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August 13, 2026
 

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Eru Ishikawa
Products at the Oshikatsu Expo in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2026
Inside Â鶹´«Ã½ $25 billion consumer market built on fan devotion
From collecting Hello Kitty goods to manga figurines, what was once considered a niche hobby has evolved into a fan-merchandising economy estimated to be worth ?4.1 trillion.
Conveyor-belt sushi operator Kura Sushi, which has been established in the U.S. since 2009, faces a new challenge as Sushiro enters the market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2026
Kura Sushi to accelerate U.S. growth to fend off rivals¡¯ expansion
The chain is targeting about 300 locations in the U.S. over the longer term, keeping a pace of 20% growth in store numbers each year, its U.S. operations CEO has said.
Takeda Pharmaceutical is targeting a return on equity of at least 5% over that time, the company's newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Julie Kim said at her first news conference after assuming the top job this week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 26, 2026
Takeda sees return to growth within three years, new CEO says
The company is targeting a return on equity of at least 5% over that time, Julie Kim said at her first news conference after assuming the top job this week.
An Onitsuka Tiger store in the Omotesando district of Tokyo. The footwear brand prepares to transform into a luxury lifestyle label distinct from Asics.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 18, 2026
Onitsuka Tiger pivots from Asics stripes to tap luxury market
The 77-year-old sneaker-maker is set to be spun off from parent Asics to capitalize on a resurgence in interest for retro aesthetics and Japanese style.
Widely popularized by ¡°Kill Bill,¡± Onitsuka Tiger started as a sport shoe brand and later became a fashion trend under parent Asics.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 10, 2026
Asics will spin off trendy shoe brand Onitsuka Tiger
Asics said that transitioning the 77-year-old brand to a more independent operating structure would enable faster decision-making.
While the total number of visitors to Japan have wavered as the Middle East conflict hurts travel demand, tourists from places like Taiwan, South Korea and Southeast Asia have been increasing this year and the weak yen is encouraging them to spend.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ duty-free sales climb in May as tourism boom endures
Japanese department stores are rebounding from a shaky start to the year as lingering political tensions kept many Chinese tourists away.
Japan bought about 1 million metric tons of bananas last year, making the fruit one of the country¡¯s most important grocery staples.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 2, 2026
Japan faces banana shortage as impact from Middle East conflict spreads
The country ships in the tropical fruit while it¡¯s still green, then ripens it in rooms filled with ethylene, but supplies of the naphtha-derived gas are running low.
The building that houses Recruit Holdings' headquarters in Tokyo. Investors have shown confidence in Recruit¡¯s HR Technology unit, where Indeed is leveraging AI to improve matching and raising average revenue from each job posting even as hiring demand remains soft.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
Recruit shares jump most on record on stronger-than-projected growth
The rally reflects confidence in Recruit¡¯s HR Technology unit, where Indeed is leveraging AI to improve matching and raising average revenue from each job posting.
Pokka, Sapporo¡¯s flagship soft-drinks brand, is central to its overseas beverages business.
BUSINESS
May 14, 2026
Sapporo halts exports of Pokka brand to Middle East
Pokka, Sapporo¡¯s flagship soft-drinks brand, is central to its overseas beverages business.
"The next five years are critical in defining Daiichi Sankyo¡¯s future,¡± CEO Hiroyuki Okuzawa said Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 12, 2026
Daiichi Sankyo bets on new cancer drugs to fuel future growth
The Japanese drugmaker aims to more than double oncology revenue to above ?2.3 trillion by 2030 and become one of the world¡¯s top five oncology players by 2035.
Pan Pacific International Holdings, the owner of discount chain Don Quijote, opened its first Robin Hood store, a new food-focused chain, in Aichi Prefecture on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 24, 2026
Don Quijote owner opens discount grocer as Japan inflation bites
With food and daily necessities becoming more expensive in Japan, the company is betting fast, cheap and convenient offerings will drive traffic at stores designed for quick trips.
A Sanrio store in Tokyo's Asakusa district. Sanrio is launching a new gaming brand, with some 10 titles to be released over the next three years.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 21, 2026
Sanrio launches gaming brand, tapping fast-growing global market
Sanrio¡¯s push into gaming reflects a broader trend among Japanese intellectual property owners to diversify revenue by extending popular franchises into interactive entertainment.
Seria President Eiji Kawai says customers are shifting from competitors to the company¡¯s more than 2,000 stores offering snacks, stationery and household goods.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 16, 2026
Japan ?100 retailer Seria doubles down while rivals raise prices
While competitors test higher price tiers, Seria is betting it can attract cost-conscious consumers and reinforce its brand as prices rise across the economy.
A Uniqlo store in Tokyo. Fast Retailing has raised its full-year operating profit forecast on strong Uniqlo demand in the U.S. and Europe, supported by ongoing growth in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 9, 2026
Fast Retailing raises profit outlook on robust global demand and Japan sales
The results highlight how Uniqlo¡¯s growth is increasingly driven by overseas markets, particularly the U.S. and Europe
Seven & I Holdings will delay a public listing of its U.S. convenience-store business planned for later this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 9, 2026
Seven & I delays U.S. unit IPO, saying revamp will take longer
The goal is to strengthen performance and maximize valuation before listing the unit in the current fiscal year, which lasts until February 2027.
The Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings saw duty-free sales rise 5.4% in March, in line with a 5.5% increase in overall sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ department store duty-free sales rebound as China-driven slump eases
The gains mark a shift for the stores, which had endured consecutive months of declining duty-free sales amid lingering tensions with China.
Elderly pachinko players at Day Service Las Vegas, a casino-themed day care service in Yokohama, in August
JAPAN / Society
Sep 11, 2024
Pachinko-style gambling is helping seniors¡¯ brains in Japan
Bolstered by evidence that playing the pinball machines can help prevent dementia, some businesses are now tailoring services in a bid to revive growth.
Gut bacteria may be behind many of Â鶹´«Ã½ colorectal cancer cases
A Japanese research team found that a toxin produced by certain E. coli strains, colibactin, caused genetic mutations in nearly half of colorectal cancer cases studied
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
She is Russia¡¯s richest woman. Her business empire is going up in flames.
Tatyana Kim, the head and co-founder of Wildberries, speaks about Ukrainian drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at an unidentified location, in this still image from a handout video released on July 31.
Severe tropical storm Chan-hom makes landfall near Tokyo
Severe Tropical Storm Chan-hom made landfall around Ibaraki Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
What Â鶹´«Ã½ language rules for permanent residency should look like
Potential health care workers hoping to find work in Japan take Japanese language instruction in Jakarta. Not all applicants for permanent residency should be expected to reach this level of proficiency.
Where do foreign residents in Japan want to die?
The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in Japan that allows burials, albeit with conditions for the deceased, including foreign nationality and permanent residency in Kanagawa Prefecture.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
As Â鶹´«Ã½ concrete jungles sizzle, urban forestry offers an all-natural fix
People and birds find relief from the sun in Tokyo's Nakano Ward earlier this month. While experts agree that urban greening is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change, trees are becoming even more scarce in Japanese cities.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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