Japan

[ad_1] Niseko, Hokkaido – Hokkaido's internationally renowned ski resort of Niseko is booming, with slopes, shops and streets crowded as tourists, especially from abroad, arrive for the ski season. The problems many businesses experienced last year, including finding sufficient staff, appear to not be as severe this year.The return of so many people, however, is putting a strain on the local transportation infrastructure. Meanwhile, a shortage of readily available restaurants […]

[ad_1] From the 13th floor of the European Commission’s sprawling headquarters in Brussels, President Ursula von der Leyen has fought to push and prod the world’s largest trading bloc forward, but those efforts are now in jeopardy.As pressure grows on the European Union from the outside, another sign of trouble recently hit close to home. Circulating the 1960s office complex was a polling map that indicated support for the bloc […]

[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 […]