News On Japan

Japan's lopsided economic revival enters sixth year

Feb 08 (Nikkei) - The latest official business readings show that Japan's economy is on track for its sixth year of sustained growth in 2018, though the boom cycle has yet to be fully reflected in household incomes.

An index meant to provide a snapshot of business conditions rose to 120.7 in December, up 2.8 points from November to the highest reading since comparable data started being kept in 1985. The gauge, released by Japan's Cabinet Office on Wednesday, climbed for a third straight month, with the agency maintaining its assessment of "improving" business conditions.

The data all but confirms that the Japanese economy has continued an expansion that began in December 2012. The last time the so-called coincident index reached such lofty territory was October 1990 -- during the asset bubble -- when it crested at 120.6.

At least seven of the nine indicators factored into the index contributed to the barometer's rise in December. The jump in producer shipments was particularly steep thanks to a swelling of capital expenditures on solid demand for semiconductor production equipment and construction and mining machinery.

"The coincident index is highly reflective of strong corporate activity, especially in the manufacturing sector," said Satoshi Osanai, senior economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research.

In other words, Japan's economic recovery is as robust as it was during the bubble era, at least through the eyes of corporations. Several companies are forecasting record earnings for the current fiscal year. Japan's growth is in line with the upswing seen in other major economies around the world.

But when it comes to Japanese households, the economic expansion is not quite as palpable. The Cabinet Office also publishes the lagging index, which includes for wages, consumption and other household-related indicators. This index is said to lag behind the coincident index by about six months.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Japan’s Diet elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s 104th prime minister on October 21st, making her the first woman to lead Japan and signaling a sharp shift to the right following a turbulent political season marked by party upheavals, coalition realignments, and public frustration over economic stagnation.

Typhoon No. 24 (Fung-shen) is strengthening over the South China Sea and is expected to make landfall in Vietnam later this week, according to forecasts. Satellite images on October 201st show extensive cloud coverage over the central South China Sea. After passing over the Philippines, Fung-shen temporarily weakened but is projected to intensify again as it continues westward through Tuesday.

Kyoto’s world-famous Arashiyama district, a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists, is facing a growing problem of graffiti etched into the bamboo along its iconic “Bamboo Grove Path,” with more than 350 stalks now damaged — a practice that experts warn could eventually cause bamboo to weaken, fall, and even injure visitors.

Japan’s streaming industry is under growing pressure as foreign giants tighten their grip on the domestic market, with Netflix’s latest move to secure exclusive broadcast rights in Japan for every game of the World Baseball Classic next March highlighting the widening gap.

Investigators from the Immigration Services Agency conducted on-site inspections in Osaka on October 14th amid a surge in so-called 'paper companies' created by foreign nationals seeking residency.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

The October issue of the long-established American lifestyle magazine Town & Country features Mako Komuro, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, on the cover under the headline "Princess Ingognito," dedicating a six-page spread to Komuro and her husband Kei, exploring their life in the United States.

Police have arrested a former host and several associates for allegedly coercing female customers into sex work after exploiting their romantic feelings and saddling them with massive debts.

A violent attack early on October 20th in Ibaraki Town, Ibaraki Prefecture left one man dead and another injured after they were stabbed with what appeared to be a bladed weapon inside an apartment. Police are investigating the case as a murder.

A woman in her 40s suffered a serious injury after being trapped in a mechanical parking system in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward on October 19th.

A former pet shop owner convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting several female employees and sentenced to 30 years in prison appealed his case at the Fukuoka High Court on October 14th, again claiming that the acts were consensual.

The relocation of Arimasu Tobiru, a distinctive architectural landmark on Hijirizaka in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, was carried out between August and October after nearly two decades of construction.

A Brazilian man has been arrested and indicted for smuggling cocaine into Japan by swallowing the drugs and concealing them inside his body.

Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for a man accused of killing three family members and seriously injuring another with a crossbow in 2020 in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture.