Japan

[ad_1] Asahi Breweries will not launch any new chūhai products with alcohol content of 8% or higher, amid a shift to low-alcohol alternatives in Japan.The canned fizzy cocktails made from shōchū or vodka — most commonly associated with Suntory Holding’s Strong Zero brand — were pushed by drinks companies amid a long-term decline in beer sales, becoming fodder for social media memes in the process. But for the strongest variations […]

[ad_1] The Japanese government approved a bill Tuesday to improve labor conditions for truck drivers, promoting better pay and implementing measures to reduce hours worked in response to the labor shortage in the logistics industry.The law will require prime contractors to keep documentation to track who actually works on their projects in an effort to crack down on cascading subcontracting which leaves the actual truck driver being paid a low […]

[ad_1] The government is set to issue its first tranche of bonds to finance development of clean energy resources this week, with investors expecting healthy demand owing to the scarcity of yen-denominated green bonds.The finance ministry has said it will sell 10-year climate transition bonds on Wednesday and another batch of 5-year bonds later this month. The financing is meant to help the nation cut greenhouse gases to zero by […]

[ad_1] The Liberal Democratic Party released the results of an internal survey Tuesday that showed 85 members failed to report political funds on their legally required income and expenditure reports over a five-year period to 2022.But the survey’s methods were criticized by opposition parties as inadequate and lacking objectivity. Tuesday’s announcement is also unlikely to end the controversy, especially at a time when all parties are debating the next fiscal […]

[ad_1] It was Sept. 6, 2008, when I saw Seiji Ozawa on stage for the first time. It was at the concert space that is now known as Kissei Bunka Hall in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. I took my seat near the back, the lights dimmed and there he was at the podium. His performance was magnetic.For years, I had only ever seen this legendary conductor on television, but the way […]

[ad_1] PEORIA, Arizona – San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish said Monday he hopes his team can perform better than Shohei Ohtani's retooled Los Angeles Dodgers in the upcoming season.The two National League West teams will open the season with a two-game series from March 20 in Seoul, where Ohtani may make his Dodgers debut amid the hype around South Korean national hero Kim Ha Seong who plays in the […]

[ad_1] Toyota Motor has chosen Masahiro Inoue to restore leadership at Daihatsu Motor after the unit became entangled in a vehicle certification scandal.Inoue, the CEO of Toyota Latin America, will replace Soichiro Okudaira effective March 1, the companies said in a joint statement Tuesday.Daihatsu’s top posts would be replaced and its operations abroad would folded into Toyota’s oversight, Toyota CEO Koji Sato said Tuesday. A new leadership structure for Daihatsu […]

[ad_1] The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said Tuesday it would delay the launch date of the second model of its new H3 flagship rocket from the initially planned Thursday because of forecasts of poor weather. The new launch date will be announced later. Weather conditions at the launch site, Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, appear to set recover late Friday, JAXA's H3 project manager, Masashi Okada, told a […]

[ad_1] Cross Border Rugby — a series of challenge games between top club sides from Japan and New Zealand — wrapped up last weekend with the visitors victorious in three of four contests.While Saitama Wild Knights may have been the only Japan Rugby League One (JRLO) team to get the better of Super Rugby opposition, and some in domestic rugby questioned the value and timing of the competition, many of […]