News On Japan

Japan Cashes in on China's 'Singles Day'

BEIJING, Nov 12 (News On Japan) - November 11th in China is celebrated as 'Singles Day,' marked by extensive sales campaigns from e-commerce giants, with Japanese companies also joining the fray to ride this wave of consumer interest.

Originally launched by China's leading online retailer Alibaba 15 years ago, Singles Day falls on the date 11/11, symbolizing four single ones, when various retailers hold large-scale sales events.

Panasonic HD's Vice President Tetsuro Honma remarked, "Hello, everyone! It’s getting colder, isn’t it?"

In preparation for Singles Day, Panasonic has produced a video featuring its top regional executives for China and Northeast Asia, personally promoting their products. The video also stars current employees involved in product development, who highlight the ease of use of their popular shavers and hair dryers through lighthearted exchanges.

Additionally, the Japanese retailer "Muji," which operates over 400 stores in China, has lined up a range of items for sale, as numerous Japanese companies seek to make an impact.

Amid China’s prolonged economic slowdown, the government is striving to boost consumption by offering subsidies for home appliances, encouraging consumers to refresh their household goods.

Source: ANN

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

An Idemitsu Kosan crude oil tanker has safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first vessel bound for Japan to do so since attacks on Iran heightened tensions in the region and effectively disrupted maritime traffic.

Japan’s Golden Week holiday period got fully underway on April 29, drawing large crowds to major tourist destinations and airports, where long lines formed as overseas travel surged.

A series of sightings involving unusually large brown bears in Hokkaido has heightened concerns among local residents, with one 330-kilogram animal captured in Tomamae and another 280-kilogram bear attacking a hunter in Shimamaki.

Full-scale Golden Week travel began on April 29, with Chubu Centrair International Airport experiencing its busiest outbound travel day of the holiday period. The airport was crowded from the morning with vacationers heading overseas.

Electricity and gas bills for usage in May will rise slightly in Japan, with the impact of tensions involving Iran expected to appear in utility charges from June onward. Larger increases could follow in subsequent months.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

Electricity and gas bills for usage in May will rise slightly in Japan, with the impact of tensions involving Iran expected to appear in utility charges from June onward. Larger increases could follow in subsequent months.

The Bank of Japan decided to leave interest rates unchanged, opting against an additional rate hike for now, after its monetary policy meeting concluded earlier with a majority vote to maintain the policy rate at 0.75%, marking the third consecutive meeting at which rates were left unchanged.

Shizuoka City said it will shorten operating hours at three municipally run hot spring facilities from May 7 for the time being, after instability in heavy oil supplies linked to the situation in Iran.

Prolonged tensions in the Middle East are beginning to affect everyday vegetables in Japan, with tomato farmers facing higher costs and shortages of packaging materials.

The impact of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is spreading to Japan's export industries, dealing a fresh blow to automakers and other companies reliant on Middle East trade routes.

The Nikkei Stock Average rose by more than 1,100 points at one stage in trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday. Following gains in semiconductor-related shares on the New York market on June 24, buy orders flowed into AI and chip-related stocks in Tokyo, lifting the Nikkei back above the 60,000 level.

Japan has reduced refinery operating rates as it scrambles to secure alternative crude supplies following disruptions to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the growing strain on one of Asia’s most import-dependent energy markets.

American crude oil secured as an alternative supply source has arrived in Japan for the first time, as the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz makes procurement from the Middle East increasingly difficult.