News On Japan

Honda to launch EV brand, models in China in 2022

Oct 15, 2021 (NHK) - Honda Motor is planning to expand its presence in China with new models of electric vehicles under a new brand.

The e:N Series is slated to make its debut in spring 2022. Honda will be rolling out two EV models.

The firm says the lineup will expand to 10 models over the next five years. It is considering exporting some of these cars from China.

Honda is also planning to build two dedicated plants in the country. The aim is to start operations in 2024. Honda's goal is to convert its entire global lineup to electricity or fuel-cell power by 2040.

Other Japanese automakers are introducing eco-friendly models in the world's biggest market.

Toyota plans to increase its EV models from the current six to 15 in China, as well as in North America and other markets by 2025.

Nissan plans to roll out nine EV and hybrid models by 2025.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump held talks at United Nations headquarters in New York in the early hours of September 23 Japan time, demonstrating the strength of the Japan-US alliance and confirming close cooperation on China ahead of an upcoming US-China summit.

Typhoon No. 25 has left seven people dead and five missing in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, with rescue operations continuing on September 23 as the extent of devastating landslides and flooding across the Kanto region becomes clearer, while widespread power outages, disrupted rail services and submerged neighborhoods hamper recovery efforts.

The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.

Japan came within two runs of producing one of international cricket's biggest upsets on September 22, pushing reigning T20 world champion India to the final ball before losing a rain-shortened match at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.

Japan's Asian Games campaign continued across a packed Day 4 schedule on September 22, with the women's badminton team securing another medal, the women's basketball team completing an unbeaten group stage, and Japan adding a historic bronze medal in mixed air rifle shooting as several of the host nation's biggest medal opportunities moved into the evening.

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People aged 65 and older accounted for a record 29.6% of Japan's population in 2026, the highest proportion among major countries worldwide, while the number of elderly people in employment also reached an all-time high as Japan marked Respect for the Aged Day on September 21.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture on September 20, touring exhibits that recreate famous scenes from Studio Ghibli films and posing for a photograph with the character No-Face.

Police in Kanagawa Prefecture have rearrested four teenagers on suspicion of murdering a 17-year-old high school student who died after being assaulted in Sagamihara in August.

Drinking parties remain a lively part of social life in Kansai even as younger generations increasingly turn away from alcohol and izakaya bankruptcies rise at a record pace, with customers describing the gatherings less as occasions to drink heavily and more as opportunities to maintain friendships, meet new people and build connections across generations.

Anonymous and fluid criminal groups known in Japan as "tokuryu" are adopting increasingly elaborate tactics, including a scheme in which elderly victims are persuaded to hide cash inside refrigerators before thieves enter their homes, as authorities struggle to combat networks whose members often have no direct contact with one another.

A luxury mansion in Bangkok described as resembling a palace was being used as a base for a specialized fraud operation targeting Japanese people, with Thai authorities detaining 14 people, including four Japanese men.

Copper roofing has been stripped from Shinano-no-miya Shrine in Oshika Village, Nagano Prefecture, leaving the wooden structure exposed in the latest of a series of similar thefts reported at shrines across the prefecture.

A popular Tokyo nightclub hostess and influencer known as Yamatorino, who says she generated more than 200 million yen in sales during a single month, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine with her boyfriend at their home in Roppongi.