Tag - japanese

 
 

JAPANESE

A Toyota production line in New Jersey. The U.S. is a key market for Japanese automakers, who are closely monitoring policy changes in Washington as the incoming Trump administration is likely to change the course set by President Joe Biden.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Dec 12, 2024
Japan’s auto industry looks down the road to Trump presidency
Of the cars sold in the U.S., 40% are from Japanese makers, who are determined to hold onto this market share despite Washington's policy vagaries in the auto field.
Illegally cultivated cannabis plants uncovered by police at a home in Chiba Prefecture. Revised cannabis-related laws now criminalize the use of marijuana in addition to its possession and sale.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2024
Japan tightens cannabis laws amid rising youth usage
The use of marijuana has been criminalized, with the maximum penalty for possession, transfer and now usage set at up to seven years in prison.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said in a Nikkei interview last month that hikes are "nearing.”
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2024
BOJ said to see little cost to waiting for next rate hike
At the same time, some officials are not against a rate hike at this meeting if it is proposed, sources have said.
A handout photo shows Kosuke Nozaki (right), who was found dead of a drug overdose, and Saki Sudo, who was his wife.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 12, 2024
28-year-old widow of ‘Don Juan of Kishu’ acquitted of his murder
Prosecutors had argued that Saki Sudo, 28, somehow caused her wealthy 77-year-old husband Kosuke Nozaki to ingest drugs, resulting in a fatal overdose.
People are seen at one of Seven & I Holdings's 7-Eleven convenience stores in Tokyo in January 2017.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Dec 12, 2024
7-Eleven battle shows resilience of Japan Inc.'s family ties
Founding families are able to wield considerable power in Japanese companies despite holding small stakes.
AE3803 (Mei Nagano, left) and U-1146 (Takeru Satoh) are the red and white blood cell protagonists of “Cells at Work!,” Hideki Takeuchi’s quirky film about the human body.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 12, 2024
‘Cells at Work!’: Cellular shenanigans make for a fantastic voyage
Spirited performances by Mei Nagano and Takeru Satoh bolster Hideki Takeuchi’s quirky and stylish film.
Akihiro Kaneko, president of the Japan Council of Metalworkers’ Unions, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 3.
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2024
Japan union head calls for government to work more on raising pay
The call comes as Japan prepares for annual wage negotiations that culminate in the spring.
The silhouettes of Mount Fuji, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building and Shinjuku skyscrapers are seen during sunset in Tokyo in November.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 11, 2024
Tokyo remains third in global city index for ninth consecutive year
While Tokyo notched improvements in research and development, cultural interaction, livability, and accessibility, its score declined in the economy category.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 11, 2024
BOJ signals before meeting leave traders guessing
The confusion has caused sharp swings in market bets on rate hikes, with overnight indexed swaps pricing in a 22% chance of a December rate increase.
The Bank of Japan's tankan quarterly survey for December is expected to show slightly weaker business sentiment among both major manufacturers and nonmanufacturers.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 11, 2024
BOJ quarterly survey likely to show weaker business sentiment in Japan
A slowdown in foreign economies, especially those of China and Europe, and the growing trend to spend less amid inflation, are seen weighing on sentiment.
Inflation in Japan’s corporate goods prices accelerated to the fastest pace in 16 months, an outcome that points to growing inflationary pressure in the economy and supports the central bank’s further normalization of policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 11, 2024
Japan's wholesale inflation accelerates, keeping BOJ rate-hike plan in focus
Agricultural and fishery goods prices spiked 31% in November from year-before levels, after a 28.1% gain in October, due largely to the soaring price of rice.
“Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron" provides an in-depth look into the octogenarian auteur’s creative process and personal reflections.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2024
‘Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron’ documentary meditates on auteur's creativity and legacy
Filmed with unparalleled access to Studio Ghibli, director Kaku Arakawa captures the vulnerability and genius behind master animator Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature.
Keidanren chief Masakazu Tokura speaks to reporters in the city of Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture on Nov. 20.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 10, 2024
Keidanren urges tax hike for rich with eye on ¥1 quadrillion GDP
Such a move will help the nation achieve a “virtuous cycle of growth and distribution,” Keidanren chief Masakazu Tokura says.
The defense lawyer of Kentaro Kitagawa, former head of the osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, speaks at a news conference on Tuesday in Osaka City.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 10, 2024
Former chief prosecutor of Osaka to plead not guilty over rape in shift
During his first trial hearing in October, Kentaro Kitagawa said he would not contest the rape allegation, expressing deep remorse.
Freelance television announcer Tomoaki Ogura took the role of presenter of Fuji Television Network's morning show "Tokudane!" from 1999 to 2021, gaining popularity for his frank comments.
JAPAN
Dec 10, 2024
Japanese announcer Tomoaki Ogura dies at 77
Ogura became famous for his unique narration style and trademark high-pitched voice.
Manabu Sasaki, who runs a painting company, is one of four suspects arrested on suspicion of murdering 56-year-old Osamu Takano.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 10, 2024
Victim of alleged staged suicide was subjected to years of abuse
Tokyo police arrested four men on Sunday on suspicion of murdering a colleague by staging a "suicide" on a railway crossing.
Optiver starts providing liquidity on options of 12 Japanese companies and exchange-traded funds in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 10, 2024
Options giant Optiver bets Japan’s market is about to boom
The firm is betting that a push by the Tokyo bourse for better corporate governance will lead to more stocks trading and increased usage of derivatives.
Ryozo Himino, deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, is scheduled to give a speech on Jan. 14, a rare step for the bank before its policy meeting later in the same month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 10, 2024
BOJ plans a rare January speech that may lift rate hike views
By scheduling the speech before the January meeting, the BOJ will have a solid opportunity to telegraph its thinking on monetary policy.
Yurie Collins is a bilingual comedian based in Tokyo. In addition to being a prize-winning roast comic, her dating-themed "Tokyo Hoe Tales" shows have proven to be a hit with women of all nationalities.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 10, 2024
Yurie Collins: ‘Everyone seems sedated, fed-up … that’s why they turn to comedy’
Yurie Collins is a bicultural stand-up comedian who has opened for comedian Atsuko Okatsuka and the upcoming Iliza Shlesinger show in Tokyo.
During the trial of ex-principal Hisayoshi Kitamura, one of his victims testified that she could not consult anyone when she was assaulted as a student because she had been taught to follow the instructions of teachers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 9, 2024
Ex-principal gets 9 years for raping middle school students in 2010
The crimes came to light after one of the victims reported her assault to the Tokyo education board in 2022.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.