Rakuten Group is expanding its AI team under the stewardship of a Google veteran and building models with a focus on cost efficiency.

Ting Cai, now three years into his tenure at the head of the e-commerce pioneer’s artificial intelligence team, has the task of creating AI systems that would augment the company’s many businesses and support the handling of commercial transactions at a minimal cost. He oversees a team that’s grown to 1,000 this year and has a battery of “thousands” of Nvidia chips to work with.

Tokyo-based Rakuten is wrestling with a struggling mobile business and constant competition in online shopping, both of which could get a significant boost from effective deployment of new AI tools.

But the emphasis on doing that profitably from early on is where the company stands out from other large tech firms.

“Rakuten is very business-focused, applying the latest tech to solve customer problems,” Cai, 53, said in an interview. “In order to do this at large scale, we have to deliver the maximum margin. That’s why reducing the cost is super important for us in deploying generative AI.”

Cai’s team last week unveiled version 3 of the company’s large language model, which it says is 90% cheaper to run than existing comparable LLMs.

The company segments tasks down to simpler jobs and develops smaller models catered to addressing specific needs for each of its services.

Version 3 activates about 40 billion parameters for each individual token within its 700 billion parameters, while the remaining parameters stay inactive for increased efficiency.

AI functions contributed ¥10.5 billion ($67 million) to operating income in 2024, and the company aims to double that figure this year. Intelligent ad targeting and placement have boosted the return-on-investment for sellers using Rakuten’s online storefront, while AI-powered semantic search and personalized recommendations have lifted user engagement and click-through rates.

“We have observed that users come back more often after using the Rakuten AI Ichiba,” Cai said, referring to the full name of Rakuten’s virtual shopping mall. “So what we need to do is further reduce the cost of these conversations. We want each purchase through conversation to be profitable.”

Before Rakuten, Cai worked on Google Maps and local search services at Alphabet, following a long stint as a software engineer at Microsoft.

He wasn’t too familiar with Rakuten when an executive at the Japanese company contacted him about a job. It was a “strange company” to Cai at first, he said, but after learning about founder and CEO Hiroshi Mikitani and holding a few conversations with the man himself, Cai realized the two had a lot in common.

The job has turned out to be much more than what Cai believed he was signing up for, he said. His role has grown into a pivotal one for a company committed to integrating AI across its broad range of services, spanning everything from a mobile assistant to autonomous delivery vehicles.

He is proud of the work his team has accomplished building from the ground up, and Rakuten’s long-term vision includes having business customers tapping its AI tools and expertise.

“A lot of people are already depending on Rakuten. But I think we can do so much more than that,” Cai said. “Rakuten’s goal is to become Japan’s leading AI empowerment company.”
 
 

Fast Retailing Co, the operator of the Uniqlo clothing chain, said Monday its group will hike the starting salary of new employees in Japan to 370,000 yen from 330,000 yen, raising it for the second consecutive year to spur competitiveness.

Uniqlo, GU, PLST and Link Theory are set to take on roughly 480 new graduates in the spring and the 40,000 yen hike is for those hired in management candidate programs that often involve overseas transfers.

It is the fourth hike such employees have received since 2020, with their wages growing by 160,000 yen over the six years. Their annual income, including bonuses, is expected to be around 5.9 million yen, up 12 percent from the current rate.

Employees assuming jobs that do not require relocation will receive a starting salary of 280,000 yen, up from 255,000 yen.
 

 

The Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association on Tuesday urged the government to consider appropriate protection of content, saying that news articles have been used by generative artificial intelligence without permission.

The request was included in a written opinion submitted to the Cabinet Office by the association, also known as Nihon Shinbun Kyokai, regarding the government's intellectual property promotion plan to be drawn up next year.

The plan summarizes the government's basic policy on the protection and utilization of intellectual property and is typically drawn up around June every year. The Cabinet Office has been seeking public opinions for next year's plan, which the government began considering last month.

The NSK's written opinion said that "there is no end to generative AI services that use content without permission."

It argued that leaving unchecked so-called zero-click searches, in which users can obtain information by viewing AI-generated responses without visiting websites that are the sources of the information, could undermine the functions of news organizations and hinder the public's right to know.

The association also called for making it a legal obligation under the copyright law to respect news outlets' denial of access by AI to their articles without permission.

Japanese news organizations have filed a series of lawsuits over content protection against U.S. startup Perplexity AI Inc., which offers a generative AI-powered search service.
 
 

A Japanese nonprofit organization is giving medical assistance on Indonesia's Sumatra island, where deadly floods have caused heavy damage and many local residents are still evacuated.
 
According to the Indonesian disaster countermeasure agency, the total number of fatalities from the disaster, caused by heavy rain in late November, stood at 1,106 as of Monday.
 
The Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) which is based in the city of Okayama, sent a medical team earlier this month to Aceh Tamiang on northern Sumatra.
 
AMDA, set up in 1984, provides medical services in areas in and outside Japan that have been affected by disasters or conflict. It also has an office in Indonesia.
 
In Aceh Tamiang, local residents are still without running water, while a key hospital has been damaged. Local sanitary conditions have deteriorated in Aceh Tamiang, where the death toll reached 88.
 
On Sunday, AMDA set up a medical service base with an Indonesian doctor in a riverside community heavily hit by the disaster. Locals thronged to receive treatment for their injuries or check their blood pressure.
 
Many residents were seen moving mud-covered items out of their homes without wearing masks. Some post-disaster reconstruction staff were working barefoot or only in sandals.
 
According to the NGO, many people experienced cuts to their feet due to broken glass buried in mud, while others complained of a sore throat or headache apparently from inhaling dust.
 
The medical team also plans to emphasize psychological care to address any cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.
 
Kumiko Sugahara, 46, a nurse living in Nagano Prefecture, joined the team on Dec. 8.
 
"While I can't save a lot of people, I hope I can support as many people as possible," she said.


 

As bear sightings and attacks continue to unsettle communities, a new AI-powered surveillance system is emerging as a critical tool to help prevent dangerous encounters.

By automatically detecting bears near populated areas and alerting authorities in real time, the system is reshaping how local governments respond to wildlife threats.

The technology uses cameras installed near residential areas to monitor animal movement and identify bears before incidents occur. Once a bear is detected, local government officials are notified by email, allowing them to issue warnings and take swifter action.

The system is being introduced nationwide, including in Gunma, Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures, amid a growing number of bear-related incidents.
Officially named the "AI-Based Automatic Detection and Notification System for Harmful Animals," the platform is commonly referred to as "B Alert," taking its name from the English initial for bears.

It was jointly developed by Hokuriku Electric Power Co, headquartered in Toyama, and Hokutsu Co, a communications systems company based in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Hokutsu representative Daisuke Wada highlighted one of the system's strengths, saying it can detect animals even in dimly lit areas where the human eye has difficulty identifying them.

The system relies on cameras equipped with communication functions that are mounted on trees in mountainous regions and along riverbanks bordering populated areas.

The cameras automatically capture images when they detect body heat, photographing animals such as bears, wild boars, and deer that pass through the area.

From the large volume of images transmitted by the cameras, cloud-based artificial intelligence filters out unnecessary data and focuses exclusively on identifying bears.

When a bear is detected, the system automatically sends images via email to relevant parties, including local government officials.

This automation allows authorities to respond without first dispatching staff to confirm sightings in person. As a result, warnings to residents can be issued more than 30 minutes faster than before, significantly improving response times.

In addition to prefectural governments, municipalities such as Toyama, Fukui, and Kobe have already adopted B Alert, reflecting its growing use as a preventative safety measure.

The development of B Alert was prompted by an incident in 2019 involving a Hokuriku Electric Power maintenance worker. While working on a power transmission tower in Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture, the worker was attacked by a bear and sustained minor injuries. Following the incident, the company began considering countermeasures internally.

At the same time, Toyama Prefecture was experiencing a series of bear-related incidents. Hokuriku Electric shared its concerns with the prefectural government, which subsequently allocated funding for a proof-of-concept experiment. This support led to the start of the system's development.

During development, the artificial intelligence was trained using approximately 60,000 photographs. These included images of bears as well as other wildlife.

Through repeated testing and refinement, the system's identification accuracy reportedly improved to 99.9 percent. Shigeo Hashimoto, deputy section chief at Hokuriku Electric's research institute, said the development team went through trial and error in areas such as camera selection and notification methods.

The need for faster detection became particularly evident in the fall in Toyama, when bears appeared in residential areas.

Two bears were culled under emergency hunting measures that allow municipalities to authorize shooting. In December, a couple in their 70s who were delivering newspapers was attacked and injured.

Against this backdrop, local officials and residents have expressed support for the system.

Hirokazu Sugibayashi, deputy chief of Toyama's forest policy division, said, "(B Alert) contributes to efficiency and labor savings at a time when staff shortages are an ongoing challenge."

Terumasa Yokogoshi, chairman of a neighborhood association in an area affected by repeated bear sightings, said the system provides "welcome reassurance and peace of mind for residents."


 
 

Japan will take "appropriate steps against excessive moves" in the yen, the country's top currency diplomat said Monday, after the currency fell sharply against the U.S. dollar even in the wake of the Bank of Japan further raising its policy interest rate last week.

"We are concerned about one-sided and rapid moves" of the yen, Atsushi Mimura, vice finance minister for international affairs, told reporters after the yen slid to a one-month low of 157.78 against the dollar in New York on Friday.

Separately, Japan's top government spokesman Minoru Kihara echoed the sentiment, saying on Monday, "It is important for currencies to move in a stable manner reflecting (economic) fundamentals."

Kihara, the chief cabinet secretary, told a news conference the government would respond to foreign exchange developments, including those driven by "speculators."

Their remarks followed similar warnings issued by Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on Friday, which some market participants viewed as jawboning to stem the yen's slide.

While a weaker yen inflates Japanese exporters' overseas earnings in yen terms, it also drives up import costs for the resource-poor nation, weighing on households through higher living costs.

The yen came under pressure after BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda refrained from providing clear clues on future interest rate hikes after the central bank raised its policy rate to a 30-year high at around 0.75 percent.

At noon, the U.S. currency fetched 157.42-43 yen compared with 157.70-80 yen in New York and 156.73-75 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Friday.
 
 

 

The Japanese government and ruling parties began considering tightening the requirement for acquiring Japanese nationality to 10 years of residency or longer in principle, compared with the current five years, informed sources said Monday.

By extending the necessary period of residency to at least 10 years, Japan would bring the nationality requirement into line with that for obtaining permanent residency.

The move is expected to be implemented by changing how the nationality law, which stipulates the requirements for naturalization, is administered instead of by revising the law.

In September, the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), an opposition party at the time and now a junior ruling party, noted in a policy proposal that the requirement for naturalization, which gives successful applicants a greater legal status, is laxer than that for permanent residency.

Similar concerns have been raised in the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, prompting Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the party's president, to instruct her government to review the system.

The nationality law requires those seeking Japanese nationality to meet such requirements as having lived in Japan continuously for at least five years, being 18 or older, exhibiting good behavior, being able to support themselves financially and complying with the Constitution.
 
 

Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing will raise base salaries for new graduates in Japan by as much as 12%, stepping up efforts to secure and retain talent as the country’s workers grapple with inflation.

Annual pay will grow by about 12% to ¥5.9 million ($37,400) starting in March for university graduates in management-track programs, the Tokyo-based retailer said in a statement Monday.

Pay for other graduates will increase by about 10% to ¥4.5 million.
"By fostering a virtuous cycle of growth and wage increases, Fast Retailing aims to boost overall productivity and achieve sustainable growth for the company,” the company said.

Fast Retailing implemented a similar wage hike in 2023, bumping up annual pay for full-time employees in Japan by as much as 40%.

The firm’s moves underscore a broader shift toward higher salaries in corporate Japan as labor shortages intensify and consumer prices reach levels not seen in decades.

The average wage in Japan was $49,446 in 2024 — the lowest level of the Group of Seven nations, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data show — amid decades of economic stagnation.

The U.S. had the G7’s highest level, $82,993, according to the OECD.
 
 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed gratitude over the Japanese government's pledge to provide an additional $6 billion in financial aid to his country next year.

"We greatly appreciate that Japan takes such a leadership position, not only in the Indo-Pacific region but globally," Zelenskyy wrote on X on Friday.

"This is a significant contribution to our resilience, and through it, to the international rules-based order."

"The international order is essential to prevent Russia's twisted war policy from continuing anywhere," he added.
 
 

Japan must strengthen its immigration control to prevent illegal employment while providing more opportunities for foreign residents to learn the Japanese language and deepen their understanding of its culture, an advisory panel said Monday.

The panel, mostly consisting of academics, submitted its recommendations to Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi as his ministry plans to update its basic plan on immigration to realize a more inclusive society in which both Japanese and non-Japanese residents coexist amid a recent sharp rise in foreign residents.

In the report, the panel cited cases of foreigners holding the specialist visa for engineers, interpreters and international service professionals being dispatched instead to illegally work as unskilled laborers.

It urges that the country's immigration authorities get a grip on the situation and make revisions as needed to the current immigration control and residency management system.

The panel also called for more steps to help foreign residents integrate smoothly into society by holding seminars designed to improve their Japanese language skills and learn about Japanese culture and customs.

The Immigration Services Agency will reflect the report in its basic plan for immigration control and residency management, which it compiles every five years.

Established in 1990, the advisory board has held 10 meetings since last December, with Kikumi Noguchi, a board member and executive vice president of Hitotsubashi University, serving as chairperson.
 
 

Toyota Motor Corp said Friday it will aim to import to Japan three models built in the United States from next year, in an apparent response to U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to reduce his nation's trade deficit with Japan.

"By selling these three popular American models in Japan, Toyota will be able to meet the diverse needs of a broad range of customers, while also helping to improve Japan-U.S. trade relations," Toyota said in a press release, unveiling the plan to sell the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV and Tundra pickup truck in the company's home market.

Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co are also looking into shipping vehicles built in the United States to Japan for the same reason, sources close to the matter said earlier.

Toyota's Highlander and Camry were sold in the Japanese market until 2007 and 2023, respectively. The Tundra will be launched in Japan for the first time, with Toyota hoping to tap demand from outdoors enthusiasts attracted to the pickup's rugged image.

"As part of preparations to introduce these models to Japan, Toyota will also make use of a new system being considered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism following bilateral negotiations," Toyota said.

According to a fact sheet released by the White House following a summit between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in October, the Japanese government committed to a system that would "accept for sale" U.S.-manufactured and U.S. safety-certified vehicles "without additional testing."

"Toyota plans to export its U.S.-made vehicles to Japan and open its distribution platform in Japan to U.S. automakers," the fact sheet said.

Trump has long been critical of what he sees as trade barriers that restrict sales of American-made cars in the Japanese market, though industry experts point to factors such as consumer preferences as an explanation for the unpopularity of vehicles imported from the United States.

To address the trade imbalance, Trump imposed a tariff of 27.5 percent on imported Japanese cars, far higher than the previous 2.5 percent.

The rate on vehicles from Japan was negotiated down to 15 percent in September but still impacted the earnings of major Japanese automakers, including Toyota.
 
 

The government has estimated the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo generated an economic impact of about ¥3.6 trillion, more than ¥650 billon higher than the previous estimate conducted before the event, according to sources.

The latest estimate is the first to reflect the actual circumstances of the expo, such as visitor numbers and consumption trends during the event period from April to October. It will be used to assess the overall results of the Expo.

The government is making arrangements to submit the estimate to officials related to the Expo soon.

In 2024, the government estimated the Expo’s economic impact would be about ¥2.9 trillion. The surge in consumption, particularly of official merchandise, boosted the economic impact.

Similar to the previous estimate, the government analyzed the Expo’s impact on production and consumption based on three criteria: investments in construction, such as expenses for building the venue; effects from organizing the Expo and related events; and visitor spending. Visitor spending showed the greatest increase, reaching about ¥1.7 trillion, which exceeded the previous estimate by about ¥330 billion.

The previous estimate referred to data such as consumption patterns from the 2005 Aichi Expo, and projected the economic impact based on an assumption of achieving a target of about 28.2 million visitors.

In contrast, the latest survey took the actual attendance of about 25.58 million visitors into account. It estimated the consumption spending for shopping, dining and tourism both inside and outside the Expo based on a visitor survey.

Meanwhile, the impact from construction investment rose by about ¥300 billion from the previous estimate to about ¥1.1 trillion, and effects from organizing the Expo and related events rose by about ¥20 billion to around ¥700 billion. In total, the latest estimate rose by more than 20% from 2024.
 
 

 

Toyota Motor Corp has launched a new RAV4 model, installing for the first time a new software system that will enable customers to upgrade their vehicles without having to buy a new one.

The latest RAV4, symbolic of Toyota's push for software-centric vehicles, is available in plug-in hybrid, set to be launched within fiscal 2025, and hybrid electric models. The automaker does not provide a gasoline-powered version of the popular SUV.

Toyota said it plans to sell 3,000 units of the hybrid model per month in Japan, priced from 4.5 million yen.

The sixth-generation RAV4 can receive updates that add new features or enhance existing ones under the Arene software development platform, which was used to develop the cockpit system and advance safety technologies.

As part of safety functions designed to avoid and mitigate collisions, the vehicle can quickly detect deceleration by preceding vehicles and automatically apply the brakes, according to Toyota, which carried out the first revamp of the flagship SUV in over six years.

The launch comes amid the growth of software-centric vehicles from automakers including U.S.-based Tesla Inc and Chinese EV makers.

The RAV4, first released in 1994, helped drive the SUV trend and is especially popular in the United States. Toyota sold about 1.04 million units globally in 2024, accounting for around 10 percent of the automaker's total sales.
 
 

Japan's core consumer prices in November rose 3.0 percent from a year earlier, driven higher by food and energy prices, government data showed Friday.

The increase in the nationwide consumer price index (CPI), excluding volatile fresh food, followed a 3.0 percent rise in October.

 

The inflation rate, a key indicator for the Bank of Japan in determining the timing of rate hikes, has remained at or above the central bank's 2 percent target since April 2022.

Core-core CPI, which strips away both energy and fresh food to reflect underlying price trends, increased 3.0 percent in November.

 

Food prices, excluding fresh items, climbed 7.0 percent, while energy prices climbed 2.5 percent.

A food vendor attracts customers in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 18, 2025.

 

Japan's core consumer prices in November rose 3.0 percent from a year earlier, driven higher by food and energy prices, government data showed Friday.
 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday instructed relevant government agencies to work to hold a summit on artificial intelligence in Japan as early as possible.

The envisaged summit would bring together government officials and researchers from countries around the world to discuss issues such as risks related AI.

"AI will dictate our national power," Takaichi told a meeting of the government's AI strategy headquarters, chaired by the prime minister.
She said it was time for the government to join hands with the private sector and "launch a counteroffensive" in the field of AI.

The government will invest over 1 trillion yen in AI-related measures and make Gennai, a generative AI tool developed by Japan's Digital Agency, available to more than 100,000 Japanese government officials starting in May next year, Takaichi also said.
 
 

Nanto city in Toyama prefecture, western Japan, is set to develop the country’s third and largest data centre cluster, boasting a total power capacity of 3.1 gigawatts, according to a document obtained by Reuters.

The announcement, planned in collaboration with private developer GigaStream Toyama, is expected on Friday, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Once completed, the project will rank among the world’s largest data-centre hubs, comparable to OpenAI’s $500 billion, 10-GW Stargate initiative.

While demand for data centres continues to rise, establishing a resilient third hub outside Japan’s main population centres of Tokyo and Osaka has been challenging.

Currently, these two regions host roughly 85% of the nation’s data centres. The government has stressed the importance of regional diversification to relieve congestion in these areas.

Nanto, located approximately 250 km (155 miles) from both Tokyo and Osaka, is considered a low-risk location for natural disasters. Toyama prefecture is among Japan’s regions with the fewest major earthquakes, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The first phase of the Nanto Campus would support about 400 megawatts of power capacity, equivalent to some of Japan's largest data centres announced so far and capable ​of servicing hyperscale operators such as Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet's Google.

The site will be ready for service ‌by the end of 2028, according to the public-private plan.

GigaStream Toyama, which focuses on preparing infrastructure for data centre operators - a business model similar to that of U.S.-based Lancium and Tract - plans to begin promoting the Nanto Campus at the Pacific Telecommunications Council conference in Honolulu next month, according to the document.

The company is headed by Daniel Cox, a 25-year veteran in the Japanese real estate investment market.

Officials at Nanto city and GigaStream Toyama declined ⁠to comment, saying they would make an announcement soon.

Driven by ​cloud and AI services, Japan's data-centre market is forecast to almost ​double to more than 5 trillion yen ($32 billion) in the five years to 2028, according to research firm IDC Japan.

The government hopes the sector will help it reach a ‍goal of attracting 120 trillion ⁠yen in foreign direct investment by 2030, up from 53.3 trillion yen in 2024.

Unlike in eastern Japan, power is more abundant and generally cheaper in the western region, which is serviced by utilities such ⁠as Hokuriku Electric Power, Kansai Electric Power, Electric Power Development (J-Power) and other smaller operators.

Hokuriku Electric, for example, sells less than half ‌of its maximum potential output even without its idled Shika nuclear power plant.
 
 

Japan ranked 96 out of 123 countries and regions in an English proficiency index, dropping from low to very low for the first time, according to a recent report. 

Japan ranked alongside Afghanistan among the non-native-speaking countries and regions classified as “very low” in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 released by EF Education First, a global association of education companies headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. 

Among the 25 Asian countries and regions covered by the index, Japan ranked behind neighbors China and South Korea. 

The latest edition of the annual index, published in November, was based on data from 2.2 million takers of a free, online test in 2024. The index included results from optional speaking and writing assessments offered for the first time. 

Japanese test takers scored an average of 446 points across reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, compared to the global average of 488. The average age of test takers was 26.  

A drop of eight points from the previous year left Japan in the very low classification for the first time since the index began in 2011. Top-ranked Netherlands, where English proficiency was classified as very high, scored 624 points. 

People with low proficiency can give a simple self-introduction, including their name, age, and country of origin, according to the index. They can also give basic directions and understand simple signs, among other related tasks. 

While early editions of the index ranked Japan’s proficiency as moderate, it has largely been in decline since, as the number of countries covered by the index has increased.

Japanese learners are not alone in struggling to make progress with their English, however. The index creators said that while demand and investment in developing English skills have not dropped, progress in proficiency has stalled globally. The index has not reported global proficiency gains since 2020. 

In order to expand the pool of talent expected to play active roles globally, the Japanese government aims to have at least 30 percent of public high school students graduate with the equivalent of Grade 2 or higher in the widely used Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency by fiscal 2027.

Eiken Grade 2 corresponds to between 400 and 499 points on the EF English Proficiency Index, classified as very low to low. 

A survey conducted by The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology found 21.2 percent of high school students to be at an equivalent level in 2024. 
 
 

The first official shop in Southeast Asia for the Tomica miniature car series opened on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur.

Tomy Co., better known as Takara Tomy, opened the shop at a commercial complex in central Kuala Lumpur. This is the second foreign country in which the manufacturer has opened a store, after China.

Products at the Kuala Lumpur store are sold for prices equivalent to about ¥1,100 to ¥3,000. The items are manufactured in Vietnam.

The company previously sold Tomica cars in Malaysia and other Southeastern Asian countries via sales agents. With the launch of its official shop, Tomy aims to raise awareness of Tomica cars in the region and eventually open more stores in nearby countries.

“We hope we can fascinate not just children, but also adult collectors [of our Tomica cars],” said a Tomy official who attended an opening event at the new shop.
 
 

The changes include new options for developers to distribute apps and process payments, and new protections to help reduce privacy and security risks the MSCA creates

Apple today announced changes impacting iOS apps in Japan to comply with the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA).

These updates create new options for developers to distribute apps on alternative app marketplaces and to process app payments for digital goods and services outside of Apple In-App Purchase.

Across these changes, Apple has worked to reduce new privacy and security risks the law creates to provide users in Japan the best and safest experience possible.

The MSCA’s requirements for alternative app marketplaces and app payments open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, and privacy and security risks.

Apple has worked with Japanese regulators to introduce protections from new threats — including important safeguards for younger users. These protections include Notarization for iOS apps, an authorization process for app marketplaces, and requirements that help protect children from inappropriate content and scams.

While these safeguards do not eliminate the new risks, they are essential to Apple’s work to ensure iOS remains the best, most secure mobile platform available in Japan. Apple will continue to engage with regulators on strengthening protections for iOS users.

Developers can learn about the new capabilities on the Apple Developer Support page and can integrate them into their apps beginning today as part of the iOS 26.2 release.


New Options for Developers to Distribute Apps on iOS in Japan

The App Store — where every app is reviewed to meet the App Store’s high bar for privacy and security — remains the best place for iOS users in Japan to discover and download the apps they love.

This includes App Store features that protect users against fraud and scams and empower parents to ensure their kids have age-appropriate experiences.

With the MSCA’s new requirements, developers will also have the option to distribute iOS apps in Japan using alternative app marketplaces other than the App Store.

Alternative app marketplaces will have to be authorized by Apple and will need to meet ongoing requirements to serve developers and users. However, apps downloaded outside the App Store will not benefit from the same protections Apple provides through App Review, introducing new risks for apps that contain scams, fraud, and abuse, or that expose users to illicit, objectionable, or harmful content not allowed on the App Store.

To reduce some of these new risks, Apple will conduct a baseline review — called Notarization — that applies to all iOS apps and focuses on basic functionality and protecting users from serious threats.

This Notarization process involves a combination of automated checks and human review, and helps ensure apps function as promised and are free of known malware, viruses, or other security threats. However, Notarization is less comprehensive than the App Review process that applies to all apps on the App Store.

Developers can learn more about operating or distributing from alternative app marketplaces on the new Apple Developer Support page.


New Options for Payments in App Store Apps on iOS

On the App Store, users in Japan can continue to use Apple In-App Purchase to buy digital goods and services, manage subscriptions, request refunds, and view their payment history.

To comply with the MSCA, Apple is sharing tools that enable developers to offer more ways for users to purchase digital goods and services in apps on the App Store.

For their iOS apps distributed on the App Store in Japan, developers will be able to include an alternative payment processing method in their app and/or link users to a website to complete a transaction.

These alternative payment options will always be presented alongside Apple In-App Purchase, so that users in Japan are clear on when they are transacting through Apple.

When users choose to pay with Apple In-App Purchase, they’ll continue to receive familiar protections and tools like refund support, subscription management, and Report a Problem. App Store users’ purchase history and subscription management will only reflect transactions made using Apple In-App Purchase.

For apps that use alternative payment processing or link users to the web for transactions, Apple will not be able to issue refunds and will have less ability to support customers encountering issues, scams, or fraud. Users may need to share their payment information with additional parties, which can introduce new privacy and security risks.


Updated Business Terms for iOS Apps in Japan

To reflect these options for app distribution and payment processing, Apple is also sharing updated business terms for developers’ iOS apps in Japan.

These business terms reflect the many ways Apple creates value for developers’ apps, whether or not they use the App Store and/or Apple In-App Purchase.

Under the business terms for iOS apps in Japan, Apple will continue to only charge a commission on the sale of digital goods and services. The new terms include:

• App Store commission: iOS apps on the App Store will pay a reduced commission of either 10 percent for the vast majority of developers — including members of the Small Business Program, Video Partner Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, and for subscriptions following their first year — or 21 percent on transactions for digital goods and services. The App Store commission reflects the value of the tools, technology, and services that enable developers to create apps, in addition to App Store distribution, discovery, and ongoing services.

• Apple payment processing fee: In their iOS apps on the App Store, developers can process payments using Apple In-App Purchase for an additional 5 percent fee.

• Store services commission: iOS apps on the App Store will pay a commission of 15 percent on transactions for digital goods and services made on a website linked to by the developer’s app. Developers in the programs mentioned above, and subscriptions following their first year, will pay a reduced rate of 10 percent.

• Core Technology Commission: iOS apps distributed outside of the App Store will pay a 5 percent commission on the sale of digital goods and services, including paid apps. The Core Technology Commission compensates Apple for the tools, technologies, and services that enable developers to build and share their apps with iOS users.

Under these new business terms, developers that sell digital goods and services in Japan will pay Apple the same or less than they do today. Developers that do not sell digital goods and services will continue not to pay Apple any commissions or fees.


Impacts to Kids’ Online Safety

Apple created the App Store to be a safe place for kids, where parents are empowered to ensure their children have age-appropriate experiences and have the tools they need to keep their children safe online. That’s why Apple has created industry-leading features like age ratings, Content & Privacy Restrictions, content filters, Ask to Buy, and powerful controls that help parents choose how children use their devices.

With the changes introduced under the MSCA, the new options for alternative distribution and payment methods may expose children to new risks. For instance, apps downloaded from outside the App Store may include illicit and objectionable content, and they will not undergo the same rigorous review process Apple employs to evaluate apps made for children on the App Store.

For instance, similar regulatory changes in Europe have enabled types of apps that were previously unavailable on iOS, including pornography apps.

In an effort to reduce new risks of fraud or scams targeting children, Apple has worked with regulators in Japan to preserve some guardrails, including:

• Apps in the Kids category on the App Store will not include links to websites to complete transactions, to reduce the risk of fraud or scams targeting children.

• For users under 18 years old, all apps from the App Store that use alternative payment processing or link to a website for transactions must include a parental gate that requires younger users to involve their parent or guardian before making a purchase. 

• For users under 13 years old, apps from the App Store cannot link to websites for transactions to protect against the risk of scams that target younger kids.

• Apple is also working to provide developers using alternative payments with a new API so they can enable parents to monitor and approve purchases made outside of Apple In-App Purchase.

Developers must also continue to provide age ratings for their apps, whether their app is distributed on the App Store or an alternative app marketplace.

Apple will continue innovating to meet the evolving risks to kids’ safety online by building on the powerful tools and features it makes available today — like Child Accounts, web content filters, app restrictions, monitoring tools like Screen Time and Family Sharing, Communication Safety, and Communication Limits, which help parents shape who their children communicate with and shield them from inappropriate content.



Additional Updates to iOS

Alongside the new app distribution and payment options, Apple has introduced additional controls and choices for users in Japan with the release of iOS 26.2. These include:

• A browser choice screen and search engine choice experience, giving users in Japan new ways to pick their preferred browser and search engine.

• Default controls for navigation apps and app marketplaces.

Across these controls, users can review and adjust their choices at any time in Settings.

For developers, Apple is sharing tools in addition to the new options for alternative distribution and app payments, including:

• New options for developers of browser apps to use alternative browser engines other than WebKit, with strict security and privacy requirements.

• A new API that enables developers of voice-based conversational apps to provide users the option to launch their app with the iPhone side button.

• A process to request interoperability with core technologies in iPhone and iOS.

Apple is providing detailed resources to help developers understand the options now available for their apps in Japan, which they can access from the Apple Developer Support page.
 
 

The Japanese police said on Thursday, they plan to expand the drone flight ban area around the designated location to about 1,000 meters, from the previous 300 meters.

This step is carried out in line with the increase in technology on unmanned aircraft creating an increase in the risk of terrorism.

The National Police Agency hopes to see a revision of the drone law at the next Parliament session, after a report compiled by experts highlighting the increasing capabilities of drones and their wider use.

"Advances in unmanned aircraft technology have raised concerns about long-range attacks and concerns that police officers may not be equipped to respond," the agency said, launching Kyodo News (18/12).

According to other reports and sources, drones are now capable of flying up to 150 kilometers per hour, up from around 50 km/h in 2016 when the law was enacted.

The range of drone video transmission also increased to a maximum of 10 km compared to 200 meters to 300 meters previously. The load capacity also increased from between 80 grams and 5 kilograms to 30 kg.

Some models can also be equipped with firearms and are capable of withstanding the recoil from a shot.

Locations specified around or above the drone are prohibited including the Prime Minister's Office, the Imperial Palace, nuclear power plants, airports and Self Defense Forces (JSDF) facilities, among others.

The agency also plans to temporarily ban flights around the locations of major international events, such as the G7 summit, or domestic ceremonies where VIPs are present.
 

The Japanese government conducted for the first time a tabletop exercise under the scenario of a major infrastructure disruption, given an increase in cyberattacks globally.

Some 300 people from related government organizations and infrastructure businesses, including electricity and gas companies, participated in Thursday's simulation held at the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Through the exercise, the central government aims to identify necessary responses and share them with local governments and businesses.

Participants practiced responding to a situation in which a large-scale blackout has occurred for unknown reasons in the metropolitan area, causing communications and transportation services to shut down.

Precise details of the exercise were not disclosed, but according to the Cabinet Secretariat and the metropolitan government, participants assessed their responses to such an event, including initial information gathering, rescue efforts and support for evacuees, over the first few days.
 
 

The government has launched efforts toward public-private collaboration with Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia to strengthen economic security.

It aims to counter China’s repeated aggressive behavior by advancing international cooperation in industries where Japan holds strengths — including space, undersea cables and defense.

In late November, about 70 representatives from the Japanese and German governments and defense-related companies attended a closed-door meeting in Berlin.

They discussed technologies to neutralize suspicious unmanned aerial vehicles and the utilization and sharing of satellite data, confirming that they would move forward with business cooperation in these fields.

Drones have been used in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and “significantly changed the nature of warfare on the battlefield,” according to a senior Defense Ministry official.

Unmanned aerial vehicles believed to belong to the Chinese military have flown near Japanese waters. In this regard, Japan and Europe share similar concerns.

Japan held similar meetings in Indonesia and Australia from October to November, creating a bridge between their governments and businesses. In Jakarta, officials from NEC Corp., Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and space-related companies attended the meeting.

“As maritime nations, we can cooperate in the management and surveillance of remote islands using satellite technology,” a Japanese attendee said.
Indonesia’s former Ambassador to Japan Heri Akhmadi said that his government wants to promote not only defense cooperation but also technological exchange.

A joint venture between NTT Docomo, Inc. and NEC signed a contract with a local telecommunications company in Indonesia in November, achieving results such as cooperation in telecommunications network development.

“This could be something to counter Chinese telecommunications companies,” a Japanese government official said.

About 100 people attended the meeting in Canberra and confirmed industrial cooperation to strengthen supply chains for rechargeable batteries and critical minerals needed for adopting renewable energy. They also agreed to advance defense industry cooperation, including in drone manufacturing.

Increased dependence on China carries risks; information may be extracted from Chinese-made communication networks, or critical mineral exports may be suspended. Economic coercion is a common challenge faced by many nations, not just Japan.

The government believes hat these efforts not only strengthen the economic security of partner nations but also “contribute to the reinforcement of Japan’s industrial base through the provision of technology and products,” said Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa.

Japan plans to further expand cooperation with Europe, Southeast Asia and other regions in the future.
 
 

 
Financial assets held by Japanese households as of the end of September grew 4.9 pct from a year earlier to 2,286 trillion yen, hitting a record high for two quarters in a row, Bank of Japan data showed Wednesday.

The balance improved for the 11th straight quarter, reflecting higher stock prices and a rise in the yen value of foreign currency-denominated assets due to a weaker yen.

Shares held by households soared 19.3 pct to 317 trillion yen. Investment trust funds jumped 21.1 pct to 153 trillion yen thanks to the new Nippon Individual Savings Account tax exemption program for small-lot investors.

Insurance policies saw a rise of 2.0 pct to 416 trillion yen, supported by a higher valuation of foreign currency-denominated products.

The balance of cash and deposits edged up 0.5 pct to 1,122 trillion yen.
 
 

Dressed in an orange puffer jacket, Japanese scientist Yoshinori Iizuka stepped into a storage freezer to retrieve an ice core he hopes will help experts protect the world's disappearing glaciers.

The fist-sized sample drilled from a mountaintop is part of an ambitious international effort to understand why glaciers in Tajikistan have resisted the rapid melting seen almost everywhere else.

"If we could learn the mechanism behind the increased volume of ice there, then we may be able to apply that to all the other glaciers around the world," potentially even helping revive them, said Iizuka, a professor at Hokkaido University.

"That may be too ambitious a statement. But I hope our study will ultimately help people," he said.

Thousands of glaciers will vanish each year in the coming decades, leaving only a fraction standing by the end of the century unless global warming is curbed, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change showed.

Earlier this year, AFP exclusively accompanied Iizuka and other scientists through harsh conditions to a site at an altitude of 5,810 metres (about 19,000 feet) on the Kon-Chukurbashi ice cap in the Pamir Mountains.

 

The area is the only mountainous region on the planet where glaciers have not only resisted melting, but even slightly grown, a phenomenon called the "Pamir-Karakoram anomaly".

The team drilled two ice columns approximately 105 metres (328 feet) long out of the glacier.

One is being stored in an underground sanctuary in Antarctica belonging to the Ice Memory Foundation, which supported the Tajikistan expedition along with the Swiss Polar Institute.

The other was shipped to Iizuka's facility, the Institute of Low Temperature Science at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, where the team is hunting clues on why precipitation in the region increased over the last century, and how the glacier has resisted melting.

 

Some link the anomaly to the area's cold climate or even increased use of agricultural water in Pakistan that creates more vapour.

But the ice cores are the first opportunity to examine the anomaly scientifically.

"Information from the past is crucial," said Iizuka.

"By understanding the causes behind the continuous build-up of snow from the past to the present, we can clarify what will happen going forward and why the ice has grown."

Since the samples arrived in November, his team has worked in freezing storage facilities to log the density, alignment of snow grains, and the structure of ice layers.

 

In December, when AFP visited, the scientists were kitted out like polar explorers to cut and shave ice samples in the comparatively balmy minus 20C of their lab.

The samples can tell stories about weather conditions going back decades, or even centuries.

A layer of clear ice indicates a warm period when the glacier melted and then refroze, while a low-density layer suggests packed snow, rather than ice, which can help estimate precipitation.

Brittle samples with cracks, meanwhile, indicate snowfall on half-melted layers that then refroze.

And other clues can reveal more information -- volcanic materials like sulfate ions can serve as time markers, while water isotopes can reveal temperatures.

The scientists hope that the samples contain material dating back 10,000 years or more, though much of the glacier melted during a warm spell around 6,000 years ago.

 

Ancient ice would help scientists answer questions such as "what kind of snow was falling in this region 10,000 years ago? What was in it?" Iizuka said.

"We can study how many and what kinds of fine particles were suspended in the atmosphere during that ice age," he added. "I really hope there is ancient ice."

For now, the work proceeds slowly and carefully, with team members like graduate student Sora Yaginuma carefully slicing samples apart.

"An ice core is an extremely valuable sample and unique," said Yaginuma. "From that single ice core, we perform a variety of analyses, both chemical and physical."

The team hopes to publish its first findings next year and will be doing "lots of trial-and-error" work to reconstruct past climate conditions, Iizuka said.

The analysis in Hokkaido will uncover only some of what the ice has to share, and with the other samples preserved in Antarctica, there will be opportunities for more research.

For example, he said, scientists could look for clues about how mining in the region historically affected the area's air quality, temperature and precipitation.

"We can learn how the Earth's environment has changed in response to human activities," Iizuka said.

With so many secrets yet to learn, the work is "extremely exciting," he added.
 
 

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in January-November is estimated to have totaled 39,065,600, already exceeding the annual record high of about 36.87 million marked last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization said Wednesday.

The 11-month figure grew 17.0 pct from a year earlier, putting the full-year tally on track to exceed 40 million for the first time.

In November alone, the estimated number of foreign visitors rose 10.4 pct to 3,518,000.

Meanwhile, the monthly number of visitors from mainland China grew at the slowest pace this year, rising only 3.0 pct to 562,600, the lowest figure so far this year. This reflects Beijing's call for Chinese citizens to avoid visiting Japan, amid heightened tensions between the two countries over Taiwan.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Shigeki Murata noted "very strong growth" in the number of visitors from Europe, the United States, Australia and Middle Eastern countries.
 
 

China and Japan are enmeshed in a spat over Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on the self-ruled democratic island.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday she is “always open” to dialogue with China amid a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing over comments she made about Taiwan.

“China is an important neighbor for Japan, and we need to build constructive and stable relationships,” Takaichi told a news conference.

“Japan is always open to dialogue with China. We’re not shutting our door.”

China and Japan are enmeshed in a spat over Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on the self-ruled democratic island.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.

The comments triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from Beijing, which has urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.

Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese jets in the latest incident this month, prompting Tokyo to summon Beijing’s ambassador.
 

 
IBM Japan President Akio Yamaguchi has been chosen to succeed Takeshi Niinami as chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, known as Keizai Doyukai.

Yamaguchi, 61, is set to take the position after his appointment was approved in principle at a board meeting on Tuesday. He is expected to be formally installed after a vote at the organization’s general meeting of members.

Yamaguchi was appointed following the resignation of Niinami, who stepped down on Sept. 30 after controversy over supplements that were suspected of containing illegal ingredients.

Yamaguchi is set to hold the position until March 2026, and then two additional two-year terms that will begin in April 2026.

Yamaguchi joined IBM Japan in 1987 and became president in 2019. He has served as a vice chairman at Doyukai since 2022, and will be only the second person from IBM Japan to lead the organization, following Kakutaro Kitashiro who served in the role from fiscal 2003 through fiscal 2006.

Doyukai is one of Japan’s three major business groups, alongside Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
 
 

A quarterly survey of major Japanese manufacturers released Monday shows business sentiment improving to its best level in four years, even after President Trump raised tariffs on goods from the U.S. ally to a baseline level of 15%.

The Bank of Japan is bound to take the results of its quarterly “tankan” survey into account during a policy meeting this week, when it is expected to raise its benchmark interest rate. Analysts said the stronger results may sway the BOJ toward pressing ahead with a 0.25 percentage point rate hike that will take the key rate to 0.75%.

That expectation hit the price of bitcoin early Monday, as it dipped below $88,000 from about $92,000. Higher rates would likely lead Japanese investors to shift funds back home, sapping demand for cryptocurrencies.

While the U.S. Federal Reserve has been trimming rates to counter a weak jobs market, Japan’s central bank is moving in the other direction as it contends with inflation and a weak currency. The economy contracted at an annualized rate of 2.3% in July-September.

Still, the BOJ survey showed the measure of major manufacturers expressing optimism rose to 15 from 14 in the last quarter, the highest level in four years. The index shows the percentage of companies reporting positive conditions minus the percentage reporting unfavorable ones.

The measure of sentiment for all companies rose to 17 from 15, it said.
The survey “struck all the right notes from the Bank of Japan's perspective,” Abhijit Surya of Capital Economics said in a report. “It showed that business conditions are improving, profit margins remain elevated and firms are upbeat about their investment intentions.”

The latest deal between Japan and the Trump administration set tariffs on its exports to the U.S. at 15%, down from an earlier plan for a 25% tariff. To win the agreement, among other things Japan promised to invest $550 billion in the United States.

While the BOJ's overall survey showed improvement, forecasts for the next quarter were less positive, and businesses expected inflation to remain at 2.4%, above the central bank's target range.

The Bank of Japan has kept its key interest rate near or below zero for years, trying to spur faster economic growth by keeping borrowing costs very low.
Its policymaking has been complicated by the fact that Japan's population is shrinking and aging rapidly.

That has caused labor shortages that have only slowly pushed wages higher. That should lead consumers to spend more, but increases in income have lagged behind inflation, denting their appetite for spending.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged, as have her predecessors, to revive the economy. Last month, her cabinet approved a 21.3 trillion yen ($135.4 billion) stimulus package to spur growth through expansionary government spending and relieve the impact of higher prices.
 
 

Japan's Justice Ministry presented a draft plan to revise the retrial system at a meeting of a subgroup of the Legislative Council on Tuesday.

The ministry included two options on each of the major topics where there are major disagreements in the council, such as the scope of evidence disclosure in a retrial request hearing and the prohibition of appeals by prosecutors against a court decision to start a retrial.

Meanwhile, the ministry made concrete proposals on procedural provisions, over which a broad consensus had been built.

It has been effectively decided that provisions be established to enable courts to order prosecutors to submit evidence they hold after considering the necessity and possible adverse effects from submission.

But on the scope of evidence disclosure, the ministry presented the options of limiting it to proof directly related to the reason for a retrial request and accepting a wider range of evidence.
 
 

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) lifted a special advisory for further earthquakes and tsunamis in the Hokkaido and Sanriku coastal areas at the end of Monday, one week after it was initially issued.

On Dec. 8, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the east coast of Aomori Prefecture, causing severe shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese shindo scale in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.

Tsunami warnings and advisories were issued from Hokkaido to across the northern Tohoku region.

In response, the agency announced a subsequent quake advisory for the area for the first time, stating that there was a higher-than-usual possibility of a major earthquake occurring along the Chishima Trench and the Japan Trench.

The special advisory was issued to 182 cities and towns in Hokkaido as well as Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, and Chiba prefectures.

These areas were stated to be at risk of experiencing a quake measuring a lower 6 or stronger on the Japanese intensity scale, and a tsunami of 3 meters or higher.

In a joint briefing with the Cabinet Office on Tuesday morning, the JMA said that the warning period ending does not mean the possibility of a large-scale earthquake occurring has completely disappeared, and that it is still possible for a sudden, massive earthquake to occur.

The agency urged the public to maintain vigilance and perform regular earthquake safety practices, such as checking evacuation sites and routes as well as securing furniture.
 
 

 
 
A total of 3,498 properties around critical security facilities and remote islands in Japan were purchased by foreign individuals or entities in fiscal 2024, with nearly half from China, a government study showed Tuesday.
 
Separately, the government announced it will demand from April 2026 increased disclosure when corporations attempt to acquire forested lands or properties deemed of national security importance, such as requiring them to disclose the nationalities of company heads in registration forms.
 
It will also ask individuals to provide their nationalities when acquiring forested areas, in a series of efforts by the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to gain a grasp on the scale of the foreign real estate ownership.
 
Foreigners acquired a total of 1,744 plots of land and 1,754 buildings across 37 of Japan's 47 prefectures, according to the survey on acquisitions. The purchases were made in the vicinity of 583 locations designated as "monitored areas" or "special monitored areas" under a law governing their use that took effect in 2022.
 
By country or region, China accounted for the most acquisitions at 1,674, followed by Taiwan at 414, South Korea at 378 and the United States at 211.
 
The survey is the second since the implementation of the law aimed to prevent real estate in areas surrounding important facilities and on remote islands from being used for acts that may impact official activities.
 
"We will steadily investigate the situation and take all-out measures to thwart acts that obstruct the functions of the properties," said Kimi Onoda, minister in charge of economic security, at a press conference on Tuesday.
 
Last year's investigation showed foreigners acquired 371 properties, but any direct comparison is unrepresentative as the number of designated locations increased nearly seven-fold in the latest survey.
 
There were no cases where warnings or orders to halt use were issued.
 
According to the Cabinet Office, many of the properties acquired by foreigners were apartments or condominiums, with many Chinese buyers believed to have purchased properties in the greater Tokyo area for investment purposes.
 
By prefecture, Tokyo saw the highest number of acquisitions at 1,558. Some were around the Medical Service School of the Ground Self-Defense Force, the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency's Naval Systems Research Center and the New Sanno U.S. Forces Center.
 
After Tokyo, Kanagawa had the most acquisitions at 339, followed by Chiba at 235, Hokkaido at 217 and Fukuoka at 211.
 
Under the law, plots of land and buildings within a 1-kilometer radius of designated critical facilities are subject to land use regulations. The survey covered a total of 113,827 properties where ownership was newly registered in the fiscal year starting April 2024.
 
 

 
Belgian renewables firm Virya Energy has entered the Japanese market by acquiring BayWa r.e.’s local solar platform of over 60 MWdc and operational team.

The integrated platform comprises a development and operating solar portfolio spread across Japan's prefectures, the buyer announced on Friday.

“This development advances Virya’s long-term commitment to Japan’s renewable power generation sector, with a focus on supplying large corporate clients with reliable green power,” the company said.

Under the terms, a core team, including senior management and the development team from BayWa r.e. Japan will transfer to Virya Energy and operate under the Virya Energy brand.

"This platform is complemented by proven delivery capability in Japan, as the combined management team has already developed, built, and put into operation over 1,000 MW of solar projects in the country since 2013," noted Virya Energy.
 
 

Japanese police have arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with Sunday's stabbing attack in the western city of Fukuoka, which injured two people.

The police say the suspect, Yamaguchi Naoya, who lives in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, hinted at his involvement in the case in interviews conducted before the arrest.

They say the instrument believed to be used in the attack has already been found.

The victims of the assault that took place on Sunday evening are a 44-year-old male event staffer of a pop idol group and a 27-year-old woman who travelled from Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture to the area for another event.

The police say the male victim was stabbed in a staff only elevator hall at a domed stadium, right after he told the suspected assailant to leave.
They say the suspect then attacked the woman who was at an adjacent commercial facility.

The police say the staffer was stabbed in his chest and the female victim in her back. They say they were taken to hospital after the attack, and their injuries are not life-threatening.

The woman reportedly has told the police she was not acquainted with the assailant.
 
 

Two pandas at a Tokyo zoo will be returned to China in January, Japanese media said on Monday (Dec 15), potentially leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century.

Loaned out as part of China's "panda diplomacy" programme, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symbolised friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972.

Japan currently has only two pandas - Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao - at Tokyo's Zoological Gardens in the Ueno neighbourhood.

However, the twins are now set to be repatriated a month before their loan period expires in February, said the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which operates the Ueno zoo.

Tokyo's regional government has been asking for the immensely popular mammals to remain at the zoo - where they attract huge crowds - but China did not agree, according to the Nikkei business daily.

n September last year, animal lovers in Tokyo bid farewell to the parents of Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao who returned home.

Just before they left, thousands of tearful fans came out to catch a final glimpse and take photographs of the beloved bears.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that Tokyo is seeking the loan of a new pair, although their arrival before the return of Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao is seen as unlikely.

Ties between Asia's two largest economies are fast deteriorating after Japan's conservative new premier Sanae Takaichi hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.

Her comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the island as its own territory.

Japan's top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said pandas have helped ties with China.

"Exchanges through pandas have contributed to improving the feelings between the people of Japan and China. We hope such exchanges will continue," Kihara told a regular press briefing.

He said that "several local governments and zoos have expressed interest in receiving pandas on loan", but did not state whether the national government was asking China for new animals.

Ueno Zoo has long been the beneficiary of panda diplomacy, having cooperated with facilities in China and the United States to successfully breed giant pandas.

Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao were delivered in 2021 by their mother Shin Shin, who arrived in 2011 and was returned to China last year.

Breeding pandas in a zoo environment is fiendishly tricky due to their difficulties mating, false pregnancies and high mortality rates of newborn cubs.
 
 

The city of Kusatsu in the western Japan prefecture of Shiga, often confused for the famous "onsen" hot spring town in eastern Japan sharing the same name, is using the mix-up as a public relations opportunity.

Every year, the tourist information office and other related facilities in the Shiga city handle about 100 visits and inquiries from people confusing the city with the town of Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, which is about 300 kilometers away, according to the Shiga city's tourism and products association.

One day in October, a tourist from Taiwan visited the information office seeking an onsen facility.

The city, the second-most populous municipality in Shiga, faces the need to enhance its name recognition outside the prefecture to avoid the name confusion.

In a fresh approach to the problem, an official of the association suggested using the muddle-up as an opportunity, coming up with the "Onsen-nai Manju," or "onsenless manju," steamed bun with bean paste.

 

 

Masayoshi Son reduced the SoftBank Group shares he’s pledged to lenders by $2.1 billion in recent months, lowering his collateral after bets on artificial intelligence propelled the latest comeback in his volatile technology fortune.

Son trimmed his committed shares by 19.4 million to around 154.2 million, according to a filing earlier this month. About 31% of Son’s holdings in the Tokyo-listed company are now pledged to banks, down from near 39% in March 2020, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

The bulk of Son’s $35.3 billion fortune derives from a stake of just over a third in SoftBank, the Tokyo-listed conglomerate he founded that oversees a global empire of investments from chipmakers to startup ventures. SoftBank shares surged almost 200% to peak at the end of October on the back of an AI frenzy.

Shares have given up some of the gains lately on fears of a bubble in the sector, but are still heading for the biggest yearly gain since 2013.
A Singapore-based investment firm ultimately controlled by Son now holds $1.1 billion of SoftBank stock, according to the same filing, a departure from the billionaire’s previous management of his shares via Japanese entities.

Son has historically used shares in the group he founded as collateral for loans with lenders including Mizuho Financial Group, Deutsche Bank and Julius Baer Group, and has frequently transferred shares among different entities he controls.

A spokesperson for SoftBank declined to comment.

Son has been aggressively expanding his bets, making bold investments in AI hardware companies like Nvidia, which he later offloaded, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., briefly turning him into Japan’s richest person earlier this year.

When SoftBank’s stock was trading around ¥25,000 ($160.57) per share in October, Son probably took "advantage of the value the shares have reached to take them off the pledges,” said Amir Anvarzadeh, a market strategist at Asymmetric Advisors in Singapore.

"But since then, they have been coming under a lot of pressure,” said Anvarzadeh, who recommends clients to short the stock.

Singapore-based SAM Wealth Management Pte borrowed 10 million SoftBank shares, worth about $1.1 billion, from a Japan-based parent company that is also controlled by the billionaire, according to the Dec. 5 filing.

The filing doesn’t detail the rationale behind the stock loan agreement between the two entities, but the transaction is a reminder of the complex web of relationships that have long underpinned one of Japan’s largest and most volatile fortunes.

The Singapore wealth firm was incorporated in 2021 and is fully owned by Son Asset Management, a Japanese entity that holds a 1.9% stake in SoftBank.

Son’s Singapore investment entity is headquartered at the city’s Raffles Place financial district. To fund its operations, it has borrowed from banks, including facilities backed by an aircraft. It did not disclose further details.

"With SoftBank shares up so much this year, there could be an opportunity for him to renegotiate with banks on terms for collaterals on the money that he’s borrowed,” said Kirk Boodry, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst in Hong Kong who’s covered the Japanese tech firm for more than fifteen years.
 
 

"Black Box Diaries," an Oscar-nominated film directed by Japanese journalist Shiori Ito documenting her experience after suffering sexual violence, was released in Japan on Friday.

"I spent 10 years making the film," Ito said in a speech after the documentary was screened at a theater in Tokyo. "I'm happy from the bottom of my heart."

The film details Ito's experience after sexual assault by a former television reporter in 2015.

It was screened at overseas film festivals in 2024 and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at this year's U.S. Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, lawyers, including those who helped Ito win a civil lawsuit against the former TV journalist over her sexual abuse case, had criticized the use of hotel security camera images and statements from taxi drivers without permission.
 
 

The Japanese government plans to ask buyers of forested land to register their nationalities, starting next April. The move is aimed at keeping track of foreign property ownership across the nation.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry plans to announce the new rule as early as next week.

Corporate entities that acquire forested areas will be required to list the nationality of their representative.

Owners with a foreign address will need to register their place of contact in Japan. Buyers will also be asked to report the purpose of the acquisition.

The government is carrying out a wholesale review of policies for foreign nationals, with basic ideas to be mapped out by around January.

Officials say some measures will be introduced quickly if necessary.
 

 

As military tensions between China and Japan reach the highest level in more than a decade, the sparsely populated island of Yonaguni finds itself right on the front lines.

Sitting just 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of Taiwan, Yonaguni marks the tail end of an archipelago stretching north to Japan’s main islands, a distance roughly equivalent to the length of the California coastline.

Ever since former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taipei in 2022 prompted China to fire missiles that landed near Yonaguni, Japan has accelerated plans for its largest military buildup in at least four decades.

Up and down the 160-strong Ryukyu island chain, Japan is quickly putting in place missile batteries, radar towers, ammunition storage sites and other combat facilities. It’s also beginning to deploy major military assets on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, including F-35 fighter jets and long-range missiles, as well as expanding its version of the U.S. Marine Corps, known as the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade.

The race to fortify the islands is raising the stakes of the current spat between Asia’s biggest economies, as Beijing ramps up pressure to force Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to retract remarks suggesting that Japan might deploy its military if China one day attempts to seize Taiwan.

Over the weekend, a Chinese fighter aircraft locked its weapons-targeting radar on Japanese warplanes, showing the risk of miscalculation if tensions persist.

"China's People's Liberation Army is undoubtedly building up its ability to force Taiwan into submission,” said Koichi Isobe, a former lieutenant general in Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force.

"Japan, the United States, and other Western countries must show China their strong resolve to oppose any actions that seek to change the status quo.”

A subtropical island known mostly for endangered wild horses and dive spots with hammerhead sharks, Yonaguni is now seeing new apartment buildings sprouting up to house troops for a military base established in 2016.

Over the next year, some 30 staff will join the nearly 230 already on site to accommodate an electronic warfare division, and more are expected to follow with the planned deployment of anti-air missiles.

Some of the 1,500 or so residents on the island are becoming more nervous at the infusion of arms, and have sought more clarity from Japanese officials on future plans.

On a warm December evening earlier this month, about 80 locals gathered at a community hall for an "explanation meeting,” at which Defense Ministry officials told them why it was necessary to deploy troops, anti-air missiles and weapons that use electromagnetic waves to jam enemy communications and targeting capabilities.

Some residents voiced concerns over the dangers of an enhanced military presence, with one saying Takaichi should’ve kept quiet. But others such as Shigeru Yonahara, a 63-year-old car mechanic and town council member, agreed with the Defense Ministry’s position. A few days prior to the meeting, Japan’s military reported that it spotted a suspected Chinese drone near the island.

"Right now we’re defenseless,” he said in an interview. "We need the electronic warfare unit to disable threats like drones.”

Since Takaichi’s remarks triggered a backlash from China, she has repeatedly asserted that Japan hasn’t changed its policy toward Taiwan or made any new commitment on when it might deploy its military.

However, her remarks have highlighted how closely the security of Japan and Taiwan are connected.

While Japan maintains a doctrine of strict self-defense, in 2015 the government of then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe oversaw a landmark legal change that allowed the military to aid friendly nations in a situation where Japan’s own survival could also be at stake.

Before Takaichi took power in October, Abe and successive leaders had avoided giving specific scenarios under which "collective self-defense” would be applied, aware that doing so might stoke tensions with China.

But in private, government officials and security analysts have long mentioned that one scenario could be an American-led defense of Taiwan, given Japan’s proximity to the island democracy and its own dependence on the U.S. for security. Any prospect that American forces would fail to stop a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would therefore inevitably put Japan’s own security at risk.

Japan would have little choice but to support the U.S. in a conflict regardless of how it is viewed by Tokyo, according to Kyoko Hatakeyama, a former Japanese government analyst who is now a professor of international relations at Niigata University.

"If we decline the U.S. request, that would mean the end of the alliance,” she said. "And the United States might not even protect Japan in the case of China’s attack on Japan.”

The military buildup has attracted heated debate in parliament. Last month, the head of Japan's opposition Communist Party said the government’s defense plans were creating a "missile archipelago.” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has rejected that description, saying Japan was deploying its forces in line with other countries.

During a recent visit to Yonaguni, he said plans to deploy medium-range surface-to-air missiles on the island were intended to reduce the likelihood of attacks on Japan.

Tension over Taiwan has its origin in agreements that ended World War II — history that Chinese President Xi Jinping is now seeking to bend to his advantage. In conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders, Xi has argued that China helped defeat Japan and two wartime statements — the Potsdam Declaration and the Cairo Declaration — made clear that Beijing has sovereignty over Taiwan.

As part of its response, some Chinese officials have indicated that World War II-era declarations also raise doubts about Japan’s sovereignty over Yonaguni and other islands in the Ryukyu chain. Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian posted on X a quote from the 1945 Potsdam Declaration, which said Japanese sovereignty should be limited to the country’s four main islands "and such minor islands as we determine.”

Japan, the U.S. and Taiwan reject China’s assertions, pointing to the San Francisco Peace Treaty as a legally binding agreement. Signed in 1951 by Japan and almost 50 allied nations, it states that Tokyo "renounces all rights, title and claim” to Taiwan, but doesn’t specify to whom.

It also placed the Ryukyu islands under U.S. administration, paving the way for American military bases primarily located on the island of Okinawa. The islands were returned to Japan in 1972.

Beijing rejects the San Francisco treaty, with the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo last month posting that it was merely an "invalid scrap of paper.” China retains active claims to the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands to Beijing, which sit to the north of Yonaguni.

Those islands fall under the U.S.-Japan mutual defense treaty, a position that Trump’s envoy to Japan, George Glass, reaffirmed last month.

Ever since Takaichi’s remarks, Chinese officials have pressed their historical case with visiting dignitaries. On Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave a lengthy argument for China’s sovereignty over Taiwan in a meeting with German counterpart Johann Wadephul while saying Japan should be more cautious as a "defeated nation” in World War II.

China has also sought to play on tensions between indigenous islanders and the militaries of both Japan and the U.S.. Last month, Chinese state-run tabloid Global Times appeared to call for Ryukyu independence in a Weibo post, saying "only the Ryukyu people themselves can decide the fate of Ryukyu.”

A prominent Chinese state media journalist also questioned Japan’s sovereignty over the islands in a 12-minute television segment, saying they were "turned into a huge military base with its indigenous people forced to endure deep-rooted discrimination.”

Those debates are most prevalent on Okinawa, the center of American and Japanese military power on the archipelago, where major U.S. Marine Corps and other military bases would likely provide the first response in any conflict over Taiwan if Washington chooses to intervene.

Japan is also building up its own military presence on the island: Last year, it inaugurated an anti-ship missile base that serves as a command center for similar outposts on the islands of Ishigaki, Miyako and Amami-Oshima.

Hiroyuki Teruya, a 73-year-old former college professor, has led demonstrations against a Japanese missile base in the city of Uruma on Okinawa.

He worries that the militarization of Japan’s southern islands will lead to a repeat of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the final land offensive by the U.S. in the Pacific War that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.

All three of Teruya’s uncles were killed in that conflict. Plans for evacuation shelters on Japan’s southern islands were a hopeless attempt to protect locals against new bloodshed, Teruya said. Rather than trying to deter China and preparing for conflict with a stronger military, Japan should prioritize diplomacy to avoid war, he said.

"After 80 years, it’s come to this,” he said. "Are they going to make Okinawa a battlefield once again?”

Historical memories remain a strong influence on older Japanese, who identify more closely than younger generations with Japan’s post-World War II rejection of militarism. In 1947, Japan adopted a pacifist constitution that remains unchanged to this day.

Younger Japanese, however, are largely supportive of Japan’s military build-up. A poll conducted by the Sankei newspaper and Fuji News Network on Nov. 22-23 found that 83.2% of respondents age between 18 and 29 supported Takaichi’s plans to increase defense spending — nearly double that of those older than 70.

Takaichi has pledged to reach defense spending worth 2% of gross domestic product this fiscal year, two years ahead of schedule.

Okinawa has a far higher concentration of military bases than any other prefecture in Japan, most of them American. Ayako Arakaki, a local lawmaker in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that widely held perceptions that Okinawans are opposed to bases are inaccurate.

Arakaki said that the sound of fighter jets scrambling from a base near her office in response to Chinese military activity near Japan is a reminder of the challenge.

"China has long made claims that are out of step with the international community, completely disregarding the consensus in Japan,” said Arakaki, referring to Chinese statements on the sovereignty of Japanese islands. "What we’re seeing is a country that won’t accept anything unless its own demands are met.”

If Japan plays a supporting role in any U.S.-led defense of Taiwan, the new electronic warfare unit on Yonaguni could transform the island from a passive observation post into an active "kill chain” enabler that could feed precise targeting data to Japanese and U.S. missile batteries, according to Franz-Stefan Gady, an adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based research group.

That could make it a key priority for China, he said, calling it a "high-priority target for early neutralization.”

On Yonaguni, the debate over Japan’s military presence came to a head in a mayoral election this summer. The victor, Tsuneo Uechi, campaigned on a more cautious approach to the buildup, replacing a hawkish incumbent.

In an interview, Uechi said he accepted that existing plans for electronic warfare and medium range anti-air missile units would help defend the island, and he also welcomed the arrival of younger people from the military on an island where most people are much older.

Still, he said, further moves to install anti-ship batteries like those positioned on other islands would add to the "psychological stress” of locals, he said. The meeting between the Defense Ministry and the locals earlier this month came in response to Uechi’s request to the government for more openness about its plans.

"These developments are not intended to attack any other country,” Kouzou Shimo, a Japanese Defense Ministry official, told residents at the meeting. "It is purely for us to defend ourselves in a crisis.”

The previous mayor, Keniichi Itokazu, says Takaichi didn’t go far enough in indicating her support for Taiwan. He wants additional missile systems on Yonaguni and joint military exercises involving Japanese, U.S. and Taiwanese forces.

"Japan alone cannot defend itself,” Itokazu said. "The U.S.-Japan alliance creates the deterrence that prevents China from making moves toward Taiwan or the Ryukyus.”
 
 

The Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions compiled a draft proposal on Friday to seek a monthly pay scale hike of at least 12,000 yen in next year's "shunto" spring wage negotiations.

JAW, which consists of labor unions of auto-related companies, will maintain demands as strong as last year to sustain momentum for pay raises, despite challenges in the industry stemming from high tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Last year, the group requested a hike of exactly 12,000 yen.
"More than 12,000 yen is not just a request," said Akihiro Kaneko, president of the group, at a press conference in Tokyo. "I am committed to making it a reality."

After the proposal is formally adopted at the group's central committee meeting on Jan. 15, member labor unions will submit their wage requests to management.
 
 

Japan is considering allocating about 9 trillion yen ($58 billion) for next fiscal year's defense budget, including plans to deploy long-range missiles and drones, sources close to the matter said Friday.

The figure would surpass the record 8.7 trillion yen in the initial budget for the current fiscal year starting April, as Japan faces mounting security challenges from China and North Korea and U.S. President Donald Trump's demands for higher security spending.

The government's draft initial budget for fiscal 2026, the fourth year of its five-year, 43-trillion-yen defense buildup plan, is expected to be approved by the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi later this month, according to the sources.

The defense outlays would include costs to procure hypersonic guided missiles that travel at speeds above Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, and to upgrade medium-range surface-to-air missiles to intercept ballistic missiles, the sources said.

Japan also plans to acquire drones to build the "Shield" layered coastal defense system by deploying numerous inexpensive unmanned aerial, surface and underwater vehicles, the sources added.

Since taking office in October, Takaichi has pledged to bring forward Japan's goal of raising defense spending and related initiatives to 2 percent of gross domestic product by two years, to fiscal 2025.

The United States, meanwhile, has reportedly pressed Japan behind the scenes to increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP, as China steps up military activity in the Indo-Pacific region and North Korea continues its missile and nuclear development.

Before Japan drafted its five-year defense buildup plan, the annual defense budget had long been capped at around 1 percent of GDP, or roughly 5 trillion yen.
 
 

Japan's Meteorological Agency is urging people along the northern Pacific coast to stay vigilant for a mega quake after a tremor led to a tsunami advisory on Friday.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Aomori at 11:44 a.m. at a depth of 17 kilometers.

Tsunami waves as high as 20 centimeters were later observed in parts of Hokkaido and Aomori prefectures. The tsunami advisory was lifted early in the afternoon.

In Hokkaido and across much of the Tohoku region, the tremors reached an intensity of 4 on the Japanese scale of zero to seven.

The tremor was one of many jolts that have occurred since one with an intensity of upper 6 in the Japanese scale of zero to 7 in Hachinohe on Monday.

Following Monday's magnitude 7.5 quake, a tsunami warning and advisory was issued for coastal areas from Hokkaido and Tohoku.

A 70-centimeter tsunami was observed at Kuji Port in Iwate Prefecture.



No irregularities at nuclear plants

Tohoku Electric Power Company said no abnormalities were detected at the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture, or at the Onagawa plant in Miyagi Prefecture.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said no abnormalities were detected at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants. Both companies say there are no changes in readings at monitoring posts that measure radiation levels around the plants.


Mega quake possibility 'still valid'

Still, people are being advised to remain vigilant. The meteorological agency issued an "Off the Coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku Subsequent Earthquake Advisory" on Tuesday, following a quake the previous day off northern Japan with a magnitude of 7.5.

The agency says there is a high possibility of a strong tremor along the Japan Trench and the Chishima Trench off Hokkaido.

The advisory covers 182 municipalities in the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba.

According to the agency, a "late-stage earthquake" is a big quake with a magnitude of 8 or higher. The agency explained that Friday's quake did not meet this standard, and the probability of a larger quake continues to be higher than usual.

It does not mean a quake is certain to occur, and authorities are not asking people to evacuate in advance. But they are urging people to prepare emergency bags to be sure they can evacuate quickly, if needed.

People are also advised to check evacuation places and routes as well as to fix furniture to the ceiling or wall, and stockpile food, water and emergency toilet kits.
 
 

Türkiye’s interest in Japan is experiencing a remarkable surge, with the number of Turkish visitors reaching record levels.

Visa‑free travel for up to 90 days, newly launched direct flights and the powerful influence of social media have combined to fuel an unprecedented rise in demand.

In the first nine months of the year alone, approximately 70,000 Turkish tourists traveled to Japan.

Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) shows that around 7,000 Turkish citizens visited Japan in 2022, a figure that climbed to nearly 17,000 in 2023. Since TÜİK has not yet released figures for 2024 and 2025, the latest trends are reflected in statistics from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

JNTO reports that between January and September 2025, Japan welcomed 31.6 million international visitors, marking a 17.7 percent increase from the same period in 2024. During the same timeframe, arrivals from Türkiye rose by an impressive 76.8 percent.

Industry representatives note that the number of Turkish tourists visiting Japan is expected to reach 90,000 by the end of the year, indicating a staggering 430 percent increase over the past two years.

The long‑standing visa‑free entry for Turkish passport holders remains one of the strongest drivers of this growth. Additional factors include new direct flight routes, Japan’s diverse cultural and tourism offerings, heightened social media visibility, and a growing fascination with Japanese culture.

Flight prices vary depending on the season. Promotional fares for round‑trip economy tickets typically start above 50,000 Turkish Liras ($1,170), while peak‑season prices can exceed 100,000 liras.

In February 2025, All Nippon Airways (ANA) launched a new direct route between Haneda and Istanbul, while Turkish Airlines announced plans to increase its Istanbul–Narita service from seven to ten weekly flights in the 2026 summer schedule. These developments are expected to encourage even more Turkish travelers to visit Japan.

According to Davut Günaydın, vice President of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), demand for Japan tours has risen threefold, and packages covering five to seven nights start at around 2,300 euros, reaching up to 4,500 euros.

He adds that airfare accounts for roughly 60 percent of total tour costs and that prices have remained relatively stable compared to last year.

Günaydın also highlights the favorable exchange rate of the Japanese yen, which has made shopping — particularly electronics — more attractive for Turkish travelers.

Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district has become a popular destination for such purchases, according to Günaydın.

Emphasizing that interest in Japan “never fades,” he predicts that the strong demand seen this year will continue into 2026.
 

The Japanese government and ruling parties are considering finalizing details of a plan to address tax revenue gaps between Tokyo and other local governments at the end of next year, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

Government and ruling coalition officials have been discussing ways to correct an imbalance in local tax revenues favoring Tokyo, which has led to increasing gaps in administrative services.

Specifically, they are considering reallocating more revenue from corporate enterprise tax and land fixed-asset tax from the capital to other local governments.

They plan to make a decision on the matter as part of annual tax system reform work for fiscal 2027. The plan will be spelled out in the ruling coalition’s fiscal 2026 tax reform package.

The Tokyo metropolitan government’s financial resources for its own policies total 281,000 yen per resident, about 3.6 times higher than the average of 78,000 yen for other prefectures.
 
 

The announcement was made in Kyoto on Friday

‘Kuma’ Is the Official Kanji of 2025

On Friday, the official Kanji of the Year for 2025 was announced at Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto. Unsurprisingly, the top choice this year was 熊 (pronounced Kuma) meaning bear.

The character was selected from a public vote. It’s the first time the kanji for bear has been chosen, reflecting a year that has been marked by a record number of sightings and bear attacks across the country. 

Shown live on TV, the character was drawn using a giant calligraphy brush on Japanese paper, known as washi, by chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori.

Other characters mentioned as contenders included 巳 (mi), the eto kanji for snake and 災 (sai or wazawai), meaning disaster.

In 2024, 金 (kin) was selected as the Kanji of the Year. The choice was influenced by a variety of events, including Japan’s medal haul at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
 

The government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party intend to raise the “annual income barrier” — the income threshold for the imposition of income tax — from the current level of ¥1.6 million to ¥1.78 million.

The LDP, the Democratic Party for the People and Komeito originally agreed in December 2024 to seek this change. The government and the LDP will continue coordinating with the DPFP and other parties on this issue, aiming to raise the threshold as one of the tax system revisions for fiscal 2026, which starts in April.

Income tax rates range from 5% to 45%. The amount of income tax an individual must pay is calculated based on the total amount of income they earn after subtracting basic deductions, employment income deductions and other deductions.

Until 2024, the threshold at which income tax was imposed for company employees and other salaried workers was set at ¥1.03 million, which was the combined minimum guaranteed amount of the basic and employment income deductions.

This “¥1.03 million barrier” was widely criticized for supposedly encouraging people to work fewer hours to avoid paying taxes. Although the threshold was increased to ¥1.6 million from 2025, the DPFP has called for this figure to be bumped up further.

In light of demands by the DPFP and other factors, the government and the LDP plan to address rising prices by further raising the annual income barrier as part of the fiscal 2026 tax system revisions.
 

 

The government and the LDP are aiming to introduce a system under which the basic and other deductions would be revised every two years, based on the rate at which consumer prices have increased since the last revision.

Given that prices have increased by about 6% over the past two years, this would equate to the basic deductions being raised from the current ¥580,000 to ¥620,000. The minimum guaranteed amount of the employment income deductions would rise from ¥650,000 to ¥690,000.

Furthermore, the government and the LDP are arranging for the additional basic deductions for low-income earners to be increased from the current ¥370,000 by ¥100,000.

This would bring the income tax threshold up to ¥1.78 million. This move would be a nod to the DPFP, which has pushed for the threshold to be brought to this level based on the rate of increase in the minimum wage in recent years.

However, the DPFP is seeking to have deductions increased for middle-income earners as well as for low-income earners, so whether the party can agree on the proposed changes will become a key focus of attention.

The LDP and DPFP will continue working-level talks on matters such as to what level of income the increased deductions should be applied, with the aim of including their conclusions in the ruling parties’ outline of their planned tax system revisions, which could be compiled as soon as next week.

Discussions in fiscal 2025 between the then LDP-Komeito ruling coalition and the DPFP over tax system revisions such as raising the annual income barrier became bogged down over issues including finding new revenue sources.

The ruling parties were forced to tweak their previously agreed-on tax system revisions and settled on a threshold of ¥1.6 million.
 
 

In Japan, there’s a common practice of supermarkets and takeout places discounting leftover items as they get close to closing time.

It’s a win-win-win policy, as consumers get to save a little cash, the store gets to make some extra sales, and the reduction in food waste is a plus for the environment too.

Since these discounts are for leftover items, though, you can’t necessarily count on them happening every day, especially if there’s a particular item you’re looking for.

You actually have to go to the store to see what, if anything, is marked down that night…unless, that is, you’re looking for close-to-closing discounts at Starbucks Japan.

Because these kinds of discounts are limited to pre-made items with short shelf lives that wouldn’t be able to be sold the following day, Starbucks doesn’t mark down, say, coffee or S’mores Frappuccinos. 

They do, however, discount things like their sweets, snacks, and sandwiches, something they started doing in 2021 through their Save Food Program. 

Until now, the discounts were only offered to customers making regular in-store purchases, but beginning this month Starbucks Japan is expanding the program to include close-to-closing discounts on orders made through its Mobile Order and Pay app, letting customers purchase marked-down items before arriving at the branch to pick them up.

When selecting a Starbucks branch to place an order with, a Save Food mark will appear on items with reduced prices. Exact availability and discount timing will vary by branch and day, but Save Food items usually start showing up around three hours before closing time. A portion of Save Food sales is donated to a children’s hunger charity program too, adding one more group to the list of beneficiaries.

Save Food items were added to the Mobile Order and Pay system on December 1 and are in the process of being implemented for Starbucks Japan branches nationwide.
 
 

The Japanese government and ruling parties are considering raising the minimum taxable income threshold from the current 1.6 million yen to 1.68 million yen in 2026, it was learned Thursday.
 
The minimum taxable income level represents the combined amount of basic deductions, applied to all people with incomes, and employee income deductions, which salaried workers are eligible for.
 
The country is examining the idea of introducing a system to raise this threshold every two years in tandem with price increases, in order to help reduce taxpayers’ burden.
 
If the new system is introduced, the basic deduction and the minimum employment income deduction will each rise by 40,000 yen, raising the combined amount to 1.68 million yen.
 
The revision is expected to be included in the government’s upcoming tax system reform package for fiscal 2026.
 

A U.N. intergovernmental committee decided Thursday to add six items submitted by Japan to three categories already inscribed on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, including traditional festivals and paper-making.

Festivals from the prefectures of Ibaraki, Niigata, Shiga and Toyama, as well as two types of craftsmanship related to handmade paper and tatami mat making, were formally endorsed by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's intergovernmental committee at a meeting in New Delhi.

All six items were recommended for inclusion last month by UNESCO's advisory panel, which noted that they demonstrate cultural diversity and have satisfied safeguarding practices.

 

The Ofune Festival of Hitachi Otsu in Ibaraki, the Murakami Yatai Festival in Niigata, the Hojozu Hachimangu Shrine Hikiyama Tsukiyama Festival in Toyama and the Otsu Hikiyama Festival in Shiga have been added to the "Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals in Japan" list, bringing the total to 37.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing of Echizen "torinoko-shi" handmade paper in Fukui Prefecture has been added to the "Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese handmade paper" category as the fourth item.

 

Crafting handwoven "nakatsugi-omote," a type of aesthetic and durable tatami mat surface, becomes the 18th item on the "Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan."

The government nominated the six items to UNESCO in March 2024. As UNESCO implements an annual review limit of 60 nominations, those from Japan, which makes many submissions, generally undergo review every two years.

 

But since the latest six items were treated as "extensions" of existing heritage-listed categories, they were reviewed this year, outside the biennial review. The number of entries from Japan will also remain unchanged at 23.

Japan has also requested "shodo" calligraphy to be listed as a new Intangible Cultural Heritage entry, with screening by the U.N. body expected in 2026.

 

It has also decided to submit the traditional performing art "kagura" in 2028, and "onsen" hot spring culture in 2030.
 
 

Japan's House of Representatives on Thursday passed the government's supplementary budget bill for fiscal 2025, which will finance the first comprehensive economic policy package compiled under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

At a plenary meeting of the lower chamber of the Diet, the budget bill was approved by a majority vote, with support from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai), as well as the opposition Democratic Party for the People and Komeito.

The budget bill is expected to be enacted as early as Tuesday after deliberations in the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber.

 

Under the banner of "responsible yet aggressive" fiscal policy, the budget bill calls for general-account spending of 18,303.4 billion yen, including funds to implement an additional child allowance of 20,000 yen per child.

More than 60 pct of the extra budget will be funded by selling government bonds.

In the Lower House, the DPFP voted in favor of the budget bill after the Takaichi administration decided to abolish the provisional gasoline tax surcharge. Komeito finalized its support for the bill at a party meeting earlier in the day.