JAPAN TIMES
 
Household spending slid in June, but real wages rose at their fastest pace in more than 21 years thanks to higher summer bonuses, a sign that benefits of a prolonged economic recovery are broadening.
Household income also marked the fastest gain in three years on an increase in pay ...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO - U.S. retailer Walmart Inc has decided to sell Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu and has already approached major retailers and private equity funds, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday.
If realized, the sale could amount to around 300 billion to 500 billion yen ($2...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Bloomberg) — Fast Retailing Co., operator of the Uniqlo casual-wear brand, has applied to open stores in India as Asia’s largest clothing chain increases its reliance on overseas markets.
The Japanese company submitted an application on Nov. 21 seeking governmen...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
Competition among manufacturers of voice-controlled speakers with integrated artificial intelligence software has intensified as the Japanese arm of U.S. tech giant Google Inc. announced the launch of its smart speaker last week.
Line Corp., best known for its free messaging app,...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO - Japan's agriculture ministry said Friday it is aiming to more than quadruple the country's annual rice and rice product exports to 100,000 tons in 2019, ministry officials said Friday.
On the back of falling domestic demand, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisherie...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
Facing a serious labor shortage, major convenience store operators are stepping up efforts to hire overseas students and homemakers with young children to work in their outlets.
In a bid to add overseas students to its workforce, Lawson, Inc. began conducting training courses in ...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
Ikea Japan K.K. on Thursday lowered the price of about 600 items sold in Japan to appeal to customers amid severe competition from rivals, including domestic home furnishings chain Nitori Holdings Co. and online competitors.
The products include tables, sofas and other popular go...

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JAPAN TODAY
 
TOKYO - Japan's cautious consumers are starting to loosen up, spending more on cars and home appliances and offering hope that domestic demand - and not just exports - will be strong enough to reflate an economy that has been sluggish for many years.
The tightest labor market since ...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — More and more convenience store operators and food makers are installing unattended sales stands or vending machines in business offices, in a bid to tap demand from busy white collar workers.
Convenience store operator Lawson Inc. launched this month “Petit ...

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THE JAPAN NEWS
 
KANAZAWA (Jiji Press) — A bunch of premium grapes developed in Ishikawa Prefecture fetched a record high of ¥1.11 million in the first auction of this season on Friday.
The price for the grapes, Ruby Roman, eclipsed the previous high of ¥1.10 million marked last year.
“We’re happ...

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