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Japan ranks 3rd worst place for working women in 2024 int’l ranking

Japan ranked the third worst place among developed nations for working women for the second year in a row, according to the 2024 index compiled by British magazine The Economist released to mark International Women’s Day on Saturday.

Based on the glass-ceiling index, which…[Read more]

Japan targets 60% emissions cut by 2035 from 2013 levels

Japan set fresh climate targets on Tuesday, pledging to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent in the next decade from 2013 levels.

Under the Paris Agreement, each country is supposed to provide a steeper headline figure to the UN for cutting heat-trapping emissions by 2035, and a…[Read more]

Mizuho Bank says worker stole safe-deposit box valuables in 2019

Mizuho Bank said Tuesday safe-deposit box valuables worth tens of millions of yen belonging to two customers were stolen in 2019 by an employee, following a similar incident reported by another Japanese megabank last year.

Mizuho Bank had not made the incident public “in…[Read more]

Frozen in time: Hospital room preserved since 1945 Tokyo firebombing

Time seems frozen in this severely charred hospital room in Tokyo, left much as it was almost eight decades ago after U.S. B-29 bombers unleashed a firestorm that incinerated vast areas of the Japanese capital.

While workers bustle outside, the small, drafty room remains eerily…[Read more]

Efforts continue to clear debris in sinkhole, rescue trapped truck driver

Rescue personnel continued efforts to clear debris in an expanding sinkhole in Saitama Prefecture on Friday in the hope of saving a man trapped as the crucial 72-hour threshold of survival passed.

Preparations continued to install a ramp leading into the sinkhole, now…[Read more]

Japan’s jobless rate in 2024 falls to 2.5%

Japan’s average unemployment rate in 2024 fell 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier to 2.5 percent, as fewer workers were dismissed amid a labor shortage, government data showed Friday.

The average job availability ratio last year fell 0.06 point from the previous year to 1.25, marking the first…[Read more]

Japan records biggest jump in foreign workers in 2024

Japan saw its biggest year-on-year jump in foreign workers since records began, government data showed Friday, as the country seeks to address labor shortages exacerbated by its aging population.

In October 2024, the nation’s foreign workforce stood at 2.3 million — an increase of around…[Read more]

Osaka bans street smoking ahead of World Expo

The city of Osaka on Monday imposed a smoking ban on public streets as part of efforts to become more visitor-friendly ahead of this year’s World Expo.

Around 160 countries and regions are participating in Expo 2025, the latest edition of an event held every five years in different global…[Read more]

Japan’s dirty secret

This is not a story of romance or consent but of coercion and power wielded with devastating consequences

The recent sexual misconduct scandal involving Masahiro Nakai, a prominent talk show host and former member of Japan’s legendary boy band SMAP, is likely just the tip of the iceberg — a glimpse into the disturbing reali…[Read more]

Top Fuji TV executives in Japan resign over sex scandal

Chairman and president step down to take responsibility for a widening sex assault scandal linked to celebrity host.

Japan’s Fuji Media says its chairman and the head of its TV unit will step down immediately amid a probe into alleged sexual misconduct by a celebrity TV host.

Chairman S…[Read more]

CDP chief Noda rejects grand coalition with LDP

Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, on Saturday rejected the idea of forming a grand coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
“We want to focus on uniting the power of opposition parties to change the government,”…[Read more]

Biden blocks Japan’s Nippon Steel from buying US Steel

US President Joe Biden has blocked the takeover of US Steel by a bigger Japanese firm, delivering on a political promise despite fears the move could hurt Washington’s relations with Tokyo and scare off other foreign investors.

Biden cited threats to national security in rejecting the Nippon…[Read more]

World’s oldest person dies in Japan aged 116

Tomiko Itooka died on December 29 at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture, in central Japan.

Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died at the age of 116.

Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of elderly policies, said Ito…[Read more]

Japan Govt Eyes Jan. 24 Start of Ordinary Diet Session; Upper House Election Likely to Be Held on July 20

The government and ruling bloc on Thursday began making adjustments to the schedule in order for the ordinary Diet session to convene on Jan. 24, 2025.

Considering the Public Offices Election Law, the start of the campaign period for the…[Read more]

Foreign visitors to Japan top 33 mil in Jan-Nov, breaking annual record

The number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 33 million from January to November, setting a new annual record, driven by a tourism boom and a weak yen, government estimates showed Wednesday.

The total stood at 33,379,900, surpassing the previous full-year high of 31.88…[Read more]

Mount Fuji access fees to be doubled as authorities address overcrowding

Climbers using the most popular trail on Mount Fuji are expected to be slugged with a doubled fee of 4,000 yen from next summer as the Yamanashi prefectural government seeks to tackle overcrowding, a source close to the matter said Thursday.

The prefectural government also…[Read more]

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Set for Weekly Decline Despite Weak Yen Tailwind

Japan’s Nikkei share average on Friday was headed for its worst week since early November despite the tailwind of a weaker yen, as weakness on Wall Street and caution ahead of major central bank policy decisions weighed.

The Nikkei rose 0.2% to 38,889.95 at the mid…[Read more]

Honda and Nissan are in merger talks

Honda and Nissan are discussing a possible merger, potentially bringing together two Japanese automaking titans that have recently fallen on hard times.

The companies said in statement that they have been in talks, but they offered no details or timeframe for when a deal – if one should develop – may be com…[Read more]

Japan’s Q3 capex accelerates, firms case for more rate hikes

Japanese corporate spending on plant and equipment accelerated in the third quarter, signalling solid domestic demand was underpinning the country’s fragile economic recovery and strengthening the case for further interest rate hikes.
Capital spending surged 8.1% year-on-year in the…[Read more]

Japan’s factory activity falls at fastest pace in 8 months, PMI shows

Japan’s factory activity shrank at the fastest pace in eight months in November as soft demand prompted firms to trim production, a private-sector survey showed on Monday.
The final au Jibun Bank Japan manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) slipped to 49.0 in November,…[Read more]