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Companies hold in-person welcome ceremonies for new employees

Apr 04, 2023 (Japan Today) - Many companies and organizations across Japan held in-person welcome ceremonies for new recruits on Monday, the first day of the new fiscal year.

It is the first time that major companies held such ceremonies since the outbreak of the coronavirus in 2020. For the past three years, welcome ceremonies were mostly held remotely.

Among companies welcoming new workers was Japan Airlines which held its ceremony inside a big hangar at Haneda airport in Tokyo. Around 2,000 employees from JAL’s group firms were present.

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Osaka’s Minami district, now entering another period of major change with the planned opening of the Naniwasuji Line, the redevelopment of Midosuji and improvements around Nankai Namba Station, has transformed from an area once described as "scary" and "dirty" into one of Japan’s leading tourist destinations.

A 10-ton hoko float was pulled through central Kyoto on July 12 in a trial run ahead of the Yamahoko Junko procession during the Gion Festival's early parade.

A growing number of young doctors in Japan are moving directly into cosmetic medicine after obtaining a medical license and completing their initial clinical training, raising concern that the trend may be worsening staff shortages in insurance-covered medical care.

Transport disruption from Typhoon No. 9 (Bavi) continued on July 12, with airlines warning that some flights serving Okinawa’s outlying islands could still face delays, cancellations or conditional operations even after the storm moved away from the prefecture.

JAXA successfully landed a small experimental vehicle for a reusable rocket on July 11, marking a step toward technology that could increase the frequency of space launches while helping reduce costs.

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Small supermarkets offering lower prices than convenience stores and closer access than full-size supermarkets are expanding rapidly across the Tokyo metropolitan area, as retailers race to meet demand from older consumers, single-person households and shoppers under pressure from rising prices.

A welfare facility in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, has begun preparations to sell about 220 giant stag beetles, one of Japan’s largest species, from July 13.

NTT Docomo will begin offering banking services under the new "Docomo Bank" brand in August, with plans to build a network of more than 1,500 locations by fiscal 2030, far exceeding the branch networks of Japan's major banks.

Japanese stocks rose for a second straight session on Friday, July 10, with the Nikkei Stock Average climbing 813.88 points to close at 68,557.73 after strong gains in U.S. technology and semiconductor stocks fueled renewed buying of AI-related shares.

Japan’s domestic Corporate Goods Price Index, which measures prices charged for goods traded between companies, rose 7.1% from a year earlier to 135.4 in June, the Bank of Japan said on July 10.

A credit card payment processor with liabilities of about 125.9 billion yen has become Japan’s largest bankruptcy so far in 2026, disrupting card payments at restaurants and shops across the country and forcing many businesses to accept cash only.

Japan's planned rollout of mobile phone numbers beginning with 060 has been postponed after telecom carriers said they need more time to complete system preparations.

Tokyo stocks fell for a third straight session on July 8 as selling in semiconductor and AI-related shares continued, while rising Japanese government bond yields, Middle East tensions and concern over the Bank of Japan’s policy independence added pressure to the broader market.