The number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan surpassed 10,000 in 2025 for the second consecutive year amid a labor shortage and high prices, particularly affecting small and medium-sized enterprises, a survey by a credit research company showed Tuesday.

Business failures with debts of at least 10 million yen rose 2.9 percent from the previous year to 10,300, the highest level since 2013, with small-scale bankruptcies accounting for 76.6 percent of the cases, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.

Total liabilities were 1.59 trillion yen, down 32.1 percent from the previous year amid few large-scale bankruptcies.

By industry, the service sector, including restaurants, saw the highest number of bankruptcies at 3,478 cases, up 4.5 percent, followed by construction at 2,014, up 4.7 percent, and manufacturing at 1,186, up 3.9 percent.

The survey showed that bankruptcies resulting from labor shortages surged by 36.0 percent, reaching a record high of 397 cases. Additionally, business failures attributable to high prices increased by 9.3 percent, reaching 767 cases.

A Tokyo Shoko Research official predicted that corporate bankruptcies will "moderately increase" in 2026, citing rising interest rates, the impact of U.S. tariffs and deteriorating relations between Japan and China as notable concerns.
 


 

Japan's main stock index hit another intraday high on Wednesday to top the 54,000 mark for the first time.

Many investors believe that the stimulus policies of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae will support the economy and boost investment in growing sectors.

The Tokyo benchmark surged right after the opening to hit a record high two days in a row.

The bullish run comes amid speculation that Takaichi will dissolve the Lower House at the onset of the ordinary Diet session later this month.

Meanwhile, currency investors are selling the yen on expectations of ramped-up fiscal spending.

The currency weakened against the dollar to the mid-159 range. That's a level not seen in a year and a half.

The yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond hit 2.18 percent at one stage for a 27-year high. Yields rise when prices fall.

The upward pressure also stems from the view that the stimulus by the Takaichi administration will continue.
 
 

The second summit between South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, held Tuesday in her home prefecture and political base, highlighted the personal chemistry and affinity between the two leaders.

President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi briefly traded diplomacy for drums on Tuesday, sitting side by side for an impromptu duet accompanying recent K-pop hits.

Cheong Wa Dae described the moment as a glimpse of the two leaders’ “chemistry and personal rapport.”

The moment came after the two wrapped a joint news conference on the summit’s outcome and moved into a private session, where the Japanese side had arranged a surprise event that quickly drew attention, presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said in a press statement.

In front of a Pearl drum kit — one of Japan’s best-known music brands — the two leaders donned matching blue uniforms prepared by the Japanese side and launched into an impromptu duet.

Takaichi is widely known as a fan of bands such as Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. She has said she began drumming in a college band.

“The event was specially prepared by the Japanese side as a symbolic way to showcase the chemistry and personal rapport between the two leaders,” Kim said.

Lee and Takaichi played “Golden,” the theme song from Netflix’s global hit “KPop Demon Hunters” — a joint project involving South Korea, Japan and the United States — as well as “Dynamite,” the Billboard-topping BTS track.

“The two leaders turned their post-summit conversation into a distinctive moment of cultural exchange,” Kim added.

During the event, Lee remarked, “I fulfilled a lifelong dream today. Ever since I was young, I had wished to play the drums.”

Takaichi, for her part, took the lead in the impromptu session, personally explaining basic drumming techniques and guiding the duet.

Takaichi also presented Lee with a pair of drumsticks. The two leaders signed the sticks and exchanged them.

“The uniforms worn during the performance were embroidered with each country’s national flag and the leaders’ names in English, adding another layer of friendship and mutual respect to an unexpected event,” Kim said.

The second summit between Lee and Takaichi, held Tuesday in her home prefecture and political base, highlighted the personal chemistry and affinity between the two leaders.

Takaichi personally greeted Lee outside his lodging upon his arrival in Nara on Tuesday, offering a warm welcome as he visited her home prefecture.

Cheong Wa Dae said the reception was upgraded from a hotel-hosted greeting originally planned to one led by Takaichi herself.

Takaichi personally came out to greet Lee, visibly brightening when she saw him. With a deep, folded-handed bow, she said, “Hello. Welcome to my hometown — I’m truly glad you’re here.”

Lee responded that he was overwhelmed by the warmth of the reception. “If you welcome us by breaking protocol like this, we hardly know where to put ourselves,” he said.

“We’re very happy you came,” Takaichi replied.

Lee added, “Not only the Japanese public, but the people of South Korea as well, will be deeply grateful for this kind of gesture from you.”

During the news conference, Lee repeatedly underscored his appreciation for Takaichi’s efforts to improve Seoul–Tokyo ties.

Lee returned to the issue of the two sides’ agreement to jointly pursue DNA testing to help identify the remains of victims of the Chosei Coal Mine tragedy, along with plans to hold working-level follow-up consultations.

The disaster occurred on Feb. 3, 1942, when flooding in an undersea tunnel off Ube, Yamaguchi prefecture, killed 183 workers, including 136 forcibly mobilized Koreans during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

“I am grateful for the prime minister’s special attention,” Lee said.
Before wrapping up the news conference, he again expressed his thanks.

“Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the prime minister for the exceptional and generous hospitality, and for the special consideration she has shown — sparing no effort, almost to the point of throwing herself into it — in improving Korea–Japan relations.”
 
 

Japanese Emperor Naruhito expressed his hope for peace in Japan and the world in the new year in a poem recited at the annual New Year's Poetry Reading on Wednesday.

The emperor, who attended Shinto rituals at the Imperial Palace Sanctuaries before dawn on New Year's Day, put into verse how he was moved when he saw Venus shining brightly in the sky ahead of one of the proceedings.

The emperor and Empress Masako, together with their daughter Princess Aiko, attended the ceremony at the Imperial Palace along with Crown Prince Fumihito and his family, including Prince Hisahito, who joined the event for the first time after coming of age.

Members of the general public whose poems were selected were also present.

The theme of this year's poems at the reading was "mei," which primarily means "bright" or "light."

Peter MacMillan, a translator and a Japanese literature scholar who was born in Ireland, was invited by the emperor to present his poem, becoming the first foreign national to fill the role.

The official translation of the poem written by the emperor and provided by the Imperial Household Agency reads as follows:

Watching the morning star

Shining high in the sky

I pray sincerely for

Peace in the new year

Empress Masako's poem focused on the Tokyo Deaflympics, held in Japan for the first time in November.

The emperor, empress and princess attended a swimming event, with the family learning both Japanese and universal sign language to greet the athletes.

The official translation of the empress's poem reads as follows:

With medals around their necks

The athletes are beaming with joy

Using sign language

I convey to them

"Congratulations"

Princess Aiko wrote about her first official visit abroad to Laos in November last year, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Japan and the Southeast Asian country.

The bright and lively voices

Of the young Laotian students of Japanese

Fill the classroom cheerfully

The poems and compositions by other imperial family members, as well as 10 other pieces chosen from among 14,600 entries submitted by the public, were recited in the traditional style at the reading.

Waka poetry was developed by the court aristocracy in ancient Japan. A "tanka" poem, the most common form of waka, consists of 31 syllables in a pattern of 5-7-5-7-7.

 
 

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a forum that he is committed to strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance for peace in the Indo-Pacific region through “the power of true reconciliation,” which the two countries experienced in the process of overcoming their World War II confrontation.

Koizumi, currently visiting the United States, delivered a speech on Monday at the Honolulu Defense Forum, an international conference on security held in Hawaii. It was the first time that a Japanese defense minister participated in the conference.

In the 15-minute-long speech made in English, Koizumi explained Japan’s efforts to enhance its defense capabilities, such as by increasing defense spending and plans to revise the National Security Strategy and two other security documents within this year.

Koizumi said he would “dedicate my full efforts” from a defense perspective to advance the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific, with this year marking the 10th anniversary of Japan first proposing it.

He cited regional crises including attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas, provocative military activities intensifying in the Pacific and the weaponization of information and cyberspace.

His remarks come at a time when China has waged an information war with the intention of dividing Japan and the United States in ways such as asserting that China fought together with the United States against Japan’s fascism in World War II.

“Those who once fought each other have built a relationship of trust and forged an alliance unparalleled in the world,” Koizumi told reporters after the speech, referring to the Japan-U.S. relationship. “Cooperation with allies and like-minded nations is crucial, and we want to advance cooperation on information warfare.”

Prior to the speech, Koizumi visited the USS Arizona Memorial, which stands above the battleship USS Arizona, which was sunk in the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor. He laid a wreath with U.S.

Ambassador to Japan George Glass, highlighting the close ties between Japan and the United States.

Following his stop in Hawaii, Koizumi visited a U.S. company manufacturing drones in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
 
 

Honda Motor Co. announced that it will launch its latest electric motorbike, the Honda UC3, in Vietnam in June.

The Vietnamese government plans to gradually restrict gas-powered motorbikes in central Hanoi, starting in July.

Honda will expand its lineup of electric motorcycles, aiming to maintain its 80% share of the Vietnamese market, which is known for its huge extensive use of lightweight motorcycles.

The UC3 can travel about 120 kilometers on a single charge, with its performance equivalent to that of a 110cc class gas-powered two-wheel vehicle, according to Honda. The price is still undecided.

Honda launched its first electric motorbike in Vietnam in April 2025. Local manufacturer VinFast is leading the electric motorbike market in Vietnam.

Honda will increase the number of its electric models to three, including the UC3, by July 2026, when the new regulations will be enforced.

For now, local authorities have not provided specific details of the regulations, such as the areas and times when the use of gas-powered motorbikes is prohibited.

“The impact of the regulations on the industry is significant and we will lobby [the Vietnamese government] to apply [them] gradually,” said Sayaka Arai, the president of the Vietnamese arm of the automaker.
 
 

 

The renowned chimpanzee was famous for her cognitive abilities
The Kyoto University’s Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior announced this week that Ai, a genius chimpanzee known for her cognitive abilities, has died at the age of 49.

According to the center, she died on January 9, 2026, of old age and organ failure. The renowned chimpanzee, who could recognize letters of the alphabet and kanji characters, was reportedly surrounded by staff at the time of her passing. 


 

Ai, which means love in Japanese, was born in 1976 in the Guinean Forests of West Africa. Sold to the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University (KUPRI) just over a year later, she was the first subject of the Ai project, a research program launched by Kiyoko Murofushi and Tetsuro Matsuzawa.

The aim of the project was to better understand chimpanzee cognition through computer interface experiments.

A customized keyboard linked to a computer was created for Ai and two other chimpanzees (Akira and Mari), who joined her as part of the project.

Murofushi and Matsuzawa, in collaboration with Toshio Asano, studied their memory skills, number learning abilities and perception of color. One of the early tasks for the chimpanzees was to discriminate between red, green and blue.

“At the age of five, Ai learned that Arabic numerals can represent numbers,” wrote Matsuzawa in a review essay for the website Inference in 2021.

“She was the first chimpanzee to successfully label numbers… At the age of six and a half, Ai started learning the letters of the alphabet. After some time, she was able to discriminate between all twenty-six uppercase letters.”

On the evening of October 3, 1989, Ai escaped from her cage and then released Akira and her orangutan friend Doudou after apparently using a key to open the padlocks.

Two graduate students called Matsuzawa to inform him about the situation when they saw Ai walking around campus with the key in her mouth. She had reportedly presented her bottom to the two students as a submissive signal. 

In 2010, Ai gave birth to a son, Ayumu, who is also renowned for his exceptional working memory. Away from taking cognitive tests, Ai was known to enjoy drawing and painting.

As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Ai Project in 2017, esteemed primatologist Dame Jane Goodall was presented with a scarf made from one of the famous chimpanzee’s paintings. 
 

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara informed the Diet on Tuesday that this year's ordinary session of the parliament will be convened Jan. 23.

The top government spokesman made the notification at board meetings of the steering committees of both Diet chambers.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is reportedly considering dissolving the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, at the start of the ordinary session for a general election.

If the Lower House is dissolved, parliamentary deliberations on the government's fiscal 2026 draft budget would be carried over to a special Diet session to be convened after the general election, making its enactment by the March 31 end of fiscal 2025 difficult.

At the steering committee meetings, the LDP and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, did not present opposition parties with a schedule for the second and subsequent days of the ordinary Diet session, including the prime minister's policy address.
 
 

Japan currently holds about 10 per cent of the global semiconductor market, down from 50 per cent in 1988.

Japan’s bid to revive its semiconductor dominance is reshaping the rural heart of Kumamoto, where billions in government-backed investment and the arrival of tech titan Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are driving job growth and a broader economic boom.

This comes as semiconductors have been designated a strategic pillar of the country’s industrial policy, as Tokyo seeks to rebuild domestic chipmaking capacity and reduce reliance on overseas supply chains.

Billions of dollars in state support are being channelled into chipmaking hubs such as Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu, which is sometimes dubbed Japan's “Silicon Island” for its semiconductor history.



SEMICONDUCTOR BOOM

Taiwan’s TSMC opened its factory in Kumamoto's Kikuyo town in February 2024, under the name Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing. It is a joint venture with Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Denso, and Toyota as partners.

A second fabrication plant is under construction, though local media have reported that work has been paused as design changes are considered.

The total investment in the plants, estimated at more than US$20 billion, is the largest the prefecture has ever received. Kumamoto is now pushing for a third TSMC plant.

Kumamoto governor Takashi Kimura said the TSMC plant has triggered a semiconductor boom, attracting around 70 related firms and creating more than 6,000 jobs.

“The number of jobs increased by several thousand, but this is taking place in what has been a very rural town,” he noted.

“Without roads and infrastructure fully developed, the fabrication plant was completed. Around there, roads are congested. These are matters to be resolved.”

To meet growing demand for skilled workers, new training facilities have sprung up.

Nisso Technical Center Kumamoto opened just two months after TSMC’s factory, offering programmes to train new hires and career switchers in semiconductor manufacturing.

It has even set up a mock fabrication facility, complete with protective gear, sanitisation procedures and machines used in real production lines.

The training centre said it saw an opportunity to fill the need for trained workers.

“TSMC is one (of the reasons). There are also Sony and other semiconductor makers coming here, so we set up targeting them,” said Osamu Kyan, director of its human resources development division.

“They especially lack those (workers) with moderate experience – those in between newcomers and veteran workers.”

More than a thousand people have already passed through its programmes.
“I want to make products that satisfy customers and create made-in-Japan products,” said trainee Shogo Yoshioka.



GROWING PAINS AND PRESSURES

The influx of workers is also driving demand for other services such as schools, as more families move into the area.

Educational institutions are expanding to keep pace.
Kumamoto International School, for instance, began as a preschool in 2003.

It accelerated plans to open its high school after TSMC arrived, launching grades seven, eight and nine in 2023.

Today, the school has more than 300 students and 55 staff, offering classes in Japanese, English and Mandarin for both native and non-native speakers.

“The plan is to expand the building … and to expand the number of students that we can admit,” said its principal Matthew Ohm.

As businesses move in, the cost of living is also rising.

Commercial land prices in Kikuyo jumped nearly 31 per cent last year, according to government data.

But the town's coffers are also growing, with an estimated 30 per cent jump in property tax revenue for fiscal year 2025.

The drive to turn Kumamoto into the epicentre of Japan’s chip renaissance shows no sign of slowing.

Japan currently holds about 10 per cent of the global semiconductor market, down from 50 per cent in 1988.

“Industries that utilise the latest semiconductors hardly exist in Japan and the world,” said Kimura. “We would like to create a new industry that shapes the future in Kumamoto.”
 
 

 
A new program that offers comprehensive legal assistance for victims of serious crimes, including murder and sexual offenses, and bereaved families started in Japan on Tuesday.

The assistance, both in criminal and civil procedures, is provided basically free of charge.

The Japan Legal Support Center, known as Houterasu, will serve as the point of contact for the program, which is designed to prevent individuals from forgoing legal help due to financial constraints.

Eligible participants include victims and bereaved families with current assets of ¥3 million ($18,900) or less, such as deposits and savings.

The program covers crimes that intentionally caused death, including murder and dangerous driving causing death, as well as sexual crimes like nonconsensual sexual intercourse and nonconsensual indecency.

It also includes injuries requiring three months or more before a full recovery can be made and those resulting in a certain level of residual disability.

Applications for assistance can be submitted for incidents that occurred on or after Tuesday.

Assigned lawyers will prepare reports of damage and written complaints, negotiate out-of-court settlements with perpetrators and file lawsuits for damages.

They will also accompany victims and others on visits to investigators and help them with media interactions to alleviate psychological and other burdens.

The program was established under the revised comprehensive legal support law enacted in April 2024.
 
 

Sales of products made by prisoners in Japan have risen for four straight years, driven in part by efforts to promote them on social media, a foundation supporting the country's correctional system said.

Sales totaled about 812 million yen in fiscal 2024, recovering from a sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, after hitting a record low of 369 million yen in fiscal 2020, according to the Japanese Correctional Association.

Prisoners nationwide have produced goods such as woodcrafts, sewn products and traditional Japanese crafts under labor programs designed to foster disciplined work habits and improve concentration.

Although prison labor ceased to be mandatory in consideration of inmates' ages and other characteristics following an amendment to the Penal Code that took effect in June last year, it continues to serve as a central measure for rehabilitation.

The prison-made products are gaining popularity, with about 37,600 people visiting an annual sales event in December, up roughly 1,900 from the previous year.

Sales rose by about 7 million yen to 45 million yen at the event, with barbecue grills made at Abashiri prison in Hokkaido, men's shoes from a prison in Chiba near Tokyo and pasta produced at a Yokohama prison selling well.

According to a survey of visitors to the Justice Ministry-hosted event, more than 20 percent said they learned about it through social networking services or YouTube, while 57 percent said it was their first visit. The survey also showed an increase in visitors in their 30s or younger.

"Purchasing these products helps maintain inmates' motivation and promotes their rehabilitation," said Masami Suzuki, an official at the ministry's Correction Bureau.

The products, marketed under the brand name CAPIC, an acronym for Correctional Association prison industry cooperation, are also sold at shops attached to prisons across the country and online.
 
 

Major Japanese nonlife insurer MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings plans to consolidate its domestic bases ahead of the planned merger in April 2027 of its key subsidiaries, its president, Shinichiro Funabiki, said in a recent interview.

"Without a certain level of integration, we cannot achieve cost reductions," Funabiki said, suggesting the insurance group is set to consolidate its domestic bases from some 360 to 240 at the time of the merger.

When the two subsidiaries — Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance and Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance — are merged, the group is scheduled to change the name of the holding company to Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group.

The company aims to achieve ¥700 billion in profit as the basis for shareholder returns in fiscal 2030, a level at which it expects to maintain a trend of dividend increases even after completing the sale of its cross-shareholdings.

"We will be able to provide new coverage and services" as the business scale increases, Funabiki said, expressing his willingness to achieve the target. In addition to the base integration, it plans to implement thorough cost-cutting measures, including the introduction of an early retirement program.

In response to a series of scandals in the nonlife insurance industry, including fraudulent insurance claims and price-fixing of insurance policies for corporate clients, the Financial Services Agency has been revising the insurance business law and supervisory guidelines in recent years.

"We need to rebuild a customer-oriented business model," Funabiki said, stressing that his company will continue to focus on restoring public trust.
 
 

Japan will send personnel to the Civil-Military Coordination Center, set up to monitor the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and coordinate humanitarian assistance for the war-torn Palestinian region, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has said.

Motegi, who is on a Middle East tour, told a news conference in Jerusalem on Sunday that Tokyo will dispatch Takeshi Okubo, ambassador for reconstruction support for the Gaza Strip, and one specialist to the U.S.-led center in Israel.

He inspected the center earlier. During the visit, he conveyed to officials related to the center Japan's policy of actively making contributions.

At the news conference, Motegi expressed an eagerness to take diplomatic actions unique to Japan to realize lasting peace and prosperity in the Middle East region.

On the same day, Motegi met with Hussein al-Sheikh, vice president of Palestine, and the region's prime minister, Mohammad Mustafa.

Motegi explained Japan's support for a "two-state solution" for coexistence of a future Palestinian state and Israel. He also said his country will provide about ¥25 billion in aid for the restoration and reconstruction of Gaza.

Motegi also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, demanding appropriate action to protect civilians in Gaza and ensure humanitarian assistance.

He expressed serious concern over settlement activities in the West Bank, calling them a violation of international law.
 
 

A Japanese mining ship departed on Monday for a remote coral atoll to probe mud rich in rare earths, part of Tokyo's drive to curb its reliance on China for critical minerals as Beijing tightens supply.

The month-long mission of the test vessel Chikyu near Minamitori Island some 1,900 km (1,200 miles) southeast of Tokyo, will mark the world's first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth seabed sludge from 6 km (4 miles) deep onto a ship.

Japan, like its Western allies, has been reducing its dependence on China for the minerals vital to the production of cars, smartphones and military equipment, an effort that has taken on urgency amid a major diplomatic dispute with Beijing.

"After seven years of steady preparation, we can finally begin the confirmation tests. It's deeply moving," Shoichi Ishii, the head of the government-backed project told Reuters, as the vessel departed the port city of Shizuoka on a bright sunny day, with a snow-capped Mount Fuji in the background.

"If this project succeeds, it will be of great significance in diversifying Japan's rare earth resource procurement," he said, adding that recovering the key minerals from 6 km below sea level would be a major technological achievement.

The vessel, with 130 crew and researchers, is scheduled to return to the port on February 14.

 

REDUCING RELIANCE ON CHINA WON'T BE EASY

Last week, China banned exports of items destined for Japan's military that have civilian and military uses, including some critical minerals. The Wall Street Journal reported Beijing has also begun restricting rare-earth exports to Japan more broadly.

Japan has condemned China's dual-use ban but declined to comment on the report of a broader ban, which China has not confirmed or denied. Chinese state media, though, have said Beijing was weighing the measure.

Finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrial powers will discuss rare-earth supplies at a meeting in Washington on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Japan is no stranger to facing China's wrath over rare earths. In 2010, China held back exports following an incident near disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Since then, Japan has reduced its reliance on China to 60% from 90% by investing in overseas projects like trading house Sojitz's tie-up with Australia's Lynas Rare Earths and promoting rare-earths recycling and manufacturing processes that rely less on the minerals.

The Minamitori Island project, however, is the first to attempt to source rare earths domestically.

"The fundamental solution is to be able to produce rare earths inside Japan," said Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute.

"If this new round of export controls ends up covering a lot of rare earths, Japanese companies will again make efforts to move away from China, but I don’t think it will be easy," he said.

For some heavy rare earths, such as those used for magnets in electric- and hybrid-vehicle motors, Japan is almost totally dependent on China, analysts say - a major risk for its key automotive industry.


LONG-TERM PROJECT

Since the 2010 scare, the Japanese government and private companies have built stockpiles of the minerals, though they do not disclose volumes.

At a New Year's party for Japan's mining industry on Wednesday, several executives said they were better prepared than before to cope with the potential disruption, citing Japan's diversification efforts and stockpiles.

But Kazumi Nishikawa, principal director of economic security at the trade ministry, said the government had to continually remind companies to diversify their supply chains.

"Sometimes, you know, some event happened, then the business reacts, but the event finishes, the business forgets. We have to maintain continuous efforts," Nishikawa said on the China Talk podcast this week.

The Minamitori Island project, into which the government has sunk 40 billion yen ($250 million) since 2018, is also a long-term play.

Its estimated reserves have not been disclosed and no production target has been set. But if it succeeds, a full-scale mining trial will be conducted in February 2027.

Mining the mud was previously viewed as uneconomical due to high costs. But if supply disruption from China continues and buyers become willing to pay higher prices, the project could become viable in coming years, said Kotaro Shimizu, principal analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.

China is keeping a close watch. When the ship was conducting surveys around the island in June last year, a fleet of Chinese naval ships sailed nearby, Ishii said.

"We feel a strong sense of crisis that such intimidating actions were taken," he said. China said its actions were in line with international law and called on Japan to "refrain from hyping up threats".
 
 

ANA Holdings Inc. will start using drones for a nationwide logistics service by fiscal 2028, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

According to the plans, which would establish a transportation network, takeoff and landing bases across the country would be established. Each base would cover an area with a radius of about 500 kilometers.

The service will be used to deliver medicines and daily necessities to remote islands and other areas during normal times, and in the event of disasters, can be used to transport food and other supplies to isolated regions.

The service will utilize drones developed by U.S.-based Skyways Air Transportation Inc. that measure 3 meters long and have a 7-meter wingspan.

The drones, which can carry about 50 kilograms of cargo per flight and have a maximum range of about 1,600 kilometers, use motors to power eight propellers during takeoff and landing and will switch to engine-driven propellers when cruising. Operations will be mainly automated, with human operators providing remote monitoring and control.

ANA Holdings plans to increase the number of drone bases by one or two annually, deploying around 10 drones at each location. In the event of disasters, the drones will use onboard cameras to assess damage and deliver relief supplies to areas cut off from transportation. Multiple demonstrations of the service have already been conducted in Okinawa Prefecture and elsewhere.

“If we can deliver cargo within a 500-kilometer radius from each takeoff/landing base, the number of potential delivery destinations becomes virtually limitless,” said ANA Holdings Executive Vice President Yoshiaki Tsuda, who is in charge of the project. “We aim to develop this into future social infrastructure.”

Drone logistics operations are already in practical use in places like Shenzhen in China. In Japan, however, the focus has largely been on experimentation, with few practical implementations.

ANA Holdings anticipates constant demand in regions like Okinawa Prefecture and the Kyushu region, which have many remote islands, and plans to advance commercialization while verifying safety and other factors.
 

 

Japan's average rice price hit a new record high since statistics began in March 2022, following a small decline, according to agriculture ministry data.

In the week ended last Sunday, the average price of rice sold at about 1,000 supermarkets across Japan rose by ¥93 from the previous week to ¥4,416 per 5 kilograms, the data released by the ministry Friday showed.

The average price fell by ¥14 to ¥4,323 in the week ended Dec. 28 last year.
In the latest reporting week, the price of "brand rice," primarily newly harvested rice, grew by ¥21 to ¥4,516. Brand rice accounted for 74% of total rice sales, up 2 percentage points.

The price of relatively cheap blended rice climbed by ¥261, with the share of blended rice falling to 26%.

A separate survey of about 1,200 supermarkets showed that the average rice price went up ¥291 to ¥4,176.
 
 

The city assemblies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have adopted statements urging the Japanese government to adhere to the country's Three Non-Nuclear Principles, Kyodo News reported.

The Hiroshima City Assembly unanimously adopted its statement on Friday, pointing out that the ruling party's attempt to revise the non-nuclear principles has caused concern, and strongly urging the Japanese government to take the feelings of people in the atomic-bombed cities seriously and to uphold the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, the report said.

The Nagasaki City Assembly passed its statement on Thursday by a majority vote, noting that successive Japanese governments have regarded the Three Non-Nuclear Principles as a national policy.

It said the ruling party's intended revision of the principles while amending the country's security documents is totally unacceptable.

On August 6 and 9, 1945, in an effort to force Japan, which had launched a war of aggression, to surrender as soon as possible, the U.S. military dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively.

The Three Non-Nuclear Principles – not possessing, not producing, and not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory – were first declared by then-Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1967 and formally adopted by parliament in 1971, establishing them as Japan's basic nuclear policy.

The National Security Strategy, one of the three documents approved by the Cabinet in 2022, states, "The basic policy of adhering to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles will remain unchanged in the future."

Japanese media have previously reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering reviewing the third of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which prohibits nuclear weapons from entering Japan's territory, when updating related documents.
 
 

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology has strengthened the Indonesia-Japan research and industrial partnership through strategic discussions with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Toyota.

Director General of Research and Development Fauzan Adziman, in a written statement on Saturday, said that the meeting, recently held at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), aimed to encourage focused and impactful collaborative pilot projects.

The government targets launching several key projects soon by leveraging the specialized capacities of both Indonesian and Japanese institutions.

"Our role is to ensure this strong collaboration is accelerated through policy and program support, allowing research results to be implemented quickly for a broad impact," Adziman said.

He emphasized building a long-term partnership aligned with a decade-long vision to strengthen the research and innovation ecosystem.

The collaboration focuses on strategic areas, including biofuels and sustainable technologies, matching NEDO's research priorities.

ITB Chancellor Tatacipta Dirgantara noted that the partnership stems from long-standing academic ties now bolstered by ongoing research.

He cited the development of a biofuel catalyst factory with Pertamina as an example of research tailored to future energy needs.

"Environmentally friendly energy is the goal of global energy development. Meanwhile, collaboration across countries, industry, universities, and governments is key to ensuring research delivers tangible benefits for future generations," he said.

NEDO Executive Director Kikuo Kishimoto described the meeting as productive, affirming Japan's commitment to sharing technological knowledge.

"We want to build a collaboration where we not only share technology but also grow together to face future challenges," he said.

During the visit, delegates toured ITB’s research facilities and laboratories to observe the infrastructure and ecosystem supporting the development and downstreaming of science and technology innovation.

The forum remains focused on accelerating applicable research in biofuels to support the energy transition and national industrial competitiveness.
 

Japanese authorities applied an 1889 anti-dueling law to arrest a man over a fight that resulted in his opponent’s death in Tokyo’s red light and entertainment district, police said Friday.

The face-off took place in September on a street in the Kabukicho area of the capital after the suspect “and the dead man agreed to fight each other,” police spokesman Mitsuhiro Hirota said.

Tokyo police on Wednesday arrested Fuzuki Asari, 26, on suspicion of having “conspired with someone else” to have a duel and causing injury resulting in the death of his 30-year-old adversary, Hirota said.

The suspect, who is unemployed, “committed acts of violence such as throwing” the opponent, Naoya Matsuda, who “died on Oct. 12 at a hospital in Tokyo... of multiple organ failure” caused by head injuries, the spokesman said.

The crime was investigated and announced by the Tokyo police’s organized crime control division, he said.

It was not specified whether any weapons were involved in the fight.
The 1889 law stipulates that “anyone who has engaged in a duel shall be punished by imprisonment for no less than two years and no more than five years.”

The suspect’s other alleged crime — causing death from involuntary injury — would lead to no less than three years in prison, according to Japan’s criminal law.

Although it is rare to apply the anti-dueling statute in Japan, police in Gunma Prefecture arrested a high-school student and a man in October on suspicion of dueling, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
 

 

New equipment includes jet trencher and Artemis tracker
Sekikaiji Industry has expanded its submarine cable installation capability with the purchase of new trenching equipment from SMD for use in the Japanese offshore wind market.

The company said the package, set for delivery in spring 2026, includes a high power jet trencher with a dedicated high sea state launch and recovery system and the SMD Artemis tracker.

SMD added that the vehicle system and tracker align with the demands of Japan’s emerging offshore wind sector.

“SEKIKAIJI has again put their trust in SMD equipment to expand its cable trenching capability ready for offshore wind. The new vehicle system and Artemis cable tracker; one of our key innovations for cable burial assurance, both align perfectly with the demands of Japan’s emerging offshore wind market,” said Matthew Woodward, business development manager at SMD.

“Our latest generation high power jet trencher is a powerful and versatile vehicle capable of delivering genuine 3m product burial for maximum cable protection. Operating across Japan’s varied seabed conditions, it offers faster burial speeds and is compatible with power cable, including bundles and pipelines.

“SMD Artemis has an unrivalled detection range unlike any other on the market. Using electromagnetic field technology, it accurately locates cables during construction phase of a windfarm, where there is no existing power or injected tone.

Artemis enables cable detection during multipass burial, proving confidence in burial depth beyond existing technologies.

Furthermore, it provides greater positional accuracy for post-burial surveys, or when trying to locate dead or inactive cables and pipelines.”

“This is a major milestone for us, strengthening our ability to meet the demands for larger power cables, deeper burial depths, and faster project timescales,” stated Masaru Seki, president of Sekikaiji.

“We chose SMD for this important contract because of its unrivalled experience in the offshore wind industry and its proven track record of delivering reliable, high-performance subsea technology.

“Having operated in Japanese waters for over half a century, we are committed to remaining one of the country’s leading submarine cable burial contractors. This means supporting the development of the emerging offshore renewable market, where safe and accurate cable burial is essential.

“We look forward to using the SMD QTrencher vehicle and SMD Artemis to support our clients with their complex subsea operations.”
 
 

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday that he is set to make a weeklong trip to the United States next week to cement the bilateral alliance in the face of an increasingly severe security environment in the Asia-Pacific region.

Koizumi told a regular press conference that he will deliver a speech at the Honolulu Defense Forum in Hawaii on Monday before traveling to Los Angeles the following day and then to Washington, where he will meet with counterpart Pete Hegseth on Thursday.

"With Secretary Hegseth, I plan to have a frank discussion about the security environment as well as specific efforts to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities further," Koizumi said. He is scheduled to return to Japan on Jan. 18.

The two defense chiefs will speak for the fourth time since Koizumi assumed the post last October, reflecting their need to work together to overcome security challenges from nations such as China and North Korea.

They held phone talks last month after Chinese military aircraft locked radar on Japanese Self-Defense Forces fighter jets over international waters off Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.

In Honolulu, Koizumi is also scheduled to meet with Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

In Los Angeles, Koizumi plans to visit a drone-related company and attend a reception commemorating the 15th anniversary of Operation Tomodachi, the rescue and relief efforts jointly conducted by the U.S. military and Japan's Self-Defense Forces in the wake of the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

When asked how he would respond if urged by Hegseth to voice support for the recent U.S. actions in Venezuela, Koizumi was noncommittal, saying, "It's difficult to answer before the meeting."

He then said it is "important (for the international community) to make diplomatic efforts to restore democracy and stabilize the situation in Venezuela."

The United States launched a military attack on Venezuela to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife last week, subsequently taking them to New York to face charges for alleged crimes.
 
 

 

Nucleus Software Japan KK marked 25 years of operations in Japan with an event held at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, bringing together senior leaders from Japan’s financial services, fintech, and technology sectors.

The gathering included executives from institutions such as Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, SBI Shinsei Bank, Mizuho Bank, Toyota Financial Services, and Nippon Steel, reflecting the company’s long-standing engagement with Japan’s financial ecosystem.

The event opened with a traditional shamisen performance, symbolising the balance between heritage and innovation that has characterised Nucleus Software’s presence in Japan over the past two and a half decades.

Masamoto Yashiro, former Chairman and CEO of Shinsei Bank, shared reflections on the bank’s transformation journey and the importance of early technology decisions.

He highlighted the contribution of Dhananjaya Dwivedi, former Senior Managing Executive Officer and CIO of Shinsei Bank, in adopting modern computing systems that delivered faster performance at significantly lower cost.

Akio Isowa, Senior Managing Executive Officer and Group CDIO of SMBC Group, delivered the keynote address, outlining SMBC’s digital initiatives in Japan and globally. He also noted Nucleus Software’s continued support for SMFG’s operations in India and the value created through shared engineering capabilities.

A fireside discussion titled “SBI Shinsei Bank Transformation Journey & What Lies Ahead” featured insights from senior executives of SBI Shinsei Bank, focusing on long-term technology planning, disciplined execution, and the role of global partnerships in shaping the bank’s digital roadmap.

The event also featured perspectives from global fintech leaders, including representatives from the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN), who discussed Japan’s growing role in shaping trusted financial infrastructure, AI governance, and secure digital ecosystems.

Vishnu R Dusad, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Nucleus Software, thanked partners and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting Japan’s financial institutions with stable and secure platforms. Parag Bhise, CEO and Executive Director, reflected on Japan’s role as a benchmark for responsible innovation and Nucleus Software’s continued focus on building scalable financial technologies.

Nucleus Software Exports Ltd is a publicly traded software product company (BSE: 531209, NSE: NUCLEUS) specializing in lending and transaction banking solutions for global financial institutions.

With a strong focus on innovation, the company partners with leading banks and financial organizations worldwide to address complex financial needs through robust, scalable technology platforms.

Nucleus Software serves over 200 banks and financial institutions across 50 countries, supporting a wide range of domains including retail lending, corporate and SME finance, Islamic finance, automotive and captive finance, cash management, mobile and internet banking, and transaction banking. Its solutions collectively manage more than USD 15 trillion in annual transaction value, processing over 26 million transactions daily, while its lending platforms oversee loans exceeding USD 1.2 trillion in value and support more than 500,000 daily users.

At the core of its offerings are flagship products FinnOne Neo® and FinnAxia®, built on over four decades of BFSI domain expertise and powered by an integrated AI-enabled platform. FinnOne Neo® is a next-generation digital lending solution designed to modernize and simplify end-to-end lending operations, enhance customer experience, and accelerate business growth.

FinnAxia® is a comprehensive global transaction banking suite that enables banks to manage cash management, trade finance, liquidity, and related activities on a single, unified platform, improving efficiency, transparency, and client engagement.

In addition to these platforms, Nucleus Software offers PaySe®, the world’s first online and offline digital payment solution aimed at democratizing access to digital payments and promoting financial inclusion.

Complementing its products, Nucleus Software Digital Services provides end-to-end support for digital transformation, helping financial institutions optimize technology infrastructure, improve operational efficiency, and gain actionable insights.

Together, these offerings reflect Nucleus Software’s commitment to innovation and its mission to empower financial institutions in an increasingly digital global economy.

 

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi received over 60 million yen in donations from a local chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party she heads, with the money used for election campaigns, Kyodo News has learned.

The finding may conflict with her explanation at a parliamentary session on Dec 12, when she said that donations made to the LDP chapter in her home prefecture of Nara in western Japan are not personal donations for herself, and that she "happened to be the chapter head."

Takaichi received a total of 64.74 million yen from the chapter, established in 2005, for the seven House of Representatives races she has run in since that year, according to political funds reports. The figure accounted for more than 80 percent of her campaign funds.

She used about 5 million yen to 12.7 million yen for each lower house race, with three of the seven elections completely funded by donations from the chapter, according to reports related to her campaigns.

Takaichi became Japan's first female prime minister in October.
Takaichi's personal office says on its official website that it welcomes donations from "firms and organizations that resonate with Sanae Takaichi's policies."

Donations from party chapters to individuals who run for elections are lawful, and many ruling and opposition lawmakers put the money toward their campaign funds.

Takaichi made the remarks in the Diet after the chapter said in early December that it had received 10 million yen in donations from a company in August 2024, above the 7.5-million-yen cap stipulated in the political funds control law for a donor of that size.

Her office told Kyodo News that political activities by a party chapter and a lawmaker are treated differently under the political funds control law, and as such it is clear that the chapter and the lawmaker are "separate entities."
 
 

Japan, regarded as one of the most competitive players in the promising space business, needs to establish commercial cargo operations and narrow the scope of service areas eligible for government financial aid to better catch up with leading global rivals, analysts say.

Japan is among the first five countries to land a probe on the Moon and ranks third in public investment in the space sector, while a growing number of companies are seeking to offer services ranging from communications and in-orbit servicing to space travel.

But Japanese service providers still rely on U.S. companies such as Space Exploration Technologies Corp, known as SpaceX, and Rocket Lab Corp for transportation, which is considered a fundamental service for the entire space business.

Japanese commercial cargo servicers are still in development or trial phases. Rocket launches from Japan will be vital for transporting cargoes at lower cost and with shorter lead times, analysts say.

Aside from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's H3 rocket, space venture Interstellar Technologies Inc. and startup Space One Co are among the frontrunners in developing private rockets, while Honda Motor Co has also joined the fray from the auto industry.

Honda's research arm successfully launched and landed an experimental reusable rocket that reached nearly 300 meters during a test flight in Hokkaido in June.

The automaker says no decision has been made on its future rocket business but aims for a suborbital launch by 2029.

"We are working on research to see if there is anything we can do to contribute to people's lives, at a time when supply and demand for space transportation vehicles is tight," said Kazuo Sakurahara, general manager at Honda R&D Co.'s Space Strategy Office.

Hidetaka Aoki, a space business consultant who calls himself a "space evangelist," said if rockets become available in Japan, the space business will gather momentum.

"I think this is a matter of time and could be realized in a few years," he said.
The Japanese government supports the industry through the Space Strategy Fund and plans to pump 1 trillion yen ($6.5 billion) into the market over the 10 years through March 2035. But its financial assistance pales in comparison with that of leading countries, analysts say.

"The scale of (Japan's) funding and state budget regarding the space industry is far behind the United States...The gap is big," said Yosuke Enomoto, senior manager at PwC Consulting. "The ecosystem of startups is also immature, leading to a substantial difference in the amount they can raise in Japan."

In 2024, Japan invested $6.8 billion in the space industry, the third largest among governments' spending in the sector. But it was far behind the United States' $79.7 billion and China's $19.9 billion, according to France-based space consulting firm Novaspace.

PwC's Enomoto said the Japanese government could consider focusing on specific areas to make better use of its budget.

"The space strategy fund works to expand players in the space industry, but on the flip side, it also spreads fund allocations," Enomoto said.

JAXA and major companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and NEC Corp have long led the industry, while startup firms have joined the fray in recent years, widening the range of services in the business.

The government is providing support with a goal of doubling the market value to 8 trillion yen by the early 2030s from 2020.

Companies are also making their own efforts to raise funds.
In August 2025, Axelspace Corp, which provides solutions using data collected from its microsatellites, went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Growth Market.

Among others, iSpace Inc., seeking to become Asia's first private firm to land a rover on the Moon, Astroscale Holdings Inc, which specializes in removing space debris, and iQPS Inc and Synspective Inc, both providers of high-resolution images from synthetic aperture radar satellites, have listed on the bourse for emerging companies in recent years.

Even so, analysts say the fundraising market for startups in Japan is small compared with that of the U.S. and other markets.

For long-term growth, attracting foreign investment will be crucial, as government support can spark demand mainly from the public sector in defense and research.

"The space strategy fund is essentially to support research and development. It only serves to help the initial start," said Atsushi Uchida, chief research manager at Mitsubishi Research Institute.

"Making such a transition -- from the research and development stage to a business -- is an area Japanese companies and industries are weak at," he said.
 
 

At a New Year’s celebration held by three major economic organisations in Tokyo on Tuesday, many participants expressed a positive outlook on the administration’s push for continued wage hikes.

Business leaders from three major economic organizations, including the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), recently expressed their approval of the economic policies of the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

At a New Year’s celebration event held by these groups in Tokyo on Tuesday, many participants expressed a positive outlook on the administration’s push for continued wage hikes.

However, there was also growing concern over international uncertainty, including the deterioration of Japan-China relations and U.S. military operations in Venezuela.


Growth strategy

At a joint press conference, Ken Kobayashi, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, indicated expectations that the Japanese economy will slowly move toward recovery, driven by rising wages and increased capital investment.

“This will be the year of a full-scale transition to a growth-oriented economy,” he said emphatically.

With the aim of building a “strong economy,” the Takaichi administration has implemented policies aimed at expanding public-private investment across 17 strategic sectors, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors, as part of its growth strategy.

Stock prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange have continued to rise, driven by high expectations for the success of these policies.

Keidanren Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui also endorsed the Takaichi administration’s approach, noting that it seems set to take a diversified growth strategy toward its investments. He added that Keidanren is committed to supporting the government’s efforts by strengthening public-private collaboration.

Noting the introduction of policies such as the use of the supplementary budget to boost consumption, Sumitomo Corp. President Shingo Ueno expressed high hopes for the revitalization of the Japanese economy.

Akihiko Ogino, the president of Daiwa Securities Group Inc., urged the government to continue its efforts to make the country a center for asset management and bolster Japan’s growth by accelerating the shift from savings to investment.


Wage hikes

Wage increases that outpace inflation are vital to the growth of the Japanese economy. According to a Keidanren survey, the average wage increase rate in the 2025 “shunto” spring wage negotiations exceeded 5% for the second consecutive year.

Looking ahead to the 2026 spring wage negotiations, Akio Yamaguchi, the chair of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), noted that about 80% of companies that responded to a questionnaire from the association said they plan to increase wages.

Lawson Inc. President Sadanobu Takemasu emphasized the importance of raising real wages, stating that the company is targeting an increase of around 5%.

Similarly, Kentaro Okuda, the president of Nomura Holdings Inc., indicated that his company is considering wage increases of 5% or more.
Concerns over global uncertainty

Business leaders are growing increasingly concerned about global instability and the current tensions between Japan and China. As China’s backlash to Takaichi’s remark on a possible Taiwan contingency intensifies, Junro Ito, the executive chairman of Seven & i Holdings Co., has called for a swift resolution.

He warns that prolonged friction between the two countries could dampen store revenues in tourist areas.

Ricoh Co. Chairperson Yoshinori Yamashita said, “We are working to anticipate what might happen to our production bases [in China] and be prepared for it.”

A business delegation to China which was originally planned for this month by major economic organizations has been postponed.

“While the postponement is regrettable, it is important to constantly seek opportunities for dialogue,” Tsutsui said.
 
 

Japan has decided to postpone the launch of an H3 rocket that was scheduled for Feb. 1, as the investigation of the failed launch of its previous H3 rocket is still ongoing, the country's space agency said Wednesday.

The new launch date for the ninth H3 rocket, which will carry a satellite for Japan's seven-satellite system, has not been determined, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a statement.

On Dec. 22, JAXA's eighth H3 Rocket failed to place the satellite "Michibiki No. 5" into the planned orbit, resulting in a launch failure.

"We have been committing all our resources and efforts to investigating the cause of the launch failure. The new launch schedule will be announced once confirmed," JAXA said.

The Japanese government aims to create a seven-orbiter geolocation system capable of providing positioning information without relying on foreign satellites. Currently, five satellites are in orbit.
 
 

 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hopes to enhance ties with partner countries amid China's coercive behavior, as she is set to receive South Korean and Italian leaders next week.

Her summit diplomacy for 2026 will go into full gear when South Korean President Lee Jae-myung visits her home prefecture of Nara in western Japan on Tuesday.

On Jan. 16, Takaichi is scheduled to hold her first in-person summit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tokyo.

Takaichi will thus keep working on developing a multilayered network while the Japan-U.S. alliance remains the cornerstone of her country's diplomacy.

Referring to the upcoming summit with South Korea, a senior official of the prime minister's office said Wednesday, "The surrounding security environment is obviously the same."
 
 

Japan will embark on a rare earth mining test in the Pacific at a depth of 6,000 meters around Minamitori Island this month, hoping to counter China's dominance in the supply of the elements crucial to modern technology.

The country is eyeing joint deep-sea rare earth development with the United States in waters off the island about 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo, having agreed to cooperate on the mining and processing of rare earths and critical minerals, and to create new and secure supply chains for them.

The team will leave a central Japan port on Jan 11 aboard the science vessel Chikyu and test devices to retrieve sediments containing high concentrations of rare earth elements and monitor the environmental impact, returning on Feb 14. A full-scale test is planned for 2027 with the goal of collecting 350 tons of sediments per day.

China accounts for roughly 70 percent of the world's rare earth production and about 90 percent of refining, according to the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security.

China's grip on rare earth elements, used in electric vehicles and many electronic devices as well as in a variety of industrial and defense applications, leaves other countries vulnerable to Beijing's export controls.

An advantage of the planned deep-sea rare earth development is the absence of radioactive substances in the area's sediments, in contrast to terrestrial rare earth mining that involves the separation and removal of thorium and uranium, according to Shoichi Ishii, program director at the Cabinet Office's Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy.

Aiming to break free of reliance on China, other countries are also scrambling to build new supply chains for rare earth elements and critical minerals.

The Group of Seven major economies are planning a ministerial meeting with resource-rich countries such as Australia and Chile later this month in Washington to establish a framework for cooperation to stably secure such materials, according to people familiar with the matter.
 
 

Hitachi, Ltd. will launch an initiative to use artificial intelligence to support the efficient maintenance and operation of the Self-Defense Forces’ defense equipment.

The company will develop a system in which AI is used to analyze data collected from sensors installed on vehicles and naval vessels to detect signs of failure.

From as early as fiscal 2026, the company will work toward commercializing the envisaged system, hoping to secure continuous revenue after supplying it.

If the system is realized, it will help reduce the burden on SDF personnel involved in maintenance, providing significant benefits for the SDF, which face labor shortages.

Such a technology-based system is believed to be rarely used in helping to maintain defense equipment.

Currently, some defense equipment is routinely inspected by SDF personnel, with manufacturers responding when abnormalities are found.

Hitachi will apply its business expertise in maintaining and operating infrastructure using AI, an field in which the company excels in the civilian sector. It will create a system in which AI analyzes data such as operational rates and vibrations obtained through sensors, providing alerts before failures occur.

In light of the increasingly severe security environment in Asia, the government plans to spend ¥43 trillion on defense over the five years from fiscal 2023.

However, due to population decline and competition with private companies, the number of people joining the SDF remains low.

The fiscal 2023 figure for recruits was only about 50% of the target, the lowest on record. In fiscal 2024, it only reached 65% of the target.

The Defense Ministry has indicated a policy to reduce manpower in operations by using AI and other technologies.

In the defense equipment sector, Hitachi handles the SDF’s information systems, sonars installed on naval vessels as well as specialized vehicles for ammunition resupply.

Hitachi’s contract with the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency totaled ¥79.8 billion in fiscal 2024, about 3.5 times the amount in fiscal 2022.

With orders expected to continue increasing, Hitachi is reinforcing its development and production capabilities, such as by increasing employees in related businesses by 40%.
 
 

Business leaders in Japan made positive statements about continuing wage increases during a New Year event in Tokyo on Tuesday, with many hoping to achieve wage hikes at or above last year's results in this year's shuntō spring wage negotiations.

Kensuke Hosomi, president of convenience store chain operator FamilyMart, said, "We want to surpass last year's level" in the upcoming shuntō.

Last year, the average wage increase rate at major Japanese companies was 5.39%, exceeding 5% for the second consecutive year, according to a tally by the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, the country's biggest business lobby.

Keita Ishii, president of trading house Itochu, stressed the need to raise wage levels to secure human resources, saying, "We need to make Japan an ideal choice for foreign talent."

One of the key challenges in the upcoming shuntō is to extend the trend of significant wage increases beyond large companies.

"The (Japanese) economy will not be able to survive without small and midsize companies," electronics giant Fujitsu's president, Takahito Tokita, said.

The event was organized by Keidanren, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, or Keizai Doyukai.

"We will aim to further establish (the momentum for wage increases)," Keidanren Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui told a news conference on Tuesday.

Ken Kobayashi, head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that the desire to raise wages is strong among small and midsize companies. He urged the government and the Bank of Japan to "defeat inflation."

Keizai Doyukai Chairman Akio Yamaguchi remarked, "If evolving artificial intelligence is combined with robots, high added value can be created." He advocated for productivity improvements to drive wage increases and growth investment.
 
 

Former Taiwan Premier Frank Hsieh has been appointed chairman of Taiwan's liaison organization with Japan.

Hsieh, former head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, the post equivalent to ambassador, said on Facebook that he assumed the position as chairman of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association on Tuesday.

Having studied at Kyoto University in Japan, Hsieh is well-versed in Japanese affairs. He served as Taiwan premier from 2005 to 2006.
 
 

Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi pledged on Tuesday to drive the country's economic growth, speaking at a New Year's event hosted mainly by Jiji Press.

"We will bring back a strong economy," Takaichi said, expressing eagerness to "push all the growth switches" to enhance Japan's technological presence worldwide. She promised to "take all possible measures," including tax reforms, to promote investment, research, and development activities to achieve this goal.

Sanae Takaichi also outlined plans for crisis management investments in areas such as food and energy security and cybersecurity.

"There are untapped glittering technologies in Japan," she said, stressing the importance of boosting the country's international competitiveness.

"We will definitely make the Japanese archipelago strong and prosperous," she said. "We will push Japan to the heights of the world again."

Earlier, Takaichi already pledged to make Japan "strong and prosperous" through reforms to address various domestic and global challenges.
 
 

Volunteers from the Children and Families Agency have launched an awareness-raising campaign to alleviate the anxiety of children who struggle to talk about their problems with adults.

The campaign focuses on creating an environment in which children can consult with adults comfortably, ensuring they are not left alone when faced with major issues.

"We want them to gain experience in consultation with someone, even if it's a small problem," an agency official said.

The number of reported cases of truancy and bullying, as well as the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students, is on the rise, indicating that many children face difficulties.

In response to concerns that some children have reservations about discussing their issues with adults, the agency established a project team of about 30 officials in autumn 2024 to listen to children's voices.

Through exchanges of opinions with children and support groups across the country, the group has created cartoons and videos promoting the message that "consultation is neither shameful nor weak." The contents are available on the agency's website.

At a match of the Japan Professional Football League, or J. League, held in the city of Chofu, Tokyo, in December 2025, the project team ran a booth in cooperation with FC Tokyo, a club in the J. League.

Children were invited to indicate which familiar adults they usually turn to for consultation by placing a ball in boxes labeled "family," "schoolteacher" and others.

They were also asked to choose other adults they could consult with, from options such as cram school teachers and local people. The aim was to lower the psychological barrier to counseling by bringing up the topic of talking about problems.

A first-grade boy, among many elementary school students and families who visited the booth, said, "I recently had a fight with a friend, and I consulted with my family and teacher." One mother, who was with her daughter, said, "You always talk to me a lot."

This month, the project team will visit junior high and high schools to offer classes to listen to students' concerns. "I want to tell students that it's OK to talk about their worries," a junior staffer said.
 
 

 

 

Premium "Sato Nishiki" cherries from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Yamagata fetched record prices at the year's first auctions on Monday, including 1.8 million yen ($11,500) for a box at a Tokyo market, or more than 26,000 yen per cherry.

An auction in the city of Tendo in Yamagata, Japan's main cherry-producing prefecture, also sold a 68-cherry box for a record 1.55 million yen.

Cherries typically peak in early summer, but growers have advanced the harvest using "ultra-forced" cultivation, which chills trees to simulate winter before keeping them in greenhouses.

Kenichi Mannen, deputy sales manager at JA Tendo Foods, which won the top bid in Tendo, said, "I heard management was tough this year due to unstable weather, and we want to work hard to deliver products that make customers happy."

JA Tendo Foods plans to sell the cherries online.
 
 

Some medical institutions in Japan have begun introducing facility dogs to accompany hospitalized children during treatment and rehabilitation, easing the anxiety of being away from their families.

With high costs posing a challenge, some hospitals are turning to crowdfunding to introduce facility dogs, widely used in the United States and other countries, with retrievers being the preferred breed due to their gentle nature.

Unlike therapy dogs, which visit hospitals and interact with patients on a limited basis, facility dogs are assigned to hospitals and work with handlers who have completed specialist training.

The dogs accompany children undergoing surgery and assist with rehabilitation through play.

According to Shine On! Kids, a certified nonprofit organization in Tokyo's Chuo Ward, a facility dog was first introduced in Japan in 2010 by Shizuoka Children's Hospital.
 
 

The phenomenal blockbuster film has delighted the classical performing arts industry, which hopes to expand its fan base.

Last year’s Japanese blockbuster film “Kokuho” has inspired people not only to flock to kabuki theaters but also to start taking lessons in nihonbuyo traditional Japanese dance.

The phenomenon has delighted the classical performing arts industry, which hopes to expand its fan base.

Based on Shuichi Yoshida’s novel and directed by Lee Sang-il, “Kokuho” depicts the life of a man born into a yakuza family who dedicates his life to kabuki alongside a fellow actor, who is the heir to a kabuki family.

It has become a massive hit since its release in June 2025, breaking the box office record for a Japanese live-action film.

It has already been released in South Korea and Taiwan and is scheduled to hit theaters in North America this year.



Creating buzz

In October, the Pontocho Kaburenjo theater in Kyoto’s famous Pontocho alley, which is featured in the film, hosted the annual Suimeikai dance performance.

Tickets were sold out for three of the event’s four days, and standing-room tickets, which are usually only sold on the final day, were sold on all days to accommodate demand. Women in their 20s and 30s made up a large portion of the audience.

“We’re feeling the ‘Kokuho’ effect,” the event’s organizer said.

Etsuko Fujima, a master instructor of the Yokohama-based Fujima school of nihonbuyo has received about 10 inquiries for trial lessons from people aged 20s to 50s who said they were “influenced by the movie.” Two of them have started taking lessons.

Fujima, who serves as director of The Nihonbuyo Association in Tokyo, said the movie “has become an excellent opportunity for many people to discover kabuki and nihonbuyo and understand their appeal.”


Interest in live kabuki

The number of people going to see kabuki has also increased. More than 10,000 spectators who attended shows at Tokyo’s Kabukiza Theatre in or after July last year are estimated to have been first-time visitors, according to Shochiku Co.

A backstage tour of Kyoto’s Minamiza Theatre organized between July 26 and Aug. 11 saw all five daily slots fill up within days of opening, prompting the organizer to sell additional slots.

Since the October program, Minamiza has featured “Ninin Fuji Musume” (“Two Wisteria Maidens”) and “Sagi Musume” (“The Heron Maiden”), both of which are seen in “Kokuho.” At the theater, young viewers were observed talking about the play after the curtain fell.

A 29-year-old company employee from Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, saw kabuki in December for the first time after being inspired by the movie.

“The story [in the kabuki] was fascinating and more enjoyable than I thought,” she said. “Knowing that the techniques being performed right before my eyes have been passed down for centuries made me understand the true power of traditional performing arts.”

A 52-year-old female usher who has worked at Minamiza for about 30 years has witnessed a change in the audience since the film’s release.

“I’ve received inquiries over the phone saying like, ‘This is my first time [watching kabuki]. What should I do?’” she said.

In March, Minamiza plans to stage “Sonezaki Shinju Monogatari” (“The Lovers’ Suicide at Sonezaki”). The performance is based on the classic joruri play “Sonezaki Shinju” (also titled “The Love Suicides at Sonezaki” in English), which is performed in a key scene of “Kokuho.”

Performances on some days are already sold out, thanks to the “Kokuho” craze.
 
 

While no tsunami threat was issued, strong shaking in western Japan may cause short-term local disruption, with markets watching for damage updates or transport interruptions. Summary:

• Magnitude ~6.2–6.3 quake hits Shimane Prefecture
• Epicentre located in eastern Shimane
• Intensity recorded at upper-5 on Japan scale
• No tsunami warning issued
• Authorities monitoring for aftershocks
• Depth 10km

A strong earthquake struck western Japan Tuesday, hitting Shimane Prefecture with a preliminary magnitude of around 6.2–6.3, according to Japanese authorities.

The quake was centred in the eastern part of the prefecture and was felt widely across the region, though no tsunami warning was issued.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the earthquake occurred in the evening local time and registered an upper-5 intensity on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in parts of Shimane.

National broadcaster NHK reported that while shaking was strong enough to disrupt daily activity, there were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties.

Japan uses a unique seismic intensity system that measures how strongly the ground shakes at a specific location, rather than the total energy released by an earthquake.

The scale runs from 1 to 7 and is designed to reflect the real-world impact on people, buildings and infrastructure. An intensity of upper-5 (known as “5-strong”) typically means it is difficult to move without holding onto something, unsecured furniture may topple, and minor structural damage is possible, particularly to older buildings.

This differs from the magnitude scale, such as the moment magnitude used internationally, which measures the earthquake’s overall size. As a result, a single earthquake can have one magnitude but varying intensity readings depending on distance from the epicentre, depth and local ground conditions.

The quake was initially reported with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 by Japan’s National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, later revised slightly lower.

Authorities confirmed that the depth and offshore risk profile did not warrant a tsunami alert, easing concerns along coastal areas.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active countries, sitting atop several major tectonic plates. Its early-warning systems and building standards are designed to mitigate the risks from frequent earthquakes, though events of this size still pose disruption risks to transport, utilities and local communities.

Officials continue to assess the situation, urging residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks.

Let's hope there are no injuries.
 
 

 

Japanese ingredients, particularly eggs and milk, are increasingly being promoted to meet growing demand from foreign visitors.

A 2024 survey on inbound consumption trends by the Japan Tourism Agency found that the most common expectation before visiting Japan, cited by 82.2% of respondents, was eating Japanese food.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, and their sharing of consumption experiences on social media is expected to further boost demand.

To tap into this trend, the Japan Poultry Association has partnered with ABC Cooking Studio in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward to offer egg cooking classes for inbound tourists.

The classes feature tamagoyaki, or Japanese rolled omelet, which has gained popularity through being served at sushi restaurants and ryokan Japanese-style inns, as well as raw egg on rice, which is uncommon in many countries.

Many people are interested in how tamagoyaki is made because of its distinctive layered appearance. Square-shaped omelet pans used to make tamagoyaki are rare and popular overseas.

The recipe for raw egg on rice used in the cooking classes whips the egg white into a meringue instead of leaving it raw, making it easier to eat even for those who dislike the texture of uncooked eggs.

The milk industry is also targeting foreign visitors to expand demand. During the year-end and New Year holidays, the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, or Zen-Noh, served local milk as a welcome drink at 20 Resol hotels operated across Japan by Resol Holdings.

The company, based in the city of Mobara, Chiba Prefecture, is engaged in resort development and other businesses.

The holiday season typically sees a decline in milk consumption due to the absence of school lunches, while the hotel industry experiences peak season, attracting many foreign visitors.

At Resol hotels, it is common to see guests purchasing milk to enjoy in their rooms, reflecting its popularity. The welcome drink initiative was well-received also during the summer holiday season.
 
 

People clad in ancient Japanese court outfits have performed a time-honored ball-kicking game to mark the New Year at a shrine in the western city of Kyoto.

The custom called kemari is said to have been played by noblemen in the Heian Period that lasted from the late 8th to the 12th century.

Kemari players use a white deerskin ball measuring about 20 centimeters in diameter. They try to keep the ball in the air while passing it among themselves using their feet.

It is considered preferable to give passes using only the instep of the right foot in ways that allow receivers to easily control the ball.

A local group of people working to preserve kemari plays the game at Shimogamo Shrine on January 4 every year to pray for peace and happiness. The Shinto shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Eight members of the group wore colorful attire and performed kemari outdoors on Sunday.

Spectators applauded when players showcased skillful techniques to send up the ball from near the ground.

A local audience member said she felt refreshed to see the players enjoy kemari. The 19-year-old added that she sensed the new year had begun.

A 70-year-old spectator said he felt history in action and that he hopes he can stay in good health throughout 2026.
 

 

A multi-vehicle crash involving 12 cars on a road in eastern Japan killed one man early Sunday, after tea leaves spilled from a moving truck causing vehicles behind it to skid, police said.

The accident took place on a two-lane road in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, after the tea leaves scattered over a 500-meter stretch of the road.

Four people were taken to hospital, and one was later confirmed dead. The injuries of the three others were not life-threatening.

The dead man, a 78-year-old from Saitama Prefecture, was hit by an oncoming vehicle after he stepped out of his truck, according to the police.
The truck that was carrying the tea leaves was traveling eastward from Ashikaga toward Sano.

A man believed to have been involved in the accident made an emergency call to police at around 5:40 a.m. The exact time of the crash remains unclear.

The road was temporarily closed following the accident. Workers used heavy machinery and shovels to remove the wet tea leaves that had stuck to the road.
 
 

Japan's government and ruling coalition may consider a possible review of the country's three nonnuclear principles during work to update its three key national security-related documents within this year.

The principles prevent Japan from possessing, producing or letting in nuclear weapons.

As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has been negative about the rule of not permitting the entry of nuclear arms into the country, is eager for the review, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, have also shown readiness to consider a possible revision.

Heated discussions are expected, however, with some in the government opposing changing the nonnuclear principles, which Japan, the only country in the world to have been attacked with nuclear weapons, has firmly maintained as a key national policy.

At a parliamentary debate among political party leaders last November, Tetsuo Saito, chief of Komeito, the LDP's former ruling coalition partner and now in the opposition camp, urged Takaichi to withdraw her intention to review the nonnuclear principles.
 
 

 

Across Japan, foreign workers are keeping factories, fisheries, and workshops afloat. But as wages rise in neighboring countries, many business owners worry that Japan may no longer be an attractive destination for this workforce.

In Choshi, home to a large fishing port in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, one long-established cannery offers a glimpse into both Japan's dependence on foreign workers and efforts being made to retain them.

Ho Thi Thuy Nhung, 38, begins work at 8 a.m. on the assembly line. Her job rotates every few hours: operating a machine that cuts off fish heads and tails, removing foreign objects by hand, and carefully lifting fish from a grilling machine. Each task requires focus and precision.

"When I first started, I was confused because there were so many steps," she says. "But I learned quickly. The work changes often, and once I got used to it, I actually found it enjoyable."

Nhung is a Vietnamese technical intern trainee. She came to Japan last summer, leaving behind her husband and their eight-year-old son. Of the 80 people employed at the cannery, 16 are technical intern trainees from Vietnam.

Japan is replacing its controversial technical intern training program. Established in 1993, it has been accused of being a vehicle for obtaining cheap labor and drawn criticism for harsh working conditions and human rights abuses. A new system is to be launched in 2027.

"Choshi's main industry could not exist without foreign workers," says Yoshihisa Tawara, president of Tawara Canning Co., where Nhung works. "From fishing and unloading to wholesale and processing, they support every stage."

Choshi is not unique. Across Japan, many regional businesses rely on foreign labor to survive. To remain a destination of choice, business owners say companies must rethink how they welcome and support these workers.

Nhung decided to work in Japan for economic reasons. In Vietnam, even after working 14 hours a day, her monthly take-home pay was about 80,000 yen ($511) -- barely enough to cover living costs. The long hours left her exhausted, with little time to spend with her son.

When her husband's income fell and their situation worsened, she decided to work in Japan. She borrowed about 600,000 yen from relatives to cover the costs and applied to the Choshi cannery because it accepted applicants over the age of 30, which she said is rare.

Leaving her family behind was not easy.

"Coming alone to a foreign country and leaving my young child was a very hard decision," she says. "But I want to work hard now so I can spend more time with him when I return, and so I can give him a good education."

After rent and other expenses, her monthly take-home pay in Japan is about 130,000 yen. She sends 80,000 to 90,000 yen home each month and lives frugally on the rest in a dormitory with other Vietnamese trainees.

Every evening, after work and a shower, she video chats with her child. That time has become her daily comfort.

Tawara Canning was founded 96 years ago and produces between 50,000 and 100,000 cans a day. Inside the factory, instructions on dress code and hygiene are posted in both Japanese and Vietnamese. The company has been accepting technical intern trainees for about 20 years.

At around 7:40 a.m., the trainees leave their dormitory and head to the factory, greeting Japanese employees along the way. Dressed in white work uniforms, they take their places on the line. Packing fish into cans requires speed and accuracy and is handled mainly by experienced workers, with Vietnamese and Japanese employees working side by side.

The company began accepting trainees as its Japanese workforce aged and labor shortages worsened. Tawara, 70, has traveled to Vietnam many times for recruitment interviews. Learning that many Vietnamese mothers were unable to find work, Tawara began actively recruiting women over 30 three years ago.

The company provides housing near the factory. It purchased a vacant three-story building that once housed a hardware store and renovated it, adding a kitchen and improving living conditions.

The company also encourages ties with the local community. About twice a month, trainees join police officers from Choshi Police Station on neighborhood crime-prevention patrols. As they walk through town, smiling and greeting residents, people offer words of encouragement.

The patrols began as a response to a shortage of volunteers due to the aging population. They have also helped trainees connect with local residents.
"No matter the nationality, greeting each other warmly creates bonds," Tawara says.

Tawara Canning has weathered many crises. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, some trainees at other companies returned home. When trainees at Tawara's factory expressed anxiety, Tawara told them, "I'll stay here with you." They returned to work the next day.

Despite years of building trust with his trainees, Tawara worries about the future.

"Japan's economy is stagnant, while Vietnam is growing fast," he says. "There are countries where hourly wages are higher than Japan's. I don't know if they will keep choosing Japan."

He also hears of trainees at nearby companies disappearing and reappearing at other workplaces through personal connections. Seeking better conditions is natural, he says, but some are treated as disposable labor.

"Once they decide to work for us, I want to take responsibility," Tawara says. "While they're here, I watch over them like a father."

About one-third of trainees renew their status and continue working. After the three-year training period, some return home, while others change their residence status to "specified skilled worker" and remain in Japan.

Nhung hopes to return to Vietnam after three years, if finances allow. "But if things are still difficult, I may have to stay," she says.

Her colleague, Nguyen Thi Kim Thuan, 40, switched to specified skilled worker status in August. She has a 20-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son and sends about half her income home.

"I want my children to go to college," she says. "I couldn't." Her eldest child is now studying economics at university.

For many women over 30, renewing their contracts has become an increasingly common choice.

So what does it take for Japan to continue being chosen?

"It's not just 'labor' that comes here," Tawara says.

"They are people with their own lives and plans, and they have the right to choose. We want to respect those choices. And if they choose to stay, we want to keep supporting them, just as we always have."
 
 

North Korea launched at least two ballistic missiles eastward on Sunday that apparently fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, with no damage to ships or aircraft reported, according to the Japanese government, in the first such missile activity in almost two months.

The launches came hours before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung left for a four-day visit to China, where he is scheduled to hold summit talks on Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

During their talks in Beijing, the two are expected to discuss issues including North Korea's nuclear activities.

The missiles were launched from North Korea's west coast at around 7:54 a.m. and 8:05 a.m., with both reaching a maximum altitude of around 50 kilometers and flying about 900 km and 950 km, respectively, the Defense Ministry said.

The South Korean military, meanwhile, said that North Korea launched "several" suspected ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan at around 7:50 a.m. from near Pyongyang that flew around 900 km.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters at his ministry that Tokyo has strongly protested to Pyongyang over the launch, saying the nation's actions, including previous missile launches, "threaten the peace and security" of Japan, the region and the international community.

The two projectiles may have flown on irregular trajectories, Koizumi said, adding that Japan will "closely collaborate" with the United States and South Korea in analyzing the details of the latest missile launches.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed officials to gather information and swiftly provide necessary details to the public while ensuring the safety of vessels and planes and preparing for contingencies, her office said.

North Korea last fired a ballistic missile on Nov. 7, which Japan's Defense Ministry said was launched eastward from North Korea's west coast and flew over 450 km. The South Korean military has said it flew about 700 km.
 
 

 

With this sake warmer from Thanko, you can enjoy exquisite, sophisticated sips of sake right at your table.

Three temperature settings are available: body warm, hot and extra hot. The included sake cup has a wide opening, which enhances the aroma of the sake.

A light indicates the heating process and when it's done, so you'll never miss the perfect drinking moment. Since you simply add water and heat it, there's no need to boil water every time.

Another great feature is the intuitive touch panel, which eliminates the need for complicated operation.

Available for 9,980 yen on the Thanko website.
 
 

 

Japanese opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday criticized the government's draft fiscal 2026 budget with record general-account spending of some 122.3 trillion yen.

"Larger spending could fuel inflation," Noda, chief of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said at a press conference in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan. "The size (of the draft budget) is problematic," he added.

The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi adopted the draft budget for fiscal 2026, which starts in April, late last month and will submit it to this year's ordinary session of the Diet, Japan's parliament, set to be convened Jan. 23. It aims to have the draft budget enacted by the March 31 end of fiscal 2025.

 

The CDP "aims to set itself apart from the Takaichi administration by (actively) submitting counterproposals" at the ordinary Diet session, Noda said. "We will focus on the strategy."

Citing the possibility of the prime minister dissolving the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, within this year for a snap general election, Noda said that his party will speed up the selection of its candidates for the potential Lower House election.
 
 

Japan's economy is likely to fall behind India's in 2026 to fifth place in the world, according to an International Monetary Fund's estimate, potentially diminishing the East Asian nation's presence on the global stage.

The subdued economic outlook makes Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's planned growth strategy, due out in the summer, all the more important to combat the burden from the country's shrinking population, economists say.

They call for productivity improvements and further efforts to tap into promising growth fields.

Japan's economy shrank for the first time in six quarters in the July-September period, due partly to weak exports amid higher U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, according to government data.

Economists expect the Japanese economy to return to a moderate recovery path in 2026, with uncertainty over U.S. trade policy easing following a bilateral deal.

Corporate profits are expected to remain resilient, providing impetus for capital spending and sustained wage hikes -- both key components of gross domestic product.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said that Japan's economy is projected to grow 0.9 percent this year, helped by expansionary fiscal policy under Takaichi and private consumption growth supported by real disposable income gains.

But Yusuke Koshiyama, senior economist at Mizuho Research & Technologies, says the economy is facing two major risk factors -- the yen's depreciation and recent diplomatic rows with China.

The Japanese currency has been under selling pressure as concerns mount about Japan's fiscal health due to Takaichi's expansionary spending plans including funding for inflation relief measures for households.

Noting that a weaker yen could raise import costs and accelerate inflation, Koshiyama said, "There is no denying the risk of an intensifying stagflation phase -- meaning high inflation amid low growth -- if inflationary pressure from the yen's depreciation offsets the effects of measures against rising prices."

Bilateral ties between Japan and China have recently been strained over Takaichi's remarks in November suggesting Tokyo could get involved in the event of an attack on Taiwan by Beijing, which considers the self-ruled island part of its territory.

With China urging its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, a potential drop in inbound tourism could dent Japan's growth, weighing on corporate earnings and, eventually, affecting investment and wage hikes, Koshiyama said.

The IMF's global outlook released in October showed that Japan is set to fall behind India in nominal gross domestic product on a U.S. dollar basis, two years after being overtaken by Germany.

Acknowledging that the projection largely stems from the yen's weakness, Shinichiro Kobayashi, principal economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting, said a lower ranking "would directly lead to a decline in the Japan's influence in global trade, the global economy and world politics."

"The fundamental issue is that productivity has not risen, despite past administrations seeking to raise it through various growth strategies," Kobayashi said.

Attention is on a new growth strategy the Takaichi administration plans to put together in the summer as the premier seeks to build a robust economy through public and private sector investments.

Under her slogan of "responsible and proactive public finances," Takaichi has designated 17 strategic fields to be supported under the scheme, including shipbuilding, artificial intelligence and semiconductors.

Hideo Kumano, executive chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, said Takaichi's plan overlooks several fields with strong growth potential, such as tourism, decarbonization, robotics and self-driving technologies.

"It would be desirable for the Takaichi administration to revise the contents gradually and flexibly," Kumano added.

Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, called on the Takaichi administration to address the declining birthrate as part of its growth strategy.

"Companies will become pessimistic about the potential growth of the Japanese market, where the decline in population is set to accelerate, and curb domestic investment, which will lower labor productivity," Kiuchi said.

Aggressive fiscal spending involving more bond issuances like the upcoming stimulus package will reduce the funds available for future generations and eventually curb economic activity, lowering Japan's potential growth, he warned.

"Demonstrating a commitment to medium- and long-term fiscal consolidation will stem declining growth expectations among domestic companies and prevent a further erosion of Japan's economic presence, which will serve as one of the key growth strategies," he added.
 
 

Most major department stores were closed for the New Year, as they sought to give their employees a holiday break. When they reopened for their first sales of the year, shoppers flocked to the stores.

All Sogo & Seibu Co. stores were closed on New Year’s Day, and they reopened on Friday. Customers began lining up outside the Sogo Yokohama store in Yokohama around 4 a.m. on Friday, and about 10,000 people entered in the 30 minutes after opening. Sales were up by more than 50% from Jan. 1, 2025, as was the number of customers.

The store sold “lucky bags” for the holiday season that offer customers special experiences. One ¥59,000 package offered a stay at Hotel New Grand in Yokohama and afternoon tea at the historic hotel’s banquet hall.

Given the bite of rising prices, there were also more affordable options, including lucky bags priced at ¥2,026 and containing a men’s jacket.

“I buy lucky bags every year as gifts for my family. [The offerings in the] lucky bags are cheaper than usual, and I’m happy because they’re a good deal,” said a woman in her 70s from Yokohama, who bought food and other lucky bags.

Tobu Department Store Co. kept its outlets closed on Jan. 1 and 2, for the first time in 49 years; they opened on Jan. 3. Takashimaya Co. and Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co. also kept their stores closed on Jan. 1 and 2, as they did last year.

Similarly, Takashimaya’s Nihombashi store in Tokyo was closed on the first two days of the year, like last year. Takashimaya said monthly sales at the store in January last year still topped January 2024, when the store opened on Jan. 2.

“Our employees were able to return to their hometowns and have time to relax thanks to the days off, and we feel this had a positive effect [on our business],” the store’s deputy manager said.
 
 

A delegation of three major Japanese business lobbies has postponed its visit to China scheduled for January, amid a diplomatic row following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan.

The roughly 200-member delegation will not go ahead with its planned four-day trip to Beijing from Jan 20 after failing to secure a clear response to its request for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the groups said.

Members include Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of the Japanese Business Federation, the country's most powerful business lobby, Kosei Shindo, head of the Japan-China Economic Association, and Ken Kobayashi, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The three groups informed their participants that the trip would be postponed on the grounds they would not "achieve substantial results," with no clear dates for when the trip would be rescheduled.

The postponement comes as Japan and China have been locked in a row since Takaichi's remarks in parliament in November that an attack on Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan.

The statement was widely interpreted as suggesting possible involvement of the Self-Defense Forces in support of the United States under the nation's right to collective self-defense.

Organized by the Japan-China Economic Association, the Beijing trip of the three business groups had been an almost annual event since fiscal 1975.

While the trip was postponed in September 2012 after the Japanese government's purchase of a significant part of the Senkaku Islands, which China claims, in the East China Sea from a private Japanese owner in that month, the business delegation visited China in March 2013.

When asked about the postponed trip, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference in Beijing, "We urge the ruling authorities in Japan to...withdraw Prime Minister Takaichi's erroneous remarks in order to create the necessary conditions for normal exchanges between China and Japan."
 
 

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is among some 60 female lawmakers petitioning for more women's toilets in the parliament building to match their growing representation in the legislature.

A record 73 women were elected into the 465-seat Lower House in October 2024, exceeding the previous high of 54 in 2009.

One opposition lawmaker, Yasuko Komiyama, said there were often "long queues in front of the restroom... before plenary sessions start", and quoted another MP who said she had "given up" going to the toilet before a session began.

There is one female toilet with two cubicles near the plenary chamber, though the entire building itself has nine female toilets with 22 cubicles.
There are a total of 12 men's toilets with 67 stalls and urinals across the building, according to local media reports.

The current situation is "often inconvenient" because female staff and visitors also share the toilets, said Ms Komiyama from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.

"I want to raise my voice and prepare myself for the day when women hold more than 30% of [parliamentary seats] in the future," she wrote in a post on Facebook.

Japan's parliament building was built in 1936, a decade before women were given the right to vote in 1945. The first women were appointed to parliament in 1946.

The parliament building is a sprawling three-storey structure, with a central portion that is nine storeys high. The building occupies 13,356 square metres (143,800 sq ft), the equivalent of about two football pitches, with a total floor area of 53,464 square metres.

"If the administration is serious about promoting women's empowerment, I believe we can count on their understanding and cooperation," Komiyama said, according to Japanese media.

Chair of the Lower House committee Yasukazu Hamada has "expressed a willingness" to consider the proposal for more women's toilets, said an Asahi Shimbun report.

The Japanese government earlier set a target of having 30% of leadership roles across all sectors of society held by women by 2020, but at the end of that year the timeframe was quietly pushed back by a decade.

Women currently hold nearly 16% of the seats in the Lower House and about a third – or 42 out of 125 seats – in the Upper House.

Takaichi, who became Japan's first female leader in October last year, had pledged to raise female representation in her cabinet to levels comparable to Nordic countries, which hold the top spots in terms of female leadership.

But she has appointed just two other women to her 19-member cabinet.
In Japan, the dearth of women's restrooms extends beyond the legislative chamber.

Long lines in front of women's public restrooms are a common sight nationwide.

Former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had said his government would look into "enhancing women's restroom facilities" to make Japan a society where "women can live their lives with peace of mind".
 
 

Emperor Naruhito expressed his hope for a peaceful 2026 in his New Year's address Friday, with other members of the imperial family joining him in greeting the public, including Prince Hisahito who appeared for the first time.

"I am concerned about the many people who are struggling with their lives in the wake of disasters, such as earthquakes, heavy rain, forest fires and massive snowfall, that occurred in various parts of the country last year," the emperor, standing behind glass on a balcony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, told the many well-wishers who had gathered to hear him speak.

The 65-year-old emperor said he hopes 2026 will be a "peaceful and good year" for everyone, also wishing for the "happiness of people in Japan and around the world."

Prince Hisahito, the emperor's nephew who is second-in-line to the Chrysanthemum Throne after his father Crown Prince Fumihito, completed his coming-of-age rites in September last year.

The emperor was also accompanied by his wife, Empress Masako, their only daughter, Princess Aiko, and his parents, former Emperor Akihito and former Empress Michiko.