As the cost of eating out soars due to rising prices, companies in Tokyo are increasingly introducing employee cafeterias where staff can eat at affordable prices.

With the new fiscal year’s tax reforms significantly raising the tax-exempt limit for meal subsidies provided by companies, there is a growing trend of supporting employees’ household budgets.

At the head office of Tokyo Star Bank in the Akasaka district in Minato Ward, Tokyo, the employee cafeteria was bustling at lunchtime on Wednesday.

Four menu items were available, including a daily special for ¥530 and fried eggplant with Chinese chili sauce on rice.

In March last year, as part of its efforts to create an attractive office environment, the bank introduced a “kitchenless cafeteria” with no kitchen or drainage facilities. Lunches prepared at a production facility are delivered and served hot.

Kazuhisa Miyoshi, a 43-year-old employee, said with a smile, “Eating out can sometimes cost around ¥1,500, so the cafeteria is a huge help for my household budget.”

A bank spokesperson noted, “We can offer meals for around ¥500, which helps support our employees financially.”

According to a March survey by Recruit Co. of workers in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Tokai and Kansai regions, the average budget for weekday lunches for eating out rose to a record high of ¥1,338, up ¥88 from the previous year.

Amid soaring lunch costs, employee cafeterias — where companies subsidize employees’ food expenses — are drawing attention as a source of affordable meals.

According to Bondish, based in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, which operates the bank’s cafeteria, a growing number of companies are adopting kitchenless cafeterias, with inquiries from January to March rising 40% on a year-on-year basis.


Higher tax-exempt limit

The tax reforms for this fiscal year are encouraging corporate meal subsidies.

While there was already a system in place in which income tax is not levied on meal expenses subsidized by companies during work hours up to a certain amount, the government has raised this tax-exempt limit for the first time in 42 years to address rising prices.

The limit has been increased from ¥3,500 to ¥7,500 per person per month.

As long as employees pay at least half of the total cost, they will pay no income tax on their meal subsidy.

For example, if an employee spent a total of ¥15,000 on meals in a month, the ¥7,500 subsidized by the company will be tax-exempt as long as the employee covers half of the total cost.

However, if the employee’s contribution falls short of half of the total, the entire company subsidy will be subject to income tax.

Since meal subsidies effectively increase employees’ take-home pay, they are garnering attention as the “third form of wage increase.”


Related services grow

Following the tax reforms, companies offering corporate meal services have been receiving a flood of inquiries.

Ezaki Glico Co., based in Osaka City, which allows companies to offer corporate meals without setting up a cafeteria, expanded its delivery-based corporate meal service “Sunao Delivery” to the Tokyo metropolitan area in April. It was previously only available in Osaka City.

The service can be used for as few as five meals per day, and the company said it has received many inquiries from small and midsize enterprises.

Edenred Japan Co., based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, offers “Ticket Restaurant,” a meal subsidy service that uses a dedicated smart card for payment.

Employees and their companies split the amount of money deposited on the card, which can be used to purchase meals at participating convenience stores and restaurants.

The company said that inquiries have increased significantly compared to last year.
 


 

The Japanese government on Thursday underlined the need to keep a close watch on weakening consumer sentiment amid concerns about the economic outlook due to tensions in the Middle East.

"Private consumption shows movements of picking up," the Cabinet Office said, leaving its assessment on the sector unchanged. Still, the government agency said that "attention should be given to weak movements of consumer sentiment recently."

The government kept its assessment on the overall economic situation unchanged in a monthly economic report, saying, "The Japanese economy is recovering at a moderate pace, while attention should be given to the effects caused from the situation in the Middle East."

Regarding the deterioration in consumer sentiment, a Cabinet Office official said that while it could lead to restrained consumption going forward, developments in the real economy should be closely monitored.

In the April report, the government revised up its assessment on business investment for the first time in seven months, saying that it is "picking up." The March report said that it is "picking up moderately."
 
 

The Japanese government entered the lethal weapons export business after lifting the ban on April 21 by revising the Three Principles on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology.

The next day, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi started pitching military equipment. 

Takaichi held a phone conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on April 22. When Takaichi explained that Japan had dropped its ban on arms exports, Luxon reportedly welcomed the move.

During the talks, both leaders spoke about the improved version of the Mogami-class frigate based on vessels currently operated by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The Australian navy plans to introduce the upgraded version to its fleet; Luxon also showed interest in the model, according to sources close to the Foreign Ministry.

Takaichi had expressed previously that defense equipment transfers would enhance the capabilities of like-minded countries. She intends to actively pursue sales talks with other nations. 

The transfer of used MSDF Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippines is widely seen as what will likely be the first export deal following the removal of the five-category restrictions.

For Japan, exporting weapons to like-minded countries in the South China Sea is also aimed at strengthening cooperation with an eye on China.

At a news conference on April 21, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said he wants to “further strengthen top-level sales efforts” toward other countries, and is scheduled to visit the Philippines and Indonesia in early May.

On the same day, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro issued a statement welcoming the move, saying that defense cooperation with Japan had “entered a new era.”

According to multiple Japanese government sources, arrangements are also being made to invite Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Japan as a state guest as early as late May.

The U.S. State Department also welcomed Japan’s lifting of the ban on the same day, calling it “a positive move for the Japan-U.S. alliance and international stability.”

U.S. weapons export deliveries to allies and partners have been routinely delayed due to the country’s production capacity constraints and becoming a problem.

Countries that have been forced to wait for deliveries have expressed hopes for a greater role by Japan.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement the same day, saying it hoped the move would be carried out “in a manner that maintains the spirit of Japan's pacifist Constitution while contributing to peace and stability in the region.”
 
 

Wildfires that broke out on Wednesday in two locations in the northeastern Japan town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, continued into Thursday, burning a total of about 200 hectares, according to the town government.

The town government has advised a total of about 2,600 people in 1,200 households to evacuate. About 220 people are staying in evacuation shelters. One woman in her 60s was injured after slipping at an evacuation shelter.

Despite ongoing firefighting efforts, there is still no clear prospect for when the fires will be extinguished.

 

The Iwate prefectural government has set up a disaster response headquarters and decided to invoke the disaster relief law.

At around 1:50 p.m. Wednesday, an emergency call reported a fire on a mountain slope in the Kozuchi district of Otsuchi.

 

According to the prefectural government, seven houses and buildings were destroyed, and surrounding forest areas were also burned.
 
 

The Japanese government will ban the use of power banks on aircraft starting 24 April. The policy has been issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in response to a rise in fire incidents involving lithium-ion batteries.

As reported by The Straits Times, under the new rules passengers will no longer be allowed to charge mobile phones or other devices using power banks during flights. The use of power banks connected to cabin power outlets is also prohibited.

In addition, the number of power banks that can be carried into the cabin is limited to a maximum of two units per passenger. Violations of these provisions may result in penalties.

The ministry stated that the revision was made following discussions with international bodies that regulate civil aviation safety. The changes are set out in updated provisions under Japan’s Civil Aeronautics Act.

On 14 April, cabin crew and ground staff from domestic airlines under the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan distributed leaflets at Haneda Airport in Tokyo to inform passengers about the new policy and seek their understanding.

Previously, according to The Independent, data from Japan’s national technology agency showed there were 123 incidents involving mobile batteries in 2024, an increase of 160% compared with 47 cases in 2020.

At the global level, the International Civil Aviation Organization is currently discussing possible changes to rules regarding the use of power banks on flights.

This tightening of regulations follows a series of fire incidents involving power banks on aircraft.

In January 2025, Air Busan banned the storage of power banks in overhead compartments after a major fire destroyed one of its aircraft on the runway.
 
 

All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) is considering the introduction of aviation fuel surcharges that would be added to airfares in accordance with fuel costs to domestic flights from fiscal 2027.

Due to worsening situation in the Middle East, fuel prices are surging. ANA has determined that rising costs would lead to a major decrease in its earnings unless those costs are passed on via airfares.

Since a greater burden on passengers may result in people flying ANA less often, the company is cautiously planning how to design the fare structure.

Fuel surcharges will be added to airfares for all the domestic routes. The calculation method and the timing to introduce the surcharges will be discussed henceforth. Introducing the new system is likely to take some time.

ANA introduced fuel surcharges to international flights in 2005. On Monday, the company announced that it will considerably increase the surcharges for international flights booked from May, to pass on the rising fuel costs.

Domestic flight routes are relatively short, which means the ratio of the fuel surcharge to the operation cost is small.

That is why ANA has not introduced fuel surcharges to domestic flights. Due to the rising fuel costs, however, Koji Shibata, the president of ANA’s parent company, ANA Holdings Inc., revealed on April 1 that the company would discuss various possibilities, including whether it should include fuel surcharges to domestic flights.

Currently, Fuji Dream Airlines Co. in Shizuoka is the only airline in Japan that has introduced fuel surcharges to domestic flights. The company has raised the surcharges for flights booked in May.

The increased surcharge for flights between Nagoya and Yamagata, Kochi and other cities is ¥2,800, four times higher than the previous month. Japan Airlines Co. and Skymark Airlines Inc. are set to introduce fuel surcharges to domestic flights in the spring of 2027.

In recent years, revenue from domestic flights has been declining due to the rise in personnel costs and maintenance charges caused by price surges and a weak yen.

According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, the domestic flight business of six major airline companies, including ANA and JAL, would have been effectively in the red in the business year ending in March 2025 if they had no public financial support, such as a reduction or exemption of airport fees. Surging fuel costs will further add to those headwinds.

“I hear they are in a situation in which they have no choice but to consider raising airfares or taking other measures,” said Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday when asked about the time frame for when airlines would introduce fuel surcharges to domestic flights.
 
 

The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, which had undergone a partial service suspension following a report of smoke at Asakusa Station in Tokyo early Wednesday morning, resumed full-line service 13 hours later at around 7:20 p.m.

At around 6:20 a.m., smoke was detected at Asakusa Station, and service was suspended along the entire line.

At 6:35 a.m., service resumed between Mitsukoshimae and Shibuya stations, but it took a long time for service to resume between Asakusa and Mitsukoshimae stations.

The smoke was reportedly caused by damage to a cable that was part of the equipment at Asakusa Station.
 
 

A 24-year-old worker died on Tuesday after being caught in an amusement park attraction in Tokyo during an inspection, according to the Metropolitan Police Department and other sources.

An emergency call was made at around 11:55 a.m., reporting that a worker was stuck in the equipment at Tokyo Dome City Attractions in the capital's Bunkyo Ward. 

Hina Kamimura was pulled out of the place where she was trapped about five hours later, she was pronounced dead at a hospital.

According to the MPD and others, the accident occurred at the Flying Balloon attraction, which features 12 seats around a pole that rise to a height of 10 meters.

Kamimura and five others had been conducting routine maintenance from 10 a.m. on the day of the incident.

She was inspecting the inside of the pole when the seats, which were fixed at the top of the pole, dropped for reasons that have yet to be confirmed.

Her body was trapped between the pole and the plate that supports the seats.
The amusement park was closed for the day due to the accident.
 
 

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake Monday off northern Japan sparked a short-lived tsunami alert and an advisory of a slightly higher risk of a possible megaquake for its coastal areas.

The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a megaquake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches.

Officials said the advisory was not a prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged residents to confirm their designated shelters and evacuation routes and to check emergency food and grab bags so they can run immediately when a megaquake hits. “The government will do our utmost in case of an emergency,” she told reporters.

It was the second such advisory for the region in recent months. One was issued following a 7.5-magnitude quake in December but no megaquake occurred.

Still, Monday’s earthquake and tsunami were a reminder to the quake-prone area of the March 2011 disaster that ravaged large swaths of the northern coast, triggering a nuclear crisis in Fukushima.

NHK television footage showed hanging objects swaying and people squatting at a shopping center in Aomori, as authorities told people to seek higher ground and avoid coastal areas.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said two people, one in Aomori and another in Iwate, were injured after falling.

Shinkansen bullet trains connecting Tokyo and northern Japan were temporarily suspended, leaving passengers in cars and on platforms waiting for service to resume.

 

The quake occurred off the coast of Sanriku at around 4:53 p.m. and was about 19 kilometers (11 miles) deep, JMA said. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake’s strength as 7.4 magnitude.

A tsunami of about 80 centimeters (2.6 feet) was detected at the Kuji port and a smaller tsunami of 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) was recorded at another port, both in Iwate prefecture, before Japan lifted all tsunami alert and advisories.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said nuclear power plants and related facilities in the region were intact and no abnormalities were detected.

It’s been 15 years since a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami on March 11, 2011, ravaged parts of northern Japan, causing more than 22,000 deaths and forcing nearly half a million people to flee their homes.
 

An increasing number of companies are paying off the student loans of their employees. Thanks to a loan payment system introduced in fiscal 2021, both the workers and their employers are able to reduce their tax burden.

The companies’ move also aims to help secure talented individuals by alleviating the anxiety of young employees struggling with rising prices and higher interest rates.

“It felt like a burden thinking about how I would be paying back my loan for more than 10 years,” said Yuta Hashimura, 29. He joined Silver Life Co., a Tokyo meal delivery service company for the elderly, in 2019. Hashimura, who borrowed ¥2.8 million in interest-bearing student loans during his college years, had to pay back about ¥20,000 every month.

In his third year at the company, Silver Life launched a program to fully cover employees’ student loan payments.

The program is available to all employees, whether they joined the firm immediately after graduating or in the middle of their career. The company pays off the remaining balance over a period of seven years.

“It was a huge relief because I didn’t have to worry about paying the loans back,” Hashimura said. He now invests ¥20,000 in the Nippon Individual Savings Account investment program every month.

The company has shouldered about ¥40 million in total of student loans for about 40 employees. “We want our employees to feel secure and work with us for the long term,” said Arisa Izumi, 30, manager of the general affairs and human resources department at the company.


Avg. of ¥3.36 mil. per student

The Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), which administers the national program to financially help students, offers three types of financial aid: grants with no repayment obligation, interest-free loans and interest-bearing loans.

In fiscal 2024, there were 3.58 million students at universities, junior colleges, graduate schools and other education institutions. Roughly one third, or 1.15 million, utilized financial aid, and 620,000 students within that amount took out interest-bearing loans.

Students can borrow ¥20,000 to ¥120,000 in interest-bearing loans per month, with an average total loan amount of ¥3.36 million per student. Paying back the loans typically takes 17 years on average.

A first-year student who is 18 years old and attends Meiji University recently moved to Tokyo from the Kansai region and said he is going to apply for financial aid.

“I was surprised that rent is higher than I expected in Tokyo. The cost of food and my student commuter pass is also expensive,” he said.

There are concerns regarding rising student loan rates following the Bank of Japan’s review of its monetary policy.

A fixed-rate loan in which the rate remains unchanged during the payment period jumped to 2.42% in March of this year from 0.07% in March 2020.

This means taking out loans of ¥3.36 million, the average amount, would require paying back ¥4.23 million based on the rate in March. The same amount would be ¥3.38 million based on the rate in March 2020.

A first-year female student who is 18 years old and goes to Sophia University, said, “I’m worried about paying back my loans after I start working.”


Aiming to secure talented staff

Students who have taken out student loans have their eyes on firms that offer payment support programs.

In fiscal 2021, JASSO established a system in which companies pay all or part of their employees’ student loans. Before the system was created, companies and others who paid off the loans would add relevant financial support to employees’ salaries. However, that increased employees’ income taxes.

By utilizing JASSO’s payment system, the entities can write off the amount to reduce the burden of corporation tax, which would also cut back on tax burden for employees.

Major security service provider Alsok Co. introduced the payment system in 2024, paying up to ¥1.08 million per person over five years for employees who have worked at the company for five years or less.

“We want to create a working environment friendly to employees and secure talented personnel,” said Maya Osaki, 51, executive officer and chief of personnel administration at Alsok.

The number of local governments offering similar financial support is also increasing.

The Yamagata prefectural government pays up to ¥1.248 million to individuals who live and work in the prefecture for at least five years after graduating from universities or other institutions. The local government splits the cost with the prefecture and all 35 municipalities in the prefecture.

According to a survey by the Cabinet Secretariat, such programs have been introduced in all 47 prefectures and 876 municipalities as of June 2025.

According to JASSO, the number of payment system cases involving companies or local governments was 320 in fiscal 2021 but jumped to 4,852 in fiscal 2025. About 26,000 company employees and other types of employees have received the support.

In a survey by job information agency Mynavi Corp. conducted on people who graduated this year, 22% of respondents said that the availability of a student loan payment program affected their choice of employers, indicating the program was a key factor in students’ job search activities.

A woman said in the survey that she only applied to companies with the support program.
 
 

Japan has unveiled a new name for days that reach 40C (104F) or above, after the country experienced its hottest summer on record last year.

The term - kokushobi - has been translated as "cruelly hot", "brutally hot" or "severely hot" day by Japanese and international media.

The name emerged as the most popular in a national online survey, with "super extremely hot day" in second place.

Extreme weather events like heatwaves are becoming more common and more intense around the world, fuelled by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.

The description, introduced by Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) on Friday, uses koku - meaning harsh or cruel - to describe the heat, the Japan Times newspaper reported.

The survey was conducted in February and March and received roughly 478,000 responses, in which people picked their preferred term among 13 options to describe the hottest day.

Japan already has terms for days over 25C, 30C and 35C.
The new word for even hotter weather comes after record-shattering heat hit Japan last year.

Summer 2025 was the hottest since records began in 1898 - with average temperatures nationwide 2.36C above average.

Temperatures reached 40C-plus on nine days between June and August, with a new national peak of 41.8C in the city of Isesaki.

The cumulative number of extremely hot days also surpassed the previous record set in 2024.

For example, Tokyo recorded 25 days over 35C, compared with an average of just 4.5 days. Kyoto logged 52 days above the same temperature, compared with an average of 18.5 days.

This summer, JMA forecasts a high probability of above-normal temperatures in Japan from June to August.
 

 

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, on Sunday urged all parties concerned to observe the ceasefire over the fighting between Israel and Lebanon.

In a joint statement released on the day to sum up their talks in Tokyo the day before, the two ministers said, "We welcomed the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and called on all parties to the conflict, including (Lebanese Shia Islamic group) Hezbollah, to adhere to it."

The 10-day ceasefire, which took effect Friday, is "an important contribution to realizing peace and stability in the region," they said.

They stressed "the need for continued negotiations" for the resolution of all the conflicts in the Middle East and "unimpeded and safe navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transport chokepoint.

Apparently with China in mind, Koizumi and Marles said, "We reaffirmed our strong opposition to any unilateral actions, including by force or coercion, which escalate tensions and undermine regional peace and stability."
 
 

Competition in Japan’s electric minivehicle and compact EV market is set to rise in summer 2026.

BYD’s entry into the segment, along with Nissan and Honda rolling out lower-cost or new models, could widen buyer choice and put pressure on prices.

Nissan plans to launch a cheaper version of its Sakura this summer, cutting the price by 150,000 yen (US$940) to 1.9 million yen (US$12,000).

Honda launched the N-One e: in 2025 and plans to release the Super-One compact EV in late May, based on that model.

BYD plans to launch the Racco in Japan this summer at about 2 million yen (US$13,000), making it its first model built exclusively for the Japanese market.

Japan’s EV adoption remains low, but some industry officials expect higher fuel prices to lift demand.
 
 

Japan's Olympic figure skating pairs champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara announced their retirement on Friday, saying they were ending their careers with "no regrets".

Miura and Kihara claimed their country's first Olympic pairs medals in dramatic style at the Milan-Cortina Games in February, recovering from a disastrous short program to take gold.

Miura, 24, and Kihara, 33, were also crowned world champions twice.
"Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara have decided to retire from competition at the end of this season," the pair said in a statement on social media.

"A big thank you to everyone who has offered their support since the day they got together."

Miura and Kihara, popularly known collectively in Japan as "Rikuryu", went into the decisive Olympic free skate in fifth place after errors in their short program.

Kihara said he had been "feeling really down" and blamed himself for the slip-up, conceding: "We did not think we would win."

Instead, they spectacularly turned things around and topped the podium with personal-best scores.

The win was loudly celebrated in Japan, with government spokesman Minoru Kihara saying it had "moved so many people".

American gymnastics legend Simone Biles, who was in the arena to watch the action, said she was "pretty sure that was perfection".

Miura and Kihara, who skipped last month's world championships in Prague, said they would embark on a "new challenge" away from competition.

"We are ending our competitive careers but we feel that we have given everything and there are no regrets," they said.
 
 

The Japanese government plans to have the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, or JAMSTEC, own and operate the successor to the Antarctic research vessel Shirase, officials said Thursday.

The current vessel, slated to retire in 2034, is operated by the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The aim of the shift is to ease strain on the MSDF as its overall tasks rise while personnel shortfalls persist.

MSDF personnel will continue to support ice navigation and transport on ice to Japan's Showa Station in Antarctica.

JAMSTEC, overseen by the education ministry, long operated the research vessel Mirai in missions in the Arctic Ocean before its retirement last December.

The agency plans to deploy a new Mirai II, capable of breaking ice, to bolster observation capabilities. Taking on the Shirase's successor would extend JAMSTEC's operational area to Antarctic waters.
 
 

Former Japan soccer star Shunsuke Nakamura, 47, will join the coaching staff for Japan’s World Cup team, the Japan Football Association announced Thursday.

The former Japan’s midfielder will accompany the national team to the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States and other countries in June and July.

I share the same aspirations as the players and will strive to contribute to achieving the goals the team has set, he said via the JFA.

Having left Yokohama FC at the end of last year, Nakamura reportedly received an offer from Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu and had been in negotiations with the national team.

Nakamura played for Yokohama F. Marinos, Italian club Reggina and Scottish club Celtic, among others.

He participated in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
 
 

The production of domestic coffee beans is spreading nationwide, and there are moves to expand cultivation into colder areas in north of Japan, including Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

Amid predictions that climate change will lead to the amount of land suitable for production being cut by almost half, there is now a focus on whether cultivation in the northern areas will bear fruit.


Step-by-step progress

Inside a plastic greenhouse in Yamagata on the afternoon of March 24, about 40 coffee trees had grown to about 2 meters tall, with some already bearing bright red berries.

“It’s still not enough to process into beans, but the yield is better than last year,” said Hiroyuki Akatsuka, 55, an official at Bankoku Coffee, a local food wholesaler who manages the farm. “We’re making progress step by step,”

The company, which sells coffee beans and related products, has been cultivating coffee trees on leased farmland in the city since 2020, as part of its efforts in employee education and regional development. The project initially struggled, and half of the about 150 trees withered and died.

The company implemented measures, such as raising temperatures in the greenhouse during the winter. This led to its first harvest in 2024, and the company now aims to commercialize the beans by increasing yields.

“[The coffee] had a smooth mouthfeel and a well-balanced tangy orange-like acidity,” said Akatsuka, following a tasting session with his staff. “I hope to open a cafe next to the farm and turn it into a community hub where people can enjoy the flowers and experience the harvest firsthand.”


Looming crisis

Coffee bean cultivation typically requires an average temperature of around 20 C, significant daily temperature fluctuations and annual rainfall of 2,000 millimeters. The main production regions are concentrated in tropical areas near the equator, known as the “coffee belt,” and are primarily in Central and South America and Asia.

Global coffee demand continues to climb. According to UCC Japan Co. and other industry sources, projected global consumption in fiscal 2025 is projected to reach 10.16 million tons, an increase of about 1 million tons from a decade ago.

A looming crisis remains, however, as a U.S. private research institute predicts that areas suitable for cultivating the major Arabica variety will be halved by 2050 due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall.

More companies from the Kanto region to Okinawa Prefecture are entering the coffee cultivation business in anticipation of rising demand and a possible future decline in overseas production, according to Kosuke Yamamoto, the 66-year-old president of Yamako Farm.

The Okayama-based company has provided coffee seedlings and technical expertise since 2020, and according to Yamamoto is now receiving inquiries from as far north as Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

 

Aiding reconstruction

To explore the feasibility of whether Hokkaido could become a suitable area for cultivation, Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo has been researching cultivation methods for three years, starting from fiscal 2023, in cooperation with Rakuno Gakuen University in Ebetsu, Hokkaido.

As a means of ensuring seedlings survive through the winter season, surplus heat generated from biogas power production was utilized. This led to the successful growth of seedlings up to 1 meter tall in a greenhouse at Yuumu Farm in the town of Shintoku.

The research ended at the end of March, but the facility continues to grow the seedlings. “It opens up possibilities, such as developing new products using coffee and milk from the farm,” said Masatoshi Yuasa, 47, of the farm. “There’s a long road ahead, but it is worth the challenge.”

The Hirono Town Promotion Corporation in Fukushima Prefecture began cultivating coffee in 2020. Although many trees die, the corporation is continuing to experiment by changing the amount and frequency of watering.

“I want to succeed in cultivation and contribute to efforts to recover from the Great East Japan Earthquake,” said Hirofumi Nakatsu, 68, a representative of the corporation.


World’s 4th-largest consumer

According to the All Japan Coffee Association, Japan is the world’s fourth-largest coffee consumer, with about 400,000 tons consumed in 2023 — an average of one cup per person per day — despite relying on imports for almost its entire supply.

The United States ranked 1st with approximately 1.4 million tons, followed by Brazil at 1.38 million tons and Germany at 450,000 tons.

In recent years, China has emerged as a rapidly growing market, with demand fueled by urbanization and economic growth.

According to a report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China’s coffee consumption tripled from 120,000 tons in 2010 to more than 360,000 tons in 2024.
 
 

The Japanese government said Friday it will provide up to 60 billion yen ($376 million) in subsidies to a Sony Group Corp. unit to help mass-produce cutting-edge image sensors, aiming to secure stable supplies amid growing global demand.

Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. is expected to begin production at a new plant under construction in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

Industry minister Ryosei Akazawa told a press conference after a Cabinet meeting that the government expects the initiative to help ensure stable supplies of image sensors, which he described as "key devices in the age of artificial intelligence."

Image sensors, which convert light into electrical signals for image processing, are widely used in smartphones and automotive cameras. Demand has risen with the expansion of AI-related applications and automotive technologies.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is seeking to ramp up investment in areas critical for economic security. The subsidy is based on Japan's economic security promotion law.
 
 

 
The government on Thursday released a draft road map on public-private investment that features a goal of acquiring an about 25% share of the global market in self-driving vehicle sales in the 2030s.

The draft was shown at a subcommittee meeting of the Council for Japan's Growth Strategy, chaired by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

At the council's previous meeting in March, the government designated a total of 61 goods and technologies for priority investment by the public and private sectors and presented a draft investment road map for 27 of them.

At Thursday's meeting, the government discussed actual support programs and goals for the remaining 34 goods and technologies.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki, who heads the subcommittee, instructed senior officials of relevant ministries and agencies to urgently work out truly effective and necessary policies.

The government also set a goal of capturing ¥5 trillion ($31 billion) in 2030 in the global market for vertical artificial intelligence, tailored for specific industries and estimated at ¥33 trillion.
 
 

Japan has pledged to provide $10bn (£7.4bn) to help its Asian neighbours, especially those in South East Asia, secure energy including crude oil as the region reels from disruptions caused by the Iran war.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the new cooperation framework on Wednesday after an online meeting with other Asian leaders.

Japan relies on South East Asia for petroleum-derived products, most notably medical equipment - something that Takaichi stressed at a press briefing on Wednesday.

"Japan is closely interconnected with each Asian country through supply chains and mutually dependent with them," she said.

Japan's cooperation framework aims to help Asian countries procure crude oil and petroleum products, as well as maintain supply chains and expand stockpiles.

Asia is especially vulnerable to energy supply disruptions stemming from blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, as nearly 90% of the oil and gas passing through the key waterway is bound for the region.

Japan's foreign ministry said the $10bn in financial aid was roughly equivalent to a year's worth of crude oil imports by countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

It added that the initiative was welcomed by leaders at the meeting - including those from the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh and South Korea - and that funding for the project would come from a range of sources.
 
 

 
Japan's interest rates could soon exceed the economic growth rate, and this could, in theory, make it more difficult for the country to contain the national debt and for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to aggressively pursue her economic ambitions.
 
Gross domestic product has been growing about 0.5% a year over the past decade and likely grew 1.3% in 2025, according to the OECD.

The Bank of Japan's policy rate is currently 0.75%, and the 10-year Japanese government bond is trading at 2.4%, near a 29-year high.
 
“It wouldn’t be surprising if interest rates naturally rise to around 3% by fiscal 2027,” said Saisuke Sakai, a senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute, which operates under Mizuho Bank.
 
Takaichi wants to make investments needed to boost economic growth, and her agenda is supported by the Liberal Democratic Party's supermajority in the Lower House. 
 
“The Takaichi administration is committed to ending the chronic underinvestment in the future and to shifting away from a mindset of excessive fiscal austerity,” the prime minister has said.
 
To keep the national debt under control, she is counting on an economic theory proposed by American economist Evsey Domar in 1944, which says that when the nominal economic growth rate is greater than the nominal interest rate on government debt, the debt-to-GDP ratio will stabilize.
 

 

The southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of a deadly earthquake, the more intensive of a pair of back-to-back quakes that hit the region and claimed the lives of over 270 people.

Families and others observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the deceased at 1:25 a.m., the time when a magnitude 7.3 quake struck a decade ago following a M6.5 temblor two days prior.

A commemoration ceremony aimed at passing on lessons learned from the disaster to next generation and striving for the recovery of local communities was held in the city of Kumamoto, hosted jointly for the first time by the prefectural government and all the prefecture's local municipalities.

"We must never forget the precious lives lost and the many sacrifices made," Kumamoto Gov Takashi Kimura said at the ceremony. "We shall pass these memories on to the next generation, ensuring that they never fade."

Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara pledged at the ceremony efforts to turn the disaster-prone Japan into "the world's most disaster-resilient country" by leveraging the experiences and lessons learned from past disasters.

A total of 278 deaths have been attributed to the quakes in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures, with 223 of them -- about 80 percent of the total -- attributed to indirect causes such as illness and stress stemming from disrupted lives.

More than 43,000 buildings were damaged, and at the peak of the crisis, around 196,000 people were forced to evacuate.

The disaster also shed light on issues like sleeping in cars during prolonged evacuation and its impact on health.

The twin quakes, both measuring the highest reading of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, inflicted serious damage to infrastructure as well, with Aso Ohashi Bridge in the village of Minamiaso collapsing and a JR Kyushu railway line severed.

Shinobu Yamato, 58, visited a site near the bridge where her 22-year-old son Hikaru was killed in a landslide.

"It fills me with such agony and regret to think that he might have made it without passing through here had the timing been slightly different," she said in tears.

Kumamoto Castle, a popular tourist destination, sustained significant damage including to its famous stone walls. Ongoing repair work of the landmark is expected to be completed in fiscal 2052.
 
 

The crews of Japan-linked ships stuck in the Persian Gulf are keeping a close eye on U.S.-Iran talks, a Japanese shipping-sector labor union official has said.

"Right now, there's no prospect (of the crews) getting out of the gulf, and they are patiently watching negotiations between the United States and Iran," Shinichi Tanaka, acting president of the All Japan Seamen's Union, told Jiji Press.

He said that the Japanese government and companies should put crew safety first when deciding whether vessels will sail through the Strait of Hormuz, under the de facto blockade, or whether crew members will disembark from their ships.

Currently, more than 1,000 crew members belonging to the union, including foreign nationals, are on ships stranded in the gulf.

According to Tanaka, they have internet access, so they can contact their families and view news reports about the situation in the Middle East.

"There are no safe places in the Persian Gulf," he stressed. "The biggest concerns for the crews are how long the situation will continue, and whether they will be able to evacuate if the situation worsens."
 
 

Japan’s relationship with NATO is moving beyond broad political dialogue into more “concrete” forms of cooperation across key strategic and security areas, Tokyo’s ambassador to the alliance said in an interview Wednesday.

Following last June’s NATO summit at The Hague, bilateral engagement has entered a more institutionalized phase, Ambassador Osamu Izawa said, highlighting progress made in recent months in defense-industry coordination, emerging technologies and support for Ukraine.

The most significant leap forward, according to Izawa, has been the establishment of a high-level bilateral defense industry cooperation dialogue.

The first meeting was held in late October in Brussels, with a second slated to take place in Tokyo later this year that will include senior NATO secretariat officials.

“This is the first time for Japan and NATO to engage directly to promote industry cooperation,” said Izawa, who assumed his post last year as Tokyo’s first dedicated ambassador to the 32-member alliance.

"Before, we talked about possibilities, but there was no channel, no framework,” he said. “This is an epoch-making development.” 

Unlike traditional government-to-government defense cooperation focused on heavy platforms such as fighter jets, the dialogue also targets “new domains” of warfare.
 
 

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in March was 3,618,900, a 3.5% increase from the same month last year and a new record for March, according to an estimate released by the Japan National Tourism Organization on Wednesday.

Among visitors from East Asia, the number of tourists primarily increased from South Korea and Taiwan, the JNTO said. Southeast Asian visitors increased the most from Vietnam and Malaysia, and among tourists from the Americas and Europe, there was significant growth in visitors from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Tourists from China in March fell by 55.9% year-on-year to 291,600, apparently as a result of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Diet remark in November last year on a possible Taiwan contingency.

The number of tourists from the Middle East fell by 30.6% to 16,700, partly due to canceled and reduced flights as a result of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
 
 

The Ministry of Health and the Tokushukai Medical Group of Japan have designated the Harapan Kita Heart and Blood Vessel Hospital (RSJPD) in Jakarta as the largest hub for cardiovascular education and research in Asia.

"We have not only exchanged doctors and knowledge but now also assets, which has increased both the number of doctors and the level of knowledge," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin remarked on Wednesday.

He hopes that closer cooperation between the two sides will enhance heart health services for Indonesians, given that cardiovascular disease continues to be the biggest expense for the state health insurer, BPJS Kesehatan, amounting to at least Rp17 trillion (US$963 million) in 2025.

Meanwhile, the President Director of Harapan Kita Hospital, Iwan Dakota, said the construction of the new building, a collaboration between the Indonesian government and Tokushukai, will increase the hospital's capacity from around 400 beds to around 800.

"Part of the facility will be used as a private wing (private and exclusive ward) with high-standard services so our people do not need to seek treatment abroad. Furthermore, this building will also function as an education and research center through collaboration with Japan and other countries," he remarked.

The new building will continue to serve BPJS patients, with a proportion of around 70-80 percent, while some of the upper floors will be used for premium services to attract patients who previously sought treatment abroad.

"Furthermore, specialist doctors from Japan and other countries will practice regularly in this new hospital building," Dakota added.

In addition, the Tokushukai Group will also send several doctors and nurses for internship at Harapan Kita Hospital every year.

"They conduct internship here due to the large caseload. Going forward, we will strive to increase not only our educational capacity but also the volume of research. We will increase the number and quality of research collaborations," Dakota said.

Meanwhile, Tokushukai Medical Group CEO Shinichi Higashiue emphasized his company's commitment to make the cardiac education and training center at Harapan Kita Hospital the largest in Asia.

"This building will provide the most advanced cardiovascular services, and we want to make this institution one of the largest cardiac education and training centers in Asia," he stated.
 

The countries do not have formal diplomatic relations, and Pyongyang frequently criticises Tokyo over its colonial rule of the Korean peninsula.

North Korea accused Japan of a "grave provocation" on Wednesday (Apr 15) after Tokyo laid out its opposition to Pyongyang's nuclear programme in an annual diplomatic paper.

The countries do not have formal diplomatic relations, and Pyongyang frequently criticises Tokyo over its colonial rule of the Korean peninsula, which ended with World War II.

The Japanese foreign ministry released its annual bluebook last week, detailing Tokyo's official diplomatic views and repeating its opposition to North Korea having nuclear weapons.

The position is "a grave provocation encroaching upon the sovereign rights, security interests and development rights of our sacred state", an unnamed North Korean foreign ministry official said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea's "measures for bolstering up its defence capabilities ... belong to the right to self-defence", the statement said.

It described the bluebook as "woven with conventional gangster-like logic and absurdity".

North Korea has insisted that it will not give up its nuclear arsenal, describing its path as "irreversible" and vowing to strengthen its capabilities.
In its bluebook, Japan also expressed its unease that North Korea had sent troops and ammunition to Russia to aid its war against Ukraine.

Tokyo also downgraded its assessment of China for the first time in a decade, calling Beijing an "important neighbour" instead of "one of Japan's most important" partners.

It marked the latest deterioration in ties with Beijing since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicated in November that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan.

China views the self-ruled island as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force.
 
 

Police in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, have launched an investigation into the suspected abandonment of a corpse after the body of an 11-year-old boy was found in a forest.

Elementary school student Adachi Yuki was found dead in the mountains of Nantan City on Monday. He had been missing since March 23.

Police say a detailed examination of the body failed to determine the cause of death. They believe the boy died in late March, around the time he was reported missing.

Police say he had no noticeable external injuries. But they say the fact that he was not wearing shoes and that his backpack was found elsewhere suggest someone abandoned the body.

They say the body was not covered in leaves, showed no signs of having been hidden and had no major tears in his clothing.

Police are retracing the child's movements before he went missing. They are searching his home and investigating other clues that could shed light on the circumstances that led to his death.
 
 

The transport ministry said Tuesday that tighter portable charger restrictions on flights will be introduced on April 24, following a string of incidents involving such devices.

Under the new rules, each passenger will be allowed to bring no more than two power banks in their carry-on baggage, each with a capacity of 160 watt-hours or less.

Charging the batteries and using them to charge electronic devices such as smartphones during flights will be prohibited.

Other existing rules will remain in force. Portable chargers must be carried on board rather than being placed in checked baggage, and passengers are required to keep them within reach instead of placing them in overhead compartments or other storage areas.

Those charging portable batteries and bringing more than two chargers on board in violation of the new rules could face a prison term of up to two years or a fine of up to ¥1 million.

There have been a series of incidents involving portable chargers on planes in Japan and overseas, such as catching fire and emitting smoke.

The tighter domestic regulations follow the adoption late last month of new international standards by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialized U.N. agency that sets global aviation rules.
 
 

Nissan Motor Co.’s 2027 Elgrand large minivan will enable hands-free driving in urban areas by using AI to assess road conditions and other factors.

Overseas manufacturers, such as Tesla in the U.S., have already made strides with similar technologies. By being one of the first Japanese automakers to introduce this feature, Nissan is aiming for a turnaround in the domestic market, where sales have been sluggish.

Nissan’s proprietary driver-assistance technology, ProPILOT, already provides hands-free driving in some models, but its use is limited to certain environments such as highways.

Through a new collaboration with Wayve Technologies Ltd., a British startup specializing in automotive AI, Nissan will incorporate a system where AI predicts driving conditions, thereby enabling hands-free driving even in urban areas.

Following a full model overhaul this summer, the new technology will be introduced to the Elgrand in fiscal 2027.

With other models, such as Toyota Motor Corp.’s Alphard, gaining market share in the minivan segment, Nissan aims to enhance its competitiveness through proprietary technology.
 
 

 Major Japanese home equipment supplier Cleanup has suspended orders for its popular bathroom units, the latest in a string of companies suffering material shortages as the Iran conflict stretches on.

Tokyo-based Cleanup will stop taking orders from Wednesday, the company announced in a statement on its website.

"Due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, it has become increasingly difficult to procure raw materials,” the company said. It didn’t give an expected resumption date. Shares fell 0.8% to ¥904.

Toclas, a Japanese kitchen and bathrooms systems maker under electronics giant Yamada Holdings, also warned Tuesday that the squeeze on naphtha and other raw materials might prompt shortages or price revisions.

Toilet maker Toto halted bathroom unit orders a day earlier, while the Nikkei reported that Lixil and Panasonic Housing Solutions, also major suppliers, have stopped giving delivery dates for their own products.

Japan gets more than 90% of its crude oil from the Middle East and depends on the area for almost 45% of its naphtha, a feedstock crucial for plastic production, according to government data.
 


 

A ritual ceremony of carrying timber to Ise Shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture, was held in the city on Sunday and Monday, in preparation for 2033’s “Shikinen Sengu” — an ancient ritual tradition of completely rebuilding the Shinto shrine complex and transferring the deities to the new shrine once every 20 years.

The timber will be used to rebuild the main structures in both the Naiku inner shrine and Geku outer shrine areas.

The ritual of carrying timber is called Okihiki. On Sunday, timber was carried upstream on a boat on the Isuzu River and brought to the Naiku area.

Towing the timber on the river is called kawabiki, while carrying it on land to the Geku area is called okabiki.

During the okabiki ritual on Monday, local residents wearing happi coats pulled ropes tied to a ceremonial cart loaded with an about 5-meter-long Kiso-hinoki cypress log.

They pulled the cart on the street to the sound of a lively wood-carrying song and shouts of “Enya, enya” in a parade for about 2 kilometers.


 

A government survey in 2025 showed Tuesday that 4.5% of respondents in the country often or constantly feel lonely, up 0.2 percentage point from the previous year.

The share of people who often or constantly feel lonely was higher in their 30s to 50s.

The survey, conducted by the Cabinet Office in December, found that 13.7% said they sometimes feel lonely and 19.5% said they have lonely feelings once in a while.

It also found that feelings of loneliness tend to be stronger among people who seldom eat with someone else.

People who often or constantly feel lonely accounted for 17.3% of those who said they seldom have meals with someone else.

The percentage stood at 5.1% among those who eat with other people one or two days a month and at 3.7% among those who dine with others about once a week.

The mail-based survey covered randomly selected 20,000 people aged 16 or older across the country. Valid responses came from 59.4%.
 
 

The Japanese government is planning to present to a ruling party meeting Wednesday a modified draft of a bill aimed at revising the country's retrial system, it has been learned.

Initially, the government considered proposing the revised draft Tuesday but is now set to delay the presentation by one day, due to a scheduling issue regarding a related meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party.

The envisaged retrial system overhaul is intended to speed up the rescue of victims of false charges.

In the modified draft bill to amend the criminal procedure law, the government plans to set limits on public prosecutors' appeals against court rulings to grant retrials to finalized cases, apparently in an attempt to soothe the LDP.

The original bill continued to allow prosecutors to challenge such rulings, but this drew anger from the ruling party, with many calling for banning such appeals.

At a meeting Monday, the LDP conducted hearings with Hiroaki Murayama and Yumi Kamoshida, both lawyers, and former judge Hiroyuki Nakagawa.
 
 

Isuzu Motors Ltd. will postpone the market launch of its fuel cell-powered heavy-duty truck, which it is co-developing with Honda Motor Co., from the planned 2027 date, it has been learned.

The development of hydrogen refueling stations has not been progressing as planned, and the company also determined that the truck’s fuel cell system needed to be smaller and lighter to increase its carrying capacity.
Sales are likely to begin around 2030.

The two companies signed an agreement in 2020 to conduct joint research toward the practical application of hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks.

They have been equipping the vehicles with Honda’s fuel cell system and conducting demonstration runs, with plans to start selling large trucks with a maximum load capacity of 10 tons in 2027.

However, progress in developing the hydrogen stations has been slow. In 2021, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry set a goal of increasing the number of stations nationwide to around 1,000 by 2030, but currently there are only about 150 stations mainly in Tokyo.

Only about 20 of the stations can accommodate large vehicles. For long-distance travel, 24-hour hydrogen stations are essential, but few exist.

The fuel cell system currently planned for installation is heavy, which limits the truck’s load capacity and makes it unlikely to meet customer demands.

Therefore, the companies seem to consider that further technological innovation is needed to make the cell system smaller and lighter.

Hino Motors, Ltd. has been selling large hydrogen trucks, jointly developed with Toyota Motor Corp., in Tokyo, Aichi Prefecture and other areas since 2025.

Honda expects to post a net loss of up to ¥690 billion for the business year ending March 2026 and has indicated its intention to withdraw a policy of making all new cars electric vehicles or fuel cell vehicles by 2040.

Honda’s current situation, which makes it difficult to invest heavily in the hydrogen business, is also seen as a factor in the postponement of the joint project with Isuzu.
 
 

 

Three major AI industry developments landed simultaneously this week, signaling a global acceleration in AI adoption at both corporate and national levels.

Meta unveiled an AI clone of Mark Zuckerberg, Japan's biggest industrial names formed a domestic AI alliance, and UK regulators convened emergency talks on AI cyber risks.

Each event points to a different frontier of the AI race, from internal enterprise tools to national security to physical robotics.

The convergence of corporate ambition and regulatory urgency reflects how quickly the AI landscape is evolving in 2026.
  Key Takeaways:

• Meta launched the "Muse Spark" model and built an AI clone of Zuckerberg to interact with employees, under the newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs
• SoftBank, NEC, Sony, and Honda formed "Japan AI Alliance," targeting up to 1 trillion yen (~$6.3B) in NEDO government funding for domestic AI
• Bank of England, UK Treasury, and FCA are in urgent talks with the National Cyber Security Centre about Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview model

Meta Builds an AI Version of Zuckerberg

Meta released a new model called "Muse Spark" as part of a sweeping overhaul under the newly established Meta Superintelligence Labs. Zuckerberg founded the lab after growing frustrated with Llama's progress relative to competitors at OpenAI and Anthropic, according to the Financial Times.

The AI clone of Zuckerberg is designed to interact directly with company employees on internal platforms. This marks an unusually personal use of generative AI, reflecting Meta's push to make AI tools central to everyday operations.

To accelerate its ambitions, Meta has been aggressively recruiting top AI researchers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. The talent war in foundation model development has intensified sharply across the industry in early 2026.


Japan Forms a Domestic AI Powerhouse

SoftBank, NEC, Sony, and Honda officially formed "Japan AI Alliance," a new company dedicated to domestic AI development. Each founding member holds a stake of more than 10 percent, with Nippon Steel, Kobe Steel, MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho also joining as investors, according to Benzinga.

SoftBank and NEC will lead the development of AI foundation models, while Sony and Honda will deploy them across automotive, robotics, gaming, and semiconductor applications. The consortium plans to apply for Japan's NEDO funding program, which has earmarked up to 1 trillion yen, approximately $6.3 billion, for domestic AI infrastructure.

A core goal of the alliance is developing "physical AI" capable of autonomously controlling robots. The new company plans to hire around 100 AI engineers and will be led by a SoftBank executive.


UK Regulators Hold Emergency AI Talks

The Bank of England, UK Treasury, and Financial Conduct Authority are in urgent discussions with the National Cyber Security Centre regarding Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview model.

This follows a high-profile meeting in the United States where Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Fed Chair Jerome Powell convened with major bank CEOs to discuss AI-related cyber threats.

The Mythos model is designed to identify and exploit software vulnerabilities and has been deployed in a limited capacity, according to Benzinga. UK banks, insurers, and exchanges are expected to be briefed on the associated cyber risks within the next two weeks.

The urgency of these talks underscores growing concern that advanced AI models pose systemic risks to financial infrastructure. Regulatory bodies across multiple jurisdictions are now treating AI cyber exposure as a top-tier threat warranting immediate coordination.


TSMC Posts Fourth Straight Record Quarter

TSMC reported Q1 2026 revenue of NT$1.13 trillion, equivalent to approximately $35.6 billion, up 35 percent year-over-year.

This marks the company's fourth consecutive record quarter, driven by insatiable demand for AI chips, according to Investing.com.

March alone saw year-over-year revenue growth of 45.2 percent, the strongest single-month figure in recent history.

TSMC has guided gross margins for the current quarter at 63 to 65 percent.

The company forecasts full-year 2026 revenue to grow approximately 30 percent in US dollar terms. Demand from AI chip customers including Nvidia remains the primary growth engine for the world's largest contract chipmaker.
 
 

The International Horticultural Expo 2027, billed “the next World Expo” to be held in Japan, is set to open in Yokohama next March but faces many challenges, such as soaring construction costs amid growing tensions in the Middle East and a lack of public awareness.

The venue for the Green x Expo 2027 spans about 100 hectares of a former U.S. military facility across the city’s Seya and Asahi wards.

It will be adorned with about 10 million flowers and plants and feature exhibits on food, agriculture and other related topics. Tokyo-based Kajima Corp. will construct a 60-meter-tall wooden tower using timber from the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo’s iconic Grand Ring.

The Expo has also drawn the participation of 61 countries and international organizations.Development costs — initially estimated at ¥32 billion in fiscal 2021 — have risen to ¥41.7 billion due to soaring material and labor costs.

There are also concerns that costs could rise further depending on the situation in the Middle East. The Japan Association for the International Horticultural Expo 2027, Yokohama, the organizer, said it would closely monitor future developments.

The venue is 2 kilometers away or an about 30-minute walk from the nearest station. Shuttle buses are planned to depart from four nearby stations and organizers plans to secure parking for 6,500 vehicles, but congestion is still expected.

Yokohama City conducted a public survey in March and found that 81% of Yokohama residents were aware of the event, but only 61.1% of Kanagawa Prefecture residents knew about the event in a prefectural survey conducted in October and November.

Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko, who inspected the venue on Saturday, said, “We need to do more to raise its profile.”

The city and the organizer have run a train wrapped with the Expo’s official mascot Tunku Tunku in Tokyo and been promoting the Expo at flower and greenery-related events.
 
 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday she conveyed her support for Pakistan's mediation efforts in the U.S.-Iran conflict during phone talks with the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after recent peace negotiations between the warring parties in Islamabad yielded no agreement.

Takaichi and Sharif also affirmed that Japan and Pakistan will work toward an early deescalation of the Middle East situation and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global energy transportation, she told reporters in Tokyo.

Takaichi said she explained to Sharif about Japan's view. "What is the most important is that a final agreement will be concluded early through dialogue," she said, adding that Tokyo will continue to collaborate with the international community.

The United States and Iran agreed on a two-week ceasefire last week but failed to reach a peace deal in two days of negotiations through Sunday in the Pakistani capital.

Following the development, the U.S. military said it will begin blocking all ships entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas from Monday at 10 a.m. in Washington.

Japan relies on the Middle East for more than 90 percent of its crude oil imports. Most transit the strait, which Iran has effectively closed since the United States and Israel began attacking the country in late February.
Japan, a close U.S. security ally, has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Iran.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference that Japan has made no decision on whether to send its Self-Defense Forces for minesweeping operations in the strait, where Iran may have laid mines to support its de facto blockade.

On Monday, Takaichi also held phone talks with To Lam, leader of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party who doubles as the country's president since last Tuesday.

Takaichi said the two agreed to strengthen the energy resilience of Asia, whose dependency on oil imports from Middle East is relatively high.
 
 

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara expressed hope for an early U.S.-Iran agreement to end their conflict on Monday, after Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement over the weekend.

"We hope they reach a final agreement soon," the top Japanese government spokesman said at a press conference. He noted that the government is closely monitoring the diplomatic efforts of related countries and developments relating to the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked about the possibility of Japan taking part in a U.S. blockade of the strait and mine-clearing operations announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, Kihara said that "nothing has been decided" regarding the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces.
 
 

All possible measures will be taken to ensure a stable supply of heavy oil, said Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Norikazu Suzuki on Thursday, seeking to assuage the concerns of green tea producers.

Suzuki made the remarks during a visit to a matcha beverage shop in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, an area popular with foreign tourists. He then spoke with the shop’s operator about expanding matcha exports.

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Suzuki said, “If people gain an appreciation for matcha at the shop, it will generate revenue for all of Japan, including matcha producing regions.”

Thanks in part to the popularity of Japanese cuisine abroad, exports of green tea, including matcha, brought in a record ¥72.1 billion in 2025. The government plans to further expand exports.

However, due to the situation in the Middle East, concerns have been raised among some green tea producers about the availability of heavy oil, which is used for processing, such as when steaming harvested tea leaves, according to the Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association.

“It is crucial for sufficient fuel oil to have been supplied when tea production begins,” said Suzuki.
 
 

 

 

Honda Motor Co. said Friday that it will release a new compact electric vehicle model, the Super-ONE, in Japan in late May.

The Super-ONE weighs 1,090 kilograms, "one of the lightest in its class among all passenger EVs available in the Japanese market," the company said. The model was developed based on its N Series minivehicles.

By improving energy efficiency through weight reduction, the vehicle can travel 274 kilometers on a single charge.

The price has not yet been announced. Honda said that it would make the new model affordable with the help of subsidies.

The company believes that the domestic compact EV market has room for growth.
 
 

The government Friday adopted a support program for the so-called employment ice age generation, planning to implement assistance measures intensively over three years through fiscal 2028.

The program focuses on improving working conditions and securing housing in anticipation of the aging of the ice age generation, or those who had trouble finding jobs after graduating from school in the wake of the collapse of Japan's bubble economy in the early 1990s.

Progress will be reviewed annually at meetings of local governments, experts and labor and management representatives, and support measures will be revised as necessary.

Under the program, information on job changes that would lead to wage increases will be provided at Hello Work public job placement offices across the country. Reskilling opportunities will be offered through subsidies to local governments.

To prepare for the aging of the ice age generation, the government will also work to facilitate the provision of low-rent housing and to secure employment opportunities after they turn 65.

The support program was drawn up based on a policy adopted by the government in June 2025.
 
 

Japan Railways Group (JR Group) on Thursday announced that it will raise prices for its Japan Rail Pass, a ticket popular among foreign tourists that allows unlimited travel on trains across Japan, including most shinkansen bullet train services.

Prices for the pass will increase by around five percent to six percent under the first revision in three years, which will come into effect from October 1.

The price of a pass depends on its validity period. An adult seven-day pass will increase by 3,000 yen ($19) to 53,000 yen for travel in standard train carriages, and by 4,000 yen to 74,000 yen for premium Green Car carriages. 

Other price changes for adult passes include an increase of 4,000 yen to 84,000 yen for a 14-day pass (standard carriage), and 5,000 yen to 105,000 yen for a 21-day pass (standard carriage). 

JR Group last revised prices for its Japan Rail Pass in October 2023, when they were hiked by around 70 percent. The group said the latest revision reflects fare adjustments made by some of its member companies since then. 

In March, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) raised fares on its trains by an average of 7.1 percent in what was the first full-scale hike for the group company since its creation 1987. Under the hike, the base fare of 150 yen for local trains increased to 160 yen. 

The Japan Rail Pass covers travel on trains and shinkansen operated by all six JR Group passenger railway operators.

Services covered include limited express, express, rapid, and local trains, as well as some buses and ferries. Exceptions include the super-express Nozomi and Mizuho shinkansen on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu lines, for which pass holders need to pay a supplementary fare.

The pass is available to foreign tourists visiting Japan under the entry status of "temporary visitor."

Travelers can buy passes before arriving in Japan at designated sales offices and through official agents overseas, as well as via the official online platform, Japan Rail Pass Reservation.

To encourage use of the online platform, JR Group said prices for passes purchased this way will remain unchanged for a limited time.  
 


 

The Diet, Japan's parliament, began substantive deliberations Friday on a bill to establish a national intelligence council aimed at enhancing the government's intelligence capabilities.

At the day's meeting of the Cabinet Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said that an agency that would serve as the secretariat of the proposed council is "expected to take effective measures against foreign influence operations."

 

It is "urgent" to take measures against such activities, including the spread of false information, because they are "a security threat and shake the foundations of democracy," Ozaki emphasized.

Yuichi Goto of the main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance requested that the bill stipulate the protection of privacy, including personal information.

In response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said, "Information will be collected in accordance with the law on the protection of personal information, and we do not see the need to set out separate provisions."
 
 

The number of soft drink vending machines installed in Japan in 2025 fell to 1.95 million, preliminary year-end figures show, dropping below 2 million for the first time in the 30 years for which records are available.

The figure is down about 20 percent from its peak seen in 2014 as a series of price hikes has driven more consumers away from the relatively costly items in the machines. This in turn has prompted beverage makers to remove unprofitable units and begin restructuring their businesses.

According to the institute in charge of beverage marketing and research, the number fell by 90,000 from the previous year, the largest decline on record since the Tokyo-based organization started the survey in 1995.

Sales initially grew on the convenience of being available anytime, making vending machines a lucrative source of revenue. But providing staff for restocking and distribution costs have become a burden, and the machines have lost their appeal as a sales channel, particularly as supermarkets and drugstores are able to offer discounts.

Major soft drink makers, including Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc and Dydo Group Holdings Inc, have been hit by weaker earnings as consumers turn away from vending machines, posting losses or falling into the red.

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan said it has reduced the number of its vending machines to around 650,000 from about 700,000 over the past few years, while DyDo has indicated plans to cut the number by a further 20,000.

Despite that, the machines are still relatively widespread in Japan compa
red with other countries and they are particularly popular with foreign tourists as a symbol of public safety, as vandalism and theft involving them is rare.
 
 

Japan is considering an additional release of its oil reserves providing 20 days of domestic consumption in May, as uncertainties remain over safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz even with the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, a source close to the matter said Thursday.

The United States and Iran agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, shortly before the expiry of U.S. President Donald Trump's self-imposed deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its critical infrastructure.

But it remains uncertain whether the strait will be reopened or operate under the same conditions as it was before the war, with Israel continuing to attack the Iran-affiliated Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

The industry ministry is weighing up the extra release on concerns that the effective closure of the strait may continue.

The government started its largest-ever discharge of oil stockpiles in mid-March to ensure a stable oil supply after the U.S.-Israeli launch of attacks on Iran on Feb. 28 left the key energy shipping waterway largely closed.

The government aims to provide a total of about 80 million barrels of oil, equivalent to about 50 days' worth of consumption, to the market from oil reserves held by the state, the private sector and oil-producing Gulf countries.

Of the total, state-held oil covering 30 days is set to be released from 11 bases nationwide by the end of April.

Resource-poor Japan relies on imports for almost all of its crude oil, with over 90 percent of it coming from the Middle East.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed her support for a possible additional joint oil stockpile release by the 32-member International Energy Agency when she met with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol in Tokyo last month.

IEA countries also started their oil reserve releases in mid-March, totaling over 400 million barrels, the first such coordinated move since 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
 
 

While the United States and Iran have reached a two-week ceasefire agreement, 42 Japan-linked ships still cannot leave the Persian Gulf due to Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has suggested that it will allow ships to safely pass through the strait, a key checkpoint for energy shipments, during the two-week period, provided that they coordinate with its military. However, specific procedures remain unclear.

"It'd be good if the remaining ships can leave as soon as possible," said an official from the Japanese Ship Owners' Association. "We're closely monitoring the situation."

In a social media post, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that vessels would be able to sail through the strait after coordinating with the military and assessing technical constraints.

However, a shipping industry source said that this post contains "no reliable and specific information." A shipping firm official said there has been "no change in the situation."

The 42 remaining ships include 12 crude oil tankers, which can carry oil equivalent to about 10 days of Japan's domestic consumption, as well as chemical tankers carrying liquid products, vehicle carriers, liquefied natural gas ships and tankers carrying petroleum products.

Normally, a two-week period is enough time for these ships to exit the Persian Gulf. However, even if safe passage is guaranteed, shipping companies alone cannot decide on departure because they need to consult with cargo owners.

"We don't even have information for consultations (with cargo owners) at the moment," an industry source said.

Amid the blockade, three Mitsui O.S.K. Lines ships have passed through the strait. The company said that it would continue to prioritize the safety of its ships, crew members and cargo.
 
 

The government is planning to subsidize municipalities’ efforts to help foreign residents understand local rules and customs, such as how to properly sort garbage.

The government is planning to subsidize municipalities’ efforts to help foreign residents understand local rules and customs, such as how to properly sort garbage.

Ministerial ordinances will be amended this fiscal year by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry so the government can use a special local grant tax to cover half the cost of initiatives that local governments conduct independently for such matters.

The measure is aimed at promoting the “realization of a well-ordered inclusive society with foreign nationals” advocated by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration.

Half the costs that local governments incur informing foreign residents of common systems in Japan, such as taxes and social insurance, are already covered by the central government.

However, the growing number of foreign residents had led to more and more difficulties with such daily matters as throwing away garbage.

Municipalities have therefore sought greater support from the government.
The central government envisions paying part of the costs necessary to raise awareness of detailed local rules and to assist with administrative procedures at city offices.

The grants will cover some expenses for classes meant to help foreign residents acquire adequate language skills to understand local rules.
The support will cover labor costs for staff who respond to foreign residents who are asked to visit local government offices by the Immigration Services Agency (ISA)’s consultation desk.

Financial help will likewise be provided for initiatives aimed at training and recruiting personnel who act as intermediaries between foreign residents and municipalities to convey information about daily life and people’s requests.

A system will be introduced that provides an additional ordinary local allocation tax based on the number of foreign staff members, known as coordinators for international relations (CIRs), who are assigned to those municipalities.

The aim is to expand CIRs’ roles to include language instruction and lifestyle counseling by increasing their number.

There were 4,125,395 foreign residents as of the end of 2025, a record high for the fourth consecutive year, according to the ISA.

This represents an increase of 356,418 compared to the same period the previous year, exceeding the 4 million threshold for the first time.
 

 

The Japanese government has decided to add 17 airports and ports to its list of designated facilities to allow the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard to use them from peacetime onward as part of efforts to strengthen the country's defenses.

The newly added facilities include New Chitose Airport in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, Chubu Centrair International Airport in the central prefecture of Aichi and Sendai-Shiogama Port in the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi, according to the decision made on Wednesday.

With the designation, runways will be expanded and seawalls will be improved to prepare for potential use by the SDF and the JCG in contingencies. The latest designation will bring the total number of such facilities to 57--24 airports and 33 ports.

The government has earmarked 225 billion yen in related costs in fiscal 2026, including funds for road development to enhance accessibility to designated facilities in Hokkaido, the Kyushu southwestern region and the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa, more than doubling from 96.8 billion yen in the previous year.