Sep 29, 2024 (News On Japan) - Toyota's global production has seen a decline for the seventh consecutive month. In August, Toyota Motor Corporation announced that its worldwide production totaled 709,571 units, an 11.2% decrease from the same period last year.
The domestic production volume dropped by 22.2%. This downturn was impacted by the suspension of production of three models, including the Yaris Cross, due to certification violations.
Source: テレ東BIZ
Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.
Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.
A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes.
Street performances began across Tokushima on August 12 as the city's Awa Odori festival entered its second day, with leading dance groups showcasing graceful routines after months of practice.
A large new typhoon formed near the Ogasawara Islands on August 12 and could approach Honshu around the end of the Obon holiday period, while the remnants of Typhoon No. 15 continue to bring unstable weather and a risk of heavy rain across a wide area of Japan.
Tokyo stocks rose on August 13, with the Nikkei 225 advancing to 68,601.21, up 1.6%, as semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares followed Wall Street higher, while the broader TOPIX climbed to a record high despite continued concern over wholesale inflation, the yen and Bank of Japan rate-hike expectations.
Hiroshi Okuda, a former president of Toyota Motor who helped lay the foundation for the automaker's emergence as one of the world's leading manufacturers, died of old age on August 8 at the age of 93.
Tokyo stocks ended nearly unchanged on August 12, with the Nikkei 225 at 66,988.82, as gains in energy and financial shares offset weakness in electronics and pharmaceuticals while investors weighed higher crude oil prices, a weaker yen and growing expectations for another Bank of Japan rate increase.
Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced on August 11 that they have formally agreed to jointly produce next-generation image sensors, with total investment expected to reach about 1 trillion yen and mass production scheduled to begin in Kumamoto Prefecture in 2029.
Japan's street-level economic sentiment improved for a third consecutive month in July, supported by sharply hotter weather after the end of the rainy season and the start of the summer vacation period, with stronger sales of products including men's parasols and air conditioners.
Tokyo stocks rose on August 10, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 66,376.25, up 1.2%, as investors bought electronics, metals and artificial intelligence-related shares, while fresh signs of a more hawkish Bank of Japan debate kept attention on the yen, bond yields and the timing of the next rate increase.
Japan recorded a current account deficit of 92.3 billion yen in June, its first shortfall in 17 months, as a sharp increase in import costs outpaced growth in exports.
Several Bank of Japan policymakers have signaled support for accelerating interest rate increases, with one member warning that the pace of hikes could become faster than financial markets currently expect as the central bank pays greater attention to upside inflation risks.
