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According to the internal affairs ministry on Friday, consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.4% in March from a year earlier as inflation in processed food accelerated.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2025

Tokyo inflation exceeds forecasts, keeping BOJ on rate hike path

The leading indicator for nationwide inflation is likely to keep BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda mulling over the right timing for further rate hikes.
Increasing rice production for exports would help enhance supply flexibility as rice could be diverted for domestic consumption in case of a shortage.
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2025

Japan advised to boost rice exports to 353,000 tons in 2030

Increasing rice production for exports would help expand supply flexibility as rice could be diverted for domestic consumption in case of a shortage.
At Japan's top cocktail bars, ice is as important an ingredient as any bottle you'll see on the shelf.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 30, 2025

The cold complexity of 'pure' Japanese cocktail ice

To some Japanese bartenders, the secret to a great cocktail lies not just in the mixologist's skills but also the quality of the ice.
Sachiyo Harada's latest cookbook is filled with simple recipes alongside step-by-step pictures that would make cooking a fuss-free affair for beginners.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 30, 2025

Feast your eyes on 'The Complete Illustrated Guide to Japanese Cooking'

In “The Complete Illustrated Guide to Japanese Cooking,” Sachiyo Harada has put together an uncomplicated book that appeals to both home cooks and seasoned chefs.
The packaging materials that Chateraise refused to receive from its subcontractor on Thursday in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2025

Japan FTC warns Chateraise over subcontract law breaches

The regulatory watchdog also urged the company, based in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, to take action to prevent a recurrence of such a problem.
A screenshot of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Ghibli-style profile picture on X
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2025

Copyright questions loom as ChatGPT's Ghibli-style images go viral

The images raised questions about copyright infringement by OpenAI, which already faces lawsuits regarding the use of source material without permission.
Learning the ropes of Japan’s online marketplaces can yield hidden treasures and also help you freshen up your home or closet from time to time.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 31, 2025

How to navigate Japan’s e-commerce platforms and online flea markets

Looking to refresh your wardrobe or home with the arrival of spring? Check out our tips for how to make the most of Japan’s online marketplaces.
BYD's Neta S is presented at the 2025 Bangkok International Motor Show on Monday. China, led by BYD, has become the global EV leader, while other countries, including Japan, struggle to keep up with the shift toward electric vehicles.
EDITORIALS
Mar 28, 2025

In the EV race, China's BYD is leading the pack

BYD’s strong performance reflects its dominance in China’s domestic auto market, the world’s largest and most competitive for electric vehicles.
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance (above) and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance plan to merge in April 2027.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 28, 2025

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance to merge with Aioi Nissay Dowa

The merger will create the biggest nonlife insurer in Japan, overtaking current industry leader Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance.
Oil pipelines in Alaska. U.S. President Donald Trump wants Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to join a $44 billion natural gas export project.
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2025

Alaska governor to brief Trump on Asia gas push as tariffs bite

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is winding up a trip through Asia where he has been seeking investors and long-term buyers.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions are rekindling long-simmering discussions about whether overseas governments will accelerate efforts to rely less on the dollar.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2025

Trump is eroding the dollar’s dominance in world markets

The U.S. president's escalating fusillade of tariffs and bid to roll back decades of globalization is shaking confidence in the U.S. currency.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney greets colleagues after at a news conference at the Port of Montreal in Montreal on Friday.
WORLD
Mar 29, 2025

Trump and Carney talk about new deal and plan meeting after Canada election

The Canadian election campaign has turned into a contest in which U.S. threats against Canada’s economy and sovereignty have become the dominant issue.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance tours the U.S. military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 29, 2025

Vance accuses Denmark of not keeping Greenland safe from Russia and China

He suggested the territory would come to see the benefit of partnering with the U.S., in remarks the Danish prime minister called unfair.
The launch of the test line will be an important milestone in Rapidus' aim of beginning mass production at the factory in 2027.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 29, 2025

Rapidus to launch pilot line for advanced chips on Tuesday

The launch of the test line will be an important milestone in Rapidus' aim of beginning mass production at the factory in 2027.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a nuclear-powered submarine in Murmansk, Russia, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 31, 2025

Trump threatens Russia oil penalties, citing anger at Putin

The U.S. president also raised the threat of bombing Iran until it signs a deal that renounces nuclear weapons.
Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, speaks during an event at the company’s campus.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 31, 2025

'Something is rotten': Apple's AI strategy faces doubts

Theories vary on why Apple is having trouble seizing the AI moment.
Chip startup Rapidus is set to receive as much as ¥802.5 billion in additional subsidies from the government.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2025

Japan earmarks another ¥802.5 billion for chip startup Rapidus

Rapidus is on track to get a pilot line online in April, executives said last week.
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2025

Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says

A tsunami of over 20 meters would likely be observed in a total of 23 municipalities in Tokyo and seven other prefectures.
Customers browse Amorepacific cosmetics at the store inside the company's headquarters in Seoul.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 31, 2025

Seoul overtakes Paris in beauty boom with dealmakers rushing in

South Korea last year became the top exporter of cosmetics to the United States, overtaking France, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.
A ceremony is held to mark the completion of the Japan Pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka on Saturday.
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2025

Osaka Expo's Japan Pavilion completed

The host country pavilion is expected to attract many foreign dignitaries and will feature exhibits linked to the expo's theme of "designing a future society for our lives."
Japanese stocks declined on Monday as auto and electronics shares were hit hard.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 31, 2025

Japanese stocks fall about 4% ahead of Trump's 'Liberation Day'

Traders and analysts are expecting a week of volatility as the U.S. tariff situation becomes clearer and waivers, if any, are granted.
Prices of over 4,000 food and beverage products, including the Asahi Super Dry beer, will increase in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2025

Prices for 4,225 food and drink products set to rise in Japan

The price increases in April reflect rising wages and logistics costs being increasingly passed on to consumers, research firm Teikoku Databank says.
Relatives and friends of prominent Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina, who died after she was injured by a Russian missile strike in the city of Kramatorsk, attend her funeral in Kyiv on July 4, 2023.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2025

Contemplating victory and defeat in Ukraine

Ukrainians and their friends still cling to hope for victory — some are idealistic, others just fueled by anger.
The headquarters of Fuji Media Holdings, Fuji TV's parent, in Tokyo's Minato Ward
JAPAN / Media
Mar 31, 2025

Fuji TV bears heavy responsibility over Nakai's 'sexual violence': panel

A third party panel's probe on a series of scandals involving the broadcaster and the TV star acknowledged the nature of his "trouble" with a woman for the first time.
A new law in Japan will prohibit IT giants from blocking the entry of other companies into the market or giving preferential treatment to their own services.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2025

Japan's FTC to regulate Google and Apple under new smartphone law

The law will prohibit IT giants from blocking the entry of other firms into the market.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2025

OpenAI says new funding from SoftBank boosts valuation to $300 billion

SoftBank said in a release that it is on a mission to realize artificial superintelligence that surpasses human intelligence.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Itsunori Onodera said on Tuesday that tariffs announced by the U.S. could result in a big economic crisis for Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 1, 2025

Trump tariffs may spell economic crisis for Japan, Onodera says

Auto tariffs in particular would have a huge impact given the breadth of the sector's supply chain in the country, the Liberal Democratic Party's policy chief says.
Rapidus is gearing up to mass produce semiconductors using 2-nanometer processes in 2027, which on paper would match Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2025

Japan’s Rapidus starts test production in AI chipmaking gamble

The 2-year-old company is gearing up to mass produce semiconductors using 2-nanometer processes in 2027.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on March 6.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 1, 2025

Trump says he will be 'kind' with tariffs as deadline looms

The U.S. president promised to be "very kind" in addressing what he says are unfair trade imbalances — including with top allies such as Japan.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is launched at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 1, 2025

SpaceX eyes Starlink hub with multiple ground stations in Vietnam, sources say

The move would herald its launch in the country and would help authorities police internet traffic.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan