Search - consumer-behavior

 
 
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 15, 2011

Are Japanese people hard-wired to hoard?

In the wake of the Tohoku-Kango earthquake, consumers can't help but help themselves to everything in sight.
BUSINESS / U.S. THINK TANK SYMPOSIUM
Feb 26, 2011

Economic woes of Japan, U.S. 'homegrown'

Japan and the United States both face a common challenge of showing that their economic models remain relevant even as China increasingly drives global growth, said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 15, 2008

Let them eat whales!

Whales once fueled the industrialized world. First there was wood, then coal fired its steam engines alongside seal oil and whale oil that powered and lit the age of "dark satanic mills."
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Oct 9, 2003

Does ' baka explosion' indicate identity crisis brewing in Japan?

Japan has been witnessing something of a baka explosion recently. Whether or not the actual number of idiots or incidents of idiotic behavior are on the increase or not, there is certainly a sharp rise in the public irritability index, a lowering of the threshold at which people call others "baka."
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 29, 2003

The party is over for 'Super Free' sex gang

The hormone-fueled stupidity that characterizes the behavior of your average college student is a fact of life, and people who are bothered by the unsafe sex, nonstop boozing and mindless pranks that typify spring break in the United States usually advocate moderation rather than outright prohibition....
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI BEAT
Apr 4, 2002

Win for Tigers in 2002 pennant race may spark Kansai recovery: analyst

OSAKA -- As a rabid Hanshin Tigers fan, Daiwa Research Institute President Koichi Kunisada seems pretty sure of the destiny of this year's Central League pennant -- it is bound for Osaka.
LIFE / Digital
Dec 20, 2000

Government, industry reassess potential harm of video games

SEATTLE -- Can games desensitize children and teach them how to kill? Video and computer game violence is such a hot topic in the United States that the U.S. Senate has held two sets of hearings on the matter, and several senior senators each year host a conference in which they discuss problems with...
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 1999

More reform needed to underpin Japan's economic recovery

Japan has made important progress in recent years in the area of regulatory and other structural reforms, but there is an urgent need for further and more rapid progress to strengthen future Japanese growth and prosperity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Feb 6, 2023

Gaming disorder among youths surging amid smartphone use and pandemic

“Patients are having difficulties in their lives and are feeling lonely, and they turn to games to relieve such feelings,” said the director of a psychiatric hospital.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 11, 2022

U.S. rethinks approach to China tariffs in wake of Taiwan response

The president's team has been wrestling for months with various ways to ease the costs of duties imposed on Chinese imports during predecessor Donald Trump's tenure.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2022

Polls open in Upper House election upended by Abe's death

The vote is expected to determine if Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can win the mandate he needs to push forward with his agenda in the coming years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2022

Europe’s economy on a knife edge

Europe's recovery from the damage caused by COVID-19 was solidifying. But now European policymakers have exactly zero control over whether their economies' rebound continues.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 18, 2021

U.S. asks Japan, China and others to consider tapping oil reserves, sources say

The unusual request comes as Biden fends off political pressure over rising pump prices and other consumer costs driven by a rebound in economic activity.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2020

‘It’s hard to prove’: Why antitrust suits against Facebook face hurdles

Any company breakup may face the skepticism of courts, which have been hesitant about undoing mergers because that can sometimes cause more harm to consumers than good.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 15, 2020

Sony presents 'world’s first' image sensors with built-in AI

The new technology promises to make data-gathering tasks much faster and more secure.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2020

Micro but mighty: Semiconductors remain the key to technology leadership

The U.S. needs a more expansive strategy to maintain its lead in this field, and that means working closely with its allies, especially Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2018

Australian competition watchdog calls for a new regulatory body to tackle dominance of Google and Facebook

Australia's competition watchdog Monday recommended tougher scrutiny and a new regulatory body to check the dominance of tech giants Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google in the country's online advertising and news markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jul 19, 2018

Google shrugs off EU fine; damage to hinge on rivals' next moves

The European Union's record $5 billion fine against Google, levied Wednesday morning, marks the biggest regulatory attack yet on technology giants. But investors and analysts largely shrugged off the ruling's potential to immediately dent Google's business.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 27, 2018

Minpaku law could leave tourists to Japan without beds

Onerous licensing process for private lodging won't stop bad operators, but it will put off honest would-be entrepreneurs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 26, 2018

Time for the BOJ to reconsider the 2 percent inflation target

The Bank of Japan's ambitious inflation target increasingly appears unachievable.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
May 26, 2018

Calling on chefs to lead the charge against overfishing

Chefs for the Blue and its partners, NGO Sailors for the Sea Japan and consulting firm Seafood Legacy, are part of a small but growing movement to promote sustainable seafood in Japan.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 26, 2018

After Facebook lobbying failed, Google takes aim at U.S. law banning use of biometric data without consent

Alphabet Inc. is pushing efforts to roll back the most comprehensive biometric privacy law in the U.S., even as the company and its peers face heightened scrutiny after the unauthorized sharing of data at Facebook Inc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 7, 2018

Cryptocurrency advertising goes big in Japan, but the pushback has begun

If a massive billboard by Shibuya crossing is a barometer of trends in Japan, then the latest ad for the cryptocurrency exchange DMM Bitcoin, featuring a Japanese celebrity coated in gold, may be a sign of how cryptocurrencies have taken center stage in both the advertising media and the broader national...
EDITORIALS
Sep 9, 2017

Quotas for Pacific bluefin tuna

Japanese consumers, fishermen and the government must make greater efforts to rebuild the dwindling stock of Pacific bluefin tuna.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 6, 2017

Experts say key criteria aligning in Japan's long battle to escape deflation

Japan's economy is running the hottest relative to capacity since the global financial crisis. More than four years after the Bank of Japan launched its radical monetary easing, key conditions are aligning in its long battle to truly escape from deflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2017

Remote control: Companies blur lines over who owns devices

When Samsung Electronics remotely disabled the last of its flawed Galaxy Note 7 smartphones last month, it further blurred the lines between who ultimately controls your phone, computer, car or appliance — you, or the companies that make it work?
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 28, 2016

CPI logs seventh consecutive drop in September as weak spending clouds BOJ inflation outlook

Core consumer prices fell for the seventh month straight and household spending slumped in September, endorsing the Bank of Japan's view it will take more time for inflation to accelerate to its 2 percent target as the economy stagnates.

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