About a quarter of Japanese firms are positive about reskilling their workers -- seen as essential for improving labor productivity -- but only a small percentage are actively taking steps toward that goal, a research institute survey found.

The government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba views increased investment in human resource development as critical for Japan, expecting that as more people acquire new skills, their wages will rise.

According to Teikoku Databank Ltd, which surveyed around 11,000 firms in October, a combined 26.1 percent expressed a positive view on reskilling their workforce, with 8.9 percent having already started and 17.2 percent expressing willingness to do so in the future.

Many companies already supporting employee reskilling provide e-learning courses and assist workers in obtaining new qualifications.

While labor shortages are more acute in some sectors than others, reskilling workers is expected to help alleviate the issue in a nation known for its rigid corporate culture and low labor mobility.

Still, nearly half of the respondents in the latest survey, or 46.1 percent, are not taking any initiatives. Additionally, 9.5 percent said they do not know what "reskilling" means and 10.1 percent said they have never heard the term.

Small firms struggling with severe labor shortages find it more challenging than larger companies to offer reskilling opportunities due to limited time and resources.

The institute noted concerns from some responding firms that reskilling workers might encourage job-hopping across companies and sectors, highlighting why many firms remain reluctant, according to the survey.

Companies "need to pay attention to the risk of not getting involved in reskilling," it said, adding that boosting labor productivity by training workers to adapt to digital transformation and new technologies will be crucial for the future of Japan Inc.
 
 

Japan has reported a significant influenza outbreak, with local media on Saturday stating that thousands of cases have been confirmed across the country.

As of December 15, approximately 94,259 flu cases were reported in a week at 5,000 hospitals and clinics, News.az reports, citing Japanese media.

The total number of cases for the current season has now reached 718,000.

Ishida Tadashi, head of the influenza panel at the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, warned that flu case counts will remain high this season, as many people have reduced immunity following limited exposure to the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ishida predicted that the outbreak would peak around January and urged the public to take preventive measures such as washing hands and wearing masks.

 

Japan has unveiled a new passport design, set to become available next spring, featuring a plastic photo page with an embedded chip to enhance forgery prevention.

The new passports will be issued to applicants from March 24. The plastic page displays a sakura cherry blossom pattern that becomes visible when tilted and includes a crane watermark, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The new passports are expected to take about two weeks to be issued, longer than the current timeframe, the ministry said, as the new design is being produced by the National Printing Bureau, which manufactures the country's banknotes.

At present, passport photo pages are printed at municipal government offices and diplomatic missions abroad, allowing Japanese nationals to receive their passports around one week after applying.
 
 

Founder of the Sakuranesia Foundation, Tovic Rustam, along with Sakura Ijuin, paid a courtesy visit to Bunkyo Gakuin University in Tokyo, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Rustam, in a statement released in Jakarta on Friday, said that the Sakuranesia Foundation is an organization that focuses on developing educational ties between Japan and Indonesia.

"I hope this can be a momentum to deepen cultural exchange with Indonesia," he added.

He said the visit was made with the support of Azalee Group director, Kurusu, and general manager Yamaguchi, who have built a comprehensive cooperative relationship with Bunkyo Gakuin University.

During the meeting, the two parties discussed the possibility of establishing a Japanese language faculty in Indonesia as a concrete step in educational cooperation.

Founded in 1924 as Shimada Saihou Denshusho, or Shimada Sewing Training Institute, Bunkyo Gakuin University has now developed into an integrated educational institution, offering kindergarten to postgraduate programs.

The university is known for its philosophy of "Independence and Coexistence," which continues to be relevant today.

In 2026, the university will open the Faculty of Human Data Science to educate human resources about creating a society that lives side by side by utilizing data in the fields of the environment, local communities, health, and welfare that are directly related to human happiness.

 

The rector and chair of the Bunkyo Gakuin Foundation, Masakazu Shimada, expressed his commitment to providing education that is relevant to the challenges of the times.

During the visit, Rustam presented an exclusive batik cloth created by Indonesian renowned artist Guruh Soekarnoputra to Shimada as a sign of friendship and respect for Indonesia's cultural heritage.

"This batik is a unique work that only exists in the world," he said.

In response, Shimada said he will preserve and respect the intangible cultural heritage of Indonesia as part of its century-old history.

Rustam expressed the hope that the gift would be seen as a good initial symbol to strengthen cultural and educational exchanges between Japan and Indonesia.

"The Sakuranesia Foundation, which continues to actively bridge educational cooperation between Japan and Indonesia, is expected to continue to grow and contribute to the advancement of global education," he said.
 

The average budget of Japanese consumers this Christmas stands at 16,329 yen ($105), down 27.7 percent from last year, as many look to save money, a Tokyo research company said Thursday.

"The rising cost of living is a factor that has made consumers keep a tight hold of their purse strings," said a representative of Intage, which surveyed 5,000 people aged between 15 and 79 online from Nov. 22 to 25.

In addition to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day falling on weekdays this year, consumers appear to be bracing for increased spending during the 9-day-holiday around New Year, according to the company.

First conducted in 2021, the surveys showed Christmas budgets increased for two consecutive years as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic receded.
The average budget for New Year, polled separately, was mostly the same as last year, according to Intage.

In response to a multiple-choice question concerning plans for Christmas, "No plans" was the most selected response at 51.1 percent, up 1.2 percentage points from last year, while 27.4 percent chose "Buy a present (including one for myself)," down 2.3 percentage points.
 
 

The yen weakened against the dollar Thursday after the Bank of Japan kept borrowing costs unchanged, extending a retreat for the currency that came after the Federal Reserve forecast fewer rate cuts.

The BOJ said after a two-day policy meeting that it would hold rates at around 0.25 percent, pushing the yen cheaper. At 4 p.m., the dollar was at 156.09-14 yen, compared with 153.66 on Wednesday.

Although the bank said in its policy statement that "Japan's economy has recovered moderately" and "is likely to keep growing", it also pointed to risks ahead.

These include "developments in overseas economic activity and prices, developments in commodity prices, and domestic firms' wage- and price-setting behavior".

The Fed on Wednesday cut interest rates by a quarter point, its third straight reduction.

But it signaled a slower pace of cuts ahead as inflation remained sticky and uncertainty surrounds President-elect Donald Trump's economic plans.
Japanese businesses are also wary about the trade and investment environment, given Trump's pledge to impose tariffs on imports.

Tsuyoshi Ueno, senior economist at NLI Research Institute, told AFP ahead of Thursday's decision that one reason the BOJ did not hike was that "the picture of next year's wage increases will be clearer in January".
Political factors were another reason, according to Ueno.

"As the minority government is discussing budget and tax reforms involving the opposition... it would be bad timing for the BoJ to hike its rate" as that could cool the economy, he said.

The government recently passed an extra budget worth nearly 14 trillion yen to help pay for a massive economic stimulus package.

It includes handouts for low-income households, fuel and energy subsidies and assistance to small businesses.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is hoping the funds will lift the economy but also boost his popularity after the ruling coalition's worst election result in 15 years.

Ishiba has also promised to spend 10 trillion yen through 2030 to boost Japan's semiconductor and artificial intelligence sectors to help the nation regain its tech edge.
 
 

The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, plans to appoint Nippon Life Insurance Co. Chairman Yoshinobu Tsutsui as its next chairman to succeed Masakazu Tokura, whose term of office expires in May.

The country’s biggest business lobby is expected to finalize the appointment at a meeting of its chairman and vice chairs to be held early next year. Tsutsui will formally assume the position at a regular general meeting in May.

Traditionally, Keidanren’s top post has usually gone to one of its incumbent vice chairs who is from the manufacturing industry and is not affiliated with former “zaibatsu” conglomerates. Tsutsui will be the first head of a financial institution to lead the business group.

The 70-year-old has been serving as one of Keidanren’s vice chairs since 2023. He became the first chairperson of the GX (Green Transformation) Acceleration Agency, a core agency for Japan’s GX strategy that was established at the government’s behest in 2024 to help realize a decarbonized society.

At Nippon Life Insurance, Tsutsui was long involved in the planning of management strategies and became the company’s president in 2011.

He led the acquisition of Mitsui Life Insurance Co. (now Taiju Life Insurance Co.) in 2015 and enhanced the company’s revenue base in the domestic life insurance business. He has been the chairman of Nippon Life Insurance since April 2018.

Nippon Life Insurance is one of the country’s leading institutional investors and has stakes in many major companies in Japan. Keidanren apparently picked Tsutsui in the expectation that, as the head of this company, with deep connections to domestic business and outstanding knowledge of the global issue of decarbonization, he would be a very capable leader.

Tokura, 74, chairman of Sumitomo Chemical Co., took office as the president of Keidanren in June 2021 to replace Hiroaki Nakanishi, who stepped down before the end of his term for health reasons.

Regarding his successor, Tokura said at a press conference in May, “I believe we are no longer in an era where we must insist on someone from the manufacturing industry. I would like to look at various fields to pick the best person.”

“In order to prevent the “Lost Three Decades” from becoming the “Lost Four Decades,” we will have to maintain a reformist attitude,” Tsutsui said at a press conference held after he was appointed as a Keidanren vice chair in 2023.

In Japan, prices are continuing to rise, and the January inauguration of the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could trigger a dramatic change in the state of international relations. Tsutsui’s abilities to communicate and coordinate will be put to a test.

Tsutsui graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Kyoto University and joined Nippon Life Insurance in 1977. He became the company’s president in 2011 and chairman in 2018. He has served as a vice chair of Keidanren since 2023. He is from Hyogo Prefecture.
 
 

 

 

It is also essential to promote technological innovation related to renewable energy.

To achieve both decarbonization and a stable supply of electricity, there is a need to make use of nuclear power generation. It is also essential to promote technological innovation related to renewable energy.

The government has released a draft of its Strategic Energy Plan, which serves as guidelines for the nation’s energy policy. This will be the first time the plan will be reviewed since fiscal 2021. It is expected to be approved by the Cabinet in fiscal 2024.

The draft presents for the first time the nation’s target for energy mix for fiscal 2040. It sets the goal of having renewable energy make up 40% to 50%, nuclear power 20% and thermal power 30% to 40%.

By positioning renewable energies as the largest power source, the government intends to increase the total share of decarbonized power sources — when combined with nuclear power — to 60% to 70%.

However, based on the actual figures in fiscal 2023, about 69% of electricity was dependent on thermal power, with renewable energy sources accounting for 23% and nuclear power for 8.5%.

As electricity demand is expected to increase in fiscal 2040 by 10% to 20% due to the spread of generative artificial intelligence, it is essential to increase the volume of electricity supply.

The hurdles to achieve the planned mixture of energy sources are high, and the public and private sectors must increase their efforts for decarbonization.
This time, a major shift has been made in the positioning of nuclear power.

Since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the phrase “reduce the dependence on nuclear power as much as possible,” had been clearly stated in the energy plan. This time, however, it was deleted. In addition, the draft states that the nation will use as much nuclear and renewable energy as possible.

The previous administration of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida steered the country toward a policy of actively utilizing nuclear power in 2023. The new draft also relaxed the requirements for building new reactors.

The building of new reactors was previously limited to sites of nuclear power plants that are set to be decommissioned. However, it will be possible to build them at other sites of nuclear power plants. As nuclear power plants, in principle, have a 40-year operational lifespan, the aim is to maintain a stable supply of electricity.

By clearly stating the policy to utilize nuclear power in the future, it will be easier for power companies to make plans for building.

On the other hand, suitable sites for panels used for solar power generation, a pillar of renewable energy source, are becoming scarce. To further expand solar power generation, it will be essential to hasten the development of Perovskite solar cells, which can be installed in various locations, including on the walls of buildings.

Japan has set an international pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and has put forth an idea of reducing emissions by 60% compared to the fiscal 2013 level by fiscal 2035 as an interim goal. The new energy plan will support the government’s goals.

The frequent occurrence of extreme climate events around the world has made decarbonization even more important. In response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, energy security has also become a critical issue. It is also important to consider the energy plan from this perspective.
 
 

A 43-year-old unemployed man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of involvement in the stabbing of two junior high school students, one of whom died, at a McDonald's restaurant in Fukuoka Prefecture, police said.

The man lives near the fast-food restaurant in the city of Kitakyushu, where Saaya Nakashima, 15, was killed and a boy who attends the same school was seriously injured, police said, adding they are investigating the motive for the stabbing.

The police said security camera footage showed a man stabbing the two students shortly after he entered the restaurant on Saturday night when the victims were waiting in line at the cash register. He was inside the restaurant for less than 30 seconds.

With only limited eyewitness reports, the police collected and analyzed nearby security camera footage to track down the man they believe is involved. The attacker fled after the incident.

According to the police, the suspect, identified as Masanori Hirabaru, arrived and left the restaurant by car. The murder weapon has not been found.

Police cars have been patrolling in the area in recent days amid concern among local residents.

An analysis of the girl's smartphone did not reveal any issues that could have caused her to be targeted, while she had not previously contacted the police.

The male student was quoted as saying he and his classmate were "stabbed by a complete stranger."
 
 

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday hailed Tsuneo Watanabe, editor-in-chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, as a “great journalist.”

Watanabe had died of pneumonia in the small hours of the day aged 98.

“He was a great journalist,” Ishiba told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office. “Given the nation’s current political situation, I hope he could have taught us more about how Japan should be in the future.

I offer my sincerest prayer for him.”
 
 

Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp. debuted on the Tokyo stock market Wednesday, with its opening price falling short of its initial offering price of 1,455 yen ($9) in one of Japan's biggest IPOs this year.

Shares of Kioxia opened at 1,440 yen on the first day of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's top-tier Prime Market, giving the Japanese chipmaker a market capitalization of around 776 billion yen.

The listing marks the second-largest IPO in Japan this year after Tokyo Metro, which debuted in October.

Seeing the opening price below the initial offering price, Kazuyoshi Saito, a senior analyst at Iwai Cosmo Securities, said the debut "marked a calm start."
 
"As the performance of chips is highly dependent on market trends, many investors probably took a wait-and-see approach," Saito said.
 
The company, which was formerly Toshiba Corp.'s memory chip business, issued 21.56 million new shares in going public to secure about 29 billion yen.
 
Major shareholders Bain Capital, a U.S. private equity firm, and Toshiba also sold part of their stakes, with Bain's ownership falling from 56 percent to 51 percent and Toshiba's from 40 percent to 30 percent.
 
In 2018, Toshiba sold its former chip-making unit, Toshiba Memory Corp., to a consortium led by Bain Capital for around 2 trillion yen as part of its restructuring efforts. The chip company was later renamed Kioxia.
 
The company gained approval in 2020 to go public, but it repeatedly postponed its listing as heightened U.S.-China trade tensions clouded its business outlook. Its market capitalization at the time was estimated at over 1.5 trillion yen.
 

A Japanese space startup said its second attempt to launch a rocket carrying satellites into orbit had been aborted minutes after liftoff Wednesday, nine months after the company’s first launch attempt ended in an explosion.

Space One’s Kairos No. 2 rocket lifted off from a site in the mountainous prefecture of Wakayama in central Japan.

The company said it had aborted the flight after concluding that it was unlikely to complete its mission. The cause of the flight failure was not immediately known. Space One is expected to give further details at a news conference later Wednesday.

Space One aims to be Japan’s first company to put a satellite into orbit, hoping to boost to Japan’s lagging space industry with a small rocket for an affordable space transport business.

Wednesday’s flight, postponed twice from Saturday due to strong winds, came nine months after a failed debut flight in March, when the rocket was intentionally exploded five seconds after takeoff.

The flight was carrying a government satellite that was intended to monitor North Korea’s missile launches and other military activities.

Kairos No. 2 rocket was carrying five small satellites, including one from the Taiwanese space agency and several from Japanese startups.

Space One said it had fixed the cause of the debut flight failure, which stemmed from a miscalculation of the rocket’s first-stage propulsion.
Japan hopes the company can pave a way for a domestic space industry that competes with the United States.

Tokyo-based Space One was set up in 2018 with investments from major Japanese companies, including Canon Electronics, IHI, Shimizu and major banks, to commercialize space delivery services at lower costs and regular flights as many as 20 times a year, compared to six currently planned by the government-led space program.

Japan’s space development programs are led by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, and industry leaders such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI, as they develop two main flagship rockets, the large H3 rocket and the much smaller Epsilon, to cater to the growing satellite transport business.
 
 

Japan's exports rose faster than expected in November, data showed on Wednesday, helped by a weaker yen and solid global demand although businesses worry protectionist U.S. trade policies will undermine future growth.

Total exports rose 3.8% year-on-year in November, more than a median market forecast for a 2.8% increase and following a 3.1% rise in October.
Strong chipmaking equipment exports to Taiwan and China, coupled with a weaker yen, boosted the overall value.

But volumes dipped 0.1%, suggesting growth in value largely reflected the boost from the yen's weakness.

"The results are not as great as they look," said Koki Akimoto, an economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research.

Looking ahead, exports are likely to stay flat, as strong demand for chipmaking equipment is offset by a moderate U.S. slowdown as well as risks from President-elect Donald Trump's trade policies, he said.

Exports to China, Japan's biggest trading partner, rose 4.1% in November from a year earlier, while those to the United States were down 8% due to a drop in automobile exports, the data showed.

Imports dropped 3.8% in November from a year earlier, compared with market forecasts for a 1% increase.

As a result, Japan ran a trade deficit of 117.6 billion yen ($766.17 million) in November, smaller than the forecast deficit of 688.9 billion yen.
The outlook for exports is increasingly uncertain.

Nearly three-quarters of Japanese companies expect Trump's next term as U.S. president to have a negative impact on their business environment, a Reuters survey showed.

 

Trump has threatened tariffs in excess of 60% on U.S. imports of Chinese goods, as well as levies of 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico, where several Japanese automakers have factories.

While uneven overseas demand ahead may undercut Japan's export engine, the Bank of Japan expects a consumption-led recovery to allow the bank to gradually raise interest rates from near-zero levels.

The BOJ announces its policy decision on Thursday. Sources have told Reuters the central bank is leaning toward keeping rates steady this week as policymakers prefer to spend more time scrutinising overseas risks.
($1 = 153.4900 yen)
 
 

 
A tie-up would help them better compete against Tesla and other electric vehicle makers, the Nikkei, the Financial Times and others said.

The two firms agreed in March to explore a strategic partnership on electric vehicles, a move analysts said was aimed at catching up with Chinese competitors.

A Honda spokesman said Wednesday that a potential merger was already among the possibilities being discussed.

“We are discussing possibilities for cooperation between Honda and Nissan in the future, in a wide range of fields and in various areas, and those possibilities include the latest reports, but there is nothing decided,“ the spokesman told AFP.

Nissan said: “The content of the report is not something that has been announced by either companies. As announced in March of this year, Honda and Nissan are exploring various possibilities for future collaboration, leveraging each other’s strengths.

“If there are any updates, we will inform our stakeholders at the appropriate time.”

Nissan in particular has been struggling, announcing 9,000 job cuts last month and slashing its annual sales forecast.

Nissan shares rose more than 20 percent in early trade while Honda was off more than one percent. Mitsubishi Motors -- of which Nissan is the top shareholder -- gained 14 percent.

Honda and Nissan are looking to operate under a single holding company and will soon sign a memorandum of understanding for the new entity, the Nikkei and other outlets said, citing people familiar with the matter.

They said the firms would consider bringing Mitsubishi Motors under the holding company to create one of the world’s largest auto groups.

Honda and Nissan earlier issued almost identical statements in response, saying the details in the report had not been announced by either side.

Their statements said they were “exploring various possibilities for future collaboration, leveraging each other’s strengths”, as previously announced.
Honda is Japan’s number two automaker and Nissan is number three, with their rival Toyota in pole position.

China overtook Japan as the world’s biggest vehicle exporter in 2023, helped by its dominance in EVs, a sector where Japanese firms have lost ground by focusing on hybrid vehicles.

Honda announced plans in May to double investment in electric vehicles to $65 billion by 2030, part of its ambitious target set three years ago of achieving 100 percent EV sales by 2040.
Nissan has signalled similar ambitions.

It said in March that 16 of the 30 new models it plans to launch over the next three years would be “electrified”.

The world’s auto giants are increasingly prioritising electric and hybrid vehicles, with demand growing for less polluting models as concern about climate change grows.

At the same time, however, there has been a slowdown in the EV market on the back of consumer concern about high prices, reliability, range and a lack of charging points.

Hybrids that combine battery power and internal combustion engines have proved enduringly popular in Japan, accounting for 40 percent of sales in 2022.

Just 1.7 percent of cars sold in Japan in 2022 were electric -- compared with 15 percent in western Europe and 5.3 percent in the United States.
 
 

Japan’s industry ministry on Tuesday released a draft of a new basic energy plan, vowing to use as much renewable and nuclear energy as possible to promote decarbonization.

The draft says renewable energy will make up around 40-50 pct of the country’s power generation mix in fiscal 2040 and nuclear energy around 20 pct.

In the draft, the ministry deleted the description that the country would reduce its dependence on nuclear power as much as possible, which has been maintained since 2014, while newly including a plan to promote the rebuilding of aged reactors.

The government aims to meet anticipated growth in power demand by beefing up the supply capacity for noncarbon energy.

The draft signals that Japan would make a drastic shift from its current energy policy put in place after the March 2011 triple reactor meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The draft basic policy was presented at the day’s meeting of an expert panel under the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy, which advises the industry minister. The new basic plan is expected to be approved at a cabinet meeting in February next year.

According to the draft, power generation in fiscal 2040 is estimated to grow to 1.1 trillion to 1.2 trillion kilowatt-hours from the current 1 trillion kilowatt-hours, reflecting construction of new data centers and semiconductor factories, and expansion of existing facilities.

In order to meet the growing demand, the ministry plans to raise the proportion of renewable energy in the power generation mix to around 40-50 pct from the fiscal 2030 target of 36-38 pct while lowering that of thermal and other energy sources to around 30-40 pct from 42 pct.

The share of nuclear energy, which had accounted for around 30 pct before the March 2011 accident at the TEPCO plant, will be maintained at around 20 pct.

While the nuclear energy share stood at only 8.5 pct in fiscal 2023 due to the lack of progress in the restart of idled nuclear reactors, the draft basic plan says that the country will utilize nuclear power on a necessary scale in a sustainable way.

A power company will be allowed to rebuild existing nuclear reactors within the grounds of other nuclear power stations owned by the firm, according to the draft. Currently, reactors can only be rebuilt within the premises of power plants with reactors for which decommissioning has been decided.

The draft also includes plans to develop next-generation nuclear power reactors.

The ministry aims to increase renewable power generation through the introduction of new technologies such as lightweight perovskite solar cells.
For thermal power generation, it will work on promoting the use of hydrogen and ammonia as fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Amid soaring resources prices reflecting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasing Middle East tensions, the draft says that Japan will aim for a well-balanced power generation mix that is not overdependent on a particular energy source or fuel.
 
 

 

• Study of approximately 12,000 respondents across nine markets highlights emerging travel habits, from price sensitivity to sustainable choices, shaping the future of APAC tourism
• 70% of Japanese travellers favor domestic trips, among the highest in the region, driven by perceived safety, affordability, and transportation options

Traveloka, Southeast Asia's leading travel platform, in partnership with YouGov, has released its latest study, "Travel Redefined: Understanding and Catering to the Diverse Needs of APAC Travellers".

Drawing on insights from nearly 12,000 respondents across nine countries⁽¹⁾, including more than 1,000 respondents from Japan, this study sheds light on evolving travel habits and preferences that are shaping the Asia-Pacific (APAC) tourism landscape and provides actionable insights to anticipate trends and create meaningful traveller experiences in 2025 and beyond."

APAC is bursting with opportunities, but its diversity demands creativity and nuance. Understanding the unique needs of this diverse market is critical for travel providers seeking to thrive in this dynamic travel landscape.

Success lies in weaving these insights into innovative strategies—bringing travellers closer to the experiences they seek," said Caesar Indra, President of Traveloka.

As APAC's travel landscape continues to evolve, Traveloka remains committed to empowering travellers and industry partners. By offering a comprehensive analysis of shifting behaviors, this white paper helps stakeholders uncover opportunities and navigate a fast-changing landscape. 

The full study, including a detailed country-by-country analysis, is available here.

Japan travellers: the culture and wellness seeker
32% of Japanese travellers said they travel to visit tourist attractions, followed by rest and recharge (21%), and try different types of cuisine (14%). The majority favor historical or cultural sites (62%) such as museums and castles, followed by natural attractions like mountain ranges (57%).

Wellness retreats (52%) are also a popular choice, underscoring a holistic approach to travel that blends cultural exploration with relaxation and rejuvenation.


Domestic travel takes the lead

An overwhelming 70% of Japanese travellers prefer to travel domestically. The top reasons for choosing domestic over international travel include perceived safety in their home country (65%), affordability (57%), and the ease of getting around with more modes of transportation (49%).


Price drives decision-making

Like the rest of APAC, Japanese travellers are price-sensitive. When choosing accommodation, 43% say price is an important factor, ahead of other factors such as room comfort.

When asked if they would visit a place usually not in their considerations, 35% of Japanese point to recommendations from family and friends as an important factor, followed closely by travel promotions and discounts (32%).


Sustainable travel gains ground

Sustainability is increasingly influencing travel. The majority of Japanese travellers (63%) would either look for sustainable options first or opt for them if they happen to be available.

However, 31% said they don't know where to look for sustainable options, while 22% say sustainable options are too expensive.


⁽¹⁾ About the study

In 2024, Traveloka commissioned a survey to investigate consumer travel preferences and motivations across nine APAC markets.

The data for this research was collected using YouGov Panels. A total of 11,467 respondents participated in the survey. The sample was meticulously designed to be representative of the population in each country, ensuring a broad and inclusive cross-section aligned with the survey's objectives and target demographic.

For more details, refer to the "Methodology" section of the research report, available for download here.
 
 

The Japanese government said Tuesday it plans to introduce fake IDs for police to conduct undercover investigations as part of emergency measures to tackle "dark part-time work."

Under the countermeasures due to be introduced early next year, police will also request social media operators including X, previously known as Twitter, to toughen identity verification when accounts are opened and delete posts suspected of soliciting jobs commonly referred to in Japanese as "yami baito."

A number of burglaries across the country have allegedly been carried out by individuals recruited via social media with promises of lucrative part-time work.

In some cases, suspects post seemingly innocent job offers and ask applicants to send personal information before blackmailing them.

Undercover police will attempt to expose suspects by applying for the jobs and interacting with them by presenting fake identification, such as a driver's license.

Social media accounts could be utilized to determine a suspect's identity if operators mandate inclusion of a phone number when opening an account instead of an email address.

Investigative sources currently do not have means to contact the operators of encrypted messaging apps Telegram and Signal, often used by criminal groups, due to their lack of a base within Japan. The measures will include urging them to create a window of communication.

Concerning advertisements for job vacancies, police will raise awareness about the illegality of job offers that do not include the name, address and contact details of the recruiter, and request social media operators to delete such posts.
 
 

The Japanese government decided Tuesday to set up an expert panel for the introduction in 2027 of a new system to accept foreign workers.

The government hopes to incorporate expert opinions into the details of the new system to avoid criticism similar to the existing technical trainee system, which has been accused of being a hotbed of human rights violations.

"It is essential for Japan to create an attractive employment system for foreign workers amid a severe labor shortage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a meeting of related ministers on the day.

The 14-member panel will be chaired by Susumu Takahashi, chairman emeritus of Japan Research Institute Ltd. It will hold its first meeting in January.
 
 

Japanese movies are riding on a wave of popularity in China, despite Beijing's restrictions on imported film.

Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki's "The Boy and the Heron," which hit theaters in China in April, became the 10th-highest grossing film of 2024.
Other popular Japanese movies include a Chinese remake and a past masterpiece.

Many Japanese films have become hits in China since 2023, when the country lifted its strict COVID-19 control measures.

Director Makoto Shinkai's "Suzume," released in China in March 2023, marked a box office record for a Japanese anime film in the country.
 
 

This is the first time for the ministry to attempt such an initiative, which it is undertaking with the aim of both contributing to the international community and expanding use of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals around Asia.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry plans to cover tuition and living expenses for select international students from Asia studying at medical schools in Japan.

This is the first time for the ministry to attempt such an initiative, which it is undertaking with the aim of both contributing to the international community and expanding use of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals around Asia.

The initiative is expected to start as early as fiscal 2026 and the ministry plans to accept about 20 students. The program will be conducted on a trial basis to examine its effectiveness. Applicants will be sought via the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, an international organization headquartered in Indonesia and funded by Japan.

Those selected will receive Japanese language training in their home countries and then come to Japan. They will study at university medical schools for six years, toward obtaining a doctor’s license.

The government will cover their tuition fees and all their living expenses. The ministry has earmarked \290 million for related spending in a supplementary budget for fiscal 2024.

The ministry will decide the details going forward, such as which countries will be eligible, how to seek out applicants and which universities will accept the international students. The ministry has in mind Vietnamese students who will be able to work as doctors in their home country if they meet certain criteria.

According to the ministry, tuition fees for medical schools range from several hundred thousand yen to several million yen a year and international students often face a language barrier.

While some universities have scholarships and general support programs for international students, the number of international medical students coming to Japan has been flat.

As of May last year, there were 217 international students, including short-stay students, studying at the medical schools of public and private universities across the nation, accounting for less than 1% of all medical school students in Japan, according to the Japan Student Services Organization and others.

“We would like international students to not just study medicine in Japan but also learn about the high quality of Japanese medical equipment and pharmaceuticals,” said an official at the ministry.

“If they introduce these things in their countries after returning home, it will help grow the Japanese economy.”
 
 

Asahi Shuzo Co., known for its sake Dassai, announced on Wednesday that it will attempt to brew sake in the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo on the International Space Station (ISS).

If successful, the company will sell just one 100-milliliter bottle for ¥100 million and donate the entire amount to domestic space development projects.

According to Asahi Shuzo, which is based in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the company applied for and was approved in July to use Kibo.

The plan is that the raw materials for sake, such as rice, koji rice mold and yeast, will be fermented on Kibo to make 520 grams of moromi unrefined sake, which will be brought back to Earth in a frozen state to be made into sake. The brewing equipment to be brought to the station is currently under development.

The company plans to name the finished product “Dassai MOON – Uchu Jozo (brewed in space).”
 
 

The Indian-born head of one of Japan's most famous snack brands has warned that the country must change its mindset and admit more immigrants to get the economy back to the glory of its boom years.

Politicians have struggled for years to recover from the so-called lost decades as a range of differing programmes have failed to kickstart growth, including an ultra-loose monetary policy and trillions of dollars in stimulus measures.

And as the new government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba eyes a fresh drive to bring back the heyday of its global tech domination Lekh Juneja, the head of rice cracker giant Kameda Seika, said he worries his adopted country has lost its edge.

"Forty years ago I came to Japan because it was close to number one in GDP... it was booming," the biotech scientist told AFP at Kameda's headquarters in Japan's rice heartland of Niigata.

 

But at some point "Japan thought 'we have everything now'. And I think that the hungry spirit to (have) the guts to go global started disappearing a bit".

Kameda's expansion mirrored Japan's postwar boom, increasing revenues tenfold between 1965 and 1974 and becoming synonymous with the nationally adored "senbei" crackers in the process.

But the country that gave the world the Sony Walkman, the bullet train and Super Mario is no longer setting the pace in technology, overtaken by Silicon Valley, South Korea and China.

In the late 1980s, Japanese firms dominated the world's top 10 companies by market capitalization. Today not one makes the list.

The population is aging and projected to drop by almost a third in the next 50 years, and firms are already having problems filling vacancies.
Although it has relaxed the rules in recent years, Japan has not turned in a big way to immigration as a solution.

 

The country "has no choice" but to allow in more immigrants, said Juneja, 72, who first came to Japan in 1984 and previously worked for a food ingredients maker and a pharmaceuticals firm.

"It's not only the numbers. It's also the mindset, the culture. We have to go global," he said.
According to a recent study, Japan needs to more than triple its number of foreign workers to 6.88 million by 2040. Currently it's on track to be almost a million short.

Since joining the firm Juneja has been trying to make Kameda more international as well as a "rice innovation company".

In the testing centre for new products the employees rolling out dough and trying out new recipes and flavors include an American and a Vietnamese.
Language "is a big barrier. You bring people to Niigata and they don't speak Japanese and it's very difficult for them", Juneja said.

"We need to change that. If we employ people who only speak and write Japanese, we have very limited resources, very limited choices," he warned.
Japan has very few foreign-born CEOs, and boardrooms are overwhelmingly male. There are 13 female CEOs in Japan's 1,600 top-listed firms, a Kyodo News survey showed in September.

 

"It's very rare for a foreigner)to become a CEO in a Japanese company," Juneja said. "But look at the U.S."

"There is Microsoft, there is Google, all these companies have Indian CEOs," he said. "I think Japan has to change... We are proud (in Japan) of our backgrounds. But I think flexibility and having people from overseas would be very critical for Japan."

Not all the non-Japanese CEOs have had a smooth ride. In November the German chief of Olympus resigned after allegedly buying illegal drugs.

 

And in 2018, Carlos Ghosn, the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian chief of Nissan, was arrested on suspicion of financial misconduct. He then escaped, in part by hiding in an audio equipment box.

"He didn't generate a very good image for foreign CEOs here," Juneja said. "But the difference between him and me is that I have got a Japanese passport."
 
 

The two junior high school students who were stabbed by a man at a fast-food restaurant on Saturday have no defensive wounds, indicating that they were assaulted without any time to protect themselves, according to investigative sources.

The Fukuoka prefectural police said the incident took place at a McDonald’s in Kokura Minami Ward, Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture. After entering the fast-food chain, the man approached and then silently stabbed the two students, who were standing at the end of the line to the cash register.

Saaya Nakashima, a third-year student from the city’s junior high school, was stabbed once in her abdomen, while the other victim, a third-year male student from the school, was stabbed once in his lower back. The suspect fled the scene with what appeared to be a knife. Nakashima was later confirmed dead.

 

The two students had no wounds to their hands, which are typically suffered when a victim tries to defend themselves, according to investigative sources. The wounds on their bodies suggest that the suspect stabbed rather than slashed them.

Less than 30 seconds elapsed between the man entering and leaving the restaurant.

None of the workers or customers at the restaurant witnessed the attack.
Nakashima, 15, died of blood loss. The boy, 15, suffered a non-fatal injury that was deep enough to cause death if suffered in a different location. The boy has been hospitalized.

The police are investigating the case as both a murder and attempted murder.
 
 

The Bank of Japan may hold off on a further interest rate hike at its Monetary Policy Meeting to be held on coming Wednesday and Thursday.

There is a growing view within the central bank that it is necessary to carefully assess results of the 2025 shunto spring wage negotiations before making another interest rate hike, although central bank policymakers think the economy and prices have moved in line with the bank’s projections.

The BOJ believes that achieving its 2% inflation target will require wage increases at a level similar to those seen in the 2024 shunto negotiations. In its view, the probability of achieving its target will increase if it can confirm wage increase trends before making a policy decision.

In the market, too, there is a growing view that the BOJ will hold off on raising interest rates at the December meeting. On Friday, the yen weakened against the dollar, briefly reaching the mid-¥153 range, as the foreign exchange market saw no significant change in the interest rate differential between Japan and the United States.

At its July meeting, the BOJ decided to raise its policy interest rate to around 0.25%. BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda said at the time, “If the economic and prices move in line with our projection, we will continue to raise interest rates.”

The BOJ’s Tankan quarterly economic survey for December, released on Friday, also showed that business sentiment was firm. The environment for an additional interest rate hike is gradually being established, but several senior BOJ officials argue that there is no need to rush to raise interest rates unless there is an acceleration in price rises.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, just prior to the BOJ making its decision on monetary policy, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board will hold a Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

Although the market is certain that the Fed will lower its policy rate by 0.25 points, the number of rate cuts expected for next year and beyond, as well as market movements, could also have an impact on the BOJ’s policy decision.
 
 

A rise in shareholder activism in Japan is poised to fuel a new wave of management buyouts by founding families, after the battle for 7-Eleven's parent company prompted a $58 billion takeover offer from the Ito dynasty that built the retail giant.

Seven & i Holdings Vice President Junro Ito swooped in last month with an offer to take private the company founded by his late father in what would be the largest ever management buyout (MBO).

Ito's "white knight" bid appears designed to keep Seven & i away from Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard, which announced a takeover proposal in August. The Circle K owner raised its bid for Seven & i by about 22% to $47 billion in October after its initial offer was rejected.

The scramble for Seven & i gives a taste of how deals are likely to develop in the years to come, industry experts say, as changes in Japan Inc's corporate governance standards make delisting an increasingly compelling option.

A few years ago, companies could ignore unsolicited offers because they were protected by cross shareholdings - the practice of holding stakes in business partners to cement relationships.

But those holdings are now being sold off under a government push for better governance. Companies have also been told they should give serious consideration to credible buyout offers.

"Managers can no longer ignore shareholders as they could in the past. Cross shareholdings are being unwound all the time," said Travis Lundy of Quiddity Advisors who publishes on the Smartkarma platform.

"MBOs are going to be more common," Lundy said, adding the government's guidelines on giving consideration to buyout offers were "a game changer".


ALL IN THE FAMILY

Last year, Japanese deals where management took stakes, including MBOs, totaled $7.1 billion, the most in at least 36 years, LSEG data showed. The value has fallen from that peak this year, but remains at $1.7 billion.

Among recent deals, educational publisher and nursing home operator Benesse Holdings was taken private in an MBO by the founding Fukutake family and Swedish private equity firm EQT. Drugmaker Taisho Pharmaceutical was bought out by a member of its founding Uehara family.

MBOs are becoming an attractive option because the governance overhaul has created bigger burdens for listed firms, while being a public company no longer confers the status it once did, said Ulrike Schaede, a professor of Japanese business at the University of California San Diego.

Schaede gives the example of Germany, where MBOs have become a "new defense" against shareholder activism, adding that Japan could start to see a similar trend, especially given private equity's appetite for deals in the country.

Japan is hardly the only place where founding families hold stakes and sway after the founder dies - and Seven & i not the only global retailer in that position.

The family of Walmart founder Sam Walton holds 45.5% of the U.S. retailer, while the largest shareholders of Sweden's H&M are Stefan Persson, son of the founder, and his family.



SMALL STAKES

But Japan stands out because families are able to wield considerable power despite holding small stakes.

Ito-Kogyo, the company tied to Junro Ito that is bidding for Seven & i, holds only about 8.2% of the retailer.

Historically, family control of businesses in Japan has been "more persistent than the very low equity ownership by founding families would indicate", researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the University of Alberta School of Business and elsewhere wrote in a 2021 Journal of Financial Economics paper.

Some 10% to 30% of listed Japanese companies from the 1960s to 2010 were managed by founding family heirs with "little ownership to report", Morten Bennedsen, Vikas Mehrotra and their co-authors found.

They pointed to examples such as the Toyoda family at Toyota Motor Corp, the Suzukis of Suzuki Motor Corp and the Kashios at Casio Computer. Such families were able to retain control via what the researchers called "soft family assets", including their name and reputation.

"We certainly expect that the trend is continuing, there is no sign it is changing," Bennedsen told Reuters.

One Seven & i investor recalled attending a meeting with company executives including Junro Ito, who sat silent throughout. The extent to which the Ito family wielded influence and power within the company was "something of a mystery", said the investor, who asked not to be named due to company policy.

A Seven & i spokesperson declined to comment.

At many companies the founder's legacy still looms large. In recent years Seven & i resisted calls from foreign investors to hive off its Ito-Yokado supermarkets' business out of respect for founder Masatoshi Ito's vision, according to veteran Japan retail analyst Michael Causton.

"The Ito legacy, as in many Japanese companies with a charismatic founder, is an unwritten red line in the company known to all executives," Causton said, adding that amounted to preserving Seven & i as a conglomerate spanning supermarkets, general merchandise and convenience stores.

It remains to be seen whether the Ito family will manage to raise the funds needed for the deal - although it appears that domestic banks are lining up with them.

What is clear is that more such deals are likely to happen, something investors welcome.

"If the founding families in Japan really want to control and influence their companies, then they shouldn't be listed and instead taken private," the Seven & i investor said.
 
 

Takumi Kanaya, this year's top money winner on the Japanese professional men's golf tour, is in contention for a U.S. PGA Tour card after moving up to third in the penultimate round of the final qualifying tournament on Saturday.

The top five and ties at the PGA Tour Q-School Final Stage will earn automatic promotion to the world's most prestigious golf tour.

Starting the third round at TPC Sawgrass in fourth place, Kanaya shot a 2-under 68 with two birdies and no bogeys to go to 4-under for the tournament.

The 26-year-old Hiroshima Prefecture native heads into the final day two strokes back from the joint leaders, Americans Matthew Riedel and Alistair Docherty, and holds a one-shot lead over four players tied for fourth.

"I'm glad I could shoot a bogey-free round," Kanaya said. "It would be good if I can play the final day the same as I would in Japan or anywhere else. I want to prepare well and keep playing my own game."

Kanaya clinched his first JGTO money title earlier this month at the Japan tour's season-ending Nihon Series JT Cup.
 
 

Japan Post Co. started accepting New Year's cards for 2025 on Sunday.
Postal rates in Japan were raised in October, with the price of a New Year's postcard, like a regular postcard, going up to 85 yen from 63 yen.

In anticipation of a drop in demand following the rate hikes, Japan Post curbed the number of initially issued New Year's cards for 2025 at about 1.07 billion, down 25.7 pct from the previous year and falling for the 14th consecutive year.

The initial issuance number is the lowest since records began for New Year's postcards for 2004.

Following the rate hikes, the number of people deciding to end the practice of sending New Year's cards is believed to be increasing gradually.
 
 

Police in western Japan are searching for a man who fled with a knife from the scene of a stabbing incident at a fast-food restaurant that left a teenage girl dead.

The incident took place Saturday night in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. Police say a 15-year-old girl has been pronounced dead at a hospital after being stabbed by a man.

They say a second victim, a male student, was also taken to a hospital, but is conscious.

Police quoted him as saying the suspect was a complete stranger.
Police are investigating the case as murder.

An employee of a McDonald's in the city called the local fire department at around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday to report that a woman had been stabbed with a knife in the restaurant.

Police described the suspect as a man of average build around 1.7 meters tall who appeared to be in his 40s. They say he was dressed in a gray jacket and black pants, and wearing yellowish shoes.

Police say the two victims attended the same junior high school in the city.
The man allegedly stabbed them upon entering the restaurant while they were in line at a cash register.

The incident occurred in an area lined with restaurants and other businesses about 300 meters from a monorail station.
 
 

NHK has learned that Japan's government plans to deepen cooperation with the African Development Bank. The goal is to help Japanese companies boost their investments on the continent.

Africa is projected to grow into a major market with a population of 2.5 billion by 2050. The continent also has the potential to become a major supplier of mineral resources.

Sources say officials from Japan's economy and industry ministry will sign a memorandum with the African Development Bank. More than 80 African countries are members of the bank.

One initiative the ministry is considering involves NEXI, a government-affiliated trade insurer. It would underwrite loans taken out by Japanese businesses from the bank when they invest in the development of hydrogen, ammonia, mineral resources and the auto sector.

The ministry is also planning to set up a framework that would coordinate collaboration among major Japanese companies and African start-up firms. The aim is to bolster Japan's economic ties with the region.
 
 

Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, is considering withdrawing from a ship route between Japan and South Korea, over a scandal in which a subsidiary covered up a water leak incident on a high-speed passenger ship, it was learned Friday.

In August this year, JR Kyushu said that the subsidiary, JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Inc., had been covering up the water ingress, while operating the Queen Beetle high-speed passenger ship linking the southwestern Japan city of Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, and the South Korean city of Busan, for over three months.

The JR Kyushu group has been working on raising safety awareness among employees, repairing the ship, and enhancing governance, with the aim of resuming the passenger ship operations.

Since the ship is made of aluminum, however, repairs by welding are difficult.

"While we are aiming for resuming the operations, we are also considering withdrawal from the business as an option," JR Kyushu President Yoji Furumiya told reporters.
 
 

The Fukuoka High Court on Friday became the third high court in Japan to rule the country's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, but upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss plaintiffs' claim for damages.

In the ruling, the court judged for the first time that civil law provisions not allowing same-sex marriage violated Article 13 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to the pursuit of happiness.

The court also said the ban violates sections of the Constitution that guarantee equality under the law and upholds individual dignity and the essential equality of both sexes.
 
"There is no longer any reason to not legally recognize marriage between same-sex couples," Presiding Judge Takeshi Okada said.
After the ruling, four of the plaintiffs stood outside the court and held up a sign questioning why Japan's parliament has yet to legalize same-sex marriage.
At a press conference, a 35-year-old plaintiff going by the name Kosuke hailed the court's ruling on Article 13, saying it "changes society's atmosphere toward same-sex marriage." He described being unable to stop crying as the judge spoke.

His partner, a 37-year-old referring to himself as Masahiro, said the ruling "understood our suffering, and I felt very reassured."

The ruling contrasted with the decision by the lower court last year saying that the ban is in a "state of unconstitutionality" -- a term seen as a call for the Diet to address the law's inconsistency with the Constitution.

Three same-sex couples from Fukuoka and Kumamoto in southwestern Japan had asked for 1 million yen ($6,540) for each person. They argued that civil law provisions not allowing same-sex marriage violate the right to equality under the Constitution and its guarantee of the freedom of marriage.

The plaintiffs filed an appeal after the Fukuoka District Court in June 2023 dismissed their damages claim and ruled the government was not immediately obliged to enact legislative measures despite being in "state of unconstitutionality."

Japan's civil law and family registration law provisions are based on marriage between a man and a woman and the privileges that result from matrimony, including inheritance rights, tax benefits and joint custody of children, are only granted to heterosexual couples.

Japan remains the only Group of Seven industrialized country that has not legalized same-sex marriage or civil unions, despite growing pressure from the LGBT community and its supporters.

Previous district rulings have varied in scope, with the Sapporo and Nagoya courts saying that the lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, and the Tokyo district court ruling it is in a "state of unconstitutionality." The Osaka district court is so far the only one to rule the current law is constitutional.

In the first two high court rulings earlier this year, the Sapporo and Tokyo high courts said the country's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

Every court, however, has dismissed compensation claims.
 
 

Japanese big manufacturers’ sentiment improved slightly in the three months to December, a quarterly survey showed on Friday, boding well for the central bank’s plans to gradually raise interest rates from near-zero levels.

The data comes ahead of the Bank of Japan’s two-day policy meeting next week, when the board will debate whether to lift rates from the current 0.25%.

The headline index measuring big manufacturers’ business confidence stood at +14 in December, up from +13 three months ago and marking the highest reading since March 2022, the BOJ’s “tankan” quarterly survey showed on Friday. It compared with a median market forecast for +12.

Companies seem to be weathering headwinds from China’s economic weakness. This is good news for the BOJ and shows things are on track for the economy and prices, said Saisuke Sakai, chief economist at Mizuho Research & Technologies.

But the outlook is highly uncertain due partly to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which could weigh on automakers’ profits ahead, he said.

An index gauging big manufacturers’ sentiment declined slightly to +33 from +34 in September, compared with a median market forecast for a reading of +32.

Big manufacturers and non-manufacturers expect conditions to worsen in the three months ahead, the survey showed.

Big companies expect to increase capital expenditure by 11.3% in the fiscal year ending in March, compared with a 10.6% gain projected in the previous survey in September. The increase was bigger than market forecasts for a 9.6% rise.

The BOJ ended negative interest rates in March and raised its short-term policy rate to 0.25% in July on the view Japan was making steady progress towards sustainably achieving its 2% inflation target.

BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda has said the central bank will continue to raise rates if companies keep hiking prices and wages due to optimism over the outlook, and help keep inflation durably around its 2% target.

The tankan’s sentiment diffusion indexes are derived by subtracting the number of respondents who say conditions are poor from those who say they are good. A positive reading means optimists outnumber pessimists.
 
 

Nippon Steel on Wednesday slammed the "inappropriate" role of politics after Bloomberg News reported that President Joe Biden would block its planned takeover of U.S. Steel.

The deal worth $14.9 billion including debts is being reviewed by a body that audits foreign takeovers of U.S. firms, helmed by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

Bloomberg cited people close to the matter as saying Biden planned to block the sale on national security grounds when the audit is finished later this month.

"It is inappropriate that politics continue to outweigh true national security interests -- especially with the indispensable alliance between the U.S. and Japan as the important foundation," a Nippon Steel statement said.

"We have engaged in good faith with all parties to underscore how the transaction will bolster American economic and national security by countering the threats posed by China," it added.

"Nippon Steel still has confidence in the justice and fairness of America and its legal system, and -- if necessary -- will work with U.S. Steel to consider and take all available measures to reach a fair conclusion."

Embattled U.S. Steel argues that it needs the Nippon deal to ensure sufficient investment in its Mon Valley plants in Pennsylvania, which it says it may have to shutter if the sale is blocked.

But Biden has previously expressed opposition to the takeover, which President-elect Donald Trump -- who will be inaugurated on January 20 -- has also said he would block.

"I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier in December.

"Through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs, we will make U.S. Steel Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST! As President, I will block this deal from happening."

In reaction to the Bloomberg report, White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said Biden would wait and see what the ongoing review of the deal by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) yields.

"The president's position since the beginning is that it is vital for U.S. steel to be domestically owned and operated," Patterson said. "We have not received any CFIUS recommendation. The CFIUS process was and remains ongoing."

U.S. Steel shares closed down 9.7 percent Tuesday on Wall Street following the report. Nippon was down 0.1 percent in Tokyo on Wednesday.
 
 

The kanji for gold (金 kin) was chosen as the single most representative character symbolic of the social mood in Japan this year, a Kyoto-based organization said Thursday.

The character symbolized Japan's gold medals at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's golden year.

The character can also be read as kane, meaning money. This year Japan saw money problems with political slush funds, robberies by people recruited online and rising prices putting a strain on household finances.

In Kyoto, chief Buddhist priest Seihan Mori of Kiyomizu temple drew the character with a giant calligraphy brush on washi, or Japanese paper, 1.5 meters high and 1.3 meters wide, at the famous location. The event was televised live.

The selection for the 30th annual poll run by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation is based on votes cast by the general public.

The foundation received 221,971 answers. Of those, 12,148 were for gold, the fifth time that the kanji has been No. 1

The second most popular kanji was 災, sai (disaster) with 9,772 votes. Third with 7,486 votes was 翔, sho, (soar), the first character of Shohei Ohtani's name. Next were 震, shin (quake) and 選, sen (election).

Last year, the kanji of the year was tax (税, zei).
 

 

Japan Association for Construction Human Resources (JAC) admitted that it really hopes for help from workers from neighboring countries, including Indonesia, in overcoming the labor crisis in the country.

"The elderly in Japan are more numerous than the young, which means that there are very few young workers, so we really hope for help from manpower from neighboring countries in particular, one of which is Indonesia," said JAC project head Naoya Shikano, in Jakarta, Wednesday to Antara.

At the Japanese Construction Work Socialization event at the Jakarta State Polytechnic, Naoya said that Japan is actively making various efforts to overcome the labor shortage in their country.

The efforts, he said, are holding socialization of the introduction of internship programs and "Special Skill Worker" (SSW) programs for foreigners, along with their systems and regulations. "As much as possible, it should be known and socialized as much as possible in Indonesia," he added.

Another effort is to explain the actual conditions in Japan, especially in the construction sector, to foreign workers. "So that there is no fear of working in construction in Japan. So if an accident occurs, we and the Japanese government always support even in the worst conditions," he continued.

JAC is a legal entity that plays a role in accepting foreign workers with SSW visas. In addition to providing training, as well as organizing skills tests and job placement for foreigners, JAC also provides guidance and ensures that companies accepting foreign workers maintain a conducive environment.
The socialization event by JAC was attended by dozens of teachers from around 60 Vocational High Schools from the Tangerang, Jakarta, and Depok areas.

Gutser Siburian, a teacher at SMK Tunas Harapan in West Jakarta, who attended the event, hopes that such socialization will continue to be carried out because according to him it is relevant to the abilities of his students at school.

"The event was good. Some of our alumni are already working in Japan and our school plans to include Japanese language lessons to support and improve the abilities of those who will work in Japan," he said.
 
 

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and opposition parties were widely divided Thursday over whether to ban donations from companies and organizations to political parties, a key issue in revising the political funds control law again.

The Political Reform Special Committee at the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, started substantial deliberations on a total of nine bills to revise the law that have been submitted by parties.

At this point, there is no prospect of any bill securing a majority. At issue is whether parties can compromise with each other and reach an agreement.

On corporate and group donations, Ken Saito of the LDP emphasized their significance by recounting his experience of being supported by local companies when he lost an election.

Hiroshi Ogushi of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan claimed that "trust in politics has been greatly damaged due to a high-profile slush fund scandal at the LDP."
 


 

This team-up between the two Japanese companies is expected to provide wider distribution and accessibility outside of Japan for anime-related music.

Warner Music Japan (WMJ) and NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan (NBCUJ) have officially joined forces for better mutual opportunities centered on anime-related music.

On December 12, it was announced that WMJ — the Japanese arm of Warner Music — and NBCUJ — the Japanese subsidiary of NBCUniversal in charge of primarily in charge of production and distribution of music and anime within Japan — had entered into a strategic partnership.

Through this, Warner Music Japan is aiming to “make a full-scale entry into the anime-related music business, which is rapidly growing both domestically and internationally.”

Hand in hand with this, NBCUJ will reportedly “leverage the power and reach of ADA” — the “global independent distribution and label services arm” of Warner Music — in order to “expand the distribution of its catalogs, and help its artists engage with existing and new fans around the world.”

Going more into the details, this partnership will effectively bring mutually beneficial results to the two companies.

For WMJ, it is expected to be in charge of the production and promotion of new releases by NBCUJ’s artists moving forward. In addition, it will also be given “the distribution rights for more than 9,000 works in [NBCUniversal Entertainment]’s music catalog”

WMJ will take on the production and promotion of new releases by NBCUJ’s artists moving forward.

It will also acquire the distribution rights for more than 9,000 works in [NBCUniversal Entertainment]’s music catalog,” which notably includes tracks found in anime. In addition, this also entails that it is set commence “digitally distributing these [songs] worldwide from early 2025, as well as handling the distribution and sales of physical products.”

Adding to this, the two labels are expected to also join forces in order to “expand opportunities for music tie-ins with anime projects.” Notably, this would also mean finding opportunities for the artists under WMJ to “contribute songs, such as opening and ending theme tracks, for NBCUJ’s titles.”

In order to provide the necessary support this partnership needs, WMJ has created an Anime Business Division, welcoming “industry-leading figures” such as Koichiro Natsume (former President and CEO of Aniplex Inc.) and Hiroyasu Shinohara (former Senior Executive Officer of TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd.) to serve as “external advisorsl.”

In addition, WMJ is currently working closely with NBCUJ in order to “expand and strengthen this team with specialized talent.”

“We are delighted to take a strategic step forward in delivering Japanese music to the world through anime, thanks to our partnership with NBC Universal Entertainment Japan (NBCUJ),” states WMJ President and CEO Takeshi Okada.

He notes how “the popularity of Japanese anime is exploding both domestically and internationally with fans increasingly connecting with it on social media and streaming platforms.”

With this, he acknowledges that this brings “an opportunity for artists to connect with new fans worldwide through music used in anime projects.”

“So this partnership will not only enable us to help bring NBCUJ’s catalog to the world through our global network, but also give our artists opportunities to further grow their careers by leveraging anime-related collaborations.”

Meanwhile, NBCUJ CEO and President Shoji Doyama emphasizes that “the perfect combination of anime and music is essential” in order to “deeply resonate with anime fans,” noting that the two companies’ team-up, “the collaboration between NBCUJ’s anime and Warner Music’s repertoire will bring excitement to fans around the world.” 

“I am also delighted that songs by NBCUJ’s artists will reach even more listeners with the help of Warner Music’s global reach.”

Effectively, this partnership will enhance not only the sales and streams of these tracks but also their discoverability and wider accessibility for fans outside of Japan, especially in countries where anime is extremely popular like the Philippines.
 
 

Uber Japan said Wednesday that it has launched a new service to allow children aged 13 to 17 to safely use taxis, including on their way to extracurricular activities.

The app for the service, called “Uber Teens,” has features that provide parents with real-time information on taxi locations and make audio recordings in taxis.

The service is initially available in major cities in 11 prefectures across the country, including Sapporo, Sendai, Osaka, Fukuoka and Tokyo’s 23 special wards.

In the service, children can create accounts under the management of their parents. Taxi fares are the same as for other users, while parents can set a payment limit.

Since 2023, similar services have been launched in 40 countries, including the United States.
 

 

U.S. forces said Wednesday they resumed flights of their Ospreys in Japan after temporarily grounding all their tilt-rotor aircraft worldwide due to safety concerns.

A U.S. Marine Corps spokesperson said the flight resumption for the MV-22 transport planes came "after a thorough fleet review conducted during the operational pause."

An MV-22 took off around 10:13 a.m. from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture in southern Japan and landed 15 minutes later, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry's local branch.

Earlier this week, the Marine Corps said they were implementing a 96-hour operational pause for nonessential flight operations from Friday, based on the Naval Air Systems Command's recommendation following a recent precautionary landing of a CV-22.

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force has alsosuspended operations of its 17 U.S.-made V-22s.
 
 

The Japanese government’s basic stance is to continue improving bilateral relations, which had progressed under President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration.

The Japanese government is struggling to navigate its diplomatic policy toward South Korea as political disarray in the country is likely to last.

The Japanese government’s basic stance is to continue improving bilateral relations, which had progressed under the President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration.

However, criticisms of Yoon’s diplomatic stance toward Japan have been on the rise, making it unpredictable how Japan-South Korea ties will develop.

Japanese and South Korean diplomatic authorities held a regular meeting of high-ranking officials, together with a U.S. counterpart, over issues of North Korea in Tokyo on Monday.

“Though we did not discuss internal political affairs of South Korea, we confirmed the three countries’ cooperation to prevent escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula even in these circumstances,” a senior Foreign Ministry official told reporters.

On Sunday, the day after an impeachment bill against Yoon failed to pass in the South Korean parliament, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke to reporters at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters, saying, “I want to monitor the situation with special and serious interest.”

He also said, “[South Korea] is an important neighbor and my stance to try to have close cooperative ties from now on has not changed.”

Ishiba suggested wanting to minimize negative impacts on the countries’ relationship.

While the Japanese government expressed “special and serious interest” in South Korean matters, it has refrained from directly mentioning Yoon’s decree of martial law, which triggered the country’s political disarray.

This contrasts with the U.S. stance, which was strongly critical of Yoon’s move. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, for example, remarked that Yoon “badly misjudged.”

The Japanese government, it seems, has instead offered careful consideration toward Yoon.

However, Yoon himself is now subject to insurrection charges. As a result, a senior Japanese government official said a planned visit by the prime minister to South Korea in January, postponed for now, “has become almost impossible” to realize.

Though the opposition parties’ impeachment bill against Yoon fell through, the bill cited Yoon’s diplomatic policy of placing importance on ties with Japan as one of the grounds for impeachment.

This has led to concern for some in the Japanese government. “As we fear Japan being drawn into conflict within South Korea, we cannot take any action for the time being,” said one member.
 

 

Japan has introduced a new regulation targeting tech companies with over 40 million monthly users in the country.

Apple and Google are expected to be among those affected.
The ordinance, effective December 19, aims to curb anticompetitive behavior.

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission is tasked with identifying and designating companies subject to this regulation.
 
 

Japan adopted an ordinance Tuesday to regulate technology giants with at least 40 million domestic users per month under a new law targeting anticompetitive behavior.

The ordinance will come into force on Dec. 19. The Fair Trade Commission will designate companies that meet the standard as subject to regulation upon notification.

U.S. companies Apple and Google are likely to be the main targets of the law.

The new law, designed to promote competition over smartphone apps and other products and services provided by tech giants, passed the Diet in June.

The law is set to fully enter into force by December 2025 after more details are finalized.

Covering the four areas of app stores, operating systems, browsers and search engines, the new law will ban platform holders from blocking new entrants and giving favorable treatment to their own services.

Companies violating the law will face a fine equivalent to 20% of their Japanese sales in the field where the offense occurred and 30% for repeated violations.
 
 

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday again voiced his eagerness to establish an Asian version of NATO.

The deterrence provided by the United States has relatively weakened, Ishiba said of the East Asian security environment at a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan's parliament.

"How we maintain the balance of power (in the region) is an obvious question we should be asking when thinking about military affairs," he said.

While admitting that there are constitutional interpretation issues over collective defense, Ishiba stated, "Deciding from the very start that (collective defense) shouldn't be allowed is just giving up thinking."

On the recently adopted economic package, Ishiba said that the central government will facilitate moves to reflect rising prices and labor costs in public procurement contracts between local governments and companies.
 
 

The Olympic Council of Asia has demanded that the Japanese organizers of the 2026 Asian Games make significant improvements to their preparations, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.

Aichi Prefecture and its capital, Nagoya, in central Japan, are set to cohost the next quadrennial Asian Games from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, 2026. The OCA has said that the organizing committee is not adhering to the host city contract.

The OCA has called on the committee to show improvement in more than 10 areas, such as accommodation and transportation for athletes and team staff, according to the sources.

Frustrated with the organizing committee's handling of the situation, the OCA at one point indicated the hosting rights could be revoked and, in behind-the-scenes talks, mentioned potential replacement candidates for the Japanese hosts, the sources said.

The event needs to accommodate a maximum of 15,000 athletes, including those who compete in Tokyo and other parts of Japan. Still, the committee canceled the construction of a large-scale athlete village in Aichi as part of cost-cutting measures.

 

The OCA then asked the committee to review its accommodation plans, saying at least around 7,000 should be housed in one location.

The organizers plan to have about 4,000 on a cruise ship and around 2,000 in container houses to be built along the coast.

It is feared that the total cost of hosting the Asian Games and Asian Para Games could balloon to a little more than 200 billion yen ($1.34 billion) from the initial estimate of 100 billion yen.

"Aside from accommodation plans, there are multiple things the OCA isn't happy about," one of the organizing officials said.

The OCA, the organizing committee and the Japanese Olympic Committee signed an unusual memorandum, dated last Friday, that states the organizers will abide by the host city contract.

The memorandum includes a clause that organizers may incur penalties if they do not fulfill their obligations.
 
 
 

The retailer will trial this new transportation method to fight dependence on truck deliveries due to a driver shortage.

7-Eleven Japan will trial trains for transporting goods across convenience stores as a new initiative amidst shortage in truck drivers.

According to a report by NHK, the company is teaming up with private rail operator Keio Corporation to deliver products along the Inokashira Line, which runs throughout the western suburbs of Tokyo. The items will be delivered to c-stores located inside rail stations.

With this implementation, 7-Eleven aims to try different solutions to the truck driver shortage that the local industry has been struggling with recently.

In addition, stores located inside train stations are often problematic for truck drivers, due to their lack of adequate parking and heavy traffic around the area.

Under this new system, most products will be delivered during regular operating hours, while perishable items such as sandwiches and meals will be transported during off-peak hours to ensure freshness. 

The rail operator’s personnel will unload goods at three stations as part of the trial phase. Additionally, 7-Eleven is exploring the possibility of expanding the initiative with other rail operators.
 
 

Roughly five years ago, Starbucks Japan switched from plastic straws to paper ones, in an effort to be more environmentally friendly. But while this change was made in order to make Mother Nature happy, customers have had more mixed feelings.

The common and consistent complaints have been that paper straws are flimsy and have a noticeably unpleasant taste, with the unwanted flavor tending to become even more pronounced as the straw’s material dissolves and deteriorates.

With Japanese consumers having especially high standards regarding how their food and beverages look and taste, as well as a general dislike for things that seem messy or dirty, Starbucks’ paper straws haven’t been particularly popular.

So there are now a lot of people happy to hear that Starbucks Japan is ready to get rid of paper straws, and very soon. They’re not backpedaling to petroleum-based plastics for their sipping apparatuses, though. Instead, Starbucks Japan’s new straws will be made out of plant-based biomass plastic.

Specifically, they’ll be using Osaka-based Kaneka Corporation’s Green Planet-branded bioplastic material. In doing so, Starbucks hopes to address customers’ dissatisfaction with paper straws while still utilizing a more ecologically responsible material than traditional plastic.

Straw material is an especially important matter for Starbucks branches in Japan. If you’ve spent much time on our site, you probably know that Japan loves Frappuccinos, and the chain is often seen here as much as an emporium for slushy dessert drinks as it is a coffeehouse.

So with Frappuccinos, which are drunk with a straw, being arguably Starbucks Japan’s most popular product, anything that makes them more enjoyable is a win-win for the chain and its customers.

The new biomass plastic straws are scheduled to be introduced first at Starbucks Japan branches in Okinawa Prefecture next month, and to expand to all of the approximately 2,000 Starbucks Japan locations across the county in March.
 
 

The signs at Nippon Steel read: “The world through steel,” underlining why Japan’s top steelmaker is pursuing its $15 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel.

“We can’t expect demand in Japan to grow as the population is declining. We need to invest in production that leads to growth,” a company official, Masato Suzuki, said while giving reporters a look at a Nippon Steel plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

Nippon Steel Corp. has its eyes on India, Southeast Asia and the U.S., Suzuki said. About 70% of the plant's output is exported.

The Tokyo-based company remains optimistic, although the deal is opposed by President-elect Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and American steelworkers.

During the tour, slabs of steel, glowing hot-orange at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius, rolled through the cavernous plant to become giant spools of super-thin steel.

Nippon Steel officials didn’t disclose details of the fine technology they said the planned acquisition would offer U.S. Steel.

Under the proposed deal, first announced in 2023, U.S. Steel would keep its name and its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, becoming a subsidiary of Nippon Steel.

Nippon Steel already has manufacturing operations in the U.S. and Mexico, China and Southeast Asia. It supplies the world’s top automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., and makes steel for railways, pipes, appliances and skyscrapers.

The American steel industry has waned as Chinese steelmakers have grown to dominate the market. Japan wants to leverage the decades-old U.S.-Japan security and political alliance to seal the acquisition, but the outlook is uncertain.

In September, an arbitration board jointly chosen by U.S. Steel and United Steelworkers decided the proposed acquisition could proceed.

But United Steelworkers union, which has 1.2 million members, have objected, citing worries about job losses and contract terms.

The union has questioned Nippon Steel’s plans to transfer production locations and concerns about national security and domestic supply chains.
When asked for comment, it referred to a recent letter to its members.

“As a union, our primary concern is the future of our jobs and the communities we live and work in — not just this year, but also for the foreseeable future.

We’ve seen job losses in the past, and we must do everything we can to avoid it in the future,” said the letter, co-signed by Mike Millsap, chairman of the negotiating committee, and its international president, David McCall.

“While Japan is a political ally, it is also an economic competitor, one that has proven time and again that it is willing to promote its steel industry at our expense,” the union said.

Nippon Steel is promising to “preserve the legacy” of U.S. Steel and protect jobs, pensions and benefits, pledging that there will be no layoffs or plant closures.

The deal is expected to produce an economic boost for the region equivalent to nearly $1 billion in the first two years, create up to 5,000 construction jobs and generate almost $40 million in state and local taxes, according to Nippon Steel.

William W. Grimes, professor of international relations and political science at Boston University, said Nippon Steel's commitment to keeping the U.S. Steel factories running would help preserve U.S.-based production of specialty steels. Nippon Steel also has also promised investments to make the factories more competitive.

There is no militarily sensitive technology Nippon Steel would be able to take from the U.S., and the U.S. relies on steel produced in allied countries, including Japan, Grimes said.

“If Japanese companies do draw a lesson, it should be to engage unions and local politicians early in the process,” he said.
 
 

Japan's bankruptcy filings this year are set to surpass 10,000 and hit the highest since 2013, private-sector data by Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR) showed on Monday, ahead of a closely watched central bank meeting next week.

In November, 841 Japanese companies went bankrupt, bringing the January-November tally to 9,164, already exceeding last year's total, data from the credit research agency showed.

The 2024 bankruptcy figure will likely exceed 10,000 for the first time since 2013, when 10,855 firms went bankrupt.

The Bank of Japan holds a rate review on Dec. 18-19 at which policymakers will scrutinise recent economic indicators to see if they are in line with forecasts. Market expectations for the next BOJ rate hike have fluctuated between December and January.
 

Japan Airlines (JAL) has deepened its commitment to achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050 with an investment in California-based Heirloom Carbon Technologies, a leader in direct air capture (DAC) technology.

Japan Airlines (JAL) has deepened its commitment to achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050 with an investment in California-based Heirloom Carbon Technologies, a leader in direct air capture (DAC) technology.

This marks another major step in diversifying its decarbonisation strategies, following its earlier investment in Direct Ocean Capture technology via Captura.

Heirloom specialises in a novel approach that leverages limestone’s natural ability to absorb CO₂.

The process involves heating limestone using renewable energy to release stored CO₂, after which the material reabsorbs atmospheric carbon like a sponge.

This technique allows for large-scale CO₂ removal from the atmosphere at a relatively low cost.

By supporting Heirloom, JAL aims to advance the development of critical carbon capture technologies and promote the adoption of carbon credits generated through CO₂ removal.

In tandem with its own operational improvements, such as fleet modernisation and fuel efficiency upgrades, JAL’s engagement with cutting-edge climate technologies reflects a multi-faceted approach to tackling aviation’s environmental impact, the company said.

Yasushi Noda, SVP, General Affairs Division, Japan Airlines, said: “We recognise this partnership as an important milestone in the development of global decarbonisation solutions. Through Heirloom’s innovative Direct Air Capture technology, we aim to significantly advance our efforts towards Net Zero CO2 Emissions by 2050.”

Shashank Samala, CEO of Heirloom Carbon Technologies, added: “We’re honoured to receive this investment from JAL and look forward to working with them as a strategic partner to rapidly scale our CO2 removal technology to make meaningful progress in the fight against global temperature rise.”
 

 

Japan's Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko concluded their five-day visit to Türkiye on Dec. 8, reaffirming a shared commitment to strengthening the enduring diplomatic and cultural ties between the two nations through meaningful high-level discussions.

During their visit, the couple engaged in talks focused on enhancing Turkish-Japanese relations, making notable strides to foster collaboration and cultural exchanges between the two nations. The trip, marking the centenary of diplomatic ties, highlighted a renewed dedication to deepening these long-standing ties.

They also paid a visit to several landmarks of the country, including Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in the capital city on Dec. 4. Their itinerary included a dinner hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later in the day.

On Dec. 5, the royal couple continued their tour in Istanbul, participating in several cultural events, including a notable visit to the renowned Hagia Sophia.

Toward the end of their visit, the couple also traveled to the central city of Kırşehir.

Accompanied by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, they paid a visit to Kalehöyük Archaeological Museum, Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology and Japanese Park in the province.

The couple's visit to the city included an inspection of the Japanese government-backed Kalehöyük excavation site in the Kaman district, where Turkish and Japanese archaeologists are collaborating.

They held conversations with archaeologist Sachihiro Omura, director of the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology, at the Kalehöyük Archaeology Museum, which was constructed in 2009 through collaboration between the Turkish and Japanese governments and features artifacts that illuminate the city's 5,000-year history.

The couple also snapped a memento at the Japanese Park, one of the biggest botanical gardens outside of Japan.

The visit included various Turkish authorities, including the Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Serdar Çam and Kırşehir Governor Murat Sefa Demiryürek.