Search - japan

 
 
A Shiseido booth at the third China International Consumer Products Expo, in Haikou, Hainan province, in April
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023

Shiseido slashes profit forecast on Fukushima water release

Cosmetic products were at the center of a viral campaign that spread unproven safety allegations on Chinese social media platforms.
Toshihiro Mibe, president and chief executive officer of Honda at the Japan Mobility Show, in Tokyo in October
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2023

Booming profits bolster Japan automakers’ cautious EV shift

The Japanese auto sector is on track this year to exceed its peak operating profit of around ¥5.4 trillion in fiscal 2015.
If you spot a wild animal in the city, it's likely lost. Still, alert authorities immediately to prevent any unpleasantness.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Longform
Nov 13, 2023

The concrete forest: Bears, boars and more head to the cities

Warmer winters, less food and an aging society all play a part in why wild animals are increasingly venturing into human-populated areas.
Eddie Jones, who coached Australia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, has been linked with a return to Japan.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 13, 2023

Eddie Jones expects to land new job by January

Jones has been heavily linked with a return to Japan.
Japan's producer prices rose 0.8% in October from a year earlier, the slowest pace of growth since gains resumed in March 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 13, 2023

Japan’s input inflation slows below 2% for first time since 2021

A measure of input prices for Japanese firms rose 0.8% from a year earlier, the slowest pace of growth since gains resumed in March 2021.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency booth at the International Space Industry Exhibition in Tokyo in February
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2023

Japan to create ¥1 trillion fund to develop outer space industry

The ¥1 trillion fund will be allocated over a 10-year period for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), as a new global space race heats up.
Economists estimate Japan's real gross domestic product shrank at an annualized 0.4% in the three months through September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2023

Japan’s economy likely shrank in summer as recovery sputters

Economists estimate that real gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 0.4% in the three months through September.
South Korea's head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (center) speaks to his players during a training session at Mokdong Stadium on Nov. 13, ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifying match between South Korea and Singapore.
SOCCER
Nov 14, 2023

Warning for Japan as Asian heavyweights begin World Cup qualifying

A record eight direct spots and one intercontinental playoff berth are up for grabs for Asian Football Confederation sides at the expanded event in 2026.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group announced a $2.6 billion share buyback program after fiscal second-quarter profit tripled.
BUSINESS
Nov 14, 2023

Japan’s largest banks to buy back shares after profits soar

Japan’s biggest banks have unveiled plans to boost shareholder returns after posting record first-half profits, thanks in part to a cheaper yen.
Japan's economy shrank 2.1% in the July-September period from the previous quarter on an annualized basis, suggesting that its economic recovery remains patchy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 15, 2023

Japan’s economy shrinks, backing BOJ and government's stimulus case

Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2.1% in the third quarter, deeper than economists’ estimate of a 0.4% shrinkage.
This undated picture released Wednesday shows the first ground combustion test of a high-power solid-fuel engine for a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

North Korea eyes surprise attack ability with missile engine test

The new engines for the intermediate-range ballistic missiles would give Pyongyang another means of targeting Japan.
Ichiro Ozawa (third from right) with other members of parliament at a ceremony to launch a new party in Tokyo in July 2012.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

Ichiro Ozawa is once again looking for a way to defeat the LDP

The octogenarian political veteran is looking to cap his long career with another successful drive to defeat the ruling LDP at the polls.
Japan’s public bathhouses have been in decline for decades, with the number of such facilities in Tokyo alone dropping by nearly half in the last 15 years.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 14, 2023

Japan seeks digital detox with return to ‘way of the sauna’

Public bathhouses have been in decline for decades, with the number of sentō baths in Tokyo dropping by nearly half in the last 15 years.
Shiseido shares tumbled the most in 36 years on Monday after it slashed full-year profit forecasts on sluggish China demand.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 16, 2023

China slowdown adds to boycott woes for Japanese beauty stocks

Cosmetics firms are finding that reliance on the world's second-biggest economy to drive sales is a double-edged sword.
Japan Times
PRESS
Nov 17, 2023

週刊英語学習紙『The Japan Times Alpha』がオンラインで読める・学べる、団体向けデジタルサービスのお試しIDを発行

株式会社ジャパンタイムズ出版(本社:東京都千代田区、取締役社長:伊藤秀樹)は、学校や法人等の団体に向け、週刊英語学習紙『The Japan Times Alpha』(以下Alpha)のデジタル版や公式Webサイトにアクセスできるデジタルサービスを提供しています。このたび、充実したサービス内容や英語教育への効果を、より多くの教員や研修担当の皆様に知っていただくことを目的として、1カ月間無料体験できるお試しIDを期間限定で提供します。...
Japan's exports gained 1.6% from a year earlier in October, slowing from a 4.3% increase in the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 16, 2023

Japan’s economy remains under pressure as export growth slows

The value of exports gained 1.6% from a year earlier, slowing from a 4.3% increase in the previous month, according to the Finance Ministry.
Tunnel construction for the Hokkaido Shinkansen has proved slow in some areas due to geological reasons and the difficulty of blasting through the earth.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Nov 20, 2023

Tight labor market puts Hokkaido Shinkansen 2030 goal in doubt

The 212-kilometer route now under construction will link cities between Hakodate, at the southern tip of the prefecture, and Sapporo.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in San Francisco on Wednesday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 16, 2023

Public approval for Kishida Cabinet sinks to new low of 21.3%

The support rate fell 5.0 percentage points from the previous month, while the disapproval rate rose 7.0 points to 53.3%.
Mika and Jesse say their landlady prefers a hands-off style of property management, leaving all matters, including maintenence and repairs, to the renting couple.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 18, 2023

Renting akiya: A backdoor into Japan's abandoned homes

“If the choice is between leaving (an akiya) empty or renting it out, please rent it out.”
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 21, 2023

'Offensive' and 'defensive' diplomacy: Managing ties with China

Since the 20th National Congress of the CCP, in October last year, Beijing has been seeking to maintain a balance.
Heavily destroyed buildings at the border between Israel and Gaza on Friday amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 17, 2023

Japanese Red Cross nurse speaks of resilience of colleagues in Gaza

While Sachiko Kawase evacuated to the south of Gaza and eventually to Egypt, several of her colleagues have stayed behind to provide emergency aid.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway sold yen bonds at lower costs in its second Japan deal of the year as speculation mounts that the billionaire investor may put more money into the nation’s share market.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 17, 2023

Berkshire sells yen debt amid talk it’s eyeing more Japan stocks

Berkshire is one of the largest overseas issuers of yen debt, and 32 out of its past 40 bond deals have been in the Japanese currency.
Tomoko Yoshino, president of Rengo, attends a meeting in 2022.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2023

Japan's largest labor union to seek worker pay hikes beyond 2024

Rengo said last month it will demand wage hikes totaling 5% or more next year.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet guests during the autumn garden party at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Nov. 2.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2023

LDP to consider imperial law revision for stable succession

The focus of discussions will be, in part, on whether to allow Japan to have a female emperor.
Visitors stroll through a tunnel of autumn maple leaves at Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture on Nov. 4.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Nov 19, 2023

Fall is the new summer: Warming threatens Japan’s cultural calendar

Climate change is disrupting Japan’s autumn and seasonal experiences, and with it the rhythm of people’s lives.
U.S. Marines stand by a transfer case during a repatriation ceremony for the possible remains of unidentified service members lost in the Battle of Tarawa during World War Two in the Republic of Kiribati, July 18, 2019.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 19, 2023

The bloody, 76-hour battle on a tiny atoll that helped end World War II

The Battle of Tarawa, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, took a heavy toll on American forces and led to outrage at home.
Japan's culture of floor-sitting stretches back to ancient times. Only in the last 60 years has it faced off against a new lifestyle brought along by the rapid spread of chairs and other high furniture.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Nov 20, 2023

Has Japan mastered sitting?

Sitting is a deceptively simple act. But the story of sitting in Japan spans centuries of culture, politics and religion.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2023

Kishida’s support rate hits new lows in three major polls

Polls by three major newspapers — the Yomiuri, Asahi and Mainichi — showed Kishida’s support rate at 24%, 25% and 21%, respectively.
A report by MSCI ESG Research showed that just one-tenth of MSCI Japan Index firms have reached the 30% female board member threshold that the government is seeking for top-listed businesses.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023

Japan boards may struggle amid pressure for diversity, MSCI says

Just one-tenth of MSCI Japan Index firms have reached the 30% female board member threshold that the government is seeking for top-listed businesses.
Female managers of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance take part in a training session in Tokyo in October 2018.
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2023

Listed firms in Japan work on fostering female managers

An increasing number of publicly traded Japanese companies are actively fostering female managers to assume leadership roles in the future.

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