hopes of being sent to a juvenile detention center to escape his difficult home life, according to investigators.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2025
Teen suspect in Chiba stabbing wanted to escape his home life, police say

The junior high school student allegedly attacked 84-year-old Yayoi Takahashi from behind with a knife at around 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Japan will call for the public and private sectors to spend about ¥60 trillion in total over the five years to fiscal 2029 to improve the productivity of small and midsize companies.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2025
Japan considers five-year wage hike plan for smaller firms
The government will call on the public and private sectors to spend about ¥60 trillion in total over the five years.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 13, 2025
Consumption tax set to dominate Upper House election debate
Broaching the subject has traditionally been seen as akin to kicking a hornet's nest.
Senior officials of Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito agreed Tuesday on the need to draft a supplementary budget before a possible extraordinary session of the Diet this autumn.
JAPAN / Politics
May 13, 2025
LDP and Komeito agree to draft supplementary budget before autumn session
The extra budget is expected to fund measures to deal with inflation and the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
A vehicle carrying a 15-year-old junior high school student leaves a Chiba police station on Tuesday to send him to prosecutors on suspicion of murder.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 13, 2025
Teen held in Chiba stabbing case says he ‘just wanted to kill someone'
According to his family, the boy had had behavioral problems, such as running away from home, and being taken to the police station about once a month.
"The Bank of Japan’s stance to continue to raise the policy interest rate is unchanged” given low real rates and the outlook for its price goal to be met, one of the nine board members said at the central bank's April 30 to May 1 meeting, according to a summary of opinions released Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 13, 2025
BOJ still intends to raise rates while monitoring tariffs, summary shows
The written account of the BOJ gathering comes as risk appetite returns to global financial markets following the cooldown in U.S.-China tariff tensions on Monday.
The headquarters of Fuji Media Holdings, Fuji TV's parent, in Tokyo's Minato Ward
JAPAN / Media
May 13, 2025
Nakai's lawyer refutes third-party report finding 'sexual violence'
The lawyer demanded that the committee disclose the evidence behind its report, which was released in March, by May 26.
Currently, Japanese nationals living abroad are required to receive residency certificates in person at overseas diplomatic missions even if applications are submitted online.
JAPAN
May 13, 2025
Japan to issue residency certificates online to nationals abroad
The Foreign Ministry said Monday that it will begin issuing residency certificates online to Japanese nationals living abroad through overseas diplomatic missions.
A Warren Buffett Squishmallow is displayed during a Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, in May 2023. Buffett’s $25 billion bet on five Japanese trading houses reflects his belief that the country’s overlooked market rewards patient investors who embrace its unique business culture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 13, 2025
Buffett’s little Japan handbook — and other lessons
The legendary investor recently revealed what inspired his interest in Tokyo’s trading houses — and offered a host of tips for would-be followers.
The number of business failures due to labor shortages grew to 36 from 25 a year before, while the number of bankruptcies because of inflation remained high, at 56, against 60.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2025
Japan business failures hit 11-year high for April
More failures were seen mainly among smaller companies with weak business bases as their revenue was squeezed by rising prices and higher labor costs.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House earlier this year. Ishiba said Monday that farmers won't be sacrificed for automakers in Japan's tariff negotiations with the U.S.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 12, 2025
Japan might be playing long game in U.S. tariff talks
Tokyo is resisting making any major concessions, possibly in the hope that mounting domestic pressure will force U.S. President Donald Trump to give it a better deal.
A gauge of confidence among store managers, taxi drivers and others who interact directly with Japanese consumers dropped 2.5 points to 42.6 in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
Japan’s merchants’ mood hits worst in three years on tariff woes
A gauge of confidence among store managers, taxi drivers and others who interact directly with Japanese consumers dropped 2.5 points to 42.6 in April.
People stand in front of a big screen displaying the Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo late last month.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 12, 2025
Japan’s Topix extends rally to 12th day as tariff worries ease
The Topix closed 0.3% higher at 2742.08, giving it its longest winning streak since 2017.
Exports in fiscal 2024 climbed 4.1% from the previous year to ¥106.24 trillion, led by shipments of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and vehicles.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
Japan's FY2024 current account surplus hits record ¥30 trillion
A weaker yen boosted dividend and interest flows from overseas, a Finance Ministry report showed.
Yoshitaka Toda, the suspect in Wednesday's knife attack at Todaimae Station on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line, leaves a police station in the Japanese capital the same day for a pre-detention medical examination.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 12, 2025
More details emerge about stabbing near Tokyo University metro station
Yoshitaka Toda, 43, claimed he stabbed a student to show how academic pressure could push a child off course.
Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with a stabbing of an elderly woman in the city of Chiba.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 12, 2025
15-year-old arrested for alleged murder of elderly woman in Chiba
Police are investigating the possibility that he randomly attacked the woman as they did not know each other.
Dalton Investments is demanding Fuji Media Holdings change its board members, spin off its real estate business, unwind cross shareholdings and push through corporate governance reform.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 12, 2025
Dalton Investments seeks talks with Fuji Media to avoid proxy fight
The activist investor wants the Japanese broadcaster to change its board members and spin off its real estate business, among other things.
A median estimate of economists shows Japan's gross domestic product likely shrank by 0.3% in the January-March quarter on an annualized basis.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
Japan’s sputtering economy likely stalled before Trump’s tariffs
Gross domestic product adjusted for inflation shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter on an annualized basis, according to economists.
The larger-than-life hairstyles of Japan's Showa Era are unmistakable — and they're making a comeback.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 12, 2025
Sculpted waves, sleek updos: Showa hairstyles are back in fashion
Television reruns and social media content showcasing Showa idols may be the driving force behind the revival of retro styles.
A high school student was arrested Saturday on suspicion of killing his grandparents at their home in Tahara, Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 11, 2025
High school student arrested over deaths of his grandparents
The boy initially claimed to discover two bodies at his house but later admitted to killing them.

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’