News On Japan

EV charging stations in Japan get boost from top travel agency JTB

Nationwide network of 5,000 locations to provide data on post-pandemic tourism

TOKYO - As Japan guardedly emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, top Japanese travel agency JTB plans to build a nationwide network of 5,000 electric-vehicle charging points to try to ride a new trend in domestic tourism, Nikkei has learned.

JTB Communication Design, a group subsidiary, will team with Tokyo startup Terra Motors to install chargers near tourist destinations.

Japan is seeing an increase in day trippers as people look to release more than two years of pent-up travel demand.

JTB will seek insights from EV charging activity to plan new tours and other ways for travelers to spend time while their cars are powering up, which takes longer than filling a gasoline tank.

JTB Communication Design has installed more than 2,000 EV chargers at hotels, parking lots near tourist attractions and other locations since the 2010s. Some of these will be replaced with Terra Motors' ports. ...continue reading

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Disaster-level heat gripped much of Japan on July 22, with temperatures of 40 C forecast in parts of the Kanto and Tokai regions and heatstroke alerts issued for 41 prefectures from Okinawa to Tohoku.

The hacker group known as RansomHouse has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on frozen food giant Nichirei that delayed shipments and disrupted restaurants and supermarkets across Japan.

Breathtaking 4K footage filmed from a helicopter offers a sweeping aerial view of Mount Fuji and its majestic surrounding landscape.

A covert network of shuttle tankers is carrying crude through the increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran disrupts shipping and raises concerns over how Japan will secure the oil it needs.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has criticized moves by Japanese and Ukrainian companies to cooperate on drone technology, warning that such ties would be regarded by Moscow as a "clear hostile act."

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Tokyo stocks ended mixed on July 22, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,115.60, down 116.59 points, or 0.17%, as early buying in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares faded in the afternoon while a weaker yen and higher oil prices kept inflation concerns in focus.

The yen weakened beyond 163 to the dollar as fears of a further deterioration in the Middle East fueled safe-haven demand for the U.S. currency, pushing Japan's currency to its lowest level in about 39 and a half years.

Tokyo stocks rebounded sharply on July 21 as investors bought back semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares after last week’s steep selloff, while attention shifted to upcoming U.S. technology earnings and the government’s new economic policy roadmap.

Japanese cash equities were closed for Marine Day on July 20, leaving investors to assess whether Tokyo can stabilize after last week’s technology-led rout as oil prices rose above $90 a barrel, the yen remained near four-decade lows and global markets braced for another test of the artificial intelligence trade.

Apple has raised prices for iPhones sold in Japan, with the top-end iPhone 17 Pro Max now costing more than 210,000 yen, as the prolonged weakness of the yen increases the local cost of products priced and managed in US dollars.

A tanker carrying about 1 million barrels of Mexican crude oil arrived off Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, on the morning of July 17, marking Japan's first such delivery since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.

Tokyo stocks plunged on July 17 as a global selloff in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares pushed the Nikkei 225 into correction territory, while Middle East tensions, higher oil prices and persistent yen weakness added to pressure on investors.

Nissan Motor unveiled a fully redesigned Elgrand minivan on July 17, marking the model's first complete overhaul in 16 years, while introducing a new brand message as the automaker seeks to rebuild its business and revive sales.