Tag - consumers

 
 

CONSUMERS

Japan Times
JAPAN
May 19, 2015
Consumer rights group hits Rizap fitness chain over 'exaggerated' ad
A Kobe-based consumer rights group demands that the fast-growing Rizap fitness training chain remove the '30-day money-back guarantee' from its ads, saying the fine print states that refunds are made only when the company 'approves them.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 4, 2015
Chinese desire for fancy toilet seats spurs 1,400% rally in Laox shares
Thousand-dollar rice cookers and toilet seats that know when you enter the room.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2014
Complaints over online toy purchases on the rise, NCAC warns
With the Christmas shopping season quickly approaching, the National Consumer Affairs Center is warning people to be careful when buying toys online in order to avoid being defrauded.
EDITORIALS
Apr 17, 2014
Tread carefully on corporate tax cut
As the Abe administration considers cuts to corporate taxes as part of its growth strategy, it must ensure that it doesn't end up plugging the revenue hole by adding tax burdens to the household sector, already bearing the brunt of the April 1 consumption tax hike and rising prices.
BUSINESS
Apr 1, 2014
Shoppers start coping with higher sales tax
Tuesday's hike of the consumption tax to 8 percent saw mixed reactions in Tokyo and Osaka. While consumers in both cities seemed resigned to the increase, there was concern about the additional transportation and food costs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2014
Hidden tax hike surprises await unwary consumers
Tuesday's consumption tax hike will in principle affect all domestic purchases of goods or services, but there are still gray areas where consumers may get surprised by unexpected levies, government officials warn.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 24, 2014
Selective consumption tax breaks inch closer
The consumption tax is going up to 8 percent next Tuesday, but consumers also have to brace for a another hike in October 2015, when the Abe administration plans to raise it all the way to 10 percent — double what it has been since 1997.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 8, 2014
Farmers not waiting for politicians
When it comes to trade policy, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces a choice between the fears of an aging farm lobby and the hopes of suburban families.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2014
Snow-clogged roads trigger food shortages, send vegetable prices surging
The heavy snowfall that hit the Kanto and other regions the last two weekends sends vegetable prices skyrocketing and causes shortages of some food types.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 6, 2014
Arrival of 'bad inflation' trend bodes ill for Japan's rebound
Price increases are prompting Japanese shoppers to buy less mayonnaise, showing the fragility of any economic rebound unless wages keep up with living costs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2013
'Abenomics' fallout: Food prices rise on weak yen but wages stay flat
Bitten by the yen's decline, Japanese food suppliers hike prices on wide range of items, dealing a blow to consumers waiting for their paychecks to rise under 'Abenomics.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 12, 2013
Prices outpace incomes as yen softens
Prices are rising before incomes are and thus consumers are feeling the pain of the yen's depreciation driven by 'Abenomics.'

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake