Carpenter numbers dwindle, '2024 Problem' looms

Japan and the United States held a second round of negotiations over tariffs, with discussions lasting 130 minutes. Economic Minister Akazawa described the talks as substantive, yet many officials believe the outcome hinges on the trajectory of U.S.-China relations.

A wave of fraudulent trades conducted through hijacked securities accounts has prompted Japan’s leading brokerages to move toward compensating affected customers, with some firms opting to offer full refunds.

Japan’s unemployment rate improved in fiscal 2024 for the first time in two years, falling by 0.1 percentage point from the previous year to 2.5 percent, according to government data released on May 2nd.

At the White House, President Donald Trump brought together corporate executives, including SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son, to highlight major investment commitments made in the United States—presenting them as a direct result of his administration's efforts.

Two women, a 54-year-old mother and her 26-year-old daughter from Kasukabe City in Saitama Prefecture, have been referred to prosecutors by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police for allegedly selling nail parts resembling the logos of luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton without authorization.

The Bank of Japan decided at its monetary policy meeting on May 1st to keep its policy interest rate at the current level of around 0.5%, marking the second consecutive meeting since March in which rates were left unchanged.

Toyota has announced that it has reached a basic agreement with Waymo, the autonomous driving division under Google's parent company, to move toward a new partnership.

Matsuo, operator of the Matsuo Jingisukan chain, has embarked on a surprising new venture by opening its first specialty shoe store last week in Atsubetsu Ward, Sapporo, selling footwear instead of lamb.