Japan has contributed $14,658,000 (approximately 2.2 billion yen) to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s “Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL)” initiative, Japan’s Foreign Ministry has reported.

The contribution is designated for a package consisting exclusively of “non-lethal” equipment, a term employed by the Ministry in its official statement to preclude any allegations that Japan is financing the war in Ukraine.

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution prohibits the resolution of international disputes by military force. The specific details regarding the so-called “non-lethal” equipment to be supplied will be determined in coordination with NATO.

Japan is also deploying four Self-Defense Force personnel to the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine headquarters in Germany, marking the country’s first such assignment. The personnel will focus on coordination duties rather than combat.

Defense Minister KOIZUMI Shinjiro said the deployment aims to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities by learning from the ongoing conflict and deepening cooperation with NATO.

Japan’s government says it will continue to support Ukraine to achieve a just and lasting peace and intends to further strengthen Japan-NATO cooperation.

The Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List is a framework under which NATO member states and partner countries contribute funds to procure US-manufactured equipment through NATO and provide it to Ukraine.
 
 

Japan intervened in the currency market by spending a record 11.73 trillion yen ($74 billion) over the past month, the Finance Ministry said Friday, providing the first official confirmation of recent efforts to shore up the country's currency amid the Middle East conflict.

The amount surpassed the previous monthly record of 9.79 trillion yen spent over two days in April and May 2024, the data covering the period from April 28 to Wednesday showed. No daily breakdown has been released for the latest intervention.

Intervention by Japanese authorities was suspected on April 30 when the yen surged to the 155 zone from the upper 160 range. The unit then weakened, but on May 1, May 4 and May 6, it gained rapidly from the 157 zone to the 155 range, fueling views that the authorities again stepped in.

The volatile currency movements coincided with the Golden Week holidays in Japan, when trading was thin.

While the yen hit its strongest point since late February in the lower 155 zone on May 6, the effectiveness of intervention appears short-lived, as the currency has since declined, changing hands mostly in the lower 159 zone on Friday.

The U.S. currency continues to draw buying as a safer asset at times of crisis with the prospect of a deal to end the Iran war uncertain.

The Japanese currency's rapid fall, partly driven by speculators, raised concerns about its impact on the economy, as it increases import costs for resource-scarce Japan and accelerates inflation.

Ahead of the suspected interventions in April and May, Japanese finance officials had stepped up verbal warnings.

On April 30, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said "decisive action" would be needed against yen declines, while top currency official Atsushi Mimura followed suit calling for "the final evacuation advisory" against speculative moves seen on the currency market.

The suspected intervention on April 30 was the first action by Japanese authorities in the foreign exchange market since July 2024 when Japan disbursed a total of 5.53 trillion yen to support its home currency.
 
 

The defense ministers of Japan, Australia and New Zealand at a meeting in Singapore on Saturday discussed New Zealand's possible introduction of an upgraded model of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's Mogami-class frigate.

It was the first time for the three countries to hold a meeting of their defense ministers.

"This is a very important opportunity for prosperity, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at the meeting with his Australian and New Zealand counterparts, Richard Marles and Chris Penk.

If New Zealand introduces the upgraded Mogami frigate, that will improve interoperability among the three countries, he also said.

At a press conference after the trilateral meeting, Koizumi said that Japan hopes to advance talks with New Zealand on concluding a pact on the transfer of defense equipment and technologies.
 
 

Japan's parliament on Friday passed an immigration control law revision to raise the maximum fee for residence status applications by foreigners and introduce an online pre-entry travel authorization system for overseas arrivals.

Once the fee changes are implemented later this fiscal year, the upper limit will be set at 100,000 yen for visa renewals and 300,000 yen for permanent residency applications, marking a sharp increase from the existing threshold of 10,000 yen.

The fees are currently 6,000 yen for changing residence status or extending the period of stay and 10,000 yen for permanent residency.

The new fees will be formally set by a cabinet order after soliciting public comments.

The government, which has cited rising costs for the revision, has said it will ease the payment burden on humanitarian grounds and for those facing financial difficulties, but lawmakers have pointed out during parliamentary deliberations that the criteria for such considerations remain unclear.

The Immigration Services Agency plans to formulate guidelines setting forth specific requirements and other details.

The latest revision also includes the establishment of the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, with an eye on implementation in fiscal 2028.

The system, aimed at preventing terrorism and illegal employment, targets 74 countries and regions whose citizens qualify for visa-free entry for short stays.

Travelers will be required to provide information online, such as their name, purpose of visit, and destination, several days prior to departure, which will be cross-checked against criminal records and other databases.

If there is a suspicion of illegal overstaying, travelers will be denied boarding on planes or ships.

The number of foreign residents in Japan at the end of 2025 stood at approximately 4.13 million, a record high.
 
 

 

Japan has contributed JPY90.1 million (US$565.4 thousand) to support regional cooperation on clean, resilient and efficient energy solutions as rising electricity demand from digitalization and artificial intelligence places new pressure on energy systems across the Asia-Pacific.

The contribution was formalized in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on the sidelines of the Second APEC Senior Officials' Meeting in Shanghai by Tamura Hideyasu, Japan's Senior Official for APEC, and Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat.

"As economies across the region pursue both digital and energy transitions, ensuring access to reliable and sustainable energy has become increasingly urgent," Tamura said in APEC statement on its website, Friday.

He stated that Japan remains committed to practical cooperation through APEC, helping economies strengthen energy security, expand energy solutions and build capacity for the future.

He explained The Sub-Fund for Energy Efficiency, Low-Carbon and Energy Resiliency Measures supports cleaner, more robust energy systems across the region.

Funding will help advance clean energy technologies, protect disaster-prone communities and broaden access in rural and remote areas.

The contribution also advances progress toward APEC's energy goals, including a 45 percent reduction in energy intensity by 2035, doubling renewable energy by 2030 and improving energy access across developing economies.

"Energy systems across the region are changing rapidly, creating new demands as economies pursue growth and innovation," Pedrosa said.

"Since its establishment, the sub-fund has grown into being a cornerstone of APEC's clean energy cooperation, driving more than a decade of collective action across the Asia-Pacific," he added.

According to him, this contribution will help translate various cooperation into projects and initiatives that deliver tangible benefits for communities and businesses.

Established in 2010 as a fund focused on Low-Carbon Model Town projects, the sub-fund has since expanded to address broader priorities including energy resilience, energy access for under-resourced communities and the evolving demands that digital transformation places on energy systems.
 

Amid a series of bear attacks across the country, a manufacturer of cut-resistant clothing in Kyoto Prefecture has developed specialized protective gear designed to withstand bear attacks and began selling it in May.

Called “Kuma Tector,” the product’s durability has reportedly been verified through tests using real bear claws. It is intended for use by local government officials on patrol and members of the public.

“We hope it will help save lives when people unexpectedly encounter a bear,” said the company’s public relations official.

The suit was developed by Success Planning Co., based in Yawata City.
According to company President Yukako Kuwahara, 63, the company was founded in 2003 by now Chairman Masafumi Ageno, in the wake of a 2001 mass murder at Ikeda Elementary School attached to Osaka Kyoiku University in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, in which a knife-wielding criminal killed eight children and injured 15 other people.

Ageno established the company with the aim of “contributing to society through products that protect people.”

The company’s main products include coveralls, T-shirts and vests for protective purposes. They are worn in workplaces were sharp tools are used and for personal safety.

In autumn last year, local governments and companies struggling with bear-related problems asked the firm whether its products would be effective against bears, prompting it to begin developing specialized protective gear.

The company’s slash-resistant products utilize materials, such as high-strength special polyethylene fibers and glass fiber, which is made by melting glass into a fibrous form. The firm enhanced Kuma Tector’s strength by layering these fabrics.

Separate garments protect the head and neck, torso and arms. As a result of pursuing a balance between ease of movement and durability, the finished fabric is less than 1 centimeter thick.

Durability testing was conducted in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering at Osaka Sangyo University. A pendulum-type impact tester was used to simulate a forceful, slashing blow from the clawed forepaw of a bear against a person.

A 26-kilogram weight covered with the fabric was dropped from a height of about 1 meter at a speed of 4.9 meters per second onto a taxidermic Asian Black Bear paw with claws.

When comparing the extent of tear conditions of a standard knit fabric and the Kuma Tector fabric, the knit fabric was severely torn by the claws, while the Kuma Tector fabric sustained only minor scratches, according to the company.

The product is intended for use by local government officials and security guards on bear patrol, as well as ordinary citizens who are concerned about bear attacks. “We hope this will help reduce tragedies caused by bears,” Kuwahara said.

The product line includes a protective hood, which covers the head (¥88,000), a protective vest for the chest and abdomen (same price), a neck guard (¥49,500) and protective arm covers (¥35,200). Prices include tax. Sales began in late May through major online retailers and other channels.
 
 

Toyota Motor Corp. has decided to halt development on its next-generation electric vehicle, likely due to global slowdown in EV demand, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The EV had been scheduled for release in mid-2027.

Despite the halt, the company will continue to develop cutting-edge technologies for next-generation EVs, such as all-solid-state batteries and “gigacast,” a technology for integrally molding aluminum parts.

The halted model, the “LF-ZC,” comes from the luxury brand “Lexus.” A prototype was unveiled in October 2023. While the typical range of EVs on a single charge at the time of the unveiling had been around 500 kilometers, the LF-ZC aimed for around double that.

Initially scheduled for release in 2026, the company announced in 2024 that it would postpone the start of production until mid-2027.

The LF-ZC was scheduled to be produced at the company’s Tahara Plant in Aichi Prefecture. The automaker is believed to be moving ahead with developing the other technologies with the aim of utilizing them when EV demand has increased.

Facing headwinds in the EV market, major automakers both in Japan and abroad have been revising their strategies.

Honda Motor Co., for instance, decided to halt development of three EV models that were scheduled to be launched in the United States from 2026.

Nissan Motor Co., meanwhile, announced that it would halt production on a new EV model that had been planned for its U.S. plant.

In the United States, where the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has abolished tax incentives for EVs, General Motors Co. recorded a $6 billion extraordinary loss mainly due to the suspension of its EV development.

Ford Motor Co. also scaled back its EV-related operations and signaled its intention to focus on hybrid vehicles and other models.
 

Major food makers in Japan plan to raise prices for 1,078 items in June, with the number topping the threshold of 1,000 for the first time in two months, a survey by Teikoku Databank Ltd. showed Friday.

The total of food items with planned price increases jumped roughly 13 times from the previous month, while falling 44.4 pct from a year before.

Following a pause in price hikes, some manufacturers are now passing on increased costs for packaging materials and energy to customers amid the uncertain situation in the Middle East.

"A wave of price increases is expected to continue for a wide range of products from this summer," a Teikoku Databank official said. The survey covered 195 companies.

By category, seasoning products accounted for the largest share, numbering 450. House Gaban Corp. will raise prices for some of its spice products for commercial use.
 
 

Nissan Motor Co's five executive officers, including President Ivan Espinosa, received remuneration totaling 1.39 billion yen ($8.7 million) for the fiscal year ended March, even though the company reported two straight years of net losses, a shareholders' meeting notice showed Thursday.

As the struggling Japanese automaker is in the midst of overhaul efforts that include the cutting of 20,000 jobs globally by fiscal 2027, Espinosa has voluntarily returned half of his performance-linked payment, according to the notice.

An executive's remuneration consists of fixed, performance-based and stock compensation.

The remuneration for each executive is not disclosed in the notice.
Nissan logged a net loss of 533.10 billion yen in the year ended March, following a net loss of 670.90 billion yen the previous year, as the bottom line was squeezed by hefty restructuring costs.
 
 

Casio Computer Co Ltd has released the "ER-100" hearing assist earphones as the first product in its new earU brand, which aims to solve the problem of misunderstandings and stress caused by hearing difficulties.

According to Casio, in addition to earphone-induced hearing loss, there are many cases where, even if hearing tests show no abnormalities and words can be heard, it is difficult to accurately grasp emotional information such as intonation, pauses and tone, such as in noisy places like cafes or when wearing a mask.

Ryoichi Furukawa, general manager of new business development, explained, "When people pretend to understand when they don't fully understand due to hearing difficulties, it creates stress and communication breakdowns, leading to a decrease in happiness and productivity—a state known as 'Muffled Ear.' Hearing assist earphones will solve these problems."

Casio developed these earphones using digital sound control technology cultivated through its electronic musical instruments and other products.

Because they are open-ear type earphones that do not block the ears, allow for easier perception of distance and other nuances compared to closed-type earphones. Hearing adjustments are made via a smartphone app.

They are available in black and white and are priced at 49,940 yen (including tax) at the Casio online store.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

For more than a century, only male umpires have officiated at Japan's prestigious Koshien high school baseball tournaments. That will change this summer when five women take the field at the national championship.

Female umpires will make their debut at the national high school baseball championship in August, marking the first time in the history of Japan's spring and summer meets that women have officiated on Koshien Stadium's hallowed ground.

The move comes as the Japan High School Baseball Federation seeks to broaden participation in the sport and address a growing shortage of umpires amid declining player numbers.

"Out!" "Safe!" rang out across the stadium in Nishinomiya near Osaka -- home to the Hanshin Tigers in Japanese professional baseball -- earlier this month as umpires gathered for a national training course ahead of the summer tourney.

Among them was Kana Sato, 39, of the Saitama Prefectural High School Baseball Federation, who said she hopes to bring her own style to the role.

"I want to make each call carefully," she said. "My voice is different from that of a man's, but I hope people will think that kind of voice works well too."

Sato began umpiring more than a decade ago after becoming supervisor of a junior high school baseball club at the school where she worked. Wanting to guide students from a different perspective, she decided to study umpiring seriously.

Her experience eventually led her to officiate at last year's Under-18 Baseball World Cup.

The mother of two young children, Sato has support from those around her that has helped her continue, including assistance with childcare during games.

For Kasumi Iwao, 33, from Kanagawa Prefecture, officiating at Koshien carries special meaning.

As a student at Kamata Girls' High School (now Haneda International High School) in Tokyo, she won the national high school girls' invitational tournament.

But while boys dreamed of competing at Koshien, girls' baseball received little attention, leaving her with the thought, "The boys get to go to Koshien -- lucky them."

After graduating, Iwao became an umpire and she now officiates games while working as a nurse. She wants younger generations to see that women can also thrive in the sport.

"I want to show that women are capable of this too, so they will feel encouraged to give it their all," she said.

Women have increasingly taken officiating roles at the highest levels of international sport.

In basketball, the NBA introduced its first female referee nearly 30 years ago, while Japanese judo referee Akiko Amano officiated at three Olympic Games.

At football's 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, six women, including Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita, officiated matches for the first time in tournament history.

Major League Baseball also introduced female umpires last year.
Now, that shift appears to have reached Koshien, one of the most revered stages in Japanese sport.

According to figures from two years ago, around 20 women served on umpire committees within prefectural high school baseball federations across Japan.

Taisuke Ozaki, chairman of the Japan High School Baseball Federation's rules committee, said the organization faces a serious shortage of umpires alongside a decline in the number of players.

"We want to create an environment where more people are willing to lend their support so we can work together to help as many people as possible," Ozaki said.
 
 

More than 90% of elementary school principals want lower-grade students to use paper textbooks, even as the country moves toward greater adoption of digital versions, according to a new Yomiuri Shimbun survey.

The survey, conducted earlier this month, asked elementary school principals nationwide about their opinions on digital textbooks, which the government aims to officially introduce to the nation’s schools starting in fiscal 2030.

Of the 149 respondents, more than 90% expressed a preference for “paper-only” or “primarily paper” textbooks for first and second graders. The figure was 80% for third and fourth graders, underscoring a clear desire for paper-based learning at schools.

A bill to officially recognize digital textbooks as a valid form of textbook passed the House of Representatives in April. With deliberations in the House of Councillors set to start soon, the bill is expected to be passed into law by the end of June.

Once the bill is passed, “fully digital” textbooks and “hybrids” combining paper and digital materials will be added to the existing paper-only options.

In the survey, principals were asked to choose the most desirable textbook format for children’s learning from four options: paper-only; paper-centric hybrids supplemented with digital material; digital-centric hybrids supplemented with paper material; or fully digital.

The combined percentage of principals who expressed a preference for paper-only or primarily paper texts for each level of education stood at 94% for early elementary (first and second grades), 80% for middle elementary (third and fourth grades) and 54% for upper elementary (fifth and sixth grades).

When asked for their reasons in a free-response format, many principals offered responses to the effect that paper textbooks encourage deeper thinking in elementary school children, while some also pointed out issues with digital technology, such as concerns over its effect on children’s eyesight and health.

By subject, the preference for paper-based materials for Japanese language classes reached 96% for early elementary, 83% for middle elementary and 63% for upper elementary. Mathematics saw similar results at 90%, 75% and 52%, respectively.

For social studies and science, the proportion of principals choosing paper for middle elementary students also exceeded those favoring digital-centric or fully digital options.

There were some subjects where respondents showed a greater preference for primarily digital or fully digital textbooks, such as English, where a combined 66% chose these options.

Meanwhile, a combined 72% of respondents said that they either “have concerns” or “somewhat have concerns” about granting digital textbooks official status.

The Yomiuri Shimbun conducted the online survey this month, targeting 188 officials including the chairpersons and vice chairpersons of elementary school principal associations across all 47 prefectures. Valid responses were received from 149 people, a response rate of 79%.
 
 

A regular passenger ferry service is set to be launched to connect the northern Taiwan city of Keelung and Ishigaki Island in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa.

For its maiden voyage, the Yaima Maru ferry will depart from the port of Keelung late Thursday and is scheduled to arrive at Ishigaki Island on Friday morning.

This will be the first time in 18 years that a regular passenger ship connecting Taiwan and the island is operated, according to Uni-Wagon Marine Co., a Taiwanese company entrusted with operating the service.

"I hope the Yaima Maru will be loved by many people and help deepen the friendship and trust between the two regions," Yoshitaka Nakayama, mayor of the city of Ishigaki, said at a ceremony held at the port of Keelung on Thursday to mark the service launch.

The ferry, owned by Shosen Yaima Co. in the city of Ishigaki, is equipped with guest rooms and bathrooms, and can accommodate up to 545 passengers. The one-way, 270-kilometer trip will take about eight hours.
 
 

Fujitsu Ltd. has teamed up with U.S. artificial intelligence startup Anthropic PBC to provide high-level AI services for corporate and other clients, according to Fujitsu.

Under the agreement formed Wednesday, Fujitsu will integrate Anthropic’s cutting-edge AI technology with its own ability to build systems to meet clients’ needs.

Fujitsu dispatches engineers to client companies and other entities and provides AI services to support problem-solving.

By leveraging Claude, Anthropic’s generative AI tool, Fujitsu aims to shorten the development cycle forintroducing advanced features in its AI services.

Fujitsu aims to improve productivity in development by having its entire group workforce of about 100,000 use Claude in their work. The firm and Anthropic will also partner on cyber defense efforts in such fields as public administration, finance and defense.

Fujitsu did not disclose whether the partnership includes use of Claude Mythos, an Anthropic AI model that is said to be extremely adept at identifying system vulnerabilities.

Anthropic is rapidly building relationships with Japanese companies, and has already formed alliances with NEC Corp. and Hitachi Ltd.

Also on Wednesday, Fujitsu announced it will collaborate with the U.S.-based OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT. Under the partnership, the firms plan to develop services tailored to specific industries, particularly in manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
 
 

A company jointly established by five firms, including Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co. and Japanese car parts retailer Autobacs Seven Co., said Wednesday it will launch a new automobile brand, EMTA, with plans to introduce an electric mini-vehicle model in Japan next year.

The joint company, EMT Co., said it plans to introduce three more models by 2029.

The company will equip the vehicles with technologies optimized for each model's characteristics, including post-delivery updates to driving performance and cruising range, as well as features that allow drivers to adjust settings such as seat positions and air-conditioning temperatures via smartphone.

Decisions on product concepts and design specifications for the first model will be made in Japan, while production is planned in China, the company said.

The price and sales target for the first model have not yet been set.
The company is considering making future models in Japan.
 
 

Japan Airlines Co. will launch a service to transport containers to the moon, the firm announced Tuesday.

JAL will sell partitioned spaces within the containers to businesses and local governments, enabling them to pack and transport products, such as regional specialties, they wish to preserve for future generations.

This will be the world’s first lunar transport service operated by an airline, according to JAL. For the inaugural shipment, the company plans to load a special container onto a lunar lander to be launched in 2028 by the Tokyo-based startup ispace, inc.

The containers are 20 centimeters wide and 20 centimeters long and have a depth of 10 centimeters. Pricing and other details will be determined later. JAL will be responsible for developing a container resistant to the lunar environment and soliciting items to be included.

With growing interest in the moon within the space development sector, JAL aims to take the lead in lunar transport services. “Together with companies and local governments, we want to transport items to the moon that will be preserved for the future, much like the ark,” said a JAL spokesperson.
 
 

Parliament on Wednesday enacted legislation featuring a measure to allow local governments to issue debt securities in a digital format.

At a plenary meeting, the Upper House passed legislation to revise multiple laws related to local autonomy, based on proposals from local governments.

The issuance of digital local government securities will involve highly secure blockchain technology. The introduction of digital securities is aimed at diversifying the investor base and sources of local government fund procurement.

The legislation also includes a law revision allowing prefectural governments to request electronic certificates of family registers from municipal governments online, including by email.

The step is expected to reduce the administrative burden on local governments as prefectural governments currently request and receive paper certificates by mail.
 
 

A welcome ceremony was held Wednesday at the Imperial Palace for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife Louise Araneta-Marcos, who are visiting Japan as state guests.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako welcomed the couple at the event, which was also attended by Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Crown Princess Kiko as well as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The four-day state visit, which coincides with the 70th anniversary year of the normalization of ties, is the first since Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife traveled to Japan in March 2025.

The ceremony took place in the palace's East Gardens, where the national anthems of both countries were played and Marcos received an honor guard salute from the Self-Defense Forces ceremonial unit.

The emperor and empress then met with the presidential couple for around 20 minutes in the palace's Take no Ma stateroom.

According to the Imperial Household Agency, Marcos noted that bilateral ties had developed remarkably across many fields, with many Filipinos working in Japan as nurses and in other professions.

The emperor responded by expressing his gratitude for their significant contribution to Japan, the agency said.

A state banquet hosted by the imperial couple will be held in the evening. Prince Hisahito, the 19-year-old son of the crown prince and princess, is expected to attend the banquet for the first time, following his coming-of-age ceremony last year.
 
 

Fashion trends that emphasize individuality without regard for gender norms, such as men using parasols and women wearing neckties, are spreading among young people in Japan, mainly those in Generation Z, who are aged around 15 to 30.

In line with the trend of genderless fashion, many Japanese apparel companies are working to expand their product lineups and improve store environments.

 

Menswear giant Aoyama Trading Co. released Skinny Tie, a tie for women that is thinner and shorter than men's ties, and makes a smaller knot, in January. The company sells unisex suits at both men's and women's sections at its stores.

Last year, Aoyama Trading conducted a survey for some 850 female members of its app, and about half of them said they are interested in styles designed for men. A company official said that clothing items for men are trending among young women.

With fewer and fewer people wearing suits to work, Aoyama Trading is seeking new demand from female customers, including those in Generation Z.
 
 

Japan’s parliament passed legislation on Wednesday to launch a new intelligence council, a key move in Prime Minister Sanae Takichi’s push to bolster the nation’s security agenda.

Japanese officials have long argued for enhanced intelligence capabilities to deter foreign spies, prevent terrorism, safeguard sensitive technologies and improve national security.

Tokyo has faced criticism that its existing policies and law enforcement against espionage are too relaxed — with some labelling the nation a “spies’ paradise”.

The issue has gained a renewed sense of urgency since a diplomatic row erupted with Beijing, after Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

Takaichi on Tuesday told the legislature that the step enables Japan to integrate intelligence activities — currently fragmented across multiple ministries — such as police, the foreign ministry and the defence ministry.

“To maintain peace and prosperity and pre-empt serious crises, it is of the utmost importance to establish a system in which the intelligence community provides robust support for sound decision-making by policymakers,” Takaichi said.

Under the new law, which was approved by the upper house Wednesday and cleared by the lower house last month, the government will upgrade an existing intelligence body to serve as the central command for collecting and analysing information related to security and public safety.

The newly created National Intelligence Council will be chaired by the prime minister.

But Takaichi’s critics have voiced concerns that the upgraded intelligence apparatus might lead to the government’s overreach and infringe upon individual freedom and privacy.

Opponents have staged rallies across the nation against Takaichi, saying that her campaign to expand Japan’s defence capacity might draw Tokyo into international armed conflicts.
 
 

Nissan Motor Co has withdrawn a plan to manufacture powertrains for electric vehicles in Britain, a source familiar with the matter said Sunday, as the struggling Japanese automaker reviews its production and factory numbers.

Jacto Ltd, a Nissan subsidiary that has been jointly developing drive units for EV models, had planned to build a factory in Sunderland in 2026 and supply its parts to a Nissan assembly plant.

The EV models that Nissan has or plans to manufacture at the plant include the Leaf as well as the Juke set to be rolled out in Europe in 2027.

The Yokohama-based automaker is expected to secure the necessary drive units for the EV models from Japan.
 
 

An Idemitsu Tanker Co. crude oil tanker entered the Ise Bay in central Japan on Monday morning, becoming the first oil tanker to arrive in the country after passing through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict between the U.S.-Israel side and Iran.

The Idemitsu Maru, operated by the Idemitsu Kosan Co. unit, sailed through the strait, currently under a de facto blockade, in late April without paying passage fees to Iran, according to Idemitsu Kosan and other sources.

Carrying about 300,000 kiloliters of Saudi crude oil, equivalent to one day of Japan's domestic consumption, the vessel was moored off Chita, Aichi Prefecture. The oil will be unloaded at the Aichi Complex in the city and refined into gasoline and petrochemical raw materials.

Among other tankers for oil shipments to Japan, the Eneos Endeavor, owned by a group company of Eneos Corp., passed through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month and is expected to arrive in Japan later this month or in early June.

A liquefied natural gas tanker of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. has also passed through the strait, it was learned Monday.
 
 

As a teenager struggling to fit into life in rural Sicily, psychiatrist Francesco Panto found refuge in anime, where he discovered characters that resembled the kind of man he wanted to be.

Now living in Japan, Panto thinks anime can benefit others and is trialling whether it could be used as a method of therapy, particularly for people who would otherwise struggle to ask for help.

"The use of manga and anime supported me so much... they were very important emotional support kind of tools," Panto told AFP. "Being raised in Italy, in Sicily, there were very strong stereotypes around gender or self-expression.

But when I was 12 or 13 years old I started to play this game called 'Final Fantasy'... and the male protagonists resonated with me. They were so masculine and cool, but in their own way."

Panto's six-month pilot study into "character-based counseling" at Yokohama City University ended in March.

As part of the trial, he and his team recruited 20 people aged 18-29 who had symptoms of depression and gave them online counseling delivered by a psychologist who appeared on the screen as an anime avatar with a digitally altered voice.

He believes that the "filter of fantasy" can help put people at ease and aid recognition of their problems -- and he's hoping that the trial results will confirm this theory.

From a steady and trustworthy "maternal energy" figure who brandishes an assault rifle, to an emotionally perceptive "prince-like" male who wears a cape, six different characters were created specifically for the study.

Each is based on a particular archetype in Japanese manga, with trial participants given freedom to choose among them.

"I tried to infuse each character with a specific mental struggle. One character is called Kuroto Nagi. She's affected by bipolar personality traits," Panto said.

Others struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorders, or experience problems related to alcohol use.

But the idea is for the avatars to be "fun", Panto explained, and although the psychologist tells the story of their character at the start of the session, they were instructed not to make mental health issues too obvious.

One 24-year-old trial participant explained how they had been drawn to the study by a description of one of the characters, who was said to be "searching for true strength".

That "made me feel like it might help me get closer to the answer to my own problems," said the participant, an anime fan and game developer who could not be identified by name under the rules of the trial.


'Will to live'

The phase-one trial -- which tracked participants' heart rates and sleep -- is primarily to test whether anime therapy is feasible and if this kind of treatment can reduce symptoms of depression.

Panto is also considering whether the therapy could be delivered using artificial intelligence, without the medium of a real psychologist.

The research project is one of many trying to find solutions to mental health challenges in Japan including "ikizurasa", a term for people who find it "difficult to live, difficult to survive in society", said Mio Ishii, an assistant professor helping lead the project.

"There are many young people who cannot go to school or continue working. So, our scope is to give them... new choices to recover from their difficulties," she said, adding that there was still huge stigma in Japan attached to seeking help.

As of 2022, only six percent of people in Japan had used psychological counselling for mental health problems, according to data cited on the World Economic Forum website. The rate was much higher in Europe and the United States.

Jesus Maya, who specializes in family therapy at the University of Seville and is not involved in the trial, said the use of anime during sessions can be "really useful".

"It can facilitate the expression of emotions... (and) identification and communication between the patient and the therapist," he said.

Under the rules of the study, the 24-year-old trial participant -- whose current favorite anime series include "The End of Evangelion" and "Girls Band Cry" -- could not comment on the trial itself.

But they said anime had given them the "will to live, seeing characters who are full of life as they work hard toward their dreams".

Ishii hopes the therapy could help people of all ages across the world. "Because usually people have stigmas and psychological barriers to ask for help about their mental health," she said. "But anime or technology can decrease them."
 
 

Toshifumi Suzuki, the founder of Seven-Eleven Japan and widely regarded ​as the father of Japan's convenience store ‌industry, died of heart failure on May 18, Seven & i Holdings said on Monday. He was 93.

Born in ​Nagano in 1932, Suzuki joined retailer Ito-Yokado ​in 1963 after working at a book ⁠wholesaler. Defying scepticism at the time, Suzuki ​partnered with Southland Corp, the U.S. operator of ​7-Eleven, to launch Seven-Eleven Japan in 1973, opening the first store in Tokyo the following year.

He pioneered the use ​of data to tailor inventory and built ​a business model centred on ready-to-eat meals and rapid inventory ‌turnover, ⁠helping transform convenience stores into a cornerstone of Japan's retail landscape.

Suzuki also led the successful restructuring and rescue of Southland in the early 1990s ​after the ​7-Eleven parent ⁠filed for bankruptcy due to massive debt from a leveraged buyout.

Suzuki went ​on to establish Seven & i Holdings ​in ⁠2005 and oversaw its expansion into a retail conglomerate. The avid book reader stepped down as chairman ⁠in ​2016 after a management dispute ​but remained an influential figure in Japan's retail industry.

Reporting by Mariko ​Katsumura; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jamie Freed
 
 

A strong odor at the Ginza Six shopping mall in central Tokyo prompted emergency calls and left at least 25 people complaining of feeling unwell Monday, police and fire authorities said.

According to reports from NHK, a woman called the police around noon to report a “pungent odor” and that “everyone was coughing,” according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Similar complaints were also made at a nearby police box, TBS reported.
The incident occurred near a bank’s ATM area on the first floor. Several people complained of symptoms including sore throats after police officers and emergency personnel arrived at the scene.

According to TBS, 25 people, both men and women, have reported feeling unwell, and 14 of them — two men and 12 women — have been taken to the hospital. A total of 53 fire department vehicles, including fire engines, had been dispatched.

Police and the Tokyo Fire Department are investigating the cause of the odor. According to police, a man wearing a black jacket, light-colored pants, and a white mask sprayed something in the ATM area.

A woman who was at the shopping mall told NHK, “When I tried to go inside, the air felt strange, and everyone around me was covering their mouths.

When I went into the ATM area, my throat felt scratchy and numb, so I immediately went outside and called the fire department. My throat is still scratchy now.”

Ginza Six is one of Tokyo’s best-known luxury shopping malls.
 
 

The average price of a new condominium in central Tokyo in April rose 38.9 percent from a year earlier to 124.98 million yen, reflecting a rebound from the previous year's drop and rising construction costs, a research institute said.

The price in the greater metropolitan area covering the capital and its three surrounding prefectures in the reporting month slipped below 100 million yen for the first time in three months, according to the Real Estate Economic Institute.

Still, the price in the capital and Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures, at 87.36 million yen, was up 24.8 percent from a year earlier, the institute said.

The number of new condos listed for sale in Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures climbed 15.6 percent to 1,163 units, with neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture seeing a 60.4 percent surge to 441 units.

In western Tokyo, outside the capital's 23 wards, the average price for new condominiums was 75.43 million yen, up 4.4 percent, while the price edged down 0.8 percent to 60.16 million yen in Chiba Prefecture.

The price rose 6.7 percent to 71.74 million yen in Kanagawa Prefecture and 30.9 percent to 70.14 million yen in Saitama Prefecture.

Buyers "are taking more time to consider purchases," an official said, noting contract rates remain weak across almost all the greater metropolitan area.

Consumers are continuing to tighten their purse strings due to reasons such as rising interest rates, which increase housing loans, he added.
 
 

Japanese trade minister Ryosei Akazawa said Saturday he had a brief exchange with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on the sidelines of a regional economic forum in Suzhou, eastern China, marking the first ministerial contact between the two countries since their latest diplomatic dispute flared up last year.

Sino-Japanese ties have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in parliament last November that Japan could deploy its defense forces in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.

Senior vice foreign minister Iwao Horii, who attended the two-day trade ministers' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum together with Akazawa, also told reporters he had separately met with Wang and asked Beijing to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals in China following a knife attack in Shanghai.

Two Japanese men and one Chinese woman were injured in the Tuesday incident at a Japanese restaurant in Shanghai. China has so far described the attack by a man with a mental disorder as an isolated incident.

Akazawa said he approached Wang, who was sitting at a table alone, during a dinner Friday, while Horii said he had chatted with the commerce minister aboard a boat during a cruise after the dinner. Neither revealed details of their contacts with Wang.

Since the escalation of bilateral tensions following Takaichi's remarks, Japan has maintained that it remains open to dialogue with China.

It hopes to arrange a meeting between Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during an APEC summit to be held in southern China's Shenzhen in November to improve the strained ties.

"The Japanese government policy of seeking strategic and mutually beneficial ties with China remains unchanged," Akazawa stressed.

Angered by the Japanese leader's comments, China has increased pressure on Japan through tighter export controls on dual-use items, possibly including rare earths, travel alerts against the neighboring country and cancellations of Japanese cultural events, among other measures.

Following the end of the APEC session, the Japanese trade minister said he called for the removal of export control measures on rare earths and other critical minerals that are not in line with international practices, as they could "severely impact global supply chains."

Taiwan, one of the 21 APEC member economies, sent its trade representative Yang Jen-ni to the Suzhou meeting, but neither Akazawa nor Horii had contact with her, according to Japanese officials.

Last week, Japan's gender equality minister, Hitoshi Kikawada, attended an APEC meeting on women and the economy in Shanghai, marking the first visit to China by a member of the Takaichi Cabinet since her remarks triggered the diplomatic feud.

But he did not have any contact with the Chinese side, the Japanese officials said.
 
 

Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, will attend a banquet with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife at the Imperial Palace on Wednesday night, the Imperial Household Agency has announced.

It will be the first time for the 19-year-old prince, currently in his second year at the University of Tsukuba, to attend an event to welcome a state guest.

Naomasa Yoshida, grand master of the Crown Prince’s Household, said that the prince’s attendance was allowed because the evening banquet will not interfere with his studies. The young prince will attend after his university classes.

According to the agency, his father and two older sisters, Mako Komuro and Princess Kako, attended such events for the first time while studying at university and after reaching adulthood.

The three attended events for state guests from Niger in 1986, Bhutan in 2011, and the Philippines in 2014, respectively.
 
 

The calendar says we’re still in spring, but the thermometer shows that summer is almost here.

With temperatures in Tokyo hitting 30 degrees Celsius last weekend, we’re closing in on the time of year when some form of sun protection is a must for many when going outside, which in turn means the time of year when many find themselves thinking “I really should put on some sunblock…but it’s a hassle, so maybe I’ll just skip it…”

Thankfully, Japan’s Biore brand of sunblock is here to give us a little extra nudge towards taking the time to apply protection with its Kids Stamp UV.
 

 

Yes, the name does reveal that this was created first and foremost with kids in mind, but the appeal of cats knows no age limits, and unlike, say, children’s medicine, Kids Stamp UV is just as effective for adults as it is for children, with an SPF50 PA+++ rating.

Right away, the cute feline-eared design for the bottle catches the cat-loving eye, and things get even better when you flip open the cap.

 

Instead of a single opening, Kids Stamp UV has five, arranged in the pattern of a cat’s paw pads. The bottle is also designed so that instead of squeezing out a stream of liquid, you use it like a stamp, tapping it against your skin to apply the sunblock directly…

 

…and when you do, you get a series of paw prints, like a little kitty has been walking across your arm, leg, or cheek.

You do still need to rub the lotion in, but while there’s some initial stickiness, it quickly fades away and the Kids Stamp UV sunblock dries nicely, leaving no significant greasiness behind.

 

If you have kids, a big advantage of Kids Stamp UV is how it makes the process of applying sunblock fun.

Our reporter Ninoude Punico tried it out with her 6-year-old, and it immediately turned the regular session of “Sit still! You need this!” into a much more relaxed and happy “OK, let’s get our cat prints on before we go out.”

 

As a matter of fact, with how easy the sunblock is to apply because of the stamp-style top, Punico’s kid has even started using it without Mom’s help.

 

▼ The instructions, complete with adorable illustrations, say to apply one “stamp” every 10 centimeters or so.

Of course, Biore’s cute and clever design is just as fun and convenient for adult cat fans as it is for kids, and with Japan being the land of kawaii culture, you’re not going to get side-eyed by other adults for using it yourself either.

Being jointly developed by Biore parent company Kao and Aeon Retail, Kids Stamp UV is available at Aeon, Welcia, and Tsuruha supermarkets/drugstores, and we’ll be keeping some handy for mountain- hiking, Gundam-viewing, and other outdoor summer excursions.
 
 

Japanese retailer Uniqlo reopened its global flagship and largest store in South Korea on Friday, five years after shutting down in 2021. 

Located at the heart of Myeong-dong in Seoul, the store spans three floors and covers an area of approximately 3,254 square meters, making it the biggest one in the country.

It has around 42 checkout counters, 54 fitting rooms, and self-service tax-free zones for tourists. 

Uniqlo operates 16 flagship stores worldwide, with the Myeong-dong branch being the only one in South Korea. Other flagship branches include Tokyo’s 12-floor branch in Ginza. 

 

The store features all of Uniqlo’s products as well as exclusive products that can only be found at the Myeong-dong branch. 

On the first floor, customers can customize their own t-shirts using various exclusive designs from local businesses and the neighborhood’s renowned coffee shops. 

Additionally, on the first floor, customers can find various core Uniqlo items as well as pajamas from popular characters like Hello Kitty and Snoopy. 

The second floor, which is dedicated to women and baby items, welcomes customers with a mini library that features not-for-sale books highlighting South Korea’s development in various industries such as film and fashion, creating a unique experience for residents and tourists. 

The third floor includes men’s collections as well as a section dedicated to repairs and remakes. 

 

To celebrate the opening, Uniqlo is offering major discounts until Monday on some of its iconic products, such as its viral crossbody bag as well as its premium linen shirts. It will also give away freebies to those who shop during that period. 

The store is expected to draw large crowds on the weekend as customers take advantage of the discounts before the promotion concludes. 

Despite opening on a weekday, the store attracted many visitors, resulting in large queues that made customers wait around 15-30 minutes before entering. 

In 2019, South Korean customers boycotted Japanese products in a movement titled the ‘No Japan’ after Japan imposed export restrictions on core manufacturing materials. 

Uniqlo was one of the Japanese brands in South Korea that was heavily impacted by the boycott.

 

The boycott, alongside the pandemic, made the store close in 2021. By 2022, the number of Uniqlo stores went from 190 to 127. 

Now, as the boycott fades and foreigners flock to Seoul, Uniqlo’s return to tourists’ beloved shopping neighborhood reflects the demand for Japanese products and the irreplaceable quality that Uniqlo presents at a reasonable price, competing with other popular local and international stores in the area like Musinsa Standard and H&M. 

The branch is open daily and is a five-minute walk from Line 4’s Myeong-dong station or a ten-minute walk from Line 2’s Euljiro 1 station. 
 
 

Daiwa Energy & Infrastructure (DEI), a unit of Japanese financial services firm Daiwa Securities Group Inc (TYO:8601), has secured a project finance loan for a 38-MW/160.32-MWh grid-connected energy storage facility.

The disbursement was inked with Japanese lender Aozora Bank on March 31, 2026. The battery storage project is being built in Chitose City, Hokkaido, the company announced on Tuesday.
 
Daiwa Energy did not disclose the size of the project finance facility.
 
Special-purpose company (SPC) Chitose Chikudensho LLC is the owner of the project, which is scheduled to be commissioned in October 2027.

Once operational, the facility will be aggregated by Osaka Gas Co Ltd (TYO:9532).
 
Japanese trader ITOCHU Corp (TYO:8001) will supply the battery storage system. Kyocera Communication Systems is in charge of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), while Daiwa Real Estate Asset Management will be the asset manager.
 

Major Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. plans to begin producing two popular minivan models in Taiwan in October and sell them in Japan as part of efforts to ease delivery delays caused by labor shortages.

Toyota will build the Noah and Voxy minivans that are popular in Japan at a plant of a joint venture in Taiwan after establishing a dedicated production line, company officials said Thursday.

The Taiwan plant assembles models including the Corolla and the Yaris Cross.

Toyota currently makes the Noah and Voxy minivans at Toyota Auto Body Co.'s Fujimatsu plant in Kariya in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.

It is rare for Toyota to manufacture mainstay models for the Japanese market abroad.
 
 

Real wages in Japan decreased for the fourth straight year in fiscal 2025 which ended in March, as prices rose faster than pay.

The labor ministry released the data on Friday. It surveyed more than 30,000 businesses with at least five employees.

Nominal cash wages, including base pay, overtime and bonuses, averaged around 358,000 yen, or about 2,250 dollars, per month. This marks a 2.5 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, indicating a growth in wages for the fifth year in a row.

However, inflation-adjusted real wages were down 0.5 percent. The pace of decline was unchanged from fiscal 2024. Real wages were down 1.8 percent in fiscal 2022 and by 2.2 percent in fiscal 2023.

The labor ministry says cash wages are increasing steadily, while inflation has been slowing down this year. The ministry says it will watch whether smaller firms start offering large pay increases, as major companies did this spring.
 
 

A Japanese oil tanker that transited the Strait of Hormuz late last month is expected to arrive in Japan possibly on Monday, the government said, making it the first such case since the Iran war erupted and left traffic through the vital energy route heavily restricted.

As the resource-poor nation awaits the arrival of the tanker operated by a unit of major refiner Idemitsu Kosan Co., Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Friday, stressing the importance of "free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels of all countries."

In their sixth telephone conversation since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, Motegi also called on Iran to allow the swift passage of remaining vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The Idemitsu Maru, with three Japanese aboard, is scheduled to arrive at Idemitsu's Aichi complex in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, in central Japan.
Iranian state-run Press TV said the tanker, sailing under the flag of Panama, loaded crude oil in Saudi Arabia in early March.

Japan has relied heavily on the Middle East for crude oil, most of which normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iran conflict has sent crude oil prices surging due to supply concerns.

The ship-tracking website MarineTraffic showed the Idemitsu Maru off Japan's western main island of Shikoku as of Friday afternoon.

Another major Japanese oil company, Eneos Holdings Inc., said last week that an affiliate's oil tanker had passed through the strait, with its arrival expected between late May and early June.

According to the Japanese Shipowners' Association, 39 Japan-related vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf.

Motegi told Araghchi that "what matters most is that the ceasefire is maintained" between the United States and Iran, as well as the de-escalation of the situation, including in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

He also expressed his strong hope that talks toward permanently ending the war will resume promptly, it said.
 
 

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Laotian counterpart, Thongsavan Phomvihane, agreed Friday that their countries will promote cooperation to strengthen supply chains for energy and critical minerals.

They reached the agreement at a meeting in Tokyo, amid supply instability reflecting Middle East tensions.

Thongsavan, who also serves as deputy prime minister of Laos, expressed support for the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience, or Powerr Asia, a new energy support framework for Asian countries, which was announced by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month.

Motegi voiced pleasure at progress in exchanges between the two countries in various fields, citing a visit to Laos by Princess Aiko, the daughter of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, last November.
 
 

Tokyo High Court ruled Thursday that the Feb. 8 election for Japan's House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, was constitutional in terms of vote-value disparities.

Presiding Judge Takao Furuta dismissed a claim by a group of lawyers led by Hidetoshi Masunaga that sought to nullify the election results.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the maximum vote-value disparity of 2.1 times in the election failed to satisfy the constitutional requirement for equality in the value of votes.

Furuta said that the so-called Adams method, introduced to better reflect differences in regional populations when setting the number of seats in each prefecture, is reasonable.

The plaintiffs plan to file an appeal.

It was the fourth ruling in a total of 16 lawsuits filed with the 14 high courts and high court branches across the country by two groups of lawyers, including the Masunaga-led group.
 
 

Mizuho Financial Group Inc, one of Japan's three megabanks, and Rakuten Group Inc, one of the country's largest e-commerce firms, said Wednesday that Mizuho Bank will invest in Rakuten Bank on Oct 1.

Mizuho Bank currently holds a 14.99 percent stake in Rakuten Card on an issued stock basis, but will withdraw the investment and shift an equivalent amount into Rakuten Bank for a 5.81 percent stake.

The capital alliance comes as Mizuho aims to strengthen its ties with internet banks and gain new, especially younger, customers, as competition for deposits intensifies after the Bank of Japan ended its decade-long unorthodox monetary easing in 2024.

The partnership is expected to expand, with the two firms considering having Rakuten participate in corporate loans by Mizuho as well as outsourcing counter services in times of disaster for Rakuten customers to Mizuho. Rakuten has no physical branches.

The two groups have promoted partnerships, with the Mizuho Rakuten Card service launched in 2024 to allow card payments to be deducted from Mizuho Bank accounts. Mizuho Securities Co also holds a stake in Rakuten Securities Inc., and the investment will remain unchanged.

Rakuten will reorganize its financial business on Oct 1, with Rakuten Card and Rakuten Securities Holdings Inc placed under the umbrella of Rakuten Bank, as it plans to improve its fundraising efficiency and bring in customers by enhancing convenience through its integrated financial app.

The newly structured Rakuten Bank, including Rakuten Card, aims to post a group recurring profit of more than 400 billion yen ($2.5 billion) by the year ending March 2030.
 
 

The world’s first sale of eels that have been produced by artificially hatching them from eggs will begin on a trial basis from May 29.
 
The project, led by Oita-based leading eel farmer Yamada Suisan Co., is aiming to gauge consumer demand before the process is commercialized. However, it has been pointed out that challenges remain, including the need to establish farming techniques and for prices to be kept in check.
 
On Tuesday, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Norikazu Suzuki praised the taste of the eel after sampling the full-cycle cultivated eel ahead of the sales launch. “I can only say it’s delicious. I want to support efforts to make this available to many consumers,” he said.
 
“By increasing [production] volumes, we want to plan for the next phase,” said Yamada Suisan President Shintaro Yamada. The company plans to conduct trial sales at stores and on e-commerce sites, with each eel priced at around ¥5,000.
 
Full-cycle cultivation is a technique in which adult eels raised from artificially collected eggs are induced to spawn, thereby passing on the lineage to the next generation. The predecessor organization to the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency achieved the world’s first successful full-cycle cultivation in 2010, and the agency has continued to advance the research.
 
As a result of developments such as large-scale tanks and feed, tens of thousands of juveniles can be produced per year as of 2026.
 
However, the process of raising eels from eggs to the juvenile stage remains difficult, and the technology for efficient, stable mass production has not yet been established. The glass eels used for farming Japanese eel currently rely primarily on those bred naturally.
 
The supply of domestic eels fell to 60,941 tons in 2024, about 40% of the peak level reached in 2000, resulting in a high dependence on imports from China and other countries.
 
Controlling production costs also remains a challenge. Although the cost per juvenile eel has dropped from ¥40,000 in fiscal 2016 to ¥1,800 today, it is still three to four times higher than that of wild eels.

To ensure a stable supply, the agency has indicated that it will continue technological development with the immediate goal of reducing production costs to ¥800.
 

The Trump–Xi summit in Beijing on 14–15 May 2026 was a tactical detente driven by mutual domestic pressures rather than any genuine easing of tensions, with both leaders seeking short-term wins on the Iran war and Taiwan respectively.

Japan faces the sharpest consequences of this realignment, as a less committed United States leaves Tokyo increasingly exposed to Chinese economic coercion while its own hawkish security agenda risks pushing it into damaging isolation.

US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing on 14–15 May 2026 for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping has ushered in a new — albeit fragile — era of coordinated management in US–China relations.

The meeting, driven by urgent domestic and geopolitical imperatives, signals a managed detente rather than a genuine stabilisation of deep-seated structural tensions.

For both leaders, the summit was a necessary tactical pause. Trump, seeking to recover domestic approval ratings battered by the ongoing Iran war, needs a ‘big success’ ahead of challenging midterm elections. Meanwhile, China requires stable ties with Washington to sustain its economic growth amid turbulent global headwinds.

The negotiations logically centred on the two intractable flashpoints of the Iran war and Taiwan. The US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in May 2026 has severely disrupted China’s energy security, threatening the substantial source of its crude oil imports.

In exchange for easing these pressures, Washington likely expects Beijing to exert its considerable influence over Iran and its intermediary, Pakistan.

Conversely, China’s primary objective remains its ‘core interest’ of Taiwan. Beijing aims to extract stronger rhetorical concessions from the United States, pushing Washington to shift its traditional stance from merely stating it ‘does not support’ Taiwan independence to explicitly declaring it ‘opposes’ the independence.

Notably, Xi used an unusually strong expression to warn Trump that the United States must handle the issue with utmost care.

While the summit predictably failed to yield definitive solutions to these structural disputes, both powers successfully managed to keep severe confrontation below the surface.

Systemic rivalry seems to be masked by a superficial, coordinated management designed to serve immediate mutual interests. How Trump handles the pending military sales to Taiwan will be seen as a touchstone of this coordinated management of the relationship.

The implications of this changing balance of power are most acute for Japan. Historically, Beijing has calibrated its actions towards Tokyo by factoring in the robust US–Japan alliance. The presence of a United States willing to take a hard line against China previously deterred Beijing from escalating disputes with Japan beyond a certain threshold.

But Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrine alters this dynamic entirely. The Trump administration is far removed from Washington’s traditional willingness to risk conflict with China solely for the sake of its ally, Japan.

It is highly unlikely that Trump would defend Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s controversial remarks on Taiwan.

Sensing Washington’s vulnerability, Beijing is poised to adopt increasingly harsh measures against Tokyo. China immediately demanded the retraction of Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan and deployed economic coercion, including curbing tourism to Japan, reimposing a ban on Japanese seafood imports and restricting rare earth exports.

The Takaichi administration is aggressively pushing a conservative security agenda. This includes accelerating the revision of three key national security documents, easing arms export principles and revisiting formerly taboo policy options like Japan’s non-nuclear principles and amending the Japanese Constitution.

Tokyo is also attempting to counter Beijing’s economic pressure tactics by deepening economic security ties with ‘like-minded’ countries such as Vietnam and Australia.

The Trump–Xi summit exposes the limits of Tokyo’s foreign policy trajectory. As the United States and China prioritise a managed detente, Japan risks isolation if it continues on a path of unchecked friction with Beijing.

Takaichi must objectively confront the harsh realities of international relations. Promoting hostility between Japan and China may ultimately fail to serve Japan’s broader national interests in a profoundly shifting global order.
 
 

Playground Games released its brand-new racing video game, Forza Horizon 6, featuring famed automotive photographer Larry Chen as a major speaking character within the newly introduced Japanese setting.

The open-world racing title brings players to long-awaited Japanese locations, simulating Tokyo, rocky coastlines, dense forests, and snow-covered mountains.

The game also introduces a secondary progression system called "Discover Japan" in the Collection Journal, alongside Easter eggs referencing the iconic street racing manga series Initial D.

Chen, a Canon Explorer of Light, recorded over 300 speaking lines across two voiceover sessions and underwent motion capture scanning in July 2025 to create his realistic digital avatar.

The photographer noted that his friend and fellow Canon ambassador Atiba Jefferson previously appeared in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4, but Jefferson's voice lines were replaced by an actor.

"It actually looks like a horror movie because they made me put a bald cap on and they made me put this thing in that spreads my lips so it’s just like my teeth exposed," laughs Larry Chen, Photographer.

The scanning process utilized a specialized rig comprised of 250 Canon consumer DSLR cameras, specifically the EOS 250D models known as the Rebel SL3 in North America.

"It was hilarious. But the rig they used to scan me was super interesting. It was 250 Canon consumer DSLR cameras, so it was funny. It was unintentional that it was Canon, but it was Canon." recalls Larry Chen, Photographer.

The game features real-world drifting hotspots like Mount Haruna and the Hakone Nanamagari route. Players can also unlock a souped-up Toyota AE86 Forza Edition by earning 5,000 points in the Master Explorer tier of the Discover Japan track.

"Not everybody can do what I do," says Larry Chen, Photographer.
The physical car model includes an animated cup of water on the dashboard cupholder that moves under G-forces, referencing the famous driving challenge from the Initial D anime series.

"I mean, a lot of people do. A lot of people do end up going to the same places that I go to and they can photograph these cars in real life. That’s great. I love that." states Larry Chen, Photographer.

The "Discover Japan" journal allows players to earn points by discovering landmarks, finding Bonus Boards, collecting cars, and completing Tokyo City food delivery missions.

"But if you’re just a casual photographer who doesn’t want to spend thousands of dollars to go to Europe or Japan or whatever, then you could do it from home and it kind of gives you the same feeling," says Larry Chen, Photographer.

Progressing through the activities unlocks specific reward tiers, categorized by point thresholds including a Yellow Stamp at 1,250 points, a Green Stamp at 2,500 points, and a Blue Stamp at 5,000 points.
 
 

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Tuesday welcomed a recent decision by the state-backed Development Bank of Japan to lift restrictions on investments in defense-related businesses.

At a press conference, Koizumi said the DBJ's move to allow investments in weapons and related products, except for inhumane weapons banned under international treaties, would encourage Japanese startups to enter the defense sector and help strengthen the industry.

"As defense minister, I welcome this decision," he said.
Japan has increased its defense spending in recent years amid growing threats from countries such as China and North Korea.

Some government-affiliated financial institutions have restricted investments involving weapons and related products, effectively preventing venture capital firms backed by those institutions from investing in defense-related businesses, according to the minister.

He warned that continued reluctance among domestic investors could enable foreign firms to dominate the sector, potentially undermining Japan's efforts to build its own defense innovation ecosystem.

The Defense Ministry will continue urging financial and investment institutions to support startups entering the defense field and help strengthen the industry, he added.

In April, the Japanese government revised limits on defense equipment exports to enable the sale of weapons overseas, marking a significant shift in defense policy for a country that has touted itself as a "peace-loving nation" under its war-renouncing Constitution since its defeat in World War II.
 
 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday she wants to implement a freeze on the country's consumption tax on food products "as soon as possible," despite concerns over the nation's fiscal health amid the ongoing Middle East crisis.

During a one-on-one parliamentary debate with opposition party leaders, Takaichi also said the government will do its utmost to limit debt issuance to support the public, as her government plans to draft a supplementary budget amid concerns the crisis could have a prolonged economic impact.

Her comments come amid rising Japanese government bond yields, partly reflecting market expectations of accelerating inflation in resource-scarce Japan and its worsening fiscal health.

Questions were led for the first time by Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki, as his party holds the most seats in parliament following the Centrist Reform Alliance's defeat in February's election and uncertainty over a merger between its two founding parties in the upper house.

The first half largely focused on Takaichi's decision Monday to tell ruling parties she had ordered a review into formulating a supplementary budget, just over a month after Japan enacted a record 122.31 trillion yen ($769 billion) fiscal 2026 budget, and a shift from her recent comments that it was not required at present.

The prime minister underlined her commitment to her election promise to freeze the 8 percent consumption tax on food products for two years before replacing it with a refundable tax credit system.

She also said she "seriously reflects" on proposals from Tamaki on whether the government should consider an off-ramp from its subsidies to keep gasoline prices below 170 yen per liter at the pump.

The policy, restarted in mid-March, is expected to use up its earmarked 1 trillion yen by the end of June.
 
 

 
Japan’s banks are grappling with a problem that was unthinkable a few years ago: Loans are growing faster than deposits.
 
The country is seeing an explosion of borrowing as businesses boost capital investment and buyout deals get bigger.
 
At the same time, deposits aren’t keeping up, creating a new challenge that could potentially restrain lending and prompt lenders to resort to other, more expensive funding means.
 
For decades, firms contended with the opposite case as deflation kept loan demand tepid and prompted savers to hoard cash that retained its value.
 
“We need to be more selective in our lending than before,” Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) CEO Toru Nakashima told reporters at the bank’s earnings briefing on May 13.

“In the past, we were in a situation where deposits were relatively abundant, so whenever there was demand, we were able to extend loans quite aggressively.”
 
Outstanding loans for all Japanese banks increased by 5.4% year-on-year in April, according to the latest data from the Bank of Japan.

Excluding the period when businesses rushed to borrow during the pandemic, the percentage gain is the biggest since the central bank started compiling the data in 2001. Deposits grew only 1.9%.
 
A senior official at the Financial Services Agency (FSA) said he is watching the deposit trend very closely, adding that it had not been much concern for the regulator until recently.

Given liquidity and other regulatory requirements, the FSA is paying attention to whether banks can continue to meet growing finance needs of customers, said the official, who asked not to be identified in order to discuss the matter candidly.
 
Potential funding constraints have prompted big banks to team up with other firms, including a life insurer and other asset owners, while regional banks consolidate. A funding crunch could also provide opportunities for private credit funds to crack into a market long dominated by commercial banks.
 
Given the weak increase of deposits, SMFG will slow down the pace of its loan growth for the next three years. Japan’s second-largest bank plans to increase domestic deposits by ¥7 trillion ($44 billion) during the period while holding loan growth to ¥3 trillion, Nakashima said.
 
Thanks to the strong lending, Japan’s top banks are forecasting another year of record profits despite prolonged uncertainty over the Middle East.

The three biggest banks, which also include Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and Mizuho Financial Group, are not experiencing deposit flight or facing the near-term prospect of a funding shortage. Their deposits still considerably exceed their outstanding loans.
 
MUFG CEO Junichi Hanzawa said he does not have big concerns for yen funding given its “ample” deposits. “But for the future, we have to pay close attention to how we review our yen balance sheet structure,” given intensifying competition for deposits, he said.

“It’s our biggest responsibility to meet our clients’ needs. So, our main thinking is to address the needs with various funding measures.”
 
In April, Sumitomo Mitsui sold ¥150 billion of senior straight bonds, its first issuance of such yen notes in 12 years.

The move is part of the bank’s efforts to diversify funding sources as the gap between loans and deposits is narrowing, according to SMFG’s Nakashima. “We need to build a track record (of issuing) and investor pool, otherwise, we won’t be able to secure large amounts when we need,” he said.
 
The banks have already started looking for ways to reduce use of their own balance sheets by inviting institutional investors.
 
In April, it was reported that Sumitomo Mitsui and Nippon Life Insurance were in talks to set up a private credit fund with initial capital of at least ¥500 billion, to provide loans for leveraged buyouts and other areas such as real estate transactions and mezzanine financing, citing people familiar with the matter.
 
Mizuho CEO Masahiro Kihara said the bank will meet its clients’ financing needs no matter what.
 
“But it’s important to carefully assess whether we use our own balance sheet or use an asset-turnover model,” he said, referring to the business in which the bank underwrites debt and sells it to institutional investors.
 

Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said Tuesday that her Group of Seven counterparts showed their understanding on Japan's recent yen-buying, dollar-selling market intervention.

At the just-ended meeting in Paris of the finance ministers and central bank governors of the major economies, the Japanese authorities' action to prop up the yen "won broad understanding," Katayama told a press conference after the meeting.

"We're determined to take decisive action whenever necessary," she stressed.
On the night of April 30, her ministry bought through the Bank of Japan an estimated 5 trillion to 6 trillion yen against the dollar.

The finance and monetary chiefs of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union adopted a joint statement Tuesday reaffirming the consensus view shown in their 2017 communique that "excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability."
 
 

A man carrying a fruit knife attacked three people around noon on Tuesday at a Japanese restaurant in Shanghai World Financial Center, a Japanese-developed office building in the financial district of the Chinese city.

According to a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official, the three victims were two Japanese nationals and a Chinese woman. None of them suffered life-threatening injuries.

Many Japanese companies have offices within and around the building. Following the incident, the Japanese Embassy in China sent out an email advising Japanese nationals in the country to exercise vigilance.

The Japanese side requested that the Chinese government find out the truth behind the incident, strictly punish those responsible, and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals, according to the email.

The 59-year-old attacker was seized by police officers at the scene. According to local police sources, the man has a history of mental illness and made incoherent statements.

A nearby shop worker quoted a restaurant employee as saying that the man entered the restaurant, attacked the three people and then sat on the floor.
The shop worker said that screams were heard just after the incident as many customers fled.

In June 2024, a Japanese mother and child were attacked with a knife while waiting for a school bus in Suzhou. A Chinese woman was killed in the incident.

In September that year, a Japanese boy was stabbed to death on his way to school in Shenzhen.
 
 

The new funding follows the completion of Phase II of the project at the end of 2025, which had a total budget of almost $17 million.

The Japanese government has agreed to provide Cambodia with an additional ¥1.7 billion (approximately $11 million) in grants to support the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) through Phase III of the Integrated Mine Clearance and Victim Assistance Project.

The new funding follows the completion of Phase II of the project at the end of 2025, which had a total budget of almost $17 million.

A May 18 handover ceremony for the achievements of Phase II was held at the CMAC Techo Heritage Development Centre in Battambang province, under the presidency of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn and Japanese ambassador to Cambodia Ueno Atsushi, alongside several senior officials.

CMAC director-general Heng Ratana explained that the Japanese government had provided a total of ¥2 billion — nearly US$17 million — for Phase II of the project, which ran for 45 months from April 1, 2022, to December 31, 2025.

The project was implemented in Battambang Pursat and Pailin provinces, achieving results that included the clearance of 12,011 hectares of mine- and explosive-contaminated land — equivalent to 127 per cent of the original target.

During the project, teams located and destroyed 27,847 landmines and unexploded ordnance items of various types, while mine-risk education was delivered through 12,582 sessions attended by a total of 343,209 people.

Ratana added that 763,602 people benefited from Phase II through the construction of 9.8 kilometres of laterite roads and 29 water drainage structures.

The project also procured mine-clearance equipment including 12 ALIS mine-detection machines, one Komatsu mine-clearing machine, one trailer truck and spare parts.

Regarding the newly launched Phase III project, inaugurated on May 18, Heng

Ratana noted that Phase III will run until January 2028.
The new phase will support CMAC in clearing 4,939 hectares of mine- and explosive-contaminated land in Pursat, Battambang and Koh Kong provinces, while also responding to emergency clearance requests in Pailin.

In addition, the project will assist mine victims, support post-clearance community development, procure additional ALIS mine-detection machines and establish an artificial intelligence data system.

Ratana expressed his gratitude to the Japanese government and people for providing both equipment and funding to support CMAC’s demining operations in Cambodia, as well as to the Cambodian government, for its continued backing of the organisation.

He also thanked the development partners and donors who have contributed to the government’s strategic plan aimed at achieving “a Cambodia free from the threat of anti-personnel mines by the end of 2030 and reducing the threat posed by explosive remnants of war by 2035”.

Sokhonn praised all stakeholders and also paid tribute to each of the deminers who were injured or lost their lives during mine-clearance operations.

“In its capacity as one of the countries most severely affected by landmines in the world, and as a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, Cambodia remains firmly committed to fulfilling all obligations and the spirit of the convention,” he said.

“Cambodia is also proud to have deployed demining and unexploded ordnance clearance forces to participate in UN peacekeeping missions,” he added.

The deputy prime minister also thanked other donor partners supporting mine-action activities in Cambodia, including China, the US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the EU, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Partner organisations mentioned included UN Development Programme, Norwegian People’s Aid, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan Mine Action Service, APOPO, Golden West Humanitarian Foundation, Japan International Cooperation System, Japan Crown Agents Japan Limited, Komatsu and Nikken Corporation.
 
 

Japanese economic growth surpassed expectations at the start of 2026, official data showed on Tuesday, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is mulling an extra budget as concerns grow over inflation due to the Middle East war.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the world's fourth-biggest economy expanded 0.5 percent in the first quarter, exceeding market forecasts of 0.4 percent.

Growth in private consumption and corporate investment contributed to the expansion, according to the cabinet office data.

It follows growth of 0.2 percent -- revised downwards from an earlier reading of 0.3 percent -- in the last quarter of 2025.

The data came as Takaichi plans to draft a supplementary budget in a bid to safeguard growth, as consumers face soaring prices of everything from energy to rice due to the Middle East conflict.

"Given the continuing uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East, it is important to closely monitor the trend of prices and the impact on the economy," the government's top spokesman Minoru Kihara told reporters Tuesday, adding that Takaichi had instructed the minister of finance to consider arrangements to minimize risk.

Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics warned the Middle East conflict was likely to impact data going forward.

"Japan's economy approached the Iran war with solid momentum but we think that GDP growth will grind to a halt this quarter and next," he wrote in a note.

Japan has been trying to stem rising oil prices with government subsidies, but the nation is likely to feel the full impact of soaring energy prices in months ahead, Thieliant said.

The country depends on the Middle East for around 95 percent of its oil imports.

Already consumer confidence has begun to slump, Thieliant added.
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) said it expected consumer prices to rise 2.8 percent in the current fiscal year, compared with the 1.9 percent previously forecast, due to the impact of the conflict. It lifted next year's outlook to 2.3 percent from 2.0 percent.

This could prompt it to raise interest rates as early as June.
It also slashed its fiscal 2026 growth forecast to 0.5 percent from 1.0 percent, and for next year trimmed its projection to 0.7 percent from 0.8 percent.

Taro Saito of the NLI Research Institute said that "disruptions in logistics will trigger production adjustments, while the deterioration of terms of trade due to soaring crude oil prices will put downward pressure on corporate profits and the real purchasing power of households".

Expectations of monetary tightening, along with concerns over Takaichi's fiscal policy, have helped drive a sharp rise in Japanese government bond yields in recent days.

Japan is also believed to have spent tens of billions of dollars in the market to boost the value of the yen, which has weakened in recent months due to the global uncertainty, as well as the gap between U.S. and Japanese interest rates.

A weaker yen makes the cost of imports more expensive in Japan, which relies on foreign countries for much of its energy and food needs.
 
 

Lawson is testing a new multilingual shopping guide system for foreign tourists who may not be familiar with the protocol for purchasing certain items.

The trial run was launched on March 24 at three of their stores in Tokyo — namely, Ikebukuro, Ginza and Shinjuku — and will continue until the end of this month.

The service uses Near Field Communication (NFC) tags to make shopping at the highly popular store easier for non-Japanese speakers, and augmented reality (AR) to introduce an element of fun for customers, with games they can play on their phones.

Currently, the shopping guide service is available for hot foods such as the convenience store’s beloved Karaage-kun, a fried chicken hot snack, and Ichiban Kuji, a raffle available at select stores where customers can win various character merchandise.

By holding a smartphone over the NFC tag placed within a store, customers can access instructional videos, which utilizes the AR system, on how to purchase items like the hot foods that can usually be found next to the register.

At Lawson, the protocol for purchasing hot foods is for customers to clean their hands using the hand sanitizer placed nearby and to take the product to the register themselves, unlike at some other convenience stores where employees handle the food.

The AR system also allows users to play a game featuring the Karaage-kun character on their smartphone.

Instructions for the shopping guide service are currently available in English, Korean and Chinese. The scope of the service could be expanded to include more locations and items if trial results are positive.

Last year, Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million foreign visitors, topping the 40-million mark for the first time.

While the government aims to have 60 million visitors by 2030, overtourism remains a concern, with inappropriate behavior among tourists or cultural misunderstandings sometimes resulting in societal friction.
 
 

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will visit New Delhi from Sunday through May 27 to attend a meeting of foreign ministers from the Quad countries--Japan, the United States, Australia and India, the Japanese government said Tuesday.

The Quad meeting, scheduled for May 26, will bring together Motegi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The ministers are expected to reaffirm cooperation to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals in light of China's increasing military and economic coercion.
 
 

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, have agreed to strengthen bilateral economic security cooperation, at the two countries’ first strategic dialogue held on Monday in Tokyo.

Brazil is rich in natural resources such as rare earths and iron ore.
Motegi noted that Brazil, which has the largest Japanese community outside Japan, is a strategic partner of Tokyo.

Vieira responded by showing hope that the two countries will work to put into action their strategic and global partnership action plan this year. The action plan was adopted at a Japan-Brazil summit held in March 2025.

The two ministers signed a memorandum on mutual assistance for the protection of Japanese and Brazilian nationals abroad.

Brazil is the fifth country to sign such a memorandum with Japan. Under the pact, Japan and Brazil will cooperate mainly in the evacuation of their citizens in the event of an emergency in third countries or regions.

Motegi and Vieira also agreed to establish a strategic dialogue among the two nations’ public and private sectors for discussions on the use of artificial intelligence.

The Japanese government hopes to start negotiations to conclude an economic partnership agreement for free trade with Mercosur, a trade bloc among Brazil and four other South American nations.