News On Japan

JAL to reassign 3,000 workers, expecting long business travel slump

Jul 20, 2022 (Nikkei) - Japan Airlines plans to transfer about 3,000 workers from its core business to its budget carriers and nonaviation units, Nikkei has learned, as forecasts show business travel struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels.

The move will see JAL pivot more toward tourism demand, which is expected to recover faster.

This marks JAL's first workforce reshuffle centering on noncore businesses. Of the 3,000 or so workers to be reassigned, about 60% will go to nonaviation units such as Jalux, which handles airport shopping, e-commerce and insurance. The remainder will be transferred to budget carrier businesses, including Zipair Tokyo, which started service in 2020.

JAL had about 35,400 employees groupwide as of fiscal 2021. Almost 90% of this total -- roughly 31,300 -- worked in the airline segment, which does not include its low-cost carrier operations.

JAL anticipates that the budget carrier and nonaviation segments will have about 3,000 new workers by fiscal 2025, with these positions to be filled through reassignment along with new recruits.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Central Tokyo could experience its first extremely hot day of the year on the final day of the three-day weekend, with temperatures forecast to reach at least 35 C as dangerous heat spreads across eastern and northeastern Japan.

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.

Japan is likely to face increasingly long and dangerously hot summers as global temperatures continue to rise, with advanced climate simulations also pointing to more frequent torrential rain, rising seas and accelerating ice loss by the end of the century.

A tropical depression near the Truk Islands is expected to strengthen into a typhoon within 12 hours, but forecasters say it is unlikely to have any direct impact on Japan.

A protest against Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was held in Tokyo's Shibuya district on July 16 as public concern grew over a bill that would impose criminal penalties for damaging the Japanese flag.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

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.

Seven & i Holdings is considering investing several hundred billion yen in Zabka Group, Poland's largest convenience store operator, as the Japanese retailer seeks to expand its presence in Europe.

Japanese manufacturers including Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Komatsu announced new artificial intelligence initiatives on July 16 as Nvidia expanded its partnerships with Japan's robotics and industrial sectors.

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on July 16 as renewed selling in South Korean semiconductor shares spread to Japan’s AI and chip-related names, while household inflation expectations hit a record high and kept pressure on the Bank of Japan to maintain a tightening bias.

Many beginner forex traders often frown upon the Tokyo trading session because of its low trading volume and liquidity levels. However, it can be a gold mine if you know which currencies to trade.

A system failure at frozen food giant Nichirei has disrupted shipments and logistics, raising the risk of product shortages and temporary closures at some Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants while also affecting major supermarket and retail chains.