Japanese Embassy Political Section Director, Tanaka Motoyasu has emphasized the role of youth as a bridge for the future of Japan-Indonesia relations. The Japanese government continues to strengthen cultural exchanges with the Indonesian Muslim community through its Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) program for young Indonesian Muslims.

The exchange program has been running since 2017 and has involved participants from four Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muhammadiyah, State Islamic University (UIN), and Istiqlal Mosque.

To date, a total of 132 people have participated, with eight new participants scheduled to visit Japan this November.

"Because the youth are a bridge to the future for all of us. Therefore, we want to continue this program," Tanaka said at the inauguration of the JENESYS Muslim Youth Alumni Association at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta on Friday, September 12, 2025.

Tanaka said that the alumni association's inauguration is a way to strengthen communication networks across different generations and organizations. He expressed his appreciation to all parties involved in organizing the JENESYS program.

In addition to the JENESYS program for youth, Japan has also regularly invited leaders of Islamic boarding schools to the country almost every year since 2004. Tanaka expressed belief that these exchanges are important for deepening understanding and strengthening the relationship between the two countries in the future.

Tanaka expressed hope that the alumni association can further strengthen the friendship between Indonesia and Japan. He encouraged all participants to use this opportunity to continue building communication and cooperation.
 
 

The estimated number of people aged 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, falling by 50,000 from a year before, the internal affairs ministry said Sunday.

The estimate, released ahead of Respect for the Aged Day on Monday, a national holiday, decreased for the first time in two years but accounted for record 29.4 pct of the country's total population, up by 0.1 percentage point.

According to the ministry, the decrease of the elderly population is attributed to factors such as the number of deaths among those aged 65 or over exceeding the number of people newly reaching 65.

Elderly men are estimated to come to 15.68 million, making up 26.2 pct of the total male population, and the estimated number of elderly women stands at 20.51 million, accounting for 32.4 pct of the overall female population.

The proportion of people aged 65 or older in the total population is increasing year by year.

According to estimates by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, this proportion is projected to reach 34.8 pct in 2040, when the country's second baby boomers, or those born between 1971 and 1974, will turn 65 or older.
 

 

A large-scale exhibition event promoting Japanese anime opened at a shopping mall in New Delhi on Saturday, showcasing popular titles like "Crayon Shin-chan" and "Obocchama-kun."

At the event, called Mela! Mela! Anime Japan!!, TV Asahi, which broadcasts Crayon Shin-chan and other shows, set up booths to attract local anime fans.

Organized by officials from several Japanese companies, the event is being held as part of "Japan Month," in which various events are held intensively to promote exchanges between Japan and India. Talk shows and live performances of anime songs were also held.

A Crayon Shin-chan movie set in India is scheduled to be screened in the country.

The classic gag anime Obocchama-kun also enjoys high popularity in India, where a new locally produced series has just started to be distributed by anime-specialized channel Anime Times.

A Japanese official of Anime Times said: "There isn't a single person visiting our booth who doesn't know Obocchama-kun. They know more than we do."

An 18-year-old student learning Japanese who is a fan of "Attack on Titan" said that Japanese anime is not just entertaining but also stirs up all kinds of emotions, including sadness. The complex storylines are also part of its appeal, the student added.
 

 

The average summer bonus among major Japanese companies rose 5.31% from the previous year to ¥946,469 in 2025, hitting a new record high, the labor ministry said Friday.

The average has now increased for the fourth year in a row.
Summer bonuses climbed in 17 of the 21 industries surveyed. The shipbuilding sector saw an increase of 24.11%, the wholesale and retail sector posted 14.43% and the finance sector 10.94%.

On the other hand, the service industry logged a decline of 15.23%, and the steel industry 6.9%.

The ministry survey covered 342 companies with capital of ¥1 billion or more, 1,000 or more employees and labor unions.
 

 

Banks are increasingly closing their branches for lunch breaks, with regional banks leading the way and even some major banks shuttering branches during mealtime. They are hoping to keep their branches open amid worsening staff shortages and declining foot traffic.

Mizuho Bank, Ltd. introduced midday closures on Monday at three branches, Yamagata, Matsuyama and Yamaguchi, as well as at two special branch offices on remote islands.

MUFG Bank, Ltd. did the same at four branches in the Kyushu region in fiscal 2024. Three more of MUFG’s branches will introduce the change from Nov. 17, in Mito and Tsuchiura in Ibaraki Prefecture and in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, with branches in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, and in Gamagori, Shinshiro and Tahara in Aichi Prefecture doing likewise from Nov. 25.

At participating branches, service will stop for one hour from 11:30 a.m. Customers will still be able to use ATMs.

Bank branches are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., in keeping with the Banking Law. However, a 2016 amendment to the regulations of the law allowed hours to be changed if it does not inconvenience customers.

Iyo Bank, Ltd. in Ehime Prefecture pioneered midday closures in 2017. According to the Regional Banks Association of Japan, around 90% of its 61 member banks have now adopted the practice.

Domestic banks cut back on their branches in the 2010s due to the growth in online banking and persistently low interest rates. However, staff shortages have worsened as many employees hired during the bubble era have retired.

Banks are introducing midday closures to reduce the burden on branch staff and to allow themselves to operate with fewer workers.
 

 

The head of Japanese athletics fought back tears Friday as she described how the world championships in Tokyo can "wipe away" the painful memory of empty stands at the Olympics four years ago.

The Tokyo Games were delayed a year to 2021 because of the pandemic and held in strict conditions to prevent the spread of Covid, with fans shut out of most venues and athletes forced to undergo tests and social distancing.

The world championships will have no such restrictions when they start on Saturday and tens of thousands of fans are expected to flock to Tokyo's National Stadium, which seats almost 70,000.

Japan Association of Athletics Federations president Yuko Arimori said she hoped the competition would remind people of the value of sport.
"Sport isn't just about the athletes but about everyone getting energy from it and lifting each other up, and I think that kind of energy is important," she said.

"I think this event will help us wipe away the emotions we felt back then and remind us what sport should be like.

"Athletics is the mother of sports and I want people to take inspiration from it."

Arimori, a former marathon runner who won silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze in Atlanta four years later, became emotional as she considered the competition's meaning.

"I'm so happy that the world's media, top athletes from around the globe and kids and fans from all over Japan will come to this stadium to support athletics and give us their energy," said Arimori.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said sport had "a unique ability" to bring people together.

"It's the most potent social worker in all our communities," he said.
"It does it most effectively, probably more effectively than any other sector.
"It has the ability to touch the hearts and minds and lifestyles of young people in the way very few other sectors do."
 
 

Japan is open to partner with Indonesia on carbon dioxide transport, something that will enable Tokyo to store its captured emissions in the Southeast Asian country, according to its government official.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has emerged as one of the many ways economies can save the planet. The technology captures emissions produced by industrial facilities and stores them into deep geological formations.

The captured carbon dioxide may even be transported via ships or pipelines to other locations or even abroad -- something that can turn Indonesia into a regional CCS hub. 

The government-owned Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) has backed nine CCS projects, five of which are domestically based. The four others are overseas storage, three of which are located in Indonesia’s close neighbor Malaysia.

Another project explores the potential of transporting and storing carbon to offshore depleted oil fields in the Oceanian region by ship or pipelines. The Jakarta Globe asked Hiroshi Hasegawa -- a senior official at the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Industry -- whether Tokyo was eyeing some cross-border carbon storage opportunities with Indonesia.

“Indonesia is a big potential partner,” Hasegawa told a press conference in Jakarta. 

Hasegawa admitted that Indonesia and Japan had yet to ink a government-to-government memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the cross-border storage. He, however, stated that the lack of MoU did not matter, saying that both countries have been seeing “open and continuous communication”. 

Last year, then-President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed a decree on CCS that mandates operators to dedicate 70 percent of their storage capacity for domestic needs. Operators may only set aside the remaining 30 percent for imported carbon.

However, Indonesia only allows emitters who have invested in the country to use its storage capacity. Companies that are affiliated with the investors may transport their emissions. 

“So by cross-border, it does not mean we are entirely storing other countries’ emissions. It is about building a storage that we can share,” analyst Mohammad Rachmat Sule said. 
 
 

A Japanese local railway operator has seized on its financial difficulties as a public relations opportunity by using self-deprecating humor to attract more tourists to the area.

Choshi Electric Railway Co., based in the city of Choshi in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, operates just one train line, which has resulted in persistent deficits.

After regaining profitability at one point, the company registered its first red ink in four years in the business year ended in March 2025, due to rising prices.

Hoping to overcome the situation, the company in April this year said that the 6.4-kilometer railway line running between Choshi and Tokawa stations will now be nicknamed as "Inubo Gakeppuchi Line," or "Inubo cliff edge line."

The nickname reflects the company's "cliff edge," referencing both its dire financial situation and a stretch of cliffs in the prefecture. Cape Inubo and Byobugaura coastal cliffs are one of scenic spots near the line.
 


 

A nonpartisan group of Japanese lawmakers on Thursday submitted a petition with 206 signatures to Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, urging the government to recognize a Palestinian state.

The move came ahead of a high-level international conference in New York on Sept. 22 on the proposed two-state solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Israel has no intention of agreeing to a cease-fire, and child hunger cannot be ignored," Tomoko Abe of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said when she and two other opposition members of the group met with the foreign minister.

The group also includes members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Countries including France and Britain plan to recognize a Palestinian state as international pressure mounts on Israel over the war in Gaza and the worsening starvation crisis. Japan is still weighing its stance.

"I take this seriously since this many signatures were collected," Iwaya said, adding that the ministry will look into the matter further.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who announced his resignation last Sunday, previously headed the nonpartisan group. Attention is now on whether the latest request will influence the government's decision.
 
 

Japan's National Stadium was fan-less four years ago during the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics; zero atmosphere in the $1.4 billion, 60,000-seat venue for the globe's greatest track and field athletes.

Many recall the sterility of the opening and closing ceremonies, the quiet as Emperor Naruhito addressed thousands of empty seats to officially begin the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.

The most hyped event of the Olympics is often the men’s 100-meter final. But only silence and a small throng of media serenaded winner Marcel Jacobs — a Texas-born Italian — as he posed at the finish line to celebrate with an Italian flag stretched across his shoulders.

The stadium designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma in central Tokyo is about to get the attention it missed when the nine-day track and field world championships open Saturday.

 

The championships are sure to enliven a venue with stars like American sprinter Noah Lyles, whose struggles with depression tainted his trip to Tokyo, and pole vault world-record holder Mondo Duplantis. The venue has awaited this kind of event ever since it was completed in 2019.

This is good news for fans hoping to experience an atmosphere that was lacking in 2021.

But the focus on the stadium will again raise questions about government spending on a stadium that has struggled to find uses following the Olympics. The Olympics have a long history of producing white-elephant venues created with public money: Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Plans for a new stadium by Zaha Hadid were scrapped in 2015 when costs soared to over $2 billion. That stadium had a futuristic look, some comparing it with a bicycle helmet.

 

Kuma won a second bidding contest, designing a stadium that fit into the existing urban landscape with more Japanese elements including wood, gardens and flowing water.

The new venue replaced the stadium used for the 1964 Olympics, which was razed and was never regarded as an architectural gem.

However, Tokyo's ‘64 Games did generate iconic architecture including the Yoyogi National Stadium, the jewel of those Olympics and a symbol of Japan’s rise following World War II. It's a smaller indoor arena, the host for swimming in the '64 Olympics.

The National Stadium, built with taxpayer money for the Tokyo Olympics, appears to be a money loser. At least for taxpayers.

Victor Matheson, who studies the economics of sports at College of the Holy Cross, said a stadium like Japan's National Stadium has too few uses, no permanent tenant, ongoing maintenance and operation expenses and possible payments on debt service.

“There are simply not that many events that require a 60,000-plus capacity,” Matheson wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “There are not many music concerts that can fill a stadium that size. And things like a soccer or rugby World Cup or track and field championships only come around rarely.”

The National Stadium was reported to be losing about 1 billion yen annually (about $7 million) as late as fiscal 2024. It has since been privatized to reduce public-sector expenses. A private consortium is managing the stadium although the national government still owns it and is picking up some of the bills.

 

Matheson cited a study that showed large stadiums in the United States, home to NFL teams, typically hosted fewer than 10 major entertainment or sports events per year outside of NFL games.

“So, most of the time you end up spending $1 billion-plus on a facility that sits empty 350 days a year,” Matheson said.

The National Stadium sits adjacent to an area known as Jingu Gaien, a park-like space that includes a famous baseball and rugby stadium and a cherished avenue lined by more than 100 gingko trees.

There are plans approved by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to raze the baseball and rugby stadiums. They are to be rebuilt in the same area, but in reconfigured space.

This will allow developer Mitsui Fudosan and others to build three skyscrapers in what was essentially a park area, some of the most valued real estate in Tokyo.

The zoning changes to allow this high-rise development — it won't be finished for a decade — were pushed through by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government when the Olympics were on the horizon and the new National Stadium was seen as an urgent priority

Not only were the 2021 Olympics very costly for taxpayers, they also provided an opening for private developers to encroach on what has traditionally been park-like space.

“When someone else is footing the bill, we tend to build Rolls-Royces and not Toyota Corollas,” Matheson, the economist, said. “At a price of $1.4 billion, Tokyo's Olympic stadium costs roughly the same amount as the entire 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, even after accounting for inflation.”
 

 

Western Japan’s premier beauty trade fair will take place from 20-22 October 2025 at INTEX Osaka, spanning Halls 1–5 and 6B.

For this landmark 20th edition, Beautyworld Japan Osaka unveils big plans! The fair launches three new zones: Clinic Care, Fitness + Beauty and Osaka Nail Forum.

The Clinic Care zone specialises in the field of aesthetic medicine including cosmetics, supplements and services for cosmetic clinics. Only medical personnel are invited to this zone.

In this context, the Women’s Aesthetic Medical Association (WAM) will host its inaugural event for doctors, nurses, medical professionals and clinic owners on 21 October. Under the theme of ‘beauty and health,’ renowned doctors will give presentations and join panel discussions on the latest trends and findings in their fields of expertise. This event is also exclusive to medical personnel.

Meanwhile, the Fitness + Beauty zone features an extensive selection of fitness, healthcare and mindfulness products to expand distribution channels to high-end salons and businesses that prioritise beauty and wellness.

With the launch of the Osaka Nail Forum, Beautyworld Japan Osaka will now comprise 12 zones, including: Beauty Equipment, Business Support, Cosmetics, Eyelash, Fem more, Hair, Tasty, Wellness & Beauty, as well as a special exhibition area called NEXT for companies exhibiting for the first time.

Around 35 companies aiming to enter the beauty industry in the Kansai region will display their products and services to regional professionals and buyers.

Since the first edition in 2006, Beautyworld Japan Osaka has continued to strengthen its position as a key business platform in the region. This year, it is expected to host around 570 exhibitors including 60 overseas exhibitors, namely from countries and regions like China, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, Morocco, Taiwan, Thailand and the US.

 

Beautyworld Japan Osaka 20-22 October 2025 INTEX Osaka, spanning Halls 1–5 and 6B Osaka, Japan Further shows in the Beautyworld worldwide network: Beautyworld Middle East 27-29 October 2025, Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE Beautyworld Central Asia 20-22 November 2025, Central Asian Expo, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Beautyworld Japan Fukuoka 16-18 February 2026, Marine Messe Fukuoka, Japan Beautyworld Taipei 20-23 March 2026, Taipei World Trade Centre, Taiwan Beautyworld Japan Nagoya 23-25 March 2026, Port Messe Nagoya, Japan Beautyworld Saudi Arabia 18-20 May 2026, Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Saudi Arabia Beautyworld Japan Tokyo 18-20 May 2026, Tokyo Big Sight, Japan Notes Shanghai 16-19 October 2025, West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center, Shanghai

 
 

Recently, McDonald’s Japan’s Happy Meals haven’t exactly been producing the sort of emotion promised in their name. Instead, for many people they’ve become a source of frustration, anger, and sadness as scalpers have been snapping up increasingly large portions of high-demand Happy Meals for the purpose of reselling the included toys.

The situation has gone beyond just disappointment from actual fans who wanted the toys for themselves or their kids. Verbal altercations between scalpers and staff, along with food, drinks, and their containers being left behind or littered in and around McDonald’s branches, are causing tension for non-Happy Meal customers as well as residents and other businesses in the communities surrounding McDonald’s branches.

The most recent debacle came roughly a month ago with the release of Pokémon card Happy Meals, with the situation being bad enough that McDonald’s Japan offered an official apology for how things went down and postponing indefinitely a planned One Piece trading card Happy Meal, which might end up just being cancelled entirely.

So with a Sanrio Happy Meal slated to go on sale this Friday, McDonald’s has announced a new set of purchase policies.

▼ The Happy Meal toys celebrate the 50th and 20th anniversaries, respectively, of Sanrio’s My Melody and Kuromi.

 

Sales of the Happy Meals (or Happy Sets, as they’re called in Japanese), will be limited to in-person orders, made either with a McDonald’s cashier or in-store ordering kiosk, or through the drive-through lane.

Happy Meals will not be available for purchase through the McDonald’s mobile order app (not even if the mobile order is placed for in-store pickup) or through McDonald’s delivery service. 

McDonald’s will also be restricting the sale of Happy Meals through third-party delivery services such as Uber Eats. In addition, each group of customers ordering together will be limited to a maximum of three Happy Meals.

These rules will apply not only to the My Melody and Kuromi Happy Meals, but also the Plarail Happy Meals, featuring a popular line of model trains from toymaker Takara Tomy, and the Happy Meal books for Sanrio’s Cinnamoroll and feline astronaut anime/manga character Kotetsu-kun, all of which are releasing on the same day, September 12.
 

While it’s nice to see McDonald’s trying something to counteract scalpers, there are a couple of gaps in this defensive plan.

For starters, while customers are limited to no more than three Happy Meals for their group per order, there doesn’t appear to be anything stopping scalpers from getting their three Happy Meals, then dashing off to other branches and getting three more at each of them.

In theory, they could even get back in line at the same branch, since as the staff mightn’t remember a scalper’s face, they can simply act like they’re placing their very first order for the Happy Meal.
 
But perhaps the weirder part of the plan is that these restrictions, as of right now, are only for the first day that the Happy Meals are on sale, with McDonald’s Japan saying they will be “judging what policy will be appropriate based on conditions [observed] on September 12.”

The intent behind this would seem to be to make sure that actual fans have a chance to secure their own Happy Meals at the start of the promotion, then loosen restrictions to allow for non-scalpers who might have been adversely affected by them (like, for example, a grandparent wanting to buy a Happy Meal for each of their four grandchildren).

 

In practice, unfortunately, it’s unlikely to work out that way. Because they have an economic incentive, scalpers are more likely than other customers to line up before opening time on release day for in-demand items, since genuine fans may have other responsibilities that prevent them from standing outside a McDonald’s at 5:30 in the morning.

That’s probably going to be especially true for this round of Happy Meal releases, since it’s happening on a Friday, when kids and adults who don’t make their money hoarding toys will be at school or work until at least the afternoon.
 
What’s more, the Happy Meals will only be on sale until September 15, with their second round available between September 26 and 28. With just four days of availability for the first sets of toys, odds are they’re going to be intensely targeted by scalpers during that period, so hopefully McDonald’s will make the decision to put some additional protections in place beyond just the first day.

 

Japanese companies are tackling the difficult task of hiring more disabled people as the statutory minimum employment rate for the disabled will be lifted to 2.7 pct next July from 2.5 pct at present.

While the labor market is favorable for job seekers, companies are required to follow a thorough selection process that takes into account traits of each candidate.

As they want newcomers to stay, companies are trying to improve the working environment by making their workplaces more accommodating and using assistive tools backed by information technology.

 

For new graduates joining the group in spring, food and beverage maker Kirin Holdings Co. allows disabled newcomers to choose between a career-track position and an area-restricted post involving no transfer.

"With the number of new graduates limited, the hike of the statutory minimum employment rate is gradually making it difficult to recruit students," an official said.
 


 

Tokyo stocks ended trading Wednesday at a record-high close for the first time in three weeks, days after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation.

The Nikkei 225 stock index finished the day up 0.87%, at 43,837.67, with a strong performance in the afternoon.

It broke the previous record close of 43,714.31, reached on Aug. 18.
The benchmark broke 44,000 for the first time in history on Tuesday morning, reaching 44,185.73 and breaking the previous intraday record — of 43,876.42 — hit on Aug. 19.

The yen traded steady at around ¥147.5 to the dollar on Wednesday after strengthening Tuesday.

SoftBank Group rose 7.28% on Wednesday, Hitachi was up 3.6% and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group gained 2.26%.

Tokyo stocks have rallied since the prime minister announced on Sunday that he will resign from the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, while U.S. stocks hit fresh records overnight.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by nearly 0.5% and hit a record at Tuesday’s closing, at 45,711.34. The S&P 500 was up 0.27%, also hitting a record high.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to cut rates soon. Its next policy meeting will be held on Sept. 16 and 17.
 
 

Toshimitsu Motegi, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced his candidacy Wednesday for the leadership of the Japanese ruling party.

"I will seek a new coalition framework with political parties that share our basic policies," Motegi, 69, told a press conference at the Diet, the country's parliament, showing his readiness to expand the ruling bloc currently comprising the LDP and Komeito.

Motegi is the first to declare a bid in the LDP presidential election, scheduled for Oct. 4, to pick the successor to outgoing President Shigeru Ishiba, the country's prime minister.

Others considering or preparing bids for the party post include Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64, and former economic security ministers Sanae Takaichi, 64, and Takayuki Kobayashi, 50. Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, may also throw his hat in the ring.

 
 

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has decided to hold its upcoming leadership election in a full-scale format, including votes from both lawmakers and rank-and-file party members, to select a successor to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

At a meeting on Tuesday, party executives agreed that the election will be officially announced on Sept. 22, with lawmakers casting their ballots on Oct. 4.

In the full-scale format, the contest will be decided by 590 votes in total, 295 from LDP lawmakers and 295 from party members. The campaign period will last more than 12 days.

LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama emphasized that a full-scale election is the most desirable way to elect a new leader, describing it as an opportunity for the party to reset and move forward as a national political force.

Under the election rules, a winner must obtain more than half of the votes in order to be elected as the new party chief, and if no one wins a majority in the first round, a run-off vote between the top two candidates will be held on the same day, when the LDP lawmakers vote a second time and the 47 prefectural chapters get one vote each.

With Ishiba stepping down, the LDP is bracing for a heated leadership contest as major contenders signal their intention to run.

Former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday announced his intention to run, pledging to devote his full political experience to the party and government.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi and former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi have also decided to run, local media reported.
 
 

Japan Airlines apologized Wednesday over a series of flight delays caused by drunken pilots, following a reprimand from the transport ministry.

There have been at least three cases in the past year or so in which a pilot failed to pass a pre-flight alcohol test or was reported to the police for loud, drunken behavior.

“We take this situation seriously, especially since we had already been given a business improvement order last December and had been in the process of implementing countermeasures,” JAL President Mitsuko Tottori told a news conference Wednesday.

The transport ministry’s reprimand follows a surprise inspection of the airline last week.

The ministry said Wednesday that the company’s oversight was insufficient and that the safety management system was not functioning adequately.

The most recent flight delay occurred in late August when a pilot scheduled to fly from Honolulu to Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture was suspended from duty after he failed a voluntary pre-flight alcohol test due to heavy drinking the night before, causing three flights to be delayed by up to 18.5 hours. The pilot is set to be dismissed over the incident.

In April last year, a flight from Dallas was canceled the night before after a hotel called the police on a drunken JAL pilot for making too much noise. In December, two pilots drank heavily the night before a flight and then colluded to cover up the fact, leading to another delay.

Following these incidents, the transport ministry issued a business improvement order to JAL last year, prompting the airline to ban pilots from consuming alcohol overseas in between flights.

However, Tottori said Wednesday that such measures were insufficient and vowed to take stricter preventative measures.

“By comprehensively evaluating health check data and other information, we will ensure that crew members identified as having a particularly high risk related to alcohol consumption will not be assigned to flight duties,” Tottori said.

Those evaluated as having liver problems or past issues with alcohol, for example, will be deemed as “high risk” and relieved of flight duties, he explained.

So far, four pilots have been temporarily released from their duties.
Those who present a moderate risk of drunkenness may be required to submit images of alcohol test results at their place of stay, Tottori added.
JAL said other areas for improvement include better communication between management and the flight operation branch.

The airline has been ordered to submit a report detailing its new preventative measures to the transport ministry by the end of the month.
 
 

Japan's biggest convenience store chain has introduced robots on a trial basis in a bid to tackle labor shortages and streamline in-store work.

The trial began at a 7-Eleven outlet in Tokyo. A robot is being used to restock the store's drink and alcohol shelves. Artificial intelligence allows the machine to determine which products need to be restocked based on sales data.

Seven-Eleven Japan says automating the work will streamline the restocking process that currently takes staff about 10 hours a week.

Other robot models are being used to clean the floors and windows.
A monitor near the self-checkout area displays a virtual store clerk. By speaking to it, customers can receive remote assistance from staff at other locations.

The company believes by using robots it will be able to cut 20 to 30 percent of daily in-store tasks.

It is aiming for full-scale introduction of the robots in the future.
 



 

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. announced Monday it will accept voluntary retirement applications from employees who meet certain criteria.

Regular employees aged 53 or older with at least three years of service and employees rehired after reaching retirement age are eligible.

While the company has not set a specific target for the number of people to voluntarily retire, about 8,000 regular employees and about 2,000 rehired employees out of its roughly 42,000 employees meet the eligibility criteria.

Mitsubishi Electric is performing well, projecting record net profits for the third consecutive fiscal year, which ends in March 2026. However, its workforce composition is skewed toward older employees. The voluntary retirement program therefore aims to optimize the composition of its personnel.

The application period runs from Dec. 15 to Jan. 9, 2026. Applicants will receive a special lump-sum payment in addition to their standard retirement benefits. The company also said it will provide job-placement assistance to eligible regular employees if they so desire.
 


 

Google LLC has expanded the range of languages supported in its AI Mode search service to include Japanese. The new options started to become available to users on Tuesday.

The free artificial intelligence-based search service can now help users get answers to complex questions in a single search in Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, Hindi or Brazilian Portuguese, in addition to English.

With Google’s proprietary Gemini 2.5 AI, which analyzes information online, now added to the Search function, users can obtain answers by typing what they want to know into the search bar in a conversational style.

Typing in “Tell me what equipment is needed to brew coffee, depending on brewing method, as well as how easy it is to use and how it affects the taste,” for example, will display a comparison list of brewing devices and the flavor characteristics they create. The search results page also shows links to the sources referenced by the AI to create its answer.

“With this expansion, more people can now use AI Mode to ask complex questions in their preferred language, while exploring the web more deeply” through the links offered by the search results, Hema Budaraju, a senior official of Google’s search department, said in a statement.

In May, Google launched AI Mode in the United States, following its release of AI Overviews, which can take the work out of searching by providing AI-generated summaries of key information.

The company is believed to have been spurred to do this by its strong concern over the declining popularity of Google searches due to the emergence of ChatGPT and other conversational AI models.

Google has about a 90% share of the online search market, and advertising revenue from Google searches accounts for nearly 60% of parent company Alphabet Inc.’s revenue. However, the company’s share of the search market reportedly could drop below 50% within the next five years.

According to a July report by the Pew Research Center, a U.S. research organization, many Google search users are satisfied with its AI-generated summaries, which reduce the frequency at which users click on displayed links to 8% from 15%. Due to the spread of AI search functions, the number of visitors to U.S. news website Business Insider has halved over the past three years.

The introduction of AI Mode is expected to accelerate this trend in the future.

In May, News/Media Alliance, a nonprofit organization of more than 2,200 U.S. publishers, expressed concern that AI mode will further deprive “publishers of original content both traffic and revenue.”
 

 

A recent survey in two major export markets of Japan's konnyaku showed the low-calorie foodstuff made from a type of yam is well received, prompting the Japan Konjac Association to express hopes to boost exports further amid growing health consciousness among consumers.

According to the online survey released by the association, of those who have eaten konnyaku before, 86.4 percent of respondents in the West Coast in the United States and 64.4 percent in France said they either "liked" or "somewhat liked" it.

The most commonly cited reasons for enjoying konnyaku were its "low calorie content," followed by its "richness in dietary fiber."

By type, "konnyaku noodles" were the most popular, with 59.2 percent of U.S. respondents and 27.5 percent of those in France reporting having eaten them at least once. Satisfaction levels were also high.

The survey was conducted online from May to August, targeting men and women aged 20 to 69 in the U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as France.

Low in calories and rich in dietary fiber, konnyaku is described by the association as being effective in relieving constipation, preventing obesity and improving lifestyle-related diseases.

Mostly tasteless and odorless, konnyaku often has a bouncy texture and can be incorporated into a variety of dishes.
 
 

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro agreed Tuesday to strengthen cooperation between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military, amid China's growing military presence in the East and South China seas.

During their meeting in Seoul, the defense chiefs also agreed to speed up discussions to conclude a general security of military information agreement, or GSOMIA, that would allow the two countries to share classified information.

After the meeting, Nakatani told reporters, "The fact that we confirmed our commitment to deepening defense cooperation is very meaningful for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."
 
 

Asian shares mostly rose with Japan's benchmark jumping higher in Monday morning trading, despite the looming political uncertainty after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last night that he plans to resign.

Analysts said his announcement was expected for some time and welcomed it as moving things forward, although uncertainty remains as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will need to hold an election to choose a new leader. Ishiba will remain prime minister until his successor is chosen and approved by parliament.

“Markets may react short-term to the temporary uncertainty of lame-duck leadership, but this may resolve once a new leader is chosen. Meanwhile, the LDP’s position as a minority leading party is unlikely to change anytime soon, and as such compromise will be the name of the policy-making game,” said Naomi Fink, chief global strategist at Amova Asset Management.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.5% to finish at 43,643.81. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.5% to 3,219.74. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.2% to 8,849.60.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 0.8% to 25,632.00, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.4% to 3,825.88.

Also Monday, Japan's Cabinet Office said the economy expanded at a stronger rate in the fiscal first quarter than previously estimated, at a seasonally adjusted 2.2% annualized rate, better than the earlier 1.0% rate as solid consumer spending and inventories lifted growth more than previously thought.

On Wall Street, stocks finished last week lower in Friday trading on uncertainty whether the U.S. job market has slowed by just enough to get the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to help the economy, or by so much that a downturn may be on the way.

After rising to an early gain, the S&P 500 erased it and fell 0.3% below the all-time high it set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 220 points, or 0.5%, after swinging between an early gain of nearly 150 points and a loss of 400. The Nasdaq composite edged down by less than 0.1%.

A report from the U.S. Labor Department said American employers hired fewer workers in August than economists expected. The government also said that earlier estimates for June and July overstated hiring by 21,000 jobs.

The disappointing numbers follow last month’s discouraging jobs update, along with other lackluster reports in intervening weeks, and traders are now betting on a 100% probability that the Fed will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting on Sept. 17.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude added 91 cents to $62.78 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 98 cents to $66.48 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged up to 148.03 Japanese yen from 147.39 yen. The euro cost $1.1722, inching down from $1.1723.
 
 

Navi Japan, powered by Acumen with support from Study in Japan’s South Asia initiative and the University of Tokyo, aims to help Indian students, parents, and institutions access reliable information on studying in Japan.

With Japan’s Ministry of Education, also known as MEXT, planning to raise enrolment limits at certain universities to “encourage the recruitment of outstanding international students”, India has become a key market for some of the country’s top institutions.

Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to boost Japanese private investment in India to about $6.8 billion annually over the next decade, up from $2.7bn a year in the 2010s.

In particular, Indian workers and students are seen as a way to help address Nippon’s labor shortages amid its aging population and declining birth rate.

In light of this, Navi Japan, a one-stop app for Indian students to access information on universities, language labs, accommodation, scholarships, and careers, has officially launched today (September 8), helping Japan attract top Indian student talent – especially in fields like AI.

“Backed by real-time support features such as live chat, video counselling, and local engagement opportunities at schools and university campuses across India, Navi Japan ensures that every student can make confident, informed decisions about studying in Japan and feel personally supported throughout their journey from aspiration to relocation,” stated Adrian Mutton, founder and CEO, Acumen. 

Although there are only about 1,400 Indian international students currently in Japan, the strengthening of Japanese-Indian ties in areas such as economics, security, technology, and people-to-people exchange is expected to drive a sharp rise in that number in the coming years.

According to Acumen, the Navi Japan app, available for free on Android and iOS, has a goal of engaging over 100,000 students from India and South Asia within the next 24 months, while also helping its partner institutions like the University of Tokyo showcase their diverse range of programs.

“Japanese universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, including degree courses taught in English,” stated Dr. Kaori Hayashi, director of University of Tokyo India Office. 

“I would love to see more students from South Asia joining us to experience world-class education, an exciting campus life, affordable tuition, and a safe, welcoming society. We look forward to working with Acumen to achieve our goal.” 
 
 

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, agreed Monday to strengthen bilateral communication, including through mutual visits to each other's countries.

The two defense chiefs, meeting in Seoul for their first in-person talks since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in June, also agreed to promote three-way cooperation among the two countries and the United States to counter threats from North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

"Persistently fostering rapport is essential for sustainably strengthening cooperation and coordination between the two sides," Nakatani told reporters after the meeting.

He said that the two ministers did not discuss Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's announcement on Sunday that he will resign.

It was the first trip by a Japanese defense minister to the neighboring country since October 2015, when Nakatani also held the post. He had mulled a visit in 2024, but it was postponed due to political turmoil after martial law was briefly declared in South Korea that year.
 


 

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has said at a news conference that he plans to step down. Ishiba said he will not run in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming special leadership contest.


What Ishiba said at the news conference

Ishiba said he strongly believed it was the responsibility of his administration to pave the way for the negotiations on US tariffs, which should be called a national crisis.

He also said that he felt a sense of closure when Japan and the United States signed a memorandum on Japanese investment last week and US President Donald Trump signed an executive order.

Ishiba: I always said that I wouldn't cling to this post, and would decide to resign at an appropriate time after doing what I needed to do. Now is the time for me to resign as the negotiations on US tariffs have come to an end, and I decided to pass the baton to the next person. I made a painful decision to step down, thinking about some issues I needed to accomplish. I thought a decisive division within the party could be created if the issue of an extraordinary presidential election continued to develop. That is not what I wanted.

Ishiba said he feels very sorry for the people that he has decided to resign from his post in such a way.

Ishiba: I hope people will fully understand as I will continue fulfilling my duties during my remaining time in office.

He said he had told LDP Secretary-General Moriyama Hiroshi to carry out procedures for the presidential election based on the party's rules.

Ishiba said he hopes the party will begin the process of choosing a new president.


Ruling parties react

Former Defense Minister Inada Tomomi, an LDP member, said, "It must have been a very difficult decision for the prime minister."

Inada: I think it was the best decision for him to unify the party and avoid division.

Saito Tetsuo, the chief representative of the LDP's coalition partner, Komeito, called the announcement deeply regrettable.

Saito: Prime Minister Ishiba had consistently sought cooperation from opposition parties on each political issue and succeeded in gaining their support. Such efforts deserve proper recognition.


Opposition party reactions

The leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, Noda Yoshihiko, voiced concern about the ongoing political vacuum. Noda stressed that dealing with rising prices is an urgent matter.

Noda: I believe his intention to remain in office was quite strong, but he may have exhausted all the available options.

Democratic Party for the People President Tamaki Yuichiro said Ishiba delayed his resignation for too long, and as a result, the situation was unnecessarily prolonged.

Tamaki: The key issue now is when and in what manner he will actually step down, and when the leadership election will be moved up. The LDP must swiftly bring this situation to a close without further extending the political vacuum, and promptly create an environment where measures against rising prices and other issues can be addressed.


People react to Ishiba's decision to step down

NHK asked passersby in Tokyo's Shibuya district about Ishiba's decision to resign.

A tourist in her 40s from Kyoto Prefecture said she was surprised as she had believed Ishiba would stay in office, and that his aides would leave their posts to take responsibility. She said she feels worried about what will happen from now.

A Tokyo resident in his 30s said he thinks what Ishiba did as prime minister was "simply not good." He said he could not see at all what kind of benefits the prime minister was able to bring to Japan.

He said he thinks Ishiba's resignation was a natural outcome, and that he could have stepped down sooner.

He said he hopes someone who can better communicate with other nations as Japan's leader and is capable of steering the country will become prime minister.

A Tokyo resident in his 80s said he thinks Ishiba lost a power struggle. He said members of the ruling party are caught up in infighting without resolving its slush-fund scandal.

He added that LDP members seem unconcerned about the public. The man said Ishiba did not accomplish much, but that he feels sorry for the prime minister as he has been in office for less than one year.

A woman in her 40s from Chiba Prefecture said prices have stayed high and nothing has changed, so she hopes a new prime minister will make things better. But she said she is not really expecting much, and thinks things will remain the same no matter who takes the post.



Ishiba's 11 months as prime minister

Ishiba took office last October and pledged to tackle inflation as well as to reform the party.

The LDP has been involved in a series of political fundraising scandals.
Shortly after he took power, the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in a Lower House election. The ruling coalition also fell short of a majority in an Upper House election in July.

Amid growing calls for Ishiba to take responsibility for the election result, the LDP had been expected to decide on Monday whether to hold a special leadership contest.

Ishiba met former Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Agriculture Minister Koizumi Shinjiro at his office on Saturday. Sources say Suga and Koizumi told Ishiba that party unity is more important than anything else and suggested he step down before Diet members submit documents on a special leadership election.
 
 

Back in 2016, we were very hard-pressed to put together an outfit using only items bought from convenience store chain FamilyMart. However, since then the company has greatly expanded on its fashionable offerings and even created their own brand called “Convenience Wear.”

The constantly growing line of shirts, pants, socks, underwear and more has gotten to the point where FamilyMart decided to phase out many of their stores’ eat-in areas to help make more room for it all. Now, they’re taking the biggest leap yet and opening a new store dedicated to their clothing.

This new retail outlet has been given the convenience store’s nickname of Famima and had its grand opening in Blue Front Shibaura in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on Sept 1. 

 

It carries nearly all of FamilyMart’s roughly 150 articles of clothing, including their most popular item: socks with stripes in the Family Mart color scheme, of which over 28 million pairs have been sold.

Also, in honor of Famima’s opening, items from the upcoming fall/winter line of Convenience Wear will be available for presale. Another unique feature of this shop is that, unlike in the convenience stores, where the clothing is all wrapped up, samples of the various items are hung and a mirror is set up so customers can feel the materials and check the sizes for themselves before buying.

▼ News report on the grand opening. It’s a small-scale store, but it’s a start.

https://youtu.be/EaPKWcTPBGs

It’s also a good opportunity to salute the person behind Convenience Wear. Hiromichi Ochiai is an award-winning fashion designer who also created the costumes for Japan in the handover portion of the Rio Olympic Games closing ceremony.

He’s worked with several international corporations, but currently challenges himself by taking Family Mart to a place beyond a mere convenience store.


▼ Hiromichi Ochiai

The convenience store industry in Japan as a whole is facing several headwinds at the moment. The constant need for expansion and 24-hour operation against competing chains is only exasperating an already shrinking labor market.

Also, rising costs that have seen quintessential items like rice balls nearly double in price are making customers rethink how much convenience is really worth.

Perhaps Famima will be FamilyMart’s contingency plan in the event the Japanese convenience store market takes a serious turn for the worse. In that case, we may someday be able to bore our grandkids by telling them that the hugely popular chain of clothing stores Famima used to be a convenience store.

 

Store information

Famima Blue Front Shibaura S Building Store / ファミマブルーフロント芝浦S棟店
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Shibaura 1-1-1, Blue Front Shibaura S Building 3F
東京都 港区芝浦一丁目1番1 ブルーフロント芝浦S棟3階
Open 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
Closed Sundays and public holidays
 
 

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani will visit South Korea for three days from Monday to meet with his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back, the Japanese Defense Ministry has announced.

This will be the first visit to South Korea by a Japanese defense chief in 10 years. It will also be the first time since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's inauguration that the two countries' defense ministers have met in person.

Nakatani and Ahn are expected to discuss defense cooperation between Japan and South Korea and between the two Asian countries and the United States.

During the upcoming visit, Nakatani is scheduled to give a speech at the Seoul Defense Dialogue 2025 conference.

He is expected to reiterate the OCEAN vision for stronger defense cooperation among Indo-Pacific countries that share common values.
 
 

 

Japan’s Prince Hisahito is the first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years. Many people in Japan worry he could be the last.

The elaborate palace rituals to formally recognize Hisahito as an adult on Saturday are a reminder of the bleak outlook for the world’s oldest monarchy. Much of this comes down to its male-only succession policy and dwindling numbers.

Hisahito is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne and is likely to become emperor one day. After him, however, there is nobody left, leaving the Imperial family with a dilemma over whether they should reverse a 19th century ruling that abolished female succession.


Hisahito is a university freshman who loves bugs

A freshman at Tsukuba University near Tokyo, Hisahito studies biology and enjoys playing badminton. He is especially devoted to dragonflies and has co-authored an academic paper on a survey of the insects on the grounds of his Akasaka estate in Tokyo.

In his debut news conference in March, the prince said he hopes to focus his studies on dragonflies and other insects, including ways to protect bug populations in urban areas.

Hisahito was born on Sept. 6, 2006, and is the only son of Crown Prince Akishino, the heir to the throne, and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko. He has two older sisters, the popular Princess Kako and former Princess Mako, whose marriage to a nonroyal required her to abandon her royal status.

Hisahito’s coming-of-age rituals fell a year after he turned 18, reaching legal adulthood, because he wanted to concentrate on college entrance exams.


He may be the last emperor

Hisahito is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, who has one child, a daughter, Princess Aiko. Hisahito’s father, Akishino, the Emperor’s younger brother, was the last male to reach adulthood in the family, in 1985.

Hisahito is the youngest of the 16-member all-adult Imperial Family. He and his father are the only two male heirs who are younger than Naruhito. Prince Hitachi, former Emperor Akihito’s younger brother, is third in line to the throne but is already 89.

The shortage of male successors is a serious concern for the monarchy, which historians say has lasted for 1,500 years. The issue reflects Japan’s rapidly aging and shrinking population.

Japan traditionally had male emperors, but female succession was permitted. There have been eight female emperors, including the most recent Gosakuramachi who ruled from 1762 to 1770. None of them, however, produced an heir during their reign.

Succession was legally limited to males by law for the first time in 1889 under the prewar Constitution. The postwar 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves conservative prewar family values, also only allows male succession.

But experts say the male-only succession system is structurally flawed and only worked previously thanks to the help of concubines who, until about 100 years ago, produced imperial children.

Hugely popular Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, cannot be her father’s successor, even though she is supported by much of the public as a future monarch.


A succession debate rages

To address succession concerns, the government compiled a proposal to allow a female emperor in 2005. But Hisahito’s birth quickly changed the tide and nationalists turned against the proposal.

A separate, largely conservative panel of experts in January 2022 recommended calling on the government to maintain its male-line succession while allowing female members to keep their royal status after marriage and continue their official duties.

The conservatives also proposed adopting male descendants from now-defunct distant royal families to continue the male lineage.

But the debate has stalled over the question of whether to give royal status to nonroyals who marry princesses and their children.

The stalled debate has forced Hisahito to carry the burden of the Imperial Family’s fate by himself, former Imperial Household Agency chief Shingo Haketa said in a Yomiuri newspaper article earlier this year.

“The fundamental question is not whether to allow male or female succession line but how to save the monarchy.”

The conservative Yomiuri issued its own proposal in May, calling for an urgent revision to the Imperial House Law to give royal status to husbands and children of princesses and allow women to succeed the throne.

It called on the parliament to “responsibly reach a conclusion on the crisis surrounding the state and the symbol of the unity of the people.”


Crown, horse-carriage and prayers

Saturday’s ritual for Hisahito started at his family residence, with him appearing in a tuxedo to receive a crown to be delivered by a messenger from Naruhito.

In a main ritual at the Imperial Palace, attended by other royal members and top government officials, he wore traditional attire with a beige-colored robe that symbolized his pre-adulthood status.

His headcover was replaced with the crown, a black adult “kanmuri” headpiece, formalizing his coming-of-age. Hisahito bowed deeply and thanked the Emperor for the crown and his parents for hosting the ceremony and pledged to fulfil his responsibility as a royal member.

The crowned prince then changed into adult attire with black top and rode in a royal horse carriage to pray at the three shrines within the palace compound.

In the afternoon, Hisahito was to put his tuxedo back on to visit the Imperial Palace to greet Naruhito and Empress Masako, his uncle and aunt, in the prestigious Matsu-no-Ma, or pine room. In another ritual he is to receive a medal, the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, in a postwar tradition. He also was to greet his grandparents, Akihito and his wife, former Empress Michiko, at their palace.

In the evening, Akishino and Kiko were to host a private celebration for their son at a Tokyo hotel for their relatives.

The rituals also include his visits early next week to Ise, Japan’s top Shinto shrine, the mausoleum of the mythical first emperor Jinmu in Nara, as well as that of his late great-grandfather, wartime emperor Hirohito, in the Tokyo suburbs.

He will also have lunch with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other dignitaries Wednesday.
 
 

Japan and Australia agreed Friday in Tokyo to bolster security cooperation in areas such as defense equipment and cybersecurity during talks between their foreign and defense ministers, while expressing strong concern over China's military assertiveness in the region.
 
Vowing to elevate what they call a "special strategic partnership," the ministers welcomed Australia's recent choice of a Japanese design for its future frigate fleet and pledged to strengthen collective deterrence in a joint statement released after their so-called two-plus-two talks.
 
"We acknowledged our unprecedented strategic alignment, shared will and capability to play a leading role in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific," the statement said.
 
The two-plus-two talks, held for the 12th time and the first since September 2024, took place as the two countries deepen their ties through more frequent joint exercises under a reciprocal access agreement between their defense forces, which took effect in 2023.
 
The meeting was attended by Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, as well as their respective Australian counterparts, Penny Wong and Richard Marles.
 
The ministers cited a range of areas for closer cooperation, including greater use of the reciprocal access agreement, economic security through resilient supply chains, and advanced capabilities such as unmanned systems.
 
"As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, next year, our security cooperation has become broader and stronger than ever before," Iwaya said at a joint press announcement with the three other ministers.
 
Marles said an elevation of the partnership is a "really important step forward," enabling the two countries to cooperate in exercises and in respect of logistics and "more across all our domains."
 
The two countries agreed to reinforce their command coordination by sending liaison officers to each other's joint operations commands, welcoming the recent dispatch of an Australian officer to Japan.
 
Also in September, the Australian destroyer Brisbane will visit Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, to undergo maintenance in Japan for the first time.
 
On Australia's choice of Japan's upgraded Mogami-class frigate as the preferred platform for its future general-purpose fleet, Marles called it "the best frigate for Australia" and "the most cost-effective solution."
 
In the joint statement, the ministers reiterated their "strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, where tensions are running high over China's assertiveness.
 
"We expressed serious concern at the increase in scale and frequency of provocative activities by China in Japan's maritime and air domains," the statement also said.
 
Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly entered waters around the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed uninhabited Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
 
Japan and Australia also underscored "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an essential element of regional and international security and prosperity," according to the joint statement, in an apparent reference to China's increasing pressure on the self-ruled democratic island, which Beijing views as its own territory.
 
Wong said the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to "the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and strongly condemn North Korea's continued provocative actions, as well as Russia's ongoing illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine."
 
In addition, Japan and Australia agreed to cooperate in evacuating their nationals from third countries in emergency situations, such as during conflicts.
 
Japan signed a similar memorandum with South Korea last year, and the accord with Australia is the second of its kind.
 

Honda Motor Co. launched its new coupe, the Prelude, on Friday. This marks a revival of the model, once popular as “the date car,” after a 24-year hiatus. It is the brand’s first hybrid vehicle model. Honda aims to sell it globally, as there is robust demand for hybrids in Japan, the United States and Europe.

The tarting price is ¥6,179,800, and the monthly sales target is 300 units. The two-door, four-passenger vehicle can achieve a maximum fuel efficiency of 23.6 kilometers per liter of gasoline.

While targeting middle-aged and older generations who are familiar with the Prelude, some dealerships will also offer it as a rental car to attract younger customers. Its launch is planned for late 2025 in North America and the first half of 2026 in Europe.

The first-generation Prelude debuted in 1978, with cumulative domestic sales reaching about 490,000 units before production ended in 2001.
 

 

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday he has sent a letter inviting U.S. President Donald Trump to Japan, welcoming the bilateral tariff agreement that was formally signed the previous day.

The letter was delivered to Trump through Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who is visiting the United States and has been handling the bilateral tariff negotiations, according to the prime minister.

"It is crucial for both Japan and the United States to implement the agreement promptly in good faith," Ishiba told reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo.

He welcomed Trump's signing Thursday of an executive order lowering the U.S. reciprocal tariff rates on Japan, saying: "It was made possible with the understanding and support from many people. It's really fantastic."

From now on, the Japanese government will do its best to support small businesses affected by the U.S. tariffs, including in terms of financing, Ishiba said.
 

 

Defence Minister Gen Nakatani is considering visiting South Korea early this month for talks with his South Korean counterpart. According to Japanese government sources, both sides hope to reach an agreement to hold more frequent people-to-people exchanges.

The Japanese and South Korean governments are nearing an agreement on mutual visits by their defense ministers and holding regular discussions between defense authorities, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani is considering visiting South Korea early this month for talks with his South Korean counterpart. According to Japanese government sources, both sides hope to reach an agreement to hold more frequent people-to-people exchanges.

Bilateral defense cooperation has stalled since a South Korean Navy destroyer locked its fire-control radar on a Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft in 2018.

Holding more frequent ministerial visits and exchanges between defense authorities would help create a framework through which communication could be maintained even if problems arise.

If Nakatani’s visit goes ahead, it would be the first official trip to South Korea by a Japanese defense minister since October 2015.
 
 

Japanese weather officials say a tropical depression over waters east of Amami-Oshima Island in southwestern Japan developed into a tropical storm as of 3 a.m. on Thursday, local time.

Tropical Storm Peipah is expected to approach western Japan. But extreme localized downpours are already pounding southern Kyushu, prompting risks of mudslides and floods in low-lying areas.

Peipah has a central atmospheric pressure of 1,002 hectopascals and is packing winds of over 64 kilometers per hour near its center, with gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour. It is moving north at a speed of 30 kilometers an hour.

As warm and damp air from the south is flowing in, atmospheric conditions have destabilized considerably, mainly along the Pacific side of western Japan, and rain clouds have developed above southern Kyushu.

Tsuno Town in Miyazaki Prefecture was pelted by 71 millimeters of rain in the hour until 3:30 a.m. on Thursday.

During the hour ending at 4 a.m., Kunitomi Town, also in Miyazaki Prefecture, observed 38 millimeters of rain and the city of Miyazaki had 34 millimeters.

The tropical storm is expected to take a northerly course and approach western Japan, including Kyushu, before heading east toward eastern Japan by Friday.

Heavy rain is likely along the Pacific in both western and eastern Japan. Extreme localized downpours of more than 50 millimeters an hour may be in store.

As damp air will continue to flow in, rainfall may accumulate.
Weather officials are warning of mudslides and floods in low-lying areas, swollen rivers, river overflows, gusts and high waves, as well as lightning and freak winds, including tornadoes.
 
 

Nippon Steel Corp said Thursday it has withdrawn its lawsuit filed against rival U.S. steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and others, putting an end to all U.S. litigation launched to prevent its plan to purchase United States Steel Corp. from being blocked.

Japan's largest steelmaker, which finalized the buyout of the iconic American steelmaker in June, said the lawsuit against Cleveland-Cliffs, its CEO Lourenco Goncalves and United Steelworkers union leader David McCall, who all had been opposed to the $14.1 billion purchase plan, has been dropped.

The union has also taken back its charge filed with the United States' National Labor Relations Board against U.S. Steel, claiming that the company imposed unfair labor practices on its members, Nippon Steel said.

In July, Nippon Steel said it had decided to pull another lawsuit filed to invalidate former U.S. President Joe Biden's order in January to block the acquisition deal.

Biden's order had been made on grounds that the buyout would create a national security risk but his successor Donald Trump modified it in June, saying such a risk could be mitigated under conditions set by the U.S. government.

In finalizing the deal, Nippon Steel signed a national security agreement with the Trump administration, with U.S. Steel issuing a "golden share" to the U.S. government that grants veto power over key management decisions.
 
 

A Bank of Japan deputy chief said Tuesday it would be "appropriate" to keep raising interest rates in step with improvements in economic conditions but warned of the possible negative impact of higher U.S. tariffs.

Despite three policy interest rate hikes since last March, "real interest rates have remained at significantly low levels as inflation has remained strong," said BOJ Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino in a speech in Kushiro, Hokkaido.

He said that the current inflation rate considerably exceeds the central bank's 2 percent target due to rising prices of rice and other items, but it is likely to decline as temporary factors recede and eventually stabilize at levels consistent with the goal.

"Risk and uncertainty will never disappear from the landscape for policymakers. We must continually assess the balance of risks, both upside and downside, and respond in a timely and appropriate manner," Himino said.

Regarding the potential impact of U.S. tariffs on the economy, Himino described the July agreement to reduce tariff rates as "a major step forward," yet he cautioned that "the global economy still faces a heightened level of uncertainty."

"Our baseline scenario assumes that the effects of trade policies will eventually materialize, leading to a slowdown in overseas economies and a decline in domestic corporate profits," Himino said.

Market players have been paying attention to when the BOJ will resume raising rates after holding its key rate at around 0.5 percent for the fourth consecutive meeting in July, citing the need to assess the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive trade policies.

The BOJ is scheduled to hold its next two-day policy meeting starting Sept 18.
 
 

Japanese weather officials say a tropical depression to the south of Japan is likely to develop into a tropical storm late on Wednesday night. The storm is likely to approach western and eastern Japan from Thursday through Friday.

The Japan Meteorological Agency says the depression, located southeast of Okinawa Prefecture's Daitojima region, was moving north-northwest at 25 kilometers per hour as of noon on Wednesday.

The weather system had a central atmospheric pressure of 1,006 hectopascals. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 54 kilometers per hour at its center, with peak gusts of 82.8 kilometers per hour.

It is likely to develop into a tropical storm late on Wednesday night and approach the Daitojima region and Kagoshima Prefecture's Amami region, and then the Kyushu region on Thursday.

Atmospheric conditions are expected to become unstable in southern Kyushu and Amami, with moist air flowing in from the storm. It could bring heavy rain with lightning and localized downpours through Thursday.

The amount of rainfall in the 24-hour period through Thursday morning is expected to reach up to 100 millimeters in southern Kyushu and Amami.

Winds are likely to intensify in these regions. Rough seas are expected off the Daitojima, southern Kyushu and Amami regions.

Agency officials are urging people to be on the alert for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and swollen rivers, as well as strong winds, high waves, lightning strikes and gusty winds.

Officials are calling on people to stay updated on the latest weather information.
 
 

 

Suntory Holdings Ltd.’s announcement of the resignation of its chairman, Takeshi Niinami, has sent shockwaves through political, governmental and business circles.

Amid these ripples, the move is seen as an inevitable blow to the management of the company, whose primary business is food and beverages, including supplements.

“We expect to receive all sorts of criticisms from our consumers. I believe this will also impact our business performance,” Suntory President Nobuhiro Torii said, before bowing deeply, at an emergency press conference held in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Suntory’s sales in the health food and supplement sector reached ¥336.3 billion in the fiscal year ending in December 2024.

The company seems to be concerned that the top executive’s forced resignation over his alleged connection to illegal supplements could undermine consumer trust going forward.

Over the decade during which he served as president and chairman, Niinami led the company to significant growth. Its sales expanded by about ¥1 trillion, from ¥2.46 trillion in fiscal 2014 to ¥3.42 trillion in fiscal 2024 (based on International Financial Reporting Standards).

He was particularly focused on strengthening overseas operations, and he accelerated the integration of the U.S. company Beam Inc., which produces the Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark whiskey brands.

On Tuesday, Torii stressed that “there will be no changes to our management strategy.” Yet there is still the possibility of a certain amount of confusion.
For four consecutive generations since its foundation, Suntory’s top executives have come from its founding family. Niinami — who was chairman of Lawson Inc. when he became president in 2014 — was an exception to this rule.

Even after Torii, a member of the founding family, took over as president this March, Niinami continued to lead the company’s overseas operations as a chairman with representative authority. He also supported Torii, and the two of them worked in tandem to lead the company.

Nobutada Saji, the chairman who appointed Niinami as president, released a statement saying: “It is truly regrettable. That’s all there is to it.” The company plans to move from a two-person to a one-person chairmanship structure, under which Saji will retain his post but Niinami will not be replaced.

The ripple effects of the resignation have also spread to political, governmental and business circles, including the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai).

Niinami has served as the representative director of the association since April 2023, with his term set to run until April 2027.

Japan Productivity Center Chairman Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, who served as the representative director of the association two terms before Niinami, told The Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday: “He carried a heavy responsibility. It’s hard to believe this all of a sudden.”

Niinami also serves as a private sector member of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy and the Council of New Form of Capitalism Realization, two government advisory councils both chaired by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

He has advocated for the importance of wage increases and capital investment as means to achieve economic growth and has also been an active voice for social security reform.

A Cabinet Office official, who serves as the secretariat for the economic and fiscal council, said, “[Niinami] had a strong presence and delivered powerful messages.”
 

 

The Australian Embassy in Japan issued a warning to travelers to behave themselves after an Instagrammer drank offerings from a Japanese burial site, provoking widespread anger online.

In the most recent example of fame-seeking foreigners riling locals, Lochie Jones — reportedly an Australian tourist — posted a clip of himself swigging from a can placed on a headstone as an offering.

Moments earlier, he's seen flipping a coin to decide whether to open the beverage, likely left as a gift for ancestors in a gesture common in Japan.
He's then seen burping in front of the grave.

The video — which was posted last month — prompted angry comments online.

"Graveyards are sacred places in any country. ... I want (the government) to make sure he can never enter Japan (again)," one X user said.

On Tuesday, the Australian Embassy warned on Facebook that travelers must ensure "appropriate behavior" while visiting Japan, without explicitly referring to the video.

The embassy, which did not respond to a request for comment, said on Facebook that it "works closely with Japanese authorities to ensure that travelers from Australia respect and observe local laws and rules."
Jones apologized over the incident in an Instagram video Tuesday.

The incident comes after a YouTuber with 2.4 million subscribers, known as Fidias, posted a video in 2023 of him and three others free-riding around Japan — before he later apologized.

A month earlier, Japanese police arrested a U.S. livestreamer known as Johnny Somali for allegedly trespassing onto a construction site.

According to video footage, Ismael Ramsey Khalid, 23, wore a face mask and repeatedly shouted "Fukushima" to construction workers who urged him to leave the site, police officer Genta Hayashi said, referring to the stricken nuclear power plant.

Another clip shows Khalid, who describes himself as a former child soldier, harassing train passengers with references to the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan in 1945.

An unprecedented number of tourists are flocking to Japan, but some residents have become fed up with unruly behavior.

A town near Mount Fuji last year mounted a large barrier to deter photo-taking at a popular viewing spot beside a convenience store where people were increasingly venturing into the road to get the perfect shot.

The "Japanese first" Sanseito, which has tapped into growing concerns over overtourism and immigration, made strong gains in an Upper House election this year.
 

 

Japan's National Consumers Affairs Center is raising an alert over unexpected cash-on-delivery goods.

In fiscal 2024 through March this year, the NCAC received inquiries and gave advice on problems associated with cash-on-delivery services, such as paying for delivered goods they did not order, in a record 14,013 cases, of which 66 pct originated from online advertisements.

In the current year, 4,498 such cases had already been reported to the center as of the end of June, roughly tripling from a year earlier.

In a case, a woman in her 40s found a pair of luxury sneakers made of genuine leather sold at some 30,000 yen, which represented a discount of over 50 pct, on a website she was directed to by a social media ad and made a cash-on-delivery order.

After paying, she saw fake, artificial leather sneakers in the box and sought the center's advice on how to get a refund in April.

Meanwhile, a man in his 50s ordered a cash-on-delivery golden lantern via a website advertised on a video streaming service. However, a black lantern was delivered.

He made phone calls to a product replacement center specified on the invoice, but the line was always busy. The parcel delivery firm told him that it did not know the ship-from address. He eventually asked the NCAC for help in May.
 
 

Suntory Holdings Ltd Chairman Takeshi Niinami has stepped down due to an ongoing investigation over the alleged purchase of a dietary supplement suspected to be illegal, the major Japanese brewer company said Tuesday.

Niinami, a prominent 66-year-old Japanese business figure and former president of Lawson Inc, has led the Japan Association of Corporate Executives since April 2023 and has long served as a private-sector member of the government's key council on economic and fiscal policy.

Suntory Holdings President Nobuhiro Torii apologized for Niinami's resignation, which took effect Monday, during a press conference. The company stated that it concluded that Niinami's actions "demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding supplements" and "rendered him unable to continue in the key position" of chairman.

While noting that Niinami has insisted that he purchased the supplement believing it to be legal, the company said, "For the top executive management of Suntory Group, strict compliance with laws and regulations is fundamental, and exercising appropriate caution in purchasing supplements is an indispensable quality."

Suntory's board members unanimously agreed to demand Niinami's resignation. Niinami offered to quit for personal reasons and the company accepted his resignation as of Monday.

The company also noted that the supplement in question is not a Suntory Group product.

According to investigative sources, Niinami's house in Tokyo and other locations were searched by police on Aug 22, based on information provided by customs authorities in southwestern Japan regarding the import of a substance likely illegal in Japan.

The Fukuoka prefectural police did not find any illegal drugs during the search, but have questioned Niinami on a voluntary basis to see if he had any knowledge of the substance's illegality and to determine whether they should build a criminal case against him, the sources said.

Citing unnamed investigators, broadcaster Nippon TV said Niinami was suspected of importing products containing THC, an active ingredient in cannabis, from the United States.

During the search Niinami reportedly told police that he thought it was a legal product and that "a female acquaintance sent it to him unsolicited".
The product in question is seen as effective in treating backache and insomnia, they added.
 
 

Japan’s factory activity shrank in August on decreasing orders from overseas, a private sector survey showed on Monday, as the impact of U.S. tariffs began to squeeze the country’s export-reliant manufacturing sector.

The S&P Global Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) was at 49.7 in August, which slightly undershot the flash reading of 49.9 but improved from 48.9 in July.

The figure has stayed below the 50.0 threshold, which indicates contraction, for two consecutive months.

While the pace of factory output contraction slowed and contributed to the headline index’s improvement, new orders continued to fall at the same pace as in July, given subdued market conditions, the survey showed.

“Of particular concern was a steeper drop in new export business, which fell at the sharpest pace in nearly a year-and-a-half,” said Annabel Fiddes, Economics Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The decrease in new orders from overseas was the fastest since March 2024, and firms referred to weaker demand from key markets such as China, Europe and the United States, according to the survey.

In July, Japanese exports logged the biggest drop in more than four years led by declining car exports to the United States, and industrial production fell more than expected, government data have shown.

Tokyo and Washington struck a trade deal in July to lower U.S. tariffs on Japanese goods in exchange for a U.S.-bound $550 billion Japanese investment package, but uncertainties remain around the implementation of the agreed terms.

Elsewhere in the PMI survey, employment was a bright spot, with firms adding staff for the ninth straight month to prepare for potential future demand increases.

However, companies’ business confidence slipped to a three-month low, with respondents citing concerns about customer demand, an aging population and U.S. tariffs, according to the survey.

Input cost inflation inched up from July’s four-and-a-half-year low, but selling prices rose at the slowest pace in more than four years. Some firms said intense market competition and customer requests for discounts affected their pricing power, according to the survey.
 
 

Krispy Kreme is world-famous for its original glazed doughnuts, but in Japan, where competition for doughnuts is fierce, the chain is consistently compelled to up its game with new limited-edition releases, and its latest is one of the best we’ve seen.

Called the Krispy Kreme Premium Tokyo Moon-Viewing Marron & Cream, this new doughnut is crafted to resemble the full moon in the night sky.

Timed to coincide with the early autumn tradition of tsukimi or “moon-viewing“, the doughnut contains a centre of whipped cream with a swirl of chestnut paste against a bitter chocolate coating to depict the full moon “floating gently in the night”.

On top of the golden chestnut paste is a soft and chewy gyuhi (a soft version of mochi rice cake), with candied chestnuts added as a garnish for an autumnal touch.

To finish, gold leaf is sprinkled over everything to evoke the “twinkle of stars”, giving it an eye-catching look that really does conjure up thoughts of the starry night sky.

The Sweet Tsukimi Full Moon is the newest member of Krispy Kreme’s”Premium Tokyo” range, a series of limited-edition releases available exclusively at the chain’s flagship Tokyo International Forum Store.

 

Priced at 410 yen for takeout and 418 yen for dine-in, this exclusive doughnut will be on the menu at the flagship store from Sept 3 until the end of October, with limited stocks available each day.

With tsukimi officially occurring on Oct 6 this year, the doughnut will be the perfect partner for the traditional event, adding some extra sweetness to the beauty of the harvest moon that inspired it.
 
 

Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama announced on Tuesday that he is willing to resign from his post but that he would leave it to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to make the final decision.

Moriyama made the remark at a press conference after a general meeting of LDP Diet members from both chambers held in the afternoon. On July 28, he had floated the idea of his resignation at an informal meeting of the party members.

Also on Tuesday, Policy Research Council Chairman Itsunori Onodera expressed his willingness to resign. LDP General Council Chair Shunichi Suzuki also informed Ishiba, who also serves LDP president, of his intention to resign from the post. LDP’s Election Strategy Committee Chair Seiji Kihara also submitted his resignation to Ishiba.

Earlier on Tuesday, the LDP’s taskforce adopted a summary document reviewing the party’s crushing defeat in July’s House of Councillors election.

The document, which was reported at the general meeting, said that the LDP will “rebuild the party from the ground up.” It did not mention Ishiba’s and party executives’ responsibility in the election defeat.

As a cause of the defeat, the document pointed to a decline in party support in line with the Cabinet’s low approval ratings, citing a shrinking base of voters who support the LDP.

The party failed to solidify this diminished support base, the document said, underscoring that support from younger generations, working-age people up to their 50s and segments of the conservative base had shifted to other parties.

Regarding factors driving voters away from the LDP, the document noted that “the harsh reality is that many citizens remain deeply dissatisfied” over faction-related violations of the Political Funds Control Law.

Regarding cash handouts that the LDP pledged during the campaign period, the document concluded that the party “was unable to counter the opposition party’s easily understandable argument” for a consumption tax cut.

The document also found that the party had been too slow in responding to gaffes related to the Noto Peninsula Earthquake made by an upper house lawmaker during the mid-campaign period, as well as in addressing misinformation spread on social media.

As improvement measures, the document outlined plans to establish a specialized team to break down policies into “messages that resonate with the public” and to strengthen the party’s social media outreach.

“We will work on restarting ourselves as if we’re scrapping what we have and starting fresh, with a firm determination of rebuilding our party from the ground up, and will be reborn as a true national party,” the document read.

With the conclusion of the three-hour general meeting, the party’s presidential election management committee now has the task of confirming whether a presidential election should be held ahead of schedule.

Members who support the move will be asked to submit signed and sealed documents by Monday. If a majority of Diet members and representatives of its prefectural branches request the expedited election, it will be held before the expiration of Ishiba’s presidential term.



Ishiba apologizes for election defeat

Ishiba apologized for the party’s defeat in the July election.
“I, as the party’s president, am responsible for many [of the party’s candidates] losing, and I can never escape that fact,” Ishiba said in the opening address of the general meeting of LDP Diet members on Tuesday.

“I offer my deepest apologies for my incompetence.”
“It is my duty to make the right decision at the right time,” he added.
 

 

The Japanese government Tuesday announced a system to support a new regional cooperation framework beyond prefectural boundaries.

The central government plans to provide grants and subsidies to help local governments and businesses pursue regional development initiatives, such as industry and tourism promotion, amid declining populations. It will also relax regulations upon request.

The regional cooperation framework will bring together multiple prefectural governments and business organizations. Participants will declare joint efforts for regional revitalization and develop collaborative visions with specific activities.

“I am looking forward to ambitious cooperation declarations from municipalities and industry,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of the government’s Headquarters for Creating New Regional Economies and Living Environments.

The government in June adopted a basic concept of Ishiba’s signature Regional Revitalization 2.0 policy, which says that three locations will be the first to start specific projects under the regional cooperation framework before nationwide expansion.
 
 

Major Japanese automakers are trying to regain lost ground in Thailand, where they have been squeezed by the aggressive sales tactics of Chinese car companies. In Thailand, Japanese automakers’ share of new vehicle sales used to be more than 90% but may fall below 70% this year.

Japanese carmakers are trying to defend their stronghold by introducing low-priced hybrid vehicles (HVs), among other measures.


Eco performance, convenience

On Aug.21, Toyota Motor Corp. launched the small hybrid sedan Yaris Ativ HEV in Thailand. The model will be sold for 719,000 baht (¥3.24 million) until the end of the year, about 10% cheaper than the company’s Yaris Cross compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), which had previously been the cheapest HV.

“When considering practicality, HVs will continue to play an important role,” Toyota Motor Thailand Co. President Noriaki Yamashita said at a press conference in Bangkok, emphasizing the advantages of HVs, which combine environmental performance and the convenience of not requiring charging.

According to the Federation of Thai Industries, HVs — a field that Japanese automakers excel in — accounted for 20%, or 62,083 units, of the 302,694 new vehicles sold in Thailand from January to June, marking a 7.5% decrease from the same period last year.

On the other hand, the sales of new EVs, into which Chinese manufacturers are pouring considerable resources, increased by 1.6 times to 54,084 units. Toyota is set to boost HV sales with the introduction of a low-priced model to counter Chinese manufacturers.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also launched an HV version of its compact SUV, the Xforce, in May. The model is equipped with an audio system developed in collaboration with major audio-equipment maker Yamaha Corp. to attract younger consumers.

Mazda Motor Corp. plans to introduce five HV, EV and other models by 2027, and strengthen its production capacity at its plant in Thailand.



Discount sales

The market share of Japanese cars in Thailand stood at 92.3% in 2010, and continued to be high with a market share in the upper 80% range after 2011.

However, it plummeted to 77.8% in 2023 when the Thai government introduced comprehensive measures to promote the EV industry. It fell to 70.6% in the January-June period this year, down 6.6 percentage points from the same period last year.

“If the annual share falls below 70%, it will be difficult to stem the decline in the presence of Japanese vehicles,” a senior official of a Japanese automaker said.

The market share of both Toyota and Honda Motor Co. in the January-June period increased from the same period in 2022, but most other Japanese automakers, including Isuzu Motors Ltd., Mitsubishi and Mazda, saw theirs decrease.

The share of Chinese manufacturers, which were largely absent in the market in 2022, accounted for more than 16% in the January-June period, effectively “taking up” the share Japanese manufacturers lost.

BYD Co., China’s top-selling automaker, held a 7.8% share in the half-year period, ranking fourth behind Toyota, Isuzu and Honda.

BYD has aggressively expanded sales through large discounts. In a promotional campaign in August, BYD reduced the price of its compact car Dolphin to 499,900 baht, about 30% lower than the price at its launch in July 2023.

There are moves among Japanese automakers to strengthen EV sales in Thailand. Toyota, for instance, decided to expand imports of the bZ4X, an electric SUV, to Thailand from Japan.

However, since the carmakers are prioritizing HVs, which are popular in European nations and the United States, it is difficult to adopt a sales strategy heavily focused on EVs in Thailand alone.

As the EV market continues to expand in Thailand, it remains uncertain whether the Japanese firms can recover their market share with a strategy focused on HVs.
 
 

A survey of 195 major food companies by Teikoku Databank found that prices of 1,422 food and beverage items are scheduled to rise in September. This marks the ninth consecutive month of price increases this year.

By food category, the most common price increases are for condiments, primarily mayonnaise and sauces, with 427 items, followed by processed foods, including frozen foods and fish paste products, with 338, and confectionery, with 291 items, Teikoku Databank said.

All of these increases are attributed to rising raw material costs, as well as the shifting of logistics, labor and packaging costs.

Specifically, Kewpie has announced price increases for a total of 66 items, including household mayonnaise and dressings; J.

Oil Mills has announced price increases for all household oils and fats products, including canola oil; and Morinaga & Co has announced price increases for 54 items, primarily confectionery, including its DAR chocolate brand.

At present, the total number of items known to be subject to price increases for the whole of 2025 stands at 20,034. This is the first time in two years that the 20,000-item mark has been exceeded.

Teikoku said in its statement: "Logistics costs and labor costs due to wage increases are the main factors, rather than the weak yen."

It predicts that price hikes for food and beverages are likely to become long-term and permanent.
 


 

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru inspected an anti-disaster drill on Disaster Prevention Day on Monday.

The drill was conducted based on the scenario that a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck with an intensity of upper six on the Japanese scale of zero to seven.

Ishiba visited a site in Saitama City, north of Tokyo, where Tokyo and eight other local governments in the metropolitan area were participating in a drill.
Ishiba inspected how firefighters rescued people from a house buried in mud and others who were trapped under a collapsed building.

Then, guided by an official, Ishiba experienced how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, using an automatic external defibrillator, or AED. He also set up a bed made of cardboard boxes and a partition used in evacuation centers.

At a closing ceremony, the prime minister called the drill extremely significant. He said it offered a chance to gain training for rescuing and assisting affected people, restoring lifelines, using AEDs, and setting up cardboard box beds.

Ishiba said the drill contributed to improving each participant's disaster response capabilities.

Ishiba said massive quakes such as one directly beneath the Tokyo area and one in the Nankai Trough off Japan's Pacific coast could occur any time.

He stressed it is important for rescue teams, officials, and businesses to improve their skills, and for people to confirm what actions they should take to protect their own lives.
 
 

A woman was killed on Sunday in a crash during a university glider competition in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, local police said.

Police found the pilot, a woman believed to be in her 20s, at the crash site near the Tone River in Kumagaya after receiving an emergency call from a witness.

The glider belonged to Keio University, one of six universities taking part in the competition, the Japan Students Aviation League said Monday, adding that she is a student at the Tokyo-based educational institution.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism classified the crash as an aviation accident, and the Japan Transport Safety Board appointed investigators.

According to police, the glider took off from the Menuma Gliding Field along the Tone River. The league said it may have crashed a few minutes after takeoff.

The glider headed south and climbed to an altitude of around 350 to 400 meters before apparently crashing north of the takeoff site.

Gliders are winch launched from this airfield, the league said, and a safety device connecting the cable to the aircraft was discovered after the crash to be broken.
 
 

Japan logged its hottest summer ever this year, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday.

The country's average temperature in June-August was 2.36 degrees Celsius higher than the 30-year average through 2020 for the three-month period, hitting the highest figure on record dating to 1898, the agency said.