Tag - japanese

 
 

JAPANESE

In Hokkaido’s Niseko ski resort area, a bowl of ramen or soba from a food truck easily goes for more than three times what it costs at a sit-down joint in Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Feb 18, 2024
¥3,800 ski-slope ramen is a glimpse of Japan’s future
Foreign tourist spending has potential to stimulate growth but needs careful management to ensure equitable distribution of benefits for locals.
Zashikibina, an exhibit by a group organizing hina doll displays in Fukuoka Prefecture, depicts the era of "The Tale of Genji," in the Gyosho room at Hyakudan Kaidan in Tokyo.
CULTURE
Feb 18, 2024
Hina doll exhibition in Tokyo highlights Girls' Day tradition
The event is being held for the first time in four years, after it was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Japan Tourism Agency plans to offer subsidies to develop travel products combining culinary and traditional cultural experiences in rural areas.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2024
Japan tourism agency to promote gastronomy tourism
As foreign tourists numbers spike post-pandemic, culinary travel has grown increasingly popular, especially among wealthy travelers.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (left) speaks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a plenary session of the Lower House in Tokyo on Jan. 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 17, 2024
Japan finance chief eyes future rise in interest rates, report says
"The Bank of Japan holds jurisdiction over monetary policy. But there will be a phase when interest rates go up," Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said.
An in-house design by Yamagiwa, the Sui drop-shaped light uses traditional Japanese chōchin lantern techniques and is made with Mino washi paper.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 17, 2024
Japan-made standouts from one of Paris' biggest design fairs
Maison & Objet is now such a popular event that it is often nicknamed the Paris Fashion Week of the interior design industry.
An electronic board displays the value of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 16, 2024
Nikkei stock index nears all-time high
The index closed at 38,487.24, up by 329.30 points and near the all-time high of 38,915 recorded in December 1989.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Friday that the BOJ will examine the possibility of easing measures when price targets are met.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 16, 2024
BOJ's Ueda maintains pledge to review stimulus when inflation goal met
Data released on Thursday showed Japan's economy unexpectedly slipped into a recession in the final quarter of last year.
Under a proposed joint custody system, if parents cannot reach an agreement, a family court would make a decision based on the interests of the child and family relations.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024
Government panel proposes allowing joint child custody
Based on the report from the Legislative Council, the government plans to submit a related bill during the ongoing ordinary session of parliament.
Members of the police dog units of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department take part in a New Year march in Tokyo in January 2023.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2024
How dogs have helped Tokyo police for over a century
The role of police dogs has changed due to the spread of DNA testing, security cameras and other tools of technology.
Kenichi Hosoya leaves his apartment in Tokyo's Taito Ward on Wednesday after being arrested.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 15, 2024
Tokyo couple accused of poisoning daughter with illegally bought prescription drugs
On Thursday, investigators said that Kenichi Hosoya and his wife, Shiho, purchased olanzapine and antifreeze online prior to their daughter’s death.
Gross domestic product contracted 0.4% on an annualized basis in the October-December 2023 quarter, following a 3.3% contraction in the previous quarter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 15, 2024
Japan loses spot as No. 3 economy after surprise GDP contraction
Analysts caution that the data is perhaps not as bad as it seems, given solid readings from other economic indicators.
No politicians, government officials, bankers or business leaders have voiced strong opposition to Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda's intention to put an end to the world’s last negative rate regime.
BUSINESS
Feb 14, 2024
Lack of political opposition opens way for BOJ rate hike
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda is in a rare sweet spot for such a move, in sharp contrast to the experiences of his BOJ predecessors.
A monitor in Tokyo shows the yen weakening past ¥150 per dollar late Tuesday night.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 14, 2024
Yen's slide past ¥150 per dollar prompts stern warnings from Japan
The yen has tumbled more than 6% versus the dollar so far in 2024.
Japan’s latest growth figures are set to confirm it slipped to become the world's fourth-largest economy last year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2024
Japan GDP set to confirm slip to world’s fourth-largest economy
Figures for the calendar year are almost certain to show the value of output falling behind Germany’s in dollar terms.
Okinawa Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder for allegedly dragging a woman onto a road, leaving her to be run over by a passing taxi in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 13, 2024
Okinawa man arrested for allegedly leaving woman in street to be run over
Police reports indicate that the pair had been drinking together immediately prior to the incident, with the woman possibly intoxicated and unable to move.
A slew of listed Japanese firms have logged solid earnings for the nine months ended in December including Toyota, which posted operating and net profits that reached the highest levels on record for a Japanese company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 11, 2024
Major Japanese firms post higher earnings in April-December period
Of 786 component firms of the broad Topix index that had announced their April-December results as of Wednesday, 455 companies reported higher net profits.
Japanese companies are paying higher starting salaries as they struggle to secure young workers.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 9, 2024
Japanese firms boosting pay for young workers is good news for Bank of Japan
If wage gain momentum carries over into this year, the BOJ is expected to end the world’s last negative interest rate regime by April.
The Japanese government forecast that number of digital workers in 2026 will fall short of projected needs by 2.3 million.
EDITORIALS
Feb 9, 2024
Japan struggles with digital transformation
Japan's general tendency toward risk aversion reduces the readiness to adopt new policies, procedures and technologies.
Yoshikazu Higashitani, who goes by the name GaaSyy, leaves the Tokyo Detention House on Sept. 21 after being released on bail.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 9, 2024
Four-year prison term sought for ex-lawmaker GaaSyy
GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, is accused of making threats against actor Go Ayano and others in online videos.
A building in Manila where a group of Japanese individuals engaged in fraud
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 8, 2024
Cyber and phone fraud cases in Japan surge, marking 15-year high
National Police Agency officials say that it is premature to conclude that public safety in Japan has deteriorated.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?