Japanese convenience store chain operator Ministop Co said Thursday it will resume sales of deli items prepared in in-store kitchens beginning this month, following a suspension after some shops were found to have falsified expiry dates.

The subsidiary of Japanese retail giant Aeon Co said it will also reexamine operation manuals and introduce surveillance cameras in kitchens to prevent any recurrences. Operations will first restart in stores verified by an in-house team.

The convenience store chain announced in August that some of its stores had faked the expiry dates of certain products, leading it to suspend sales of onigiri rice balls, bento lunches and other deli items the same month.

It investigated around 1,800 stores across the country, of which misconduct was discovered at 25 stores.

"Our revenue has been hit by the decline in customer traffic since we halted the sale (of some foodstuffs)," Masashi Hotta, president of Ministop, said at an online press conference, noting that the scandal is expected to have a negative impact of around 1 billion yen ($6.6 million).

"It will take some time before all stores will be fully operational," Hotta said.
 

 

The internet has become the main source of daily news in Japan, overtaking commercial television for the first time, a survey by the Japan Press Research Institute has shown.

When asked about which news source they use on a daily basis, a question added in fiscal 2018, 46.5% of respondents chose the internet, according to the latest survey, released Saturday.

Commercial TV broadcasters, which had previously held the top spot, came second, at 46.1%.

The proportion of those who picked TV services by public broadcaster NHK stood at 35.8%, while newspapers logged 33.4% and radio 9.2%.

The newspaper subscription rate fell 3.7 percentage points from a year earlier to 50.1%, continuing to decline since marking 88.6% in fiscal 2008, when the survey began.

Meanwhile, 42.5% of respondents said that commercial television influenced their voting decisions for an election of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, this July, topping the list.

By age group, the internet, excluding social media, was the top pick for those in their teens to 30s. For respondents in their 20s, short-form social media platforms, such as X, were more popular than newspapers and other forms of traditional media.

The latest survey, which covered 5,000 people age 18 or over nationwide, was conducted between July 18 and Aug. 17. Of them, 2,665 provided valid responses.
 
 

 
Strong Typhoon Nakri was approaching southern parts of Japan's Izu Islands on Monday morning, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the island chain that was recently hit by another storm.

As of Monday morning, the islands of Hachijojima and Aogashima were in the storm zone of Nakri.

Hachijojima had 37.5 millimeters of rain for one hour through 7 a.m. Maximum wind speeds reached 153 kilometers per hour at Hachijojima Airport shortly after 6 a.m.

The typhoon is expected to move eastward near the southern Izu Islands before noon while maintaining its strength.

Extremely strong winds at the speed of up to 126 kilometers per hour and peak gusts at the speed of 180 kilometers per hour are expected to hit the island chain. The winds could topple some utility poles and damage part of buildings, scattering pieces of rubble in a wide area.

Extremely rough seas are also forecast in the region with waves as high as 9 meters.

Rain is expected to intensify and some places will likely be pounded by rainfall of 80 millimeters per hour. Up to 200 millimeters of rain is forecast for the Izu Islands over the 24-hour period through Tuesday morning.

The islands were recently hit by record heavy rainfall and violent winds from Typhoon Halong.

Weather officials are urging residents to remain vigilant for landslides, swollen and overflowing rivers, flooding in low-lying areas and high waves. People are advised to stay indoors, safely away from windows.
 
 

Culture Minister Fadli Zon emphasized the importance of strengthening research and studies on Indonesian culture in Osaka, Japan, noting it serves as a foundation for advancing global knowledge and international cooperation.

During his visit to the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) in Osaka, Zon asserted that Indonesia is more than just a source of world cultural heritage; it is a center of knowledge contributing significantly to global cultural and humanities studies.

“Indonesia has extraordinary cultural wealth. Through research and academic cooperation, we deepen our understanding of humanity, history, and civilization,” he said in a press statement on Sunday.

The meeting at Minpaku brought together prominent Japanese cultural academics who have long focused on Indonesian studies, including ethnomusicologist Prof. Shota Fukuoka, maritime archaeologist Prof. Rintaro Ono, pencak silat researcher Dr. Hiroyuki Imamura, and Javanese culture researcher Dr. Masami Okabe.

 

Discussions centered on establishing research collaboration in fields like ethnomusicology, dance, maritime anthropology, traditional martial arts, and Nusantara ethnography.

The goal is to solidify Indonesia-Japan cultural research networks and interdisciplinary studies.

“This research cooperation is the best way to expand global understanding of Indonesia and to make our culture a living source of knowledge,” Zon stated.

He highlighted ongoing projects demonstrating Indonesia’s commitment to cultural preservation and development, such as the restoration of Gunung Padang, studies on wayang theatre, Nusantara bead documentation, and the recent efforts to secure the repatriation of 28,131 fossils from the Dubois collection of the Netherlands.

During his visit, Minister Zon also toured the exhibit “Humans and Boats: Maritime Life in Asia and Oceania,” which showcases maritime collections, including traditional boats, Bajau tribe artifacts, and ancient boat paintings found in the Maros and Muna caves.

He concluded by underscoring the importance of Indonesia's oceanic heritage: “For Indonesia, the sea is not just a resource but a cultural and knowledge space that shapes our identity.”
 

The Japanese government will specify the need to promote domestic development of artificial intelligence in an upcoming strategy, official sources said Sunday, as it seeks to avoid overdependence on foreign AI for national security.

An overview of the country's basic AI plan being compiled is expected to call for better treatment to attract AI professionals, along with the development of cutting-edge chips and a next-generation supercomputer, according to the sources.

At a time when the United States and China are competing for high-tech supremacy and competition is fierce in the private sector to develop new AI models, Japan lags behind the major powers in both AI development and use, surveys show.

As the advancement of AI technology can directly impact national security, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said Japan should catch up and "reverse" the tide.

The government held its first meeting of its AI strategy task force in September with an eye toward compiling a basic plan by the year's end.

The outline of that plan will be presented possibly later this month when the government holds another meeting, stating that Japan should "not rely excessively on foreign players for AI that would determine our national power," according to the sources.

To push for home-grown AI, the government sees it necessary to improve living conditions, including via better pay, for researchers and engineers from both at home and overseas.

It also aims to foster closer coordination among universities, research institutes and businesses in and outside the country to take in advanced expertise, the sources said.

Japan will also accelerate the development its new flagship supercomputer to succeed the existing Fugaku by the state-backed Riken research institute, for use in AI development that requires massive volumes of high-speed calculations.

The overview of the plan is expected to point out national security risks posed by the advancement of AI, such as the spread of disinformation and misinformation as well as cyberattacks.

The government is expected to say that it will address those risks while facilitating innovation to make Japan "the world's most friendly nation to AI development and use," according to the sources.

While Japanese companies are developing AI, Japan remains a laggard in the field dominated by the likes of U.S. OpenAI, the operator of the ChatGPT chatbot, and Chinese startup DeepSeek, which unveiled a generative AI chatbot at a fraction of competitors' cost.

About 27 percent of Japanese people said they had used generative AI in fiscal 2024, compared with nearly 69 percent in the United States and about 81 percent in China, according to data cited by the Japanese government.
 
 

Activist investors are likely to find more opportunities in Japanese real estate as unrealized gains are poised to swell under new Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi.

The prospect of faster inflation and rising asset prices under Takaichi, who’s almost certain to become the country’s next prime minister, is seen as favoring loose monetary policy that would probably further boost paper gains in corporate property. That’s a lure to activist funds looking to raise shareholder value.

The value of such assets for about 330 major listed companies has already grown to an aggregate ¥31 trillion ($203 billion), according to compiled data, due to rising land prices and property development. That’s an increase of 26% from five years ago, and some strategists project it will rise further.

Should fiscal spending expand while the Bank of Japan is restrained from hiking rates, "a scenario is conceivable where inflation progresses, boosting firms’ unrealized gains, and activists move in,” said Daisuke Uchiyama, a senior strategist at Okasan Securities.

At least seven firms, including Mitsubishi Estate and textile maker Katakura Industries, are sitting on unrealized property gains that exceed their market capitalization, the data showed.

Activists have increasingly been urging companies to sell property and expand shareholder returns. Just last month it was reported that Elliott Investment Management had taken a stake in Kansai Electric Power, urging it to get rid of non-core assets. Kansai Electric had unrealized real estate gains of ¥220 billion.

Another example is a move by City Index Eleventh, an investment firm linked to activist investor Yoshiaki Murakami, to take a holding in department store operator Takashimaya, which has paper gains of ¥130 billion on its property assets.

Corporate governance reforms are also compelling firms to reassess their asset holdings.

Significant unrealized gains on property are hidden assets following cash and cross-shareholdings, and "companies failing to utilize them are becoming more noticeable,” said Masayuki Kubota, chief strategist at Rakuten Securities. He expects activist pressure on such firms to grow.

Including a company’s real estate market value into its price-to-book ratio (PBR) drives the ratio lower. The smaller this adjusted PBR is, the greater the unrealized gains on its real estate holdings and the more undervalued the stock is likely to be.

The gap is particularly pronounced in sectors such as real estate, warehousing and land transportation, as well as in retail, textile, and information and communications, according to calculations.

This puts them in the crosshairs of activists looking to squeeze out more corporate value.

"We are likely to see companies in the retail, textiles and warehousing sectors getting targeted,” Okasan’s Uchiyama said. He added that firms that have actually responded to activists by selling real estate remains limited so far.

The PBR of Mitsubishi Estate falls to 0.7 times from 1.7 times when its ¥5 trillion of unrealized gains are taken into account. The real estate company’s market capitalization is ¥4.24 trillion. Adjusted ratios for railway firm Sotetsu, film maker Toho and retailer Marui are also significantly below their standard PBRs.

Mitsubishi Estate spokesperson Yusuke Iwamoto declined to comment on any investments or requests for engagement from activists.

Tetsuya Murakami, manager of the management strategy office at Sotetsu, said his company hadn’t received any requests from activists for specific asset sale proposals or related engagement. Katakura didn’t respond to requests for comment, while Toho and Marui said they were unable to respond immediately.

Many institutional investors also consider that companies should review their real estate holdings to improve balance sheet efficiency.

"If they support activists’ proposals, the impact will be significant,” said Bruce Kirk, chief Japan equity strategist at Goldman Sachs Japan.

Stocks with large property holdings, and where activists have got involved, such as Sumitomo Realty & Development, Tokyo Gas and warehouse firm Mitsui-Soko, have largely outperformed their respective Topix sector indexes over the past year.
 
 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a British national and a US national on suspicion of smuggling about 17 kilograms of stimulant drugs into Japan.

The suspects are 24-year-old British citizen Kim Tung Nguyen and US citizen Jason Raymond Scott, who is 25 years old. They allegedly violated the Stimulants Control Act.

The police and others said Scott is suspected of having flown from an airport in Los Angeles to Tokyo's Haneda Airport last month, carrying a suitcase that contained about 17 kilograms of the drugs. The stimulants are estimated to have a street value of more than 6.3 million dollars.

The investigators said security camera footage showed Scott handing the suitcase thought to contain stimulants to Nguyen.

An investigation of the private lodging in Japan where Nguyen had been staying found nearly 100 kilograms of stimulant drugs in six suitcases, with a street value of more than 37 million dollars.

Both suspects have denied the allegations.
 
 

Japan's 2025 staple rice harvest is forecast to reach a nine-year high of 7.48 million tons, up 10% from the previous year, the agriculture ministry has said.

The harvest amount is expected to exceed 7 million tons for the first time since 2022, the ministry added Friday.

This year's crop estimate was made from the amount of rice harvested and the number of preharvest rice ears counted as of Sept. 25, when rice cropping was 60% finished in the country.

Last month, the ministry projected that 2025 brown rice production would amount to 7.28 million to 7.45 million tons while new crop demand would total 6.97 million to 7.11 million tons.

The latest harvest estimate suggests the possibility of the rice supply excess expanding further. However, it remains to be seen whether retail rice prices, which have surged along with agricultural cooperatives' advance payments to producers, will turn lower, experts said.

The ministry also showed a 2025 crop projection focusing on sieving to select larger grains, a common practice for rice farmers, saying the "sieve opening-based" yield would stand at 7.15 million tons, up 634,000 tons from the year before.
 
 

 

Dom Dom Hamburger, believed to be Japan's first hamburger chain, recently opened its first overseas outlet in Taipei, signaling ambitions for broader expansion.

Sporting its signature crimson elephant mascot, Dom Dom Hamburger, which was established in 1970, predates McDonald's entry into the Japanese market. The Japanese chain is introducing an inventive menu that includes its whole soft-shell crab burgers to Taiwanese diners.

The Taipei outlet was opened on Oct. 1 in a downtown department store. The shop is operated under a franchise agreement between Japan's Dom Dom Food Service and a Taiwanese partner that has voiced admiration for the experiences and vision of company president Shinobu Fujisaki.

"We want to offer items that are popular in Japan, and on top of that, if there are items that seem likely to become popular, we'd also like to develop (Taiwan-only) products," Fujisaki said.

Go Mugino, who runs a branding and business development consultancy assisting Dom Dom's overseas expansion, told Kyodo News that the Taiwanese market has a "tolerance" to accept modifications and localization, making it well-suited for the right expansion strategy.

When asked about a future expansion plan in Taiwan, Mugino hinted that the company could open at least 30 more outlets. "We've got many offers already," he said, adding, "speed is very important, because the world changes so fast."

Customers lined up on the opening day. A man in his 40s who works at an office nearby said, "I tried a whole soft-shell crab burger in Japan and was surprised at its innovativeness. I'm glad I can eat it in Taiwan as well."

Dom Dom now operates 29 outlets in Japan, with the number of stores sharply lower than the more than 400 in the 1990s due to fierce competition from rival hamburger chains.

Dom Dom Food Service took over the franchise operation in 2017 from a group company of Japanese retailer Daiei Inc.
 
 

Democratic Party-led ruling coalition on the country's upcoming summit diplomacy.

While a series of summit meetings are scheduled from late this month and U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to visit Japan also in late October, full-fledged preparations for these diplomatic events have been delayed as it is unclear when the Diet, Japan's parliament, will elect a new prime minister to succeed outgoing Shigeru Ishiba.

"We are not sure when a parliamentary election for a new prime minister will be held," a senior official at the ministry said. "We cannot decide how to proceed with the upcoming summit diplomacy" unless a new prime minister is picked, the official added.

Currently, it remains to be seen when an extraordinary Diet session in which the next prime minister is elected will be convened.

After Ishiba in early September announced his decision to resign, former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi was elected LDP president to succeed him earlier this month.

Komeito decided Friday to withdraw from the ruling coalition due to a large gap between the two parties' stances over the issue of politics and money.
 
 

Some 80 pct of households in Japan have felt the impact of rising prices on their family budgets, a survey conducted by Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. in early September showed Thursday.

The online survey, which covered 5,484 people in their 20s to 60s from across the country who are working as regular employees, showed that 82.9 pct said their household budgets had been affected by inflation, up from 78.9 pct in the previous year's survey.

Of the respondents affected by inflation, 91.3 pct said price increases had impacted their food expenses, while 61.5 pct felt the impact on electricity bills.

Over half of the respondents answered that their cost of living had increased, with average monthly living expenses rising by 9,636 yen.

Regarding rice, whose prices have spiked in the country, 26.4 pct said they had avoided buying the staple due to the high prices. When asked what they considered to be a reasonable price for rice per 5 kilograms, 34.0 pct, the largest proportion, answered 2,000 yen or under.
 
 

Japanese stocks have hit a record for the ninth time in about six weeks, driven higher by a major transaction involving a Japanese company and on continued hopes for a rate cut in the United States.

Optimism surrounding the election of Sanae Takaichi as president of the Liberal Democratic Party has waned as uncertainty has taken hold, with political calculations becoming more complicated and her ascension to the prime ministership looking less like an absolute certainty.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index hit 48,597.08 — the new record — shortly before the closing bell on Thursday.

SoftBank Group led the rally, with its share price rising 11.43% a day after it announced a $5.4 billion purchase of Zurich’s ABB.

Other tech and electronics companies helped drive the index higher, with Panasonic gaining 6.58% and Tokyo Electric Power up 4.94%.

The benchmark finished the day up 1.77%, at 48,580.44. The yen remained weak, moving above ¥153 to the dollar in the afternoon.

The market has been enthusiastic about the shifting political landscape over the past month, sending the Nikkei index to three all-time highs this month, following six in September.

The election of fiscal and monetary dove Takaichi as the new ruling party leader boosted the market dramatically on Monday, with the benchmark gaining over 5% and hitting the 48,000 level for the first time ever.
The possibility of the Nikkei 225 reaching 50,000 has now emerged as a theme.

Volatility is expected in the coming days and weeks, as the economic outlook under Takaichi remains uncertain — especially as she works to pull together a workable government, and has encountered some setbacks.

“Stock prices aren’t determined solely by domestic politics. There’s a global financial trend driven by the Fed’s rate cuts underpinning everything,” said Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute.

“As long as that doesn’t collapse, the tail wind will likely continue. If it does, then it wouldn’t be strange to see another 2,000-point rise within the year — meaning the Nikkei reaching 50,000 by year-end isn’t out of the question.”
 
 

Heavy rain from a typhoon on Thursday battered a chain of Japanese islands south of Tokyo and the government urged residents to watch for landslides and flooding.

Kyodo news agency reported there has been record rainfall of about  207 millimeters in parts of the Izu island chain located 280 kilometers south of the Japanese capital.

Hundreds of people took refuge at evacuation centers.
In Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, one man died after being swept away by waves while fishing.
 
 

The estimated number of people who jog at least once a year fell by about 3 million in 2024 from the 2020 level, a survey by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation showed Thursday.

The survey, conducted in 2024, found that only 7.4 pct of people in Japan aged 20 or older, or about 7.58 million, went for a run at least once a year, down 2.8 percentage points from 2020, when the country's jogging population peaked.

The jogging rate stood at 11.4 pct for men and 3.3 pct for women, according to the 2024 survey. The figure for women was the lowest since the survey began in 1998.

The rate of female joggers in their 20s was just one-third of the 2020 level.
The survey was conducted in June and July last year, covering 3,000 men and women across Japan aged 18 or older.
 
 

Sanae Takaichi, the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is considering skipping a visit to Tokyo's war-linked Yasukuni Shrine during its autumn festival set to be held between Oct. 17 and 19, sources have said.

Takaichi has often visited the Shinto shrine during its spring and autumn festivals and on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, including at times when she held ministerial posts.

This time, however, she is apparently taking into account the impact any visit might have ahead of busy diplomatic schedule later this month and how it could hurt relations with Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, if she is elected prime minister, as is widely expected, the sources said. Komeito has expressed concern over her Yasukuni visits.

At a news conference just after she was elected LDP chief on Saturday, Takaichi did not make a clear-cut announcement on whether she would visit Yasukuni if she succeeds outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

"I'll make a timely and appropriate decision on how to pay my respects to the war dead," she said, adding that visits "should never be made into a diplomatic issue."

A series of summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are set to kick off Oct. 26 in Malaysia, while Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation-related summits are slated to take place in South Korea from Oct. 31.

Japan's next prime minister is expected to attend these meetings.
The Japanese government hopes to set up a bilateral summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the margin of the APEC summit, and a meeting between the Japanese and South Korean leaders is also expected to be held during the forum.

U.S. President Donald Trump is also eyeing a visit to Japan from Oct. 27.
Takaichi apparently believes that a trip to Yasukuni could adversely affect growing trilateral cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea, which is considered crucial to Tokyo and Washington amid the tough regional security situation, the sources said.

Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Class-A war criminals among other war dead, is regarded as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by some Asian countries, including China and South Korea.

Parliament is expected convene soon for an extraordinary session, where it will select a new prime minister.
 
 

Nissan Motor Co. said Wednesday that it will start accepting orders for the third-generation Leaf electric vehicle in Japan on Oct. 17.

The new model can travel 702 kilometers on a single battery charge, about 50 pct more than the second-generation Leaf. A battery can be charged from 10 pct capacity to 80 pct in around 35 minutes, some 30 pct faster than the previous model.

The Japanese automaker positions the Leaf as the next mainstay car, encouraging consumers to switch from gasoline-powered or gas-electric hybrid vehicles.

Nissan already launched the new model in the United States in late September and plans to do so in Europe in spring 2026.

The company has sold over 700,000 units of the Leaf globally since its first-generation model was released in 2010 as the world's first mass-market EV. The second-generation model was launched in 2017.
 
 

Qilin, a ransomware group with a track record of cyberattacks on major entities around the world, claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a hack on Japan’s Asahi Group, which disrupted production at the beer and beverage giant.

Asahi’s beer-making subsidiary, Asahi Breweries, said on Monday that it had restarted production at its six Japanese beer plants on Oct. 2. It first said it had been hacked on Sept. 29.

Qilin, which operates a ransomware-as-a-service platform that allows users to carry out attacks in exchange for a percentage of extortion proceeds, posted 29 images to its website on Tuesday of what the group claims to be internal Asahi documents.

The group said it had stolen more than 9,300 files, or roughly 27 gigabytes of data, according to the entry on its website.

The authenticity of the documents could not immediately be verified.
An Asahi spokesperson said in an email late Tuesday that the matter was still under investigation and the company declined to comment on Qilin's claims, or any details about extortion demands or negotiations.

Qilin did not respond to a request for comment.

Qilin has been a prolific ransomware service since first emerging in 2022 with 870 claimed attacks, according to data compiled by eCrime.ch, a cybercrime research platform.

The group was behind the June 2024 hack of British diagnostic services provider Synnovis, which officials said in June 2025 contributed to the death of a London hospital patient.
 
 

Could Japan be gearing up to equip its already formidable submarines with long-range strike systems and cutting-edge power sources?

That's what an expert panel has recommended to help boost deterrence as security tensions in Asia run high and Tokyo’s neighbors rapidly upgrade their military capabilities.

Established in February last year to review the progress of revisions to Japan’s key security documents, the panel has used a recent report to call for the development of submarines armed with “long-range missiles” that can be launched vertically.

Submitted to the Defense Ministry last month, the report also states that Japanese submarines should be capable of operating over long distances and for longer periods of time, including while submerged.

The additional power required should come from “next-generation” sources — without being “bound by conventional approaches” — phrasing that has raised speculation Tokyo is considering nuclear power or another energy source for propulsion.

While these weren’t the only recommendations made by the expert panel, the suggested submarine capability upgrades have drawn considerable attention.

They indicate that Japan’s defense activities will no longer be confined to its national borders as Tokyo shifts toward a more regional-focused defense posture.

But perhaps most notably, the recommendations can also be seen as moves to further loosen the postwar limits on Japan’s military.

 

Hurdles for implementing nuclear propulsion aren't just technical or financial — first and foremost, they are legal and political. Indeed, possessing nuclear-powered subs would, on paper, contravene the country’s Atomic Energy Basic Law, which limits nuclear power research and use to peaceful goals.

"If we follow the current interpretation (of the law), it would be difficult for Japan to possess nuclear submarines,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government’s top spokesperson, told a news conference in September last year.

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the ruling party and Japan’s presumptive prime minister, has in the past said she views the idea of possessing nuclear subs favorably — something she said is not unconstitutional, while emphasizing "a need to sort things out."

Japan has a pacifist Constitution and has long adhered to its “three nonnuclear principles” of not possessing, producing or allowing nukes to be introduced to Japan.

As for the technical aspects, the expert panel’s first proposed capability upgrade, the installation of a vertical launch system (VLS) for standoff weapons, is something both the Defense Ministry and the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) have been considering for some time.

In 2023, Kawasaki Heavy Industries proposed a new sub design featuring a VLS fitted between the sail and the bow. The company, which at the time was participating in a study commissioned by the ministry, presented this concept as a potential successor to the current Taigei class, the last of which is set to be built in fiscal 2027.

While some subs’ torpedo tubes can launch cruise missiles, such as the Harpoon anti-ship missile deployed by the Taigei class, there are limitations as to how quickly these can be reloaded, partially because the tubes are usually shared by torpedoes and strike weapons.

 

“A VLS would enable Japan’s next-gen subs to fire both more, larger (and longer-range) weapons than they can now, turning them into more lethal strike platforms,” said Jeffrey Hornung, a Japan defense expert at the Rand Corp.

Among the missiles reportedly being considered is a variant of the Type 12, which would put both ship and land targets at risk from far away. Another possibility would be using U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles, which Japan is already planning to deploy to some destroyers.

But introducing a VLS would require the new subs to be larger and equipped with more robust power sources.

“A larger hull tends to reduce acoustic stealth,” said Masashi Murano, a Japan defense expert at the Hudson Institute think tank.

And if propulsion power is inadequate, this will also make the sub slower, which is why the MSDF is working to find a technological solution for future VLS-equipped subs, he added.

The expert panel’s call for submarine capability upgrades comes as China equips its surface ships and submarines with a considerable number of standoff weapons. This means they can threaten Japanese and U.S. forces without having to approach or transit choke points where MSDF subs would normally try to ambush adversaries.

Because of this, deterring or countering the Chinese Navy will require not only traditional tactics, Murano said, but also long-range weapons and the capability to conduct offensive anti-submarine operations closer to them.

Conventional diesel-electric and air-independent propulsion submarines use a lot of battery energy in transit, so they are not well suited for prolonged sailings.

The expert report’s vagueness about the envisaged propulsion system is likely intentional.
 
“I suspect this reflects not so much political delicacy as a genuine lack of consensus among committee members about whether to pursue nuclear-powered subs (SSNs),” Murano said.
 
“Within the Defense Ministry and the SDF, there is still no consensus on SSN acquisition,” he added, noting that proponents are not always clear whether they primarily seek improved submarine capabilities or a more credible ability to launch retaliatory strikes.
 
One thing is clear, though, Murano said: “The quickest way to offset these disadvantages is to increase power via nuclear propulsion.”
 
Hornung noted that Japan has mastered civilian nuclear technology, even building a nuclear-powered civilian ship in the late 1960s, “so it has the ability to do this.”
 
“I don’t think it is crazy that Tokyo would consider nuclear-powered subs,” he added.
 
However, as Australia has shown, acquiring nuclear subs is easier said than done, with Murano highlighting three major hurdles for Japan: development and operational costs, a lack of qualified personnel and the time required to field the vessels.
 
Many believe that the most dangerous moment for the growing Sino-U.S. military rivalry will be from the late 2020s through the early 2030s. But it is unlikely that Japan would be able to acquire a nuclear sub within that time frame, according to Murano.
 
Indigenous building, even with U.S. technical support, would be the biggest hurdle, he said, noting that putting a nuclear sub into service would likely take around a decade.
 
Leasing the subs would also be problematic, as the U.S. shipbuilding industry is highly strained, and a portion of its capacity is already slated to build boats for Australia in the early 2030s.
 
“So even if Japan sought to lease these boats, deliveries would likely be pushed into the mid-to-late-2030s,” Murano said.
 
Compounding this is a personnel shortage, with the Self-Defense Forces already facing serious workforce problems and submarine crews being among the hardest posts to fill.
 
Given Japan’s demographic trends, introducing nuclear subs would only exacerbate the personnel problem. For example, a nuclear-powered Virginia-class requires roughly twice the crew, about 140, of a Taigei boat, which has a crew of around 70.
 
“From a purely operational perspective, SSNs are a natural option,” Murano said. “But they don't help mitigate the broader problems facing the SDF.”
 
That said, there are alternatives.
 
The Taigei class is powered by a mix of diesel engines and lithium-ion batteries, rather than the more commonplace lead-acid ones. This raises the possibility that the next-generation subs could feature more advanced sources such as solid-state batteries and fuel cells.
 
The South Korean Navy, for example, has fielded VLS-equipped ballistic missile subs that feature a mix of diesel engines and advanced lithium-ion batteries in addition to an air-independent propulsion system.
 
“I would think that if powerful advanced batteries do become realistic alternatives that enable MSDF subs to remain submerged for long periods of time, then politicians will likely lean in that direction,” Hornung said.
 
Another option, Murano noted, would be to develop a hybrid variant combining conventional diesel-electric propulsion with small modular nuclear reactors similar to those developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This, however, might require changes to the nuclear regulations.
 
Alternatively, Tokyo could consider retaining conventional submarines and complementing them with large and extra-large unmanned underwater drones such as Australia’s Ghost Shark or America’s Orca, said Murano.
 
“This would allow Japan to preserve the conventional submarine force size while extending operations closer to Chinese forces and boosting its capability to launch cruise missiles underwater.”
 

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said Wednesday that it has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Japan's Susumu Kitagawa, 74, professor at Kyoto University, and two other researchers "for the development of metal-organic frameworks."

Thirty Japanese individuals have won Nobel prizes, including Kitagawa, University of Osaka professor Shimon Sakaguchi, 74, who was named one of the three winners of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday, and those with U.S. citizenships.

 

Kitagawa is the ninth Japanese to receive the chemistry prize and the first since Akira Yoshino, 77, honorary fellow at major Japanese chemical maker Asahi Kasei Corp., won it in 2019.

The other two winners of this year's chemistry prize are Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne and Omar Yaghi of the University of California, Berkeley.

The award ceremony is set to be held in Stockholm on Dec. 10.The prize money of 11 million Swedish krona will be divided equally among the three laureates.
 


 

When first elected to parliament, Sanae Takaichi owned an A70-chassis Toyota Supra Turbo, driving it to work for over 20 years.
 

• Sanae Takaichi is about to become Japan's first female prime minister.
• When first elected to parliament, she owned a 1991 Supra 2.5GT Twin-Turbo Limited, driving it to work for over two decades.
• The car was freshly restored last year, and it can be seen in a small museum in her home prefecture.

With her election to head of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the longtime politician has become Japan's first female prime minister in waiting. Later this month, it is expected that the Japanese parliament will confirm her appointment, giving the country its Margaret Thatcher moment.

And for Japan's "Iron Lady," only one car will do: the Mk 3 Toyota Supra Turbo she's owned since the 1990s.

This content is imported from instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Don't let the name of her political party fool you; Takaichi is a staunch conservative. Among her stated political views is the opinion that married women should not be allowed to keep their own last names after marriage.

Born the daughter of an office-worker father and a mother in the police services, she grew up in Nara Prefecture, south of Osaka. In 1993, she was elected to parliament as a representative of the region.

Two years earlier, at the age of 30, she had scrimped and saved to buy her first new car. The Takaichis already had some brand loyalty, as Sanae's father worked for a company that had an affiliation with Toyota, and she had selected the Supra as a replacement for her beloved used Celica XX, which was called the Celica Supra when sold on this side of the Pacific.

Here's how she spec'd it: Super White Pearl Mica, burgundy leather interior, 1JZ-GTE twin-turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-six with 276 hp, and a four-speed automatic transmission. Sometime later, she added a Panasonic navigation system.

As a grand tourer par excellence, it was just the thing for a politician on the rise to drive around campaigning, then cruise down the expressway to the National Diet in Tokyo.

What's exceptional is that Takaichi never gave the car up. For more than two decades, as her career took her to ministerial positions right at the highest levels of the LDP, she kept driving her 1991 Supra 2.5GT Twin-Turbo Limited.

The car came off the road sometime around the early 2000s, as Takaichi moved into government positions that saw her getting chauffeured around. However, she did not relinquish the keys, keeping the Supra stored at a local shop in Nara.

Last year, during a failed bid to gain the LDP leadership, the Toyota dealer in Nara who sold Takaichi the car new decided the old machine needed a bit of TLC. Ten volunteer automotive technicians and paint and bodywork specialists went to work, bringing the car back to its former glory.

Takaichi's pearl white Supra can now be found at the Nara Toyota dealership's small museum, complete with a stand-up display of the woman poised to be Japan's first female PM. Really, she couldn't have driven anything else.
 
 

Typhoon Halong is now moving west over waters south of Japan. Japanese weather officials say the storm may become very strong and approach Japan's Izu Islands on Thursday.

The Meteorological Agency says as of 12 p.m. on Tuesday, the typhoon was located over the Pacific south of Japan and moving west-northwest at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour. It had a central atmospheric pressure of 970 hectopascals and was packing winds up to 144 kilometers per hour near its center.

Peak gusts were estimated at 198 kilometers per hour and winds were blowing at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour or faster within a 55 kilometer-radius of the storm center.

The officials are warning people on the Ogasawara Islands to be on alert for strong winds and high waves.

The typhoon is expected to develop and gradually change its course toward the northeast. It may approach the Izu Islands on Thursday as a very strong typhoon.

Strong winds and rough seas are expected on and near the islands on Wednesday and the condition could further intensify on Thursday.
 
 

Two Japanese companies in the field of health and well-being are teaming up to provide mobile mosques that can be used in disaster zones and other temporary locations to serve Muslim communities around the world.

Yasu Project and Relive will create a fund to produce the mobile mosques and distribute them to places in need.

 

The mobile mosque is based on a large, 10-wheel Hino truck and when parked, it can expand on both sides at the push of a button to create a prayer space of 48 square meters in about five minutes. It has its own generator and four air conditioners as well as washing facilities.

Yasu Project CEO Yasuharu Inoue, who has traveled extensively in the Middle East, said he was encouraged to develop the project by the emir of Qatar. Inoue produced the first mobile mosque at a cost of 85 million yen in cooperation with the Doha Bank and Chamber of Commerce.

 

The project gained worldwide media attention and picked up its first customer: Saudi oil company Aramco. Other Japanese companies have expressed interest in the project, as well countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Relive CEO Takashi Sasaki agreed to join the project and help with funding.

“I met Mr Sasaki and he tried to make my idea a reality by suggesting we establish some kind of organization as a fund and to contribute mobile mosques to underprivileged countries and bringing some peace to war-ravaged places,” Inoue explained.

The fund’s general manager, Shirato Taro, a former member of the Tokyo Assembly, said there was concern, especially after the recent Diet elections, that some politicians were seeking to divide communities rather than bring them together.

 

“We have to coexist and live in harmony,” he said, “And the mobile mosque is part of this idea. We want to make a bridge between Japan and the Islamic world and change the world from its direction of exclusivism.”

He added that U.S. President Donald Trump had confused the world about what peace really means.

Inoue says some of the target areas include places such as Yemen, Iraq, Gaza and Africa, as well as areas that are prone to natural disasters such as Indonesia and Iran.
 
 

The Mie prefectural government plans to create what it says will be Japan's first ordinance with a penalty aimed at deterring customers from behaving abusively to workers.

The ordinance would define customer abuse as excessive nuisances that go beyond social norms and harm employees' working environment. Vicious behavior, such as shouting to demand an apology, would be classified as designated customer abuse.

When a business files a complaint of customer abuse, the prefectural government will ask a panel including lawyers to investigate and seek opinions.

If the act is ruled to be designated customer abuse, the governor will issue an order banning the perpetrator from committing such an act.

The perpetrator will be fined if the order is not observed. The fine is likely to be about 500,000 yen.
 

 

The surprising selection of Sanae Takaichi as president of Japan's ruling party may further push up the Nikkei stock index to the 50,000 threshold, aided by a weaker yen as prospects of an imminent interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan recede.

The upward momentum of the key index, however, may be short-lived due to political uncertainty as fiscal dove Takaichi may find it hard to implement economy-supporting policies with her Liberal Democratic Party leading a minority government.

Boosted by optimism about expansionary fiscal measures, the Nikkei surged 4.75 percent Monday to end at a fresh record high at 47,944.76, while the Japanese currency plunged by around 3 yen against the U.S. dollar to hit a two-month low in the 150 level.

Recent advances of the Nikkei came after it sank to the 31,000 level in April due to concerns about higher U.S. levies before recovering as a Japan-U.S. trade deal in July to reduce auto and other tariff rates helped improve investor sentiment.

"The yen fell to 150 against the dollar and a further drop would increase the likelihood of the Nikkei reaching 50,000, considering the impact of a weaker currency on corporate earnings," said Makoto Sengoku, senior equity market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory Co.

The yen could slide even more if concern about the U.S. economic outlook recedes due to additional monetary easing by the Federal Reserve and a U.S. government shutdown ends relatively soon, he said.

Solid corporate earnings are also likely to bolster the market, with the BOJ's latest Tankan survey showing confidence among major manufacturers improved for the second straight quarter.

"It's highly unlikely that corporate earnings will deteriorate and cause stocks to fall," said Koichi Fujishiro, senior economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

The Japanese central bank is now seen as facing headwinds to pursue additional interest rate hikes at its policy meeting late October, as Takaichi has aired concern about the adverse impact of U.S. tariffs on the Japanese economy in the future.

Speculation about additional rate hikes had grown recently amid surging food and other prices, after two of the nine board members voted against leaving the policy rate unchanged at the last meeting in September.

"It is too early to assume deflation is over and feel relieved," she told a press conference Saturday after being elected as LDP chief, apparently signaling to the BOJ to be cautious about further rate increases.

"I will have to closely communicate with the BOJ" until inflation led by higher wages accompanied with expanding demand is achieved, she said.

Takaichi also said in a recent Kyodo News survey of LDP leadership candidates that the BOJ should keep intact its policy rate at around 0.5 percent, contrasting with the other four candidates, who refrained from commenting on whether it should raise or reduce rates.

Some analysts, meanwhile, warned the equities market may be dampened by the unclear political outlook given the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito lack a majority in either house of parliament.

"The sustainability of stock rises may not last so long" as it remains unclear how the ruling coalition will cooperate with other parties to implement policies, said Masahiro Yamaguchi, head of investment research at SMBC Trust Bank.

"The feasibility and scale of policies will become apparent if such issues are likely to be cleared, but it will take some time to reach that stage," he added.

Concerns over rising borrowing costs also linger, as expansionary fiscal policies such as more government spending and tax cuts would lead to further deterioration in Japan's fiscal health, which is already the worst among developed economies, brokers said.
 


 

Asahi has partially restarted production at all six of its breweries in Japan after it was forced to close them due to a cyber-attack.

Several major shops in Japan including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart had warned last week that they were running low on stocks of the beer after the hack affected Asahi Group's ordering and delivery systems in the country.

Asahi is the biggest brewer in Japan, but it also makes soft drinks and food products, as well as supplying own-brand goods to other retailers.

The partially restarted breweries produce best-seller Asahi Super Dry, but the firm is also restarting plants that produce food and soft drinks.

The cyber-attack is the latest to have affected operations at major firms, with carmaker Jaguar Land Rover still struggling to recover from an attack that shut down production.

Asahi Group also owns Fullers in the UK and global brands including Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch. However, only Asahi's operations in Japan - which account for about half its sales - have been affected by the attack.

Asahi said the re-opened beer plants in Japan were "not yet fully operational", and that two of its soft drinks factories that have partially re-opened were also not running at full capacity.

It added there were a further five soft drinks factories that "will resume gradually in accordance with shipments"

All seven of its food plants have resumed operations, though they are also not yet fully operational.

Asahi said the production systems at the factories themselves had not been affected by the cyber-attack, but it had been forced to halt production because it could not process orders and shipments.

The company added that its breweries were producing only Super Dry, and that from 15 October it would resume shipments of 16 products, including its non-alcoholic beers Asahi Dry Zero and Asahi Zero, as well as Clear Asahi and whiskey Black Nikka Clear.

It said some product launches would also be postponed.
 
 

The Japanese government plans to revise its action plan for preventing human rights violations linked to corporate activities by the end of the year.

A draft of the revised plan designates human rights due diligence procedures and the establishment of human rights-linked measures at small companies as "priority areas" for the first time.

The government aims to accelerate efforts across entire supply chains by encouraging small businesses that have been slower than large corporations to adopt human rights measures to make improvements.

The draft stipulates that the purpose of the action plan is to "ensure and improve the international competitiveness and sustainability of Japanese companies," as well as to promote the protection of human rights in society as a whole.

It focuses on creating effective systems for companies of all sizes, by sharing precedent cases and expanding consultation services. This emphasis reflects the fact that many large companies have drawn up human rights policies that outline their stances on respecting human rights during the current five-year action plan period through this year.
 


 

A local train bound for Tokyo's Shibuya collided with an out-of-service train on Sunday night, causing the latter to partially derail and creating long delays for morning rush hour commuters, according to Tokyu Railways.

Tokyu Railways was unable to say when services would be resumed.
The collision occurred near Kajigaya Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line at around 11:05 p.m. and resulted in the suspension of services between Shibuya and Saginuma stations from the first trains on Monday. Nobody was injured in the incident.

The out-of-service train, operated by an apprentice driver and an instructor, was headed to a depot near Kajigaya Station but had stopped short of its correct position after receiving a overspeed warning signal, according to Tokyu.

The train's location left its last car protruding into the path of the other train which was arriving at the station with 149 passengers aboard. After the impact, the out-of-service train was partially derailed.

Passengers on the local train were able to disembark at the station.
The accident is being investigated by the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and the Japan Transport Safety Board, which dispatched two investigators to the site.

Top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will provide necessary safety guidance to Tokyu Railways following assessment of the accident's cause.

"Ensuring transportation safety is a railway operator's most vital task," the chief cabinet secretary said.

The busy Tama-Plaza Station in Yokohama on the Den-en-toshi Line was crowded with delayed passengers early on Monday morning.

"It's a terrible situation," said commuter Yoshiki Nakatsu, who lives nearby. "I don't think service will be restored any time soon, and I'm worried about later when I'm coming home."
 
 

Chestnuts peek out from nests of spiky burs on Sunday in Obuse, Nagano Prefecture. Harvest season for the town’s famed chestnuts is now at its peak.

This orchard, called Marron-zine Obuse, consists of 26 plots in which roughly 600 chestnut trees in about 10 varieties are cultivated. These varieties include Ginyose and Tsukuba chestnuts, both of which are now in season.

The chestnuts will soon be shipped to local confectioneries, specialty shops and other businesses. “The fruit is smaller this year because of the dry summer, but it’s also sweeter than usual,” said the orchard’s representative, 50-year-old Shigehisa Kobayashi.

The harvest will continue until around mid-October and is expected to total about nine tons, in line with an average year.
 

 

Matsudo High School, a public school in the town of Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, used to have a little campus store where students could buy bread, which in Japan encompasses snack-sized buns with sweet or savory fillings.

That’s still not a ton of variety, though, and in 2022 the store, having trouble making ends meet, closed. Following that, the only snack options in the school were a pair of vending machines, once again stocked with just breads.

In late September, though, a new shop opened inside Matsudo High, and it’s got a much, much, wider selection, because it’s a full-on Japanese convenience store.

https://youtu.be/D3Leq5UJKOQ

The store opened on September 25, and while it’s not huge, its floor space of 32 square meters (344 square feet) makes it as big as some convenience stores you’ll find out in Japanese towns or attached to train stations.

What’s more, this is a full-fledged branch of Yamazaki Shop, the chain of convenience stores operated by Yamazaki Baking Company, and is stocked with roughly 1,000 different items.

Since it’s located within the school building and isn’t accessible by the general public, obviously it doesn’t sell alcohol of tobacco products, but students can come in and get Japanese convenience store staples like onigiri/rice balls, bento boxed lunches, cup ramen, soft drinks such as tea and juice, and even sundry items like pens, stationery, and hand towels. It’s the first instance of a convenience store chain opening a branch inside a public high school in the prefecture.

The school does have a couple of stipulations for this unique branch. First, while self-checkout registers are becoming more common in Japanese convenience stores, all of the Matsudo High Yamazaki Shop’s sales have to be rung up by an employee, and the bread and rice balls they sell also must have been made that same day.

It also doesn’t operate under the 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week schedule that’s the norm for Japanese convenience stores, and is instead open only on weekdays from 10: 30 a.m. to 6 p.m., making it accessible to kids after class and extracurricular activities.

As for whether the Yamazaki Shop will prove more profitable than the school’s previous bread-only shop, the owner, who has a half-dozen other convenience store franchises, isn’t too terribly concerned, as he’s a Matsudo native who wants to do something nice for his hometown.

The school’s principal also says they also hope for the store to serve as an educational opportunity for programs in which students can learn about subjects such as marketing and distribution.
 

All Nippon Airways Co. plans to raise the mandatory retirement age for its employees from 60 to 65 starting in fiscal 2027 and proposed the measure to its labor union on Tuesday.

Amid increasingly serious labor shortages, ANA aims to better utilize the expert knowledge of veteran workers and pass on their skills to younger employees.

Currently, ANA signs reemployment contracts with employees every year after they reach 60. Those employees can continue to work for the company until they turn 65 as non-regular staff.

Under the planned system, the employees will continue to be regular-contract workers. However, limitations on job roles and other matters for employees aged 60 or over will remain.

In fiscal 2024, ANA hiked non-regular employees’ salaries from 40% to about 60% the level they had as 59-year-old regular-contract workers.

By making senior employees regular-contract workers, their salary levels will be further hiked to about 70%. For pilots and mechanics, whose roles are highly skilled and require national licenses, it will be possible for the level to be about 90%.

The number of ANA employees aged from 60 to 65 is predicted to be about 1,500 in fiscal 2027. The company therefore forecasts that its labor costs will be increased by several billions of yen as a result of its plan.

Going forward, the company will hold discussions with the labor union to make the plan an official decision.
 
 

Politics dominated currency markets on Monday as the Japanese yen weakened by the most in five months against the dollar with Sanae Takaichi looking set to become Japan's next prime minister, and the euro slid after France's new government quit.

Takaichi is a former economic security and internal affairs minister with an expansionary fiscal agenda for the world's fourth-largest economy. She won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election at the weekend, putting her on track to become Japan's next prime minister.

Her victory caused traders to reduce bets that the Bank of Japan will hike interest rates this month and sent the yen tumbling across the board.


UNCERTAINTY OVER POLICY PRIORITIES IN JAPAN

The dollar at one point rose more than 2% to 150.47 yen, its highest level since early August. It was last up 1.7% at 149.91, and if sustained, that would be its biggest daily gain since May 12.

The euro hit 176.22 yen in Asian trade, its highest ever against the Japanese currency. It later pared those gains to be up 1.2% at 175.3 yen following the collapse of the French government.

Deutsche Bank had advised clients to position for yen appreciation, but they "are now getting out following the LDP election outcome this weekend", the bank's global head of FX research, George Saravelos, said in a note to clients.

"Sanae Takaichi's surprise victory reintroduces too much uncertainty around Japan's policy priorities, and the timing of the BoJ hiking cycle," he wrote.
Long-dated Japanese government bonds sold off. And the yen swaps market indicated just less than a 50% likelihood of a rate hike by December, down from 68% on Friday.

However, some investors said U.S. factors that could weigh on the dollar in the coming weeks, such as the Federal Reserve continuing to cut rates, might stop traders selling the yen for dollars too dramatically.

"Most see short dollar-yen as the cleanest expression of a weaker dollar. Takaichi is the idiosyncratic risk. But the Fed is the bigger, more obvious, more immediate macro risk," said Rong Ren Goh, a portfolio manager in the fixed income team at Eastspring Investments.


PRESSURE ON MACRON AFTER LATEST SETBACK

Meanwhile, the euro slid after France's new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his government resigned on Monday, just hours after the announcement of the cabinet line-up, deepening France's political crisis.

The euro dropped 0.6% to $1.1681 and also slid 0.3% against thepound to its lowest in nearly a month.

"The pressure now goes back to President Macron to see how he deals with this deadlock," said Lee Hardman, senior currency strategist at MUFG.

"For the market, the worst case would be if he tries to break that deadlock by calling snap parliamentary elections. That would extend the uncertainty in the near term and likely trigger another leg lower for the euro."

Sterling was down 0.3% against the dollar at $1.3431 , while the Swiss franc softened a similar amount to 0.7993 per dollar.

Elsewhere, this week traders will have to grapple with the absence of important U.S. economic data as the government shutdown continues.

That could make it hard to shake current market pricing signalling that easing at the Fed's October meeting is a near-certainty. Fed funds futures implied a 96.7% probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut, according to the CME Group's FedWatch tool.
 
 

Nissan Motor Co will put on hold a plan to make electric vehicles in the United States as EV sales are slowing and a tax break on EV purchases was eliminated in the country, a source familiar with the move said.

The Japanese automaker is instead considering reviving the once-discontinued Xterra sport utility vehicle in a hybrid format in 2028.

According to the source, Nissan has already asked parts suppliers to suspend work related to its initial goal of starting production of SUV-type EVs at its plant in Canton, Mississippi, in the same target year.

The automaker now envisions producing Xterra SUVs at the Canton facility.
As it moves to streamline operations in a bid to restore profitability, Nissan signaled to partner companies in July that it was delaying the start of EV production at the plant by up to a year.

It came to light in September that Nissan had temporarily suspended production at an eastern Japan plant of its Ariya electric vehicle for the U.S. market. But the automaker still plans to launch a new model of the Leaf EV in the United States in the fall.

Slowing global EV sales have forced automakers to reconsider their EV strategies.

In May, Honda Motor Co. said it was reducing its investment plan for EV technology through fiscal 2030 to around 7 trillion yen ($47.6 billion) from the previously scheduled 10 trillion yen, citing lower-than-expected growth in the EV market.
 
 

An exhibition in Tokyo is offering visitors a chance to experience the artistic and cultural heritage of Tunisia.

“Tunisia: Pathways in Cultural Exchange with the World” opened on Friday and will run until the end of January.

The event forms part of the Tunisian Embassy’s broader efforts to highlight Tunisian culture and to promote Tunisia as a unique cultural and touristic destination.

 

The exhibition features traditional handicrafts, contemporary fine art and a dedicated space showcasing Tunisia’s history, traditions, and tourism potential.

An exclusive corner is also devoted to the display and sale of authentic Tunisian products, providing Japanese visitors with a tangible experience of Tunisia’s craftsmanship and creativity.

 

Beyond the exhibition itself, a rich program of cultural activities will be held throughout its duration. Highlights include “Tunisia through the Eyes of JICA Volunteers”, a lecture on Tunisian archaeological sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, creative workshops for children, live Arabic calligraphy demonstrations, and musical performances.

 

The exhibition serves as a prelude to the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tunisia and Japan next year.
 
 

A woman in northern Japan has died after being attacked by a bear while picking mushrooms and another was missing, police and local media said on Saturday.

More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.

"A woman was confirmed dead and another is still missing," a police official in northern Miyagi region said.

Four people including the two women in their 70s were picking mushrooms on a mountain on Friday, according to police.

While the official said police were still investigating the cause of death, local media reported one of the group called police saying the woman was attacked by a bear.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that police believed she was attacked by the animal based on injuries to her body.

Separately, the body of a 78-year-old man with multiple claw marks was found in Nagano prefecture, according to the Asahi Shimbun daily. Police think he was killed by a bear, the report said.

Last month, Japan eased gun rules making it easier for hunters to use rifles in built-up areas following a rise in bear attacks.

According to NHK, 69 people nationwide suffered injuries caused by bears, with five of these resulting in death between April and August this year.
Government data shows bears attacked 85 people in the year ending March 2025, with three fatalities.

In the previous year, there were 219 attacks and six deaths.
 
 

Japan's ruling conservative party has elected Sanae Takaichi as its new leader, positioning the 64-year-old to be Japan's first female prime minister.

Takaichi is among the more conservative candidates leaning to the ruling party's right. A former government minister, TV host and avid heavy metal drummer, she is one of the best known figures in Japanese politics - and a controversial one at that.

She faces many challenges, including contending with a sluggish economy and households struggling with relentless inflation and stagnant wages.
She will also have to navigate a rocky US-Japan relationship and see through a tariff deal with the Trump administration agreed by the previous government.

If confirmed as prime minister, one of Takaichi's key challenges will be uniting the party after a turbulent few years which saw it rocked by scandals and internal conflicts.

Last month, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose term lasted just over a year, announced he would step down after a series of election defeats that saw the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) governing coalition lose its majority in both chambers of parliament.

Prof Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Tokyo, told the BBC that Takaichi was unlikely to have "much success at healing the internal party rift".

Takaichi belongs to the "hardline" faction of the LDP, which believed that "the reason the LDP support has imploded is because it lost touch with its right-wing DNA", he added.

"I think she's in a good position to regain the right wing voters, but at the expense of wider popular appeal, if they go into a national election."
Takaichi has been a long-time admirer of Britain's first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. She is now ever closer to fulfilling her Iron Lady ambition.

But many women voters don't see her as an advocate for progress.
"She calls herself Japan's Margaret Thatcher. In terms of fiscal discipline, she's anything but Thatcher," Prof Kingston said.

"But like Thatcher she's not much of a healer. I don't think she's done much to empower women."

Takaichi is a staunch conservative who's long opposed legislation allowing women to keep their maiden names after marriage, saying it is against tradition. She is also against same sex marriage.

A protégé of the late former leader Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has vowed to bring back his economic vision, known as Abenomics – which involves high fiscal spending and cheap borrowing.

The LDP veteran is hawkish on security and aims to revise Japan's pacifist constitution.

She's also a regular visitor of the controversial Yasukuni shrine where Japan's war dead including some convicted war criminals are memorialised.

She will likely be confirmed by parliament, although not automatically like her predecessors because the ruling party is in a much weaker position now having lost its majority in both houses.
 
 

The dollar headed for its worst week since late July on Friday as the U.S. government shutdown increased uncertainty, while the yen pulled back from this week's highs as traders mulled the Bank of Japan's next move ahead of a ruling party leadership election this weekend.

The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of key currencies, was flat at 97.77. The euro was up 0.2% at $1.1736. Sterling firmed 0.1% to $1.345.

"We've got the government shutdown in the U.S. ... for market participants it means we're not getting any of the data releases we would usually get like the non-farm payrolls data today," said Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone.

"I think that's why we're seeing things trade in such listless fashion."



BOJ GOVERNOR STRIKES CAUTIOUS TONE

Though ISM data is due out of the U.S. later, Brown said he did not expect it to move the needle.

The yen eased 0.1% to 147.375 per dollar, having earlier fallen as much as 0.4%. But it remained on track for a 1.4% advance this week that would be the biggest since mid-May.

BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda struck a cautious tone in comments about the global economy, lowering expectations of an imminent rate hike. Markets were also focused on a Liberal Democratic Party election on Saturday that will determine Japan's next prime minister.

"Market participants are a little bit disappointed potentially ... he (Ueda) didn't really lean into the idea of an October rate hike as much as some of his colleagues have done in recent sessions, that's why we've seen a little bit of pressure on the yen," said Brown.

Markets were keeping a close eye on speeches by BOJ officials this week after the central bank's tankan survey on Wednesday showed confidence among big manufacturers improved for the second straight quarter.

Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida said on Thursday that the business mood was improving and corporate profits remained high even as U.S. tariffs weighed on exports.

But in a speech on Friday, Governor Ueda put the focus back on how global factors, particularly the health of the U.S. economy, could affect the trajectory of wages and prices in Japan.

Goldman Sachs economists said in a note that Ueda's speech "supports our view that the possibility of an October rate hike is very low."

The LDP election also has consequences for Japan's budget and central bank policies.

Among the frontrunners, dovish party veteran Sanae Takaichi could trigger more bond market uncertainty, while farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi and top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi are less likely to rock the boat.



TWO MORE FED RATE CUTS EXPECTED THIS YEAR


In the U.S. overnight, a Chicago Fed report that combined private and available public data estimated the September jobless rate was 4.3%, the same as in August and evidence that a feared rapid rise in unemployment had not yet begun.

But details of the report, along with other data, pointed to sluggishness in the labour market. The ADP National Employment report on Wednesday showed private payrolls decreased by 32,000 in September, boosting expectations that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates twice more this year.

Traders see a 25-basis-point cut at the Fed's October meeting as almost certain and are pricing in an 89% probability of an additional cut in December, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool.

Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan on Thursday said the central bank appropriately cut rates last month to guard against the risk of a sharp deterioration in the job market, but said that so far the cooling has been gradual and signalled she was not eager to cut rates further.

Elsewhere, a few Fed, ECB, Bank of England central bankers were due to speak at the farewell symposium of the Dutch central bank governor Klaas Knot, including ECB President Christine Lagarde and the Bank of England's Andrew Bailey.
 
 

Japanese and U.S. business leaders issued a joint statement Friday demanding that their governments "secure transparency and predictability of international trade and investment."

The statement, adopted by the members of the Japan-U.S. and U.S.-Japan Business Councils at their two-day joint meeting in Tokyo, which began Thursday, comes as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy is adding to global economic uncertainties.

Both governments should "reaffirm" their support for foreign direct investment between Japan and the United States while "ensuring investment screening measures are narrowly tailored to national security concerns," the statement added.

The leaders from more than 120 major companies also underscored the importance of the public and private sectors collaborating in "transparent, accountable, and risk-aware" artificial intelligence development and requested visa facilitation for business trips by experts.

"We have a sense of danger over the unpredictable situation," Japan-U.S. Business Council Chair Jun Sawada, also chairman of NTT, told a press conference after the meeting. "I want both governments to make efforts to eliminate uncertainty as much as possible."

David Goeckeler, head of the U.S. council and chairman and CEO of U.S. flash memory-maker Sandisk, said, "It's very important that we have a point of view" on political measures. He then voiced intention to ask the U.S. government for improvements in the investment environment.
 
 

The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will push for taxable ¥20,000 ($135) cash handouts to be included in the upcoming extra budget, the party leader said, framing it as a key test of whether deeper cooperation with the ruling coalition is possible.

"Including the cash handout in the extra budget should be the top priority,” Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda said in an interview on Friday.

"Only then can we see if real cooperation with the ruling bloc is possible — but at this point, I don’t see much of a chance,” he added. He also ruled out the possibility of joining the coalition.

Noda’s comments come as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party prepares to elect a new leader on Saturday. Whoever wins is expected to become Japan’s next prime minister, but they will have to seek support from opposition parties to pass key legislation after the LDP lost its majority in both houses of parliament.

The CDP holds the most number of seats among opposition parties, but has struggled to get other parties to coalesce around it.

While all five LDP leadership contenders have said economic measures are needed to support households, many have backed away from the concept of one-off cash handouts. The party campaigned on them in July’s Upper House elections and had dismal results.

Noda, a former prime minister who was in power in the early 2010s, emphasized the CDP’s goal of regime change in the next general election. At the same time, he signaled he’s not expecting to become premier himself this time, given the fragmentation among opposition parties.

Among the five LDP leadership candidates, Noda showed preference for those aligned with outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. "We discussed policies under Ishiba, and if the next leader is someone who carries those decisions forward, we see more opportunity for real policy dialogue and implementation,” he said.

Those comments suggested he favors agricultural minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, contenders from the current Cabinet. Noda distanced himself from pro-stimulus candidate Sanae Takaichi, who has floated a combined tax credit and handout policy similar to the CDP’s more longer-term plan.

"The LDP and Komeito are currently negotiating with us, and securing financial resources is of course one of the issues they’re considering,” he said. Takaichi’s thinking on financing is "totally different,” he said.

Earlier this week, Noda instructed CDP leaders to compile an economic package proposal to be submitted during the upcoming parliamentary session.

He said the plan will build on price measures proposed ahead of the Upper House election, include a one-year suspension of the sales tax on food. The estimated ¥5 trillion cost for the tax cut can be funded through non-tax revenue, surplus government funds and other sources, Noda said.

Noda, who also once served as finance minister, pointed to the weak yen as a major factor behind persistent inflation, suggesting the Bank of Japan should take it into account in deciding policy. Given the current economic conditions, "the environment is in place” for the BOJ to start raising rates, Noda said.

"Real interest rates are still too low,” he added, referencing economists’ view that a 1% real neutral rate should be the benchmark.

He also called for a revision of the 2013 joint statement between the government and BOJ, which committed to continued easing until inflation stabilized at 2%. Noda suggested a more flexible target, arguing the current goal lacks adaptability. The party suggested 1% to 3% as an alternative target.

Separately, the BOJ announced last month that it will begin gradually unwinding its massive holdings of exchange-traded funds, which total more than ¥70 trillion in market value.

"There’s no need for ETF sales to take 100 years,” Noda said. He reiterated the CDP’s proposal from last year to redirect BOJ ETF dividends toward child care spending.

"If the BOJ’s profits are used only for debt repayment and defense spending, the public sees no benefit. If we consider it a funding source, we need to broaden how it’s used.”
 
 

 

Japan is facing a shortage of Asahi products, including beer and bottled tea, as the drinks giant grapples with the impact of a major cyber-attack that has affected its operations in the country.

Most of the Asahi Group's factories in Japan have been at a standstill since Monday, after the attack hit its ordering and delivering systems.

Major Japanese retailers, including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, have now warned customers to expect shortages of Asahi products.

In a statement on Friday, Asahi said it was "unable to provide a clear timeline for recovery" but had started "partial manual" processing of orders and shipments.

Asahi is the biggest brewer in Japan, but it also makes soft drinks and food products, as well as supplying own-brand goods to other retailers.

It owns Fullers in the UK and global brands including Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch. However, Asahi has said that only its operations in Japan - which account for about half its sales - have been affected by the attack.

In its latest statement, Asahi said that as a result of containment measures following the attack, ordering and shipment systems in Japan had been affected and it was also unable to receive emails from external sources.

"Although system-based order and shipment processes remain suspended, ensuring product supply to customers has been set as our top priority and we have begun partial manual order processing and shipment," it said.
Asahi also said it was preparing to reopen its call centre operations next week.

Atsushi Katsuki, Asahi president and group chief executive, apologised for the disruption.

"We are making every effort to restore the system as quickly as possible, while implementing alternative measures to ensure continued product supply to our customers," he said.

In a statement on Thursday, FamilyMart - which is one of Japan's largest convenience stores - said its Famimaru range of bottled teas, which are made by Asahi, were expected to be in short supply or out of stock.

"We sincerely apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused," said FamilyMart, adding that it was working with Asahi to resume the sale of the products.

7-Eleven, the Japanese-owned global convenience store chain, has halted shipments in the country of Asahi products, including its popular Super Dry beer.

A spokesperson for 7-Eleven said its shops have been advised to expect a shortage of Asahi products.

Lawson, another major Japanese retailer, also said it expected some Asahi products to be in short supply from Friday.

The retailer said it planned to stock up on alternative products to minimise the impact on customers.

Japanese supermarket chain Life Cooperation also warned that Asahi products may soon go out of stock.
 

 

The average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets across Japan in the week ended Sunday fell 35 yen from the previous week to 4,211 yen per 5 kilograms, the agriculture ministry said Friday.

The average rice price dropped for the second straight week, though still above 4,000 yen for the fourth consecutive week.

The decline was apparently because the government extended the deadline for selling relatively cheap rice released from its stockpile beyond the end of August.

A separate survey of about 1,200 supermarkets showed that the average rice price dropped 51 yen to 3,539 yen. A survey of about 6,000 drugstores and other retail shops found that the average price was 57 yen lower at 3,995 yen.

The country's rice production this year is expected to grow by 560,000 tons from the previous year, agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters, adding that industry executives predict more.
 
 

 

 
A new luxury hotel opened in Nagoya on Wednesday, with standard room prices as high as 3.75 million yen per night, as it seeks to attract affluent tourists with its panoramic view of nearby Nagoya Castle.

The 11-story Espacio Nagoya Castle, designed in the style of a Japanese castle, has 100 guest rooms themed after Japanese samurai culture and traditional crafts, according to its operator Espacio Enterprise Co.
Room prices start at 250,000 yen per night, and the building features a spa and pool located on one of its two basement levels.

The site was formerly occupied by the prestigious Hotel Nagoya Castle, which welcomed members of the Japanese imperial family and foreign dignitaries. It closed in 2020 due to aging facilities.

Nagoya-based trading and pharmaceutical company Kowa Co., the parent company of Espacio Enterprise, bought the land and constructed the new hotel.

More luxury hotels are scheduled to open in Nagoya in response to the influx of tourists to Japan, and in expectation of the opening of a maglev train line that will run from Tokyo to the city and eventually extend to Osaka.
 
 

Isuzu Motors on Wednesday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a vehicle plant in South Carolina, which will become the Japanese commercial vehicle maker's first independent factory in the United States.

The new plant is expected to start truck production in 2027. Isuzu aims to ease the impact of the high tariff policy of the administration of U.S.

President Donald Trump, which has increased export costs, by expanding local production while reducing shipments from Japan.

The automaker began vehicle sales in North America in 1984 and logged a record high of some 44,000 units in fiscal 2023. Currently, Isuzu exports about 40% of the automobiles it sells in the region from Japan and consigns final assembly to U.S. companies for the rest.

Isuzu plans to produce 50,000 vehicles, including electric trucks, at the South Carolina plant in 2030, intending to supply most of its vehicles for the North American market from the new factory.

The construction has been planned before the launch of Trump's tariff policy. Having an independent factory in the United States "has been our dream," Isuzu Chairman Masanori Katayama told reporters.

Having a U.S. plant will "increase measures we can take in response to the U.S. tariffs," such as local procurement of parts, he also said.

Isuzu has yet to decide whether to produce all vehicles it sells in North America at the South Carolina plant in the future, Katayama said. But he added that it could be possible.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by about 150 people, including South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Japanese Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada.
 


 

Japan has lodged a protest with China after a Chinese marine survey ship was suspected of carrying out a survey again in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The Japan Coast Guard says a patrol ship saw the Chinese vessel extending a pipe-like object in waters roughly 400 kilometers west of Amami Oshima Island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima before 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The same vessel was seen conducting what appeared to be survey operations in adjacent waters within Japan's EEZ on Sunday and Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa said the coast guard has continuously demanded that China stop the activity.

He said the government has also lodged a strong protest with China through diplomatic channels, saying any marine scientific survey in Japan's EEZ is not acceptable without its consent and is extremely regrettable, and that it must stop immediately.

He said Japan will continue to deal with the situation resolutely and calmly.
 
 

The number of foreign children of elementary or junior high school age living in Japan who were not or may not have been in education amounted to 8,432 as of May 2024, an education ministry survey showed Thursday.

This represents a decrease of 169 from the previous year’s survey.
The total number of foreign children registered in Japan as residents eligible for education at elementary or junior high schools stood at 163,358, up by 12,663.

Of the total, 114,792 were elementary school students and 48,566 were junior high school students, marking year-on-year increases of 8,252 and 4,411, respectively.

The survey covered education boards in 1,741 municipalities nationwide.
 
 

OpenAI and Japan’s Digital Agency today announced a strategic collaboration to explore how generative AI can be used safely and effectively to enhance public services in Japan.

Japan’s Digital Agency will make Gennai, a new AI tool powered by OpenAI’s advanced AI technology, available to government employees, with the goal of using AI to drive innovative public sector use cases.

OpenAI has contributed to the pilot launched by the OECD and the G7 to monitor the Hiroshima AI Process, led by the Japanese government.

The “Hiroshima AI Process Comprehensive Policy Framework”is the first international policy framework consisting of guidelines and codes of conduct aimed at promoting the adoption of safe, secure, and trustworthy advanced AI systems—beyond the G7 to include governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society in Asian countries and emerging economies.

It is designed to promote the formation of inclusive international governance on AI, ensuring that people around the world can use AI that is safe, secure, and trustworthy.

Aligned with the Japanese government’s policies, OpenAI will also actively explore initiatives that contribute to secure and reliable government AI, including pursuing ISMAP (Information system Security Management and Assessment Program) certification.

Looking ahead, OpenAI will continue to prioritize safety, transparency, and international cooperation while deepening partnerships with the Japanese government, local authorities, educational institutions, industry, and users to contribute to the responsible and sustainable integration of generative AI into society.
 
 

Japanese police Wednesday launched special teams to reinforce their fight against "tokuryu" ad hoc crime groups made up of anonymous members.

The National Police Agency and Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department took the action with no sign of decline seen for crimes by tokuryu groups, whose members are connected through social media for illegal activities such as fraud and robbery.

The new teams will gather and analyze information across organizational boundaries to spot core tokuryu members and concentrate their investigative power on arresting and eradicating such groups.

At a ceremony to mark the launch of the NPA's information analysis office, agency Commissioner-General Yoshinobu Kusunoki stressed:
"Whether our countermeasures prove successful will have a significant impact on the country's public safety. We are at a crucial stage."

"We must find out core group members, arrest them in an intensive and strategic manner and break down their illegal business models," Kusunoki also said.
 
 

Japan Airlines Co said Tuesday it will suspend high-risk pilots if their liver functions deteriorate beyond certain levels, as the troubled carrier announced stricter safety measures after international flights were delayed due to drinking incident involving a pilot.

JAL submitted a set of measures to prevent a repeat of the latest case in August, in which the pilot drank alcohol and was unable to operate a flight from Hawaii to Japan.

The lapse prompted the transport ministry to reprimand the airline and require it to report on safety steps to avoid a recurrence.

Six pilots have already been suspended from flying, according to JAL.
A series of drinking incidents involving pilots have hit JAL and the most recent one came despite its efforts to root out such episodes.

While acknowledging that its measures so far against preflight drinking by pilots have not been effective, it admitted fault for having unilaterally imposed stricter rules on its employees without proper consultation.

In its report released Tuesday, JAL said it will set up a consultative framework with labor to discuss how best to implement effective measures.

The management team initially sought to require pilots to pledge in writing that they will steer clear of alcohol-related trouble. But the plan met internal opposition, according to people familiar with the situation.

A JAL pilot consumed three pints of beer -- 568 milliliters each -- a day before his flight on Aug. 28 from Honolulu to Chubu airport near Nagoya.
The day of his flight, his testing kit showed alcohol presence 60 times in succession. He notified the company that he was feeling unwell, admitting that he had drunk the day before.

The flight he was supposed to pilot had to be delayed for about two hours, while two other flights bound for Tokyo's Haneda airport from Honolulu were also delayed for over 18 hours. He was later fired.

He had been flagged by the airline as someone who needed close monitoring seven years ago for drinking but he vowed at the time to quit the habit, according to JAL.

JAL was also issued a warning by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, after different pilots attempted to conceal excessive preflight drinking.

Some pilots say drinking alcohol within allowed limits can help them relax after long international flights. Others see it as part of their way to endure demanding working schedules when there are not enough pilots to keep up with growing demand for air travel.

JAL said Tuesday it will continue to enforce no-drinking rules for pilots during their business stays.
 
 

Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday opened Woven City, a demonstration site for advanced technology built on the former grounds of a factory in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture.

The site will serve as a location for the development of new products and services, with 20 companies and individuals participating, including Toyota and nonautomotive firms.

Experiments in various fields, including autonomous driving technology, will be conducted, while employees and other people with connections to Toyota reside in the area.

On Thursday, Toyota disclosed to the press an autonomous robotic vehicle that leads cars to destinations, which is thought to be used for car sharing services in the future. The automaker also revealed single-person three-wheeled electric vehicles, which will be used as a means of transportation at Woven City.

“(Woven City) will serve as a test course for the future,” said Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda at an opening ceremony.

The demonstration site currently covers 47,000 square meters, with the automaker planning to eventually expand it to 294,000 square meters.

Toyota has not specified construction costs or when construction will be completed, as the automaker plans to change the layout of Woven City based on future development of products and services.

Only a few households currently reside in the area, but about 300 people will move to there during the first phase. The number is expected to reach about 2,000 in the final phase.

Toyoda first announced the concept of Woven City in 2020 when he was the president. “We will build a ‘city’ from scratch,” he said at the time.

In October last year, construction work for the site’s initial phase was completed. The automaker has been preparing to start experiments since then.
 
 
 

Former Suntory Holdings Ltd Chairman Takeshi Niinami has resigned as chief of a major business body, the group said Tuesday, after he came under police investigation over supplement purchases.

The board of directors at the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, known as Keizai Doyukai, accepted his resignation request made at their meeting earlier in the day, it said.

Senior Vice Chairman Mutsuo Iwai, who is chairman of Japan Tobacco Inc., will serve as acting chair until a new chief is selected, it said.

Niinami told a press conference that he offered to resign "to avoid splitting" the association since he said the board had been divided over whether he should stay on.

"I do have regrets because there were still things that I wanted to do (as chief)," he added.

Niinami declined to provide details regarding the controversial supplement purchases, saying only that he will cooperate with the investigative authorities.

Prominent business figure Niinami, who has denied any wrongdoing, quit as chairman of the beverage maker on Sept. 1 but remained the business group's chief.

However, Niinami had stayed away from activities as head of the body, saying he would leave the decision over whether to dismiss him as chief to the association.

The graduate of the Harvard Business School led the Japan Association of Corporate Executives from April 2023 and has long served as a private-sector member of the government's key council on economic and fiscal policy.

Niinami said Tuesday he will continue to sit on the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, where important issues, including government spending and economic growth strategies, are discussed.

The membership of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives comprises around 1,700 top executives of some 1,200 corporations and formulate proposals on political, economic and social issues.

The members join the body's activities as an individual, not as representatives of their company or a specific industry, unlike the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, the country's most powerful business lobby where major companies are members.
 
 

Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia Masaki Yasushi highlighted the strong balance of trade between Indonesia and Japan during his tenure.

"Concerning trade, I think we keep a very good balance of trade," Masaki said at a media briefing marking the end of his assignment in Indonesia on Tuesday.

He underlined that trade is central to bilateral relations between the two countries, but also noted that cooperation goes beyond trade alone.

According to him, Japan and Indonesia have succeeded in maintaining a healthy balance of trade, and both sides are expected to continue this trend.

To support this balance, the two countries have bilateral agreements such as the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Masaki said the agreements had recently been reviewed and were seen as increasingly favorable for Indonesian exports to Japan, while also benefiting Japan.

In addition to trade, Masaki underscored Japan’s efforts to increase investment in Indonesia.

He said Japanese companies have expanded investments in sectors including infrastructure, automotive, agriculture, and fisheries.

He expressed confidence that such investments would further encourage Japanese corporate interest in Indonesia.

The ambassador also stressed the importance of exchanges between people from both nations, calling them vital for long-term bilateral relations.

"Exchange of people does not appear in trade figures. But for the future of our bilateral relations, it is very important," he noted.

Masaki officially began his tenure as Japan’s ambassador to Indonesia on October 24, 2023.

Born in Tokyo in 1962, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Since 2017, he served as Director of the European Bureau at the ministry and held various strategic positions in Europe before being assigned to Indonesia.