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Gloomy economic conditions, especially weak consumption, raise questions over whether the Bank of Japan will be able to take further steps toward policy normalization.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2024

Japan GDP data expected to show contraction for first quarter

The preliminary data is expected to show that spending by consumers and companies fell, while net exports dragged on growth for the first time in a year.
Residents who sought to stop the restart of the No. 2 reactor of the Shimane nuclear power plant hold up signs saying "The judiciary abandoned residents" and "Our voices did not reach it" on Wednesday in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, after a court dismissed their petition.
JAPAN
May 15, 2024

Court rejects petition to halt Shimane nuclear reactor

The court also dismissed residents' claim that evacuation plans for the 820,000-kilowatt unit in the prefectural capital of Matsue were inadequate.
Tourists and locals stroll along Tokyo's Ginza shopping district where some roads are closed off for pedestrians due to the national holiday on April 29.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Fortress’s Japan hotel unit doubles pay to fight labor shortage

MyStays Hotel Management is offering monthly salaries of ¥500,000 ($3,210) for new hires into its fast-track program.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
May 15, 2024

Kishida defends planned rule to revoke foreigners' residency

The bill calls for allowing the government to revoke permanent residence permits of foreigners who intentionally evade taxes or social insurance premiums.
Japan's banks are benefiting from the Bank of Japan's policy shift and strong loan demand among their corporate clients.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2024

Japan’s biggest banks forecast record profits as rates rise

The banks are benefiting from an earnings boost following the Bank of Japan’s policy shift in March.
Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te arrives at the CyberSec 2024 Exhibition in Taipei on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2024

New Taiwan president to set tone for ties with China at inauguration

President-elect Lai Ching-te will have the world's attention when he delivers his inaugural address on Monday.
Wind turbines stand next to solar panels at a solar plant in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture. Japan's energy plan under a review is expected to call for raising the renewable energy sources in the power mix.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
May 16, 2024

Japan begins review of basic energy plan amid spread of AI

Power demand could expand further if growth in the amount of information processed by advanced AI accelerates.
Japan's gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 16, 2024

Japan’s economy contracts as consumers and firms cut spending

Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
The Waseda University campus in Tokyo. An 18-year-old male test-taker is suspected of using smart glasses to cheat during the university's entrance exam.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024

Man suspected of using smart glasses to cheat on Waseda University exams

Photos of the tests were posted on the social media platform X to solicit answers.
Visitors can make their own instant noodles at the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024

‘Mystery meat’ in cup noodles sells out in Japan as a solo product

For Nissin Food Products, tapping into new trends is a way to respond to consumers in a market that now offers a wide range of choices.
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 16, 2024

Japanese billionaire sues Meta over investment scams using his image

Yusaku Maezawa is suing Meta for its negligence in regulating the use of his name and image in investment scams on its social media platforms.
Over 70% of respondents in a survey do not support Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's handling of the high-profile slush fund scandal involving factions of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2024

Kishida Cabinet's support rate edges up, poll shows

The poll found that 72.9% of respondents do not support Kishida's handling of a high-profile slush fund scandal.
Akitakata Mayor Shinji Ishimaru speaks during a news conference in this screenshot taken from the city's YouTube channel.
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2024

Mayor in Hiroshima Prefecture city to run in Tokyo governor race

"I want to change Japan through changing Tokyo," said Shinji Ishimaru, mayor of the city of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture.
A monk practices "zazen" (seated meditation), a practice that the monk Dogen said would help one cast aside the world in service of the Way.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
May 17, 2024

The joy of Zen — Part 1: Prose

The writings of the monks Eisai and Dogen sought to determine the proper way to live on this Earth, in harmony with the Way.
Art OnO, which took place from April 19 to 21 in Seoul, featured a modest number of 36 participating galleries from 15 countries.
CULTURE / Art
May 17, 2024

Seoul's eclectic Art OnO shines light on Japan's artists and galleries

Japanese contributions accounted for almost a third of the non-Seoul based booths at the art fair's inaugural event, which featured artists such as Yoshitomo Nara and Hisao Domoto.
A plant set up at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Sewerage's Sunamachi Water Reclamation Center in Koto Ward to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge
JAPAN / Society
May 17, 2024

Tokyo to recycle phosphorus from sewage sludge for farm fertilizer

Phosphorus, along with nitrogen and potassium, is a crucial component of fertilizers.
In 2023, Bryan Eastlake (left) began a three-year contract with the local Takahama tourism association to write, post photos and otherwise promote the small town in northern Kyoto Prefecture to a wider audience.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
May 20, 2024

The new vanguard of rural revitalization efforts in Japan

Currently, the Regional Revitalization Corps has around 200 foreign residents working in different industries around the country.
Toyota President Koji Sato announces the company's earnings results in Tokyo on May 8.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

Japan firms brace for earnings slumps after marking record profits

Companies are concerned over the weak yen, global conflict and inflation hitting personal spending.
Rapidus Chairman Tetsuro Higashi speaks during an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

Rapidus 'last opportunity' to put Japan back on global chip map

Rapidus' chairman says "Japan is more than a decade behind others" in digital technology, adding that "it will require enormous money just to catch up."
Japan's first 7-Eleven convenience store (above) in Tokyo's Toyosu district on May 15, 1974, and the same store on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024

7-Eleven convenience store chain marks 50 years in Japan

Today, of the about 57,000 convenience stores in the country overall, more than 21,000 are from the 7-Eleven chain.
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”
CULTURE / Stage
May 18, 2024

Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community

For contributor Laura Pollacco, companies such as Tokyo International Players and Sheepdog Theatre offer a home away from home.
Atsuhiko Kurokawa, the head of Tsubasa no To, is taken to the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Friday after being arrested.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024

Political group's chief arrested for Tokyo poll obstruction

Atsuhiko Kurokawa, who heads Tsubasa no To, allegedly disrupted the speeches of opponents during April's by-election in Tokyo along with two others.
A man rides a bicycle past an electronic screen displaying the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies in Tokyo earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 18, 2024

Short yen wagers linger due to gap between U.S.-Japan rate paths

The gulf between Japan’s ultralow interest rate and U.S. rates stuck at a two-decade high is keeping the pressure on the yen.
A screening of "Mei and the Baby Cat Bus," which is being billed as a "mini-sequel" to the Studio Ghibli classic "My Neighbor Totoro," is set to take place at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 19, 2024

Rare sequel to 'My Neighbor Totoro' to play at Cannes

The screening is part of the lead-up to Studio Ghibli's receiving an honorary Palme D'Or at the festival.
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 19, 2024

Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners

The penitentiary houses the biggest population of foreign prisoners in Japan, and as such is taking measures to accommodate them in terms of language, culture, food and lifestyle.
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
May 19, 2024

The politicians moving Japan forward on climate

In the halls of power, climate-friendly voices may be few and far between, but some in politics are pushing for more aggressive action on decarbonization.
New Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (right) waves alongside outgoing leader Tsai Ing-wen during the presidential inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 20, 2024

‘Cease the intimidation,’ Taiwan’s new president tells China in inaugural speech

New leader Lai Ching-te used his inauguration speech to deliver a clear message to Beijing: Taiwan will not be subordinate to China.
Japan's digital trade deficit in 2023 was up about 2.6 times over nine years since 2014, as smartphones have become ubiquitous tools and the digital services sector is dominated by U.S. information technology giants.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2024

Japan's digital trade deficit continues to expand

The deficit in Japan's balance of payments in digital services continues to expand steadily.
People take selfies at a pop-up shop for the Japanese volleyball manga series "Haikyu!!" in Tokyo on April 19. Men's volleyball is flying high in Japan with the national team ranked fourth globally ahead of the Paris Olympics.
CULTURE / Books
May 22, 2024

'Haikyu!!': Comic heroes fuel Olympic volleyball manga mania in Japan

"Haikyu!!" has sold 60 million copies since its 2012 inception, and has been turned into an anime series and a film.
Global investment firms are increasingly seeing hidden value in Japanese companies that own properties that could be sold.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2024

Bain Capital to boost Japan real estate team as prospects grow

The firm is interested in opportunities around hospitality, data centers and residential properties, among others.

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