News On Japan

Used Land Cruisers fetch over double new price amid Toyota shortage

Aug 11, 2022 (Nikkei) - Resale prices of some Toyota models have topped what new ones sell for as Japan's top automaker keeps car buyers waiting.

The median price of the 2022 Land Cruiser ZX reached 17.05 million yen ($129,000) in late July, more than double the manufacturer's suggested price for the gasoline version of the popular sport utility vehicle, according to used car website operator Proto Corp.

Price inversions like this for Toyotas, which reflect the automaker's struggle to produce cars on time amid a global chip shortage, are unusual in their extent, market watchers said.

"There have been instances of localized spikes in prices for rare and popular cars, but I've never seen it happen for this many models," said Yasuyuki Matsui, a director at Nagoya-based used car dealership group Goodspeed.

For the Alphard, one of Toyota's largest minivans, the median price for the hybrid 2021 Executive Lounge S version was 8.25 million yen, above the new-car price of 7.75 million yen.

Some Harrier and Corolla Cross cars cost more used than new, depending on the model year and grade. ...continue reading

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Japan's World Cup campaign begins on June 14 when the Samurai Blue face the Netherlands at Dallas Stadium in Texas, a clash that will showcase some of the game's most talented players and pit two ambitious teams against one another in a crucial Group F opener. While Japan arrives without injured winger Kaoru Mitoma, one of its most recognizable stars, the squad still boasts a wealth of talent drawn from Europe's top leagues.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced that an El Niño phenomenon is believed to have developed this spring, warning that Japan is likely to experience above-average temperatures nationwide this summer despite the climate pattern's traditional association with cooler summers.

Narita International Airport Corporation is expected to announce next month that it will apply to the national government for project certification as part of the process to enable compulsory land acquisition for the construction of a new runway at Narita Airport, according to sources familiar with the matter.

A fire broke out at Arima Inari Shrine near the Arima Onsen hot spring resort area in Kobe on the night of June 9th, destroying multiple buildings and leaving an elderly Shinto priest and his wife with minor injuries.

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

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The Bank of Japan is set to raise its policy interest rate from 0.75% to 1.0% at its monetary policy meeting on June 15th and 16th, a move that could mark another step in the central bank's gradual shift away from ultra-loose monetary policy as inflation remains elevated and the yen continues to weaken.

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Casio Computer, the company behind some of Japan’s most iconic consumer electronics including calculators, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and the G-SHOCK watch, is pursuing a new strategy aimed at reviving its tradition of product innovation.

Nippon Steel plans to invest up to $2.5 billion, or approximately 400 billion yen, over the next three years in the Mon Valley Works steel complex in Pennsylvania, one of the key facilities operated by U.S. Steel, the American steelmaker it acquired in 2025.

Japan's economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.8% in the January–March quarter of 2026, according to revised gross domestic product (GDP) data released by the Cabinet Office, with the figure marked down from the preliminary estimate due largely to weaker-than-expected capital investment.