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Japanese household spending in April showed the first year-on-year increase since February last year, marking rises in such categories as education, rent and clothing.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 7, 2024

Japan’s households boost outlays for first time in 14 months

Real outlays rose 0.5% in April from a year ago, marking the first increase since February last year.
Postage rates for sealed letters and other documents are expected to be raised by 30% as early as October, the first rise in 30 years aside from when prices increased along with consumption tax hikes.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2024

Postage rate hikes seen denting New Year's card tradition in Japan

The tradition of sending New Year's greetings on postcards began in 1873 with the introduction of postcards.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group will sell their Toyota shareholdings over an extended period of time lasting a few years, sources said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 7, 2024

Two of Japan's top banks to divest ¥1.3 trillion in Toyota shareholdings

Mitsubishi UFJ and Sumitomo Mitsui will sell in stages and take advantage of Toyota’s plan to buy back its own shares.
The head of the Bank of Japan has ruled out using monetary policy to directly influence exchange-rate moves, but signaled the chance of raising rates if the weak yen pushes up inflation more than expected.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 7, 2024

Japan growth strategy panel calls for vigilance to weak yen impact

The call reflects the government's growing concerns about a weak yen.
A customer buys a ticket for ramen at a vending machine at Goumen Maruko ramen shop in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 8, 2024

Japan runs on vending machines. It’s about to break millions of them.

New yen notes set to be introduced this summer won't be compatible with many machines that businesses like ramen shops rely on.
The government plans to increase support for the export of anime, manga and other Japanese content while helping content creators expand overseas.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2024

Japan to boost support for anime and manga exports

The government will draw up a strategy to boost the content industry and promote efforts under the strategy through public-private cooperation.
Tokyo has proved to be an attractive destination for Chinese entrepreneurs in recent times, away from the challenges hitting the economy at home.
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2024

Chinese entrepreneurs bet on Japan

A Chinese-language MBA program has been catering to those seeking opportunities in Tokyo.
People walk in front of a BYD Auto company and Autotorino store in Milan on March 20.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 10, 2024

European nations compete for Chinese EV factories as EU weighs tariffs

Chinese EV makers want to set up in Europe to build their brands and save on shipping and potential tariffs.
Dutch runner Abdi Nageeye (center) wears a continuous glucose monitor on his upper left arm as he competes in the 2022 Rotterdam marathon in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in April 2022.
OLYMPICS
Jun 11, 2024

Olympic athletes turn to diabetes tech in pursuit of medals

Continuous glucose monitors were developed for use by diabetes patients but their makers also spy opportunities in sports and wellness.
A health worker prepares a dose of the Covishield vaccine, co-developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, and manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2024

World’s largest vaccine maker sees demand doubling in five years

Serum Institute of India plans to double its vaccine production to 3 billion doses annually over five years, expecting a surge in demand as global health budgets rise.
A South Korean soldier stands guard near a military facility where loudspeakers dismantled in 2018 used to be, near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 11, 2024

South Korea fires warning shots after North Korea soldiers briefly cross border

The Sunday incursion took place in an overgrown area of the Demilitarized Zone, the heavily fortified border area, and was likely accidental.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024

Japan to stick to goal of primary budget surplus next fiscal year

The government will also continue to try to lower the ratio of debt to gross domestic product, a draft of annual policy guidelines for budget planning said.
Honda unveiled small electric commercial van N-VAN e: on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024

Honda to start selling micro-sized electric vans in October

Honda is determined to pursue EVs despite a slowdown in global demand
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida listens to voters in the city of Kumamoto in April. Liberal Democratic Party politicians are afraid that Kishida's unpopularity could seal their own fates when they stand for local elections.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2024

Calls for Kishida to step down growing among local LDP chapters

They blame their party’s unpopularity on him over the way he handled the kickbacks scandal and the political funds bill aimed at toughening up rules in its wake.
The Shein logo on hangers at a pop-up store in Dublin on Nov. 8, 2022
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 13, 2024

Shein steers tough course in pursuit of blockbuster London IPO

Both of the U.K.’s major political parties have met with Shein leaders, according to reports, though neither has come out in support publicly.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews the honor guard at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last month. China is likely to adopt limited and targeted retaliation against the European Union after the bloc unveiled tariff increases on Chinese electric cars.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 14, 2024

China likely to retaliate in targeted ways after Europe raises levies on EVs

Beijing is expected to avoid an excessive response that encourages further trans-Atlantic alignment against China.
The number of consultations made by consumers regarding troubles on social media marked a record high in 2023, with people in their 50s or older particularly vulnerable.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2024

Japan sees social media linked consultations hit record in 2023

In 2023, there were 910,000 consultations, and consumer damage from problematic transactions amounted to a record ¥8.8 trillion.
Haneda Airport in Tokyo is packed with travelers at the start of the Golden Week holidays in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2024

H.I.S. posts first half-year net profit in five years

For the six months through April, H.I.S. reported a consolidated net profit of ¥3.8 billion ($24.2 million), against a net loss of ¥4.8 billion a year before.
U.S. President Joe Biden joins other world leaders, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as they watch a skydiving demonstration at the annual Group of Seven summit in Savelletri, Italy, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2024

G7 leaders unite to hammer China over trade and Russian lifeline

Group of Seven leaders warned Beijing over its "harmful" trade practices and dispatch of dual-use products to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Marine Le Pen speaks during a European election campaign rally in Paris on June 2.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2024

France's Le Pen says she will work with Macron to appeal to moderates

Marine Le Pen is reaching out to mainstream voters as she aims to cement a majority in the next parliament.
The Metropolitan Police Department said that among 23 men arrested, two were supervisors, three were store managers and the remaining 18, their employees.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 17, 2024

Tokyo police arrest 23 men over brokering of prostitution

The group allegedly ran four outlets in the capital that dispatched sex workers to clients at the location of their choosing.
Financial markets have tumbled since French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly a week ago, with about $210 billion wiped off the value of French stocks.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 17, 2024

France’s safeguards against the far right are starting to unravel

A radicalization of part of the French left and an alliance among groups ranging from the far-left to the moderates undermine the so-called republican front.
Tuesday's shareholders meeting was held at the company’s headquarters in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 18, 2024

Shareholders deliver vote of confidence to Toyota and Toyoda

They stood their ground against the advice of the world’s most influential proxy advisory services urging them to reject Toyoda's reappointment to the board.
Nintendo announced several new games that will be released on the Switch later this year, ahead of the expected launch of a new console in early 2025.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2024

Nintendo surprises fans by announcing new 'Zelda' game

Last year's Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom, sold 10 million copies in just three days, according to Nintendo.
Tokyo police investigators on May 24 head toward the house in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward where Fuyumi Takanami, 37, and her three children were found dead.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2024

Tokyo man arrested over murder of ex-wife and three children

The 46-year-old man said that his ex-wife constantly berated him and had been pressuring him to leave the house after their divorce.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Kenta Izumi (left) faces off against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a debate in parliament on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2024

CDP's Izumi challenges Kishida to dissolve Lower House

Izumi said Kishida ought to seek a fresh mandate from the public due to his party's handling of its slush funds scandal.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) building in Beijing on May 29. The authority may soon start trading government bonds in the secondary market, according to a speech made by its chief on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 20, 2024

PBOC’s new tools may spur big shift in how it manages money

The PBOC is also considering narrowing the interest rate corridor within which market rates are allowed to fluctuate, to signal a clearer policy target.
Electric cars are stacked for export at the international container terminal of Taicang Port in Suzhou, China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 20, 2024

Europe’s EV battery plans fade on China price war and U.S. subsidies

As electric-vehicle sales slow, companies including Volkswagen, Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz are scaling back or refocusing battery projects.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2024

For Kishida, the LDP election means a fraught summer ahead

Attention is turning to what the prime minister will do as potential rivals rally support ahead of September's vote for party president.
A group of Chinese tourists walks through the Ginza district in Tokyo.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 22, 2024

Japan and Thailand top list of travel destinations for Chinese tourists

The return of Chinese tourists is being closely watched, as their numbers and spending are crucial for the tourism industry’s recovery.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat