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May 05, 2026
 

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Eddy Duan
A bear warning sign is seen near where a Spanish visitor was attacked by a cub in October at Shirakawa-go, a popular tourist spot in the village of Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2025
Bear insurance takes off in Japan amid surge in deadly attacks
A record total of 13 people have died from bear attacks in the country since April.
Visitors crowd Nakamise shopping street in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on June 22.
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2025
Japan tourism growth slowed as quake rumor deterred Hong Kongers
Fears of an earthquake on or around July 5 originated from a manga by Ryo Tatsuki, whom some claim to have foreseen Japan¡¯s disastrous 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Russian demand for Japanese grand pianos is always very high, a dealer has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 4, 2025
Smuggled grand pianos show Trump¡¯s challenge in pressuring Putin
High-end Japanese pianos still make their way to Russia despite export ban, highlighting Tokyo's struggle to enforce sanctions.
A farmer stands next to his flood-damaged rice field after Typhoon Shanshan passed through Yufu, Oita Prefecture, in August 2024.
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2025
Japan plans to sell rice from emergency stockpiles to cut prices
The government will discuss selling part of its strategic rice reserve next week, the agriculture minister said Friday.
A statue of Konosuke Matsushita in the grounds of the Konosuke Matsushita Museum in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 28, 2024
¡®God of management¡¯ comes back to life as an AI model
Panasonic icon Konosuke Matsushita is one of the most respected by the Japanese business community.
Watami CEO Miki Watanabe (right) during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 25, 2024
Izakaya chain buys Subway Japan in challenge to McDonald¡¯s
The Subway franchise has historically struggled to gain footing in the Japanese market, with just 178 locations compared to nearly 3,000 for McDonald¡¯s.
A standard Chocozap location is small and unmanned, which has made it easy for Rizap to add locations amid a chronic labor shortage.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2024
Gyms in Japan offer laundry, karaoke and hair-removal machines
Chocozap's oddball gyms were created as an experiment during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gilles Langourieux, chief executive officer of Virtuos, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 27, 2024
Game developer Virtuos seeks acquisitions and growth in Japan
The Singapore-based company, which has been involved in such major franchises as Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid, is in active talks with multiple studios in Japan.
Shiseido's sales in China are still sluggish as consumers remain reluctant to buy Japanese products over the discharge of treated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 8, 2024
Shiseido posts steepest drop since 1987 on anemic China demand
The company reported a January-June operating loss of ?2.7 billion ($18.4 million), compared with profit of ?13.6 billion a year earlier.
Fujitsu is seeking to expand its ability to prepare artificial intelligence tools that match clients¡¯ needs, but is having trouble securing enough technology workers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 6, 2024
Fujitsu struggling to secure staff to grow IT consultancy on slim margins
Operating profit margin at Fujitsu¡¯s service solutions segment was 7% last quarter, while the margin at one competitor was 16.4%.
Fast Retailing¡¯s expansion into the U.S. and Europe is paying off, with a strong performance in those markets helping to make up for a sharp deceleration in China.
BUSINESS
Jul 11, 2024
Fast Retailing¡¯s push into western markets softens China slump
The company behind popular brands Uniqlo and GU raised its full-year forecast for operating income to ?475 billion ($2.9 billion) from ?450 billion.
As companies lose once-stable investors through the unwinding of cross-shareholdings, they are now hoping that rewarding long-term individual shareholders will help make them more resilient in possible proxy battles.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2024
Japanese firms woo individuals as cross-shareholdings shrink
In a bid to protect themselves from activist investors, firms are trying to build loyalty with long-term individual shareholders by doling out gifts.
Takuya Hirai, head of the Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s digital promotion working group
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2024
Facebook scams demand stricter online rules, Japan lawmaker says
Lawmakers in the Diet are considering summoning Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to testify before them regarding fake ads on Facebook.
The government, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange in particular, have been pushing for better governance among the country¡¯s 3.7 million companies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 25, 2024
Japan¡¯s retail investors care about governance too, poll shows
Investors are increasingly aware of the need to hold corporate boards and executives to high standards.
Port Plus is a training and education facility in Yokohama built by and for general contractor Obayashi, a storied Japanese builder that traces its roots back to 1892.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2023
Wooden high-rise in Yokohama grows Japan¡¯s timber ambitions
Port Plus, which was finished last year, is composed mainly of 540 wooden rigid cross-joints.
The Fair Trade Commission has begun a probe on allegations of potential antitrust violations by Google.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 23, 2023
Japan begins probe into Google for alleged antitrust violations
Japan¡¯s antitrust watchdog has begun an investigation into whether Alphabet¡¯s Google abuses its market position to block rival services.
Water shortages hit tourist spots in Japan during Golden Week
A hot spring facility in the city of Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, has suspended the operation of its open-air baths since March.
Strong winds disrupt transport during Golden Week
A map on the website of the Japan Meteorological Agency shows advisories and warnings for strong winds across wide areas of Japan through Monday night.
What is the hantavirus that killed three cruise ship passengers?
The cruise ship MV Hondius floats off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Sunday.
China's rare defiance of U.S. sanctions sparks showdown over banks
A Chinese flag flutters in front of the Shanghai Gaoqiao Company Refinery in Shanghai.
Article 9 in focus as Takaichi pushes for revision of Constitution
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gives a speech in Hanoi on Saturday.
At 70, chasing birds across a changing Japan
Shorebirds gather in dense flocks at Higashiyoka Higata (tidal flats), pushed together by the rising tide.
Fujisawa flashpoint: A mosque project stokes nativist fears
Muslims pray at Tokyo Camii in the Yoyogi-Uehara neighborhood. Though Muslims account for only 0.3% of Japan¡¯s population, rhetoric in online spaces and by conservative politicians has fomented social tensions.
No longer shushed: Japan¡¯s cultural venues make room for children
In 2019, Saitama Arts Theater started permitting children under 3 to some of its shows. Previously, children under 4 were not permitted.
New head chef at Maz explores Peruvian food through a Japanese lens
Since taking over Maz last month, chef Yuya Nakamura has been gradually introducing more Japanese influences to the restaurant's innovative Peruvian cuisine.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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