Sep 09 Visits by foreign tourists to Tokyo fall for 1st time in 2009 (AP)
The number of visits by foreign tourists to Tokyo dropped in 2009 for the first time since the Tokyo metropolitan government began compiling such data in 2004, sliding 10.8 percent to 4.76 million, a recent survey showed. The Tokyo government's Tourism Division under the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs attributed the decline to the economic slowdown following the global financial crisis since late 2008 and to the spread of the new H1N1 strain of influenza in the reporting year.
Sep 09 Japan to sell its nuclear expertise to Kuwait (The National)
Japan will help Kuwait develop the expertise it needs for a civilian nuclear power programme as part of a broader effort to sell civilian nuclear technology across the region, its government said yesterday. The report came two days before Japan was due to sign a nuclear co-operation agreement with Jordan, allowing Japanese companies to bid for the contract to build the country's first nuclear power plant. The Japanese government in June made increased exports of civilian nuclear technology a policy target as part of a broad plan for economic growth.
Sep 09 Tracking Internet users' behavior to target ads still a privacy minefield (Mainichi)
Internet and mobile phone companies across Japan are increasingly collecting data on users' browsing history and online purchases to target advertising at potential customers -- a practice many consumers find deeply unsettling over privacy concerns. Responding to these concerns, a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications research committee proposed in May this year that the Internet sector devise a set of guidelines for use of personal information for advertising. The Japan Internet Advertising Association (JIAA) accepted the proposal, but thorny issues around the use of private information remain.
Sep 09 Bargain import buyers like yen rise (Japan Times)
The yen's recent spike against the dollar has dealt a heavy blow to exporters, but the trend has provided perfect shopping incentives for women going after imported fashion-brand items. An annual special bargain began Wednesday morning at the Hanshin department store in Kita Ward, Osaka, with thousands of bags, jewelry items and accessories from top foreign fashion houses being offered at a 15 to 20 percent discount, store officials said.
Sep 09 ANA plans budget carrier to undercut buses, trains (Yomiuri)
All Nippon Airways plans to establish a low-cost carrier under its wing, offering budget fares as low as about 5,000 yen for flights between Kansai Airport and airports in the Tokyo metropolitan area, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Wednesday. ANA wants to lure passengers from railways and highway buses by setting the fares at one-third of the ordinary fare for the fastest Nozomi Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations.