Japan

[ad_1] With Japan aiming to finally achieve a healthy wage-price cycle, policymakers are keenly watching this year’s spring pay negotiations, which kicked off last week.Large firms are expected to hike wages even more this year, and so the focus is on smaller firms, as about 70% of Japan’s workers are employed by such enterprises.“Small and midsize firms employ a considerably larger number of workers (compared with big companies) ... so […]

[ad_1] A foreign-born naturalized citizen and two foreign residents on Monday filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court over alleged racial profiling by police, seeking around ¥3 million ($20,300) in damages each from central and local governments in the first case of its kind.Police questioning of foreign residents and visitors due to alleged racial profiling has become a higher-profile issue in Japan, with the U.S. Embassy having warned its […]

[ad_1] Three days after the opening session of Parliament, it’s already clear that extensive reform of political-funding practices will top the agenda in the upcoming months.On Monday in Lower and Upper House Budget Committee sessions, opposition parties outlined their stance on the anticipated reform, paving the way for cross-party cooperation on a variety of issues including the revision of the Political Funds Control Act.Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) lawmaker Kazunori Yamanoi […]

[ad_1] Japan and Germany on Monday concluded a military pact to facilitate exchanges of supplies and logistical support as the two countries aim to strengthen their defense ties in the face of China's growing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and German Ambassador to Japan Clemens von Goetze signed the acquisition and cross-servicing agreement (ACSA) in Tokyo. It simplifies the process of sharing food, fuel […]

[ad_1] Japan has no intention to change its plan to host the 2025 World Exposition in the city of Osaka, regardless of how the powerful New Year's Day earthquake could disrupt the supply of construction materials, the top government spokesman said Monday. Yoshimasa Hayashi's remarks came days after economic security minister Sanae Takaichi said she had urged Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to push back the event to prioritize reconstruction from […]

[ad_1] Retail giant Aeon has entered into exclusive talks with Oasis Management to acquire shares the Hong Kong-based activist investor holds in drugstore chain Tsuruha Holdings, it said on Monday. Details of how many shares it will acquire and how much it will pay per share will be subject to negotiations, Aeon said. Oasis and Aeon each have about a 13% holding in Tsuruha. An increase in Aeon's stake would […]

[ad_1] Manila – The Philippines on Monday denied China had a "temporary special arrangement" with Manila to allow the delivery of supplies to Philippine troops occupying a disputed South China Sea reef, calling it "a figment of imagination." The Chinese coast guard said on Saturday that it had temporarily allowed the Philippines to provide food and water to soldiers stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre, a vessel grounded in 1999 […]

[ad_1] Tokyo’s newest tourist attraction will open its doors on Thursday just across the street from the Toyosu fish market.Designed to emulate an Edo-period cityscape, the establishment known as Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai hosts restaurants — many of which incorporate fresh products from the Toyosu market — and an onsen area that uses hot spring water sourced from Yugawara and Hakone, popular hot spring towns in Kanagawa Prefecture.The new establishment was […]

[ad_1] In 2023, Japan went all in on semiconductors — the tiny yet critical components of electronic goods we use every single day — backing new plants and rolling out extensive support.It’s far from alone. Around the world, governments are implementing initiatives to secure access to chips, with many pushing to develop their own capabilities and insulate supply chains from geopolitical tensions.One of the crown jewels in Japan’s effort is […]