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August 11, 2026
 

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DEPARTMENT STORES

The Mitsukoshi department store in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, Â鶹´«Ã½ largest department store operator, saw jewelry and watches continue to lead domestic sales, according to a company spokesperson.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 24, 2026
Japanese shoppers drive up jewelry sales to a record
Strong domestic demand for jewelry has helped lift the outlook for Â鶹´«Ã½ luxury market as a whole, as the sector faces headwinds including a slowdown in inbound tourism.
Eel products sold at an Aeon supermarket in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on June 24
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 23, 2026
Japanese retailers offer various eel products for Day of the Ox
Two major supermarket chains have cut prices for their mainstay grilled eel items after a bountiful fry catch last year.
The Yodobashi-Ikebukuro commercial complex at the east exit of Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Yodobashi-Ikebukuro commercial complex opens after full renovation
The building, which previously housed Sogo & Seibu¡¯s flagship Seibu Ikebukuro department store, also houses sporting and variety goods stores and restaurants.
A customer purchases a bento box at the Matsuya Premium Ginza store on Wednesday morning in Tokyo's Chuo Ward.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2026
Two Matsuya companies team up in Tokyo on premium beef dishes
The Matsuya Premium Ginza store offers upscale takeout dishes including premium beef-on-rice bowls.
A tasting corner in the gift center at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Wednesday
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ department stores gear up for summer gift season
Some have rolled out merchandise tailored to the 2026 World Cup, which is set to kick off on June 11.
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.
The Galeries Lafayette mall, with posters advertising new season collections, in Beijing on Tuesday, a day before it closes
BUSINESS
May 28, 2026
Frugal and more online: Smarter spenders rewrite luxury¡¯s China dream
Foreign luxury brands might not be retaining the pull ¡ª and the cashflow ¡ª in China that they counted on in the world¡¯s second-largest economy in the 2010s.
Japanese sake brewer Dassai is working to enhance its brand recognition and expand into foreign markets, aiming to achieve annual sales of ?100 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2026
Sake brewer Dassai features art in pop-up at Mitsukoshi store
The temporary shop at the flagship department store in Tokyo showcases artworks expressing the essence of sake brewing as felt by artists who visited Dassai¡¯s brewery.
A parent and child visit a school backpack section in Yokohama on March 26.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2026
Durability key in school backpack sales in Japan
More makers and retailers are highlighting products featuring durability and designs that do not easily lose appeal.
Â鶹´«Ã½ iconic department stores, once central to urban culture, are rapidly declining due to e-commerce growth, tourism-driven sales and changing consumer behavior.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 17, 2026
Has the death of the department store reached Japan?
Many thought Seibu would be one of the few landmarks to survive. Yet the owners were unable to renew terms with the Shibuya landowners, and it will close after nearly 60 years.
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.
Seibu department store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2026
Sogo & Seibu to close Shibuya store in September
The company failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension with the rights holder for the land and buildings housing the store over the redevelopment of the site.
People gather in front of the main store of Meitetsu Department Store in Nagoya that closed on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2026
Meitetsu Department Store closes in Nagoya after 71-year run
The closure is part of a redevelopment plan for the Nagoya Station area, led by the department store operator¡¯s parent company, Nagoya Railroad.
Tourists with their suitcases wait for a train in Osaka.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ duty-free sales fall further as China tensions linger
Arrivals from China plunged 45% to 330,000 people in December, even as overall foreign visitor numbers for 2025 hit a record high ¡ª topping 40 million for the first time.
The Matsuya Ginza department store is promoting Angel Hair Chocolate as a special product for Valentine's Day-related chocolate sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 20, 2026
Valentine¡¯s Day sales campaigns in Japan feature experiences
Meanwhile, confectionery-makers are trying to take advantage of strong demand for chocolate bars from those who make sweets as Valentine¡¯s Day gifts.
The Mitsukoshi department store in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings said duty-free sales across its domestic stores fell 14% in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2026
China travel curbs hit Japan duty-free sales in December
Prolonged geopolitical tensions with Beijing are now weighing on Â鶹´«Ã½ retail sector.
Customers check out items at Sogo & Seibu's Sogo store in Yokohama on Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2026
New Year¡¯s sales start at major department stores
Sogo & Seibu¡¯s Sogo store in Yokohama prepared about 30,000 lucky bags, including ?2,026 packages containing jackets for men.
Takashimaya will sell ?20,260 lucky bags through a lottery that allow customers to experience as if they are a horse owner throughout the year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 10, 2025
Horse-themed lucky bags to hit Japan during 2026 New Year¡¯s sales
Next year¡¯s bags include those providing customers an opportunity to interact with horses as consumers are increasingly prioritizing experiences over goods.
Pastry shop Chez Shibata opens on the newly renovated basement floor of Seibu Ikebukuro on Tuesday in Tokyo's Toshima Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2025
Seibu¡¯s Ikebukuro store to open new ¡®depachika¡¯ food floor
A highlight of the renovated basement floor is the opening of 10 new cake shops, including Chez Shibata, which is opening its first shop in the Kanto region.
The decline in department store sales was partly because the number of shoppers from abroad plunged 16.7% to 476,000 to slip below 500,000 for the first time in 10 months.
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2025
Department store sales down 6.2% in July
The decline was partly because the number of shoppers from abroad plunged 16.7% to 476,000 to slip below 500,000 for the first time in 10 months.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
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.
¡®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.
¡®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.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.

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