News On Japan

Tokiwair to Join Aircraft Manufacturing, Aiming for First Flight Within Five Years

NIIGATA, Oct 04 (News On Japan) - Tokiwair, a Niigata-based airline, is planning to produce lightweight sport aircraft (LSA), a category of small propeller planes, in collaboration with factories in the Tsubame-Sanjo area of Niigata Prefecture.

While LSAs are currently treated as experimental aircraft in Japan, they are recognized as practical planes in the United States and other countries. Tokiwair aims to secure approval in the U.S. and conduct its first flight within five years.

Since launching operations in 2024, Tokiwair has continued to post net losses, but it is now stepping up efforts to restructure. From October, entrepreneur Takafumi Horie has joined the board of directors to help strengthen management.

At an October 6th announcement, Tokiwair also plans to unveil a so-called “super app” initiative, designed to link transportation, hospitals, and restaurants across Niigata Prefecture through a single platform. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to shift the airline toward profitability.

Source: テレ東BIZ

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A string of so-called “honey trap” cases is drawing attention across Japan as schemes once limited to extortion have become increasingly violent, involving physical assaults and life-threatening intimidation.

Police have revealed that a woman killed by her former partner in Higashi-Osaka had sustained dozens of stab wounds across her body, including injuries that pierced internal organs.

Vast hillsides have been cleared for the construction of a large-scale solar power facility in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, leaving piles of felled trees scattered across the slopes. The development covers approximately 146 hectares, or the size of 32 Tokyo Domes, and involves cutting down about 365,000 trees to make way for 470,000 solar panels.

OpenAI has unveiled its latest video generation AI, Sora2, which can produce realistic footage in about three minutes, including Japanese anime-style clips and composite videos featuring real individuals.

Former US President Donald Trump is arranging a three-day visit to Japan starting on October 27th, marking his first trip to the country in six years.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

Tokiwair, a Niigata-based airline, is planning to produce lightweight sport aircraft (LSA), a category of small propeller planes, in collaboration with factories in the Tsubame-Sanjo area of Niigata Prefecture.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation has reduced 206 Toei bus services in its October timetable revision, underscoring how the nationwide shortage of drivers is now taking a serious toll on the capital’s public transport.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated that the pace of Japan’s economic growth is expected to temporarily slow due to the effects of tariffs, while predicting that growth will pick up again as overseas economies recover. Speaking in Osaka on October 4th at a meeting with the Kansai business community, Ueda stressed that monetary policy would be guided by overall economic and price conditions.

Around 60 percent of hospitals across Japan are operating in the red, creating a critical situation where closures and bankruptcies are no longer a distant threat. Behind the figures lies a deepening financial crisis that is raising questions about whether patients can continue to rely on stable access to medical care.

A system failure caused by a cyberattack at beverage giant Asahi Group shows no sign of resolution, disrupting deliveries and leaving some supermarket shelves empty.

Forever 21, the American fast fashion brand that once led a global boom in affordable clothing, has decided to withdraw from Japan for the third time after its US parent company filed for bankruptcy and supply from the United States came to a halt.

The wave of price increases continued into October, with more than 3,000 items, including beverages and food, set to rise in price, leaving supermarkets and retailers grappling with how to respond.

From October, Japan’s minimum wage will rise across the country to exceed 1,000 yen for the first time, a development welcomed by workers but one that is expected to squeeze retailers such as discount supermarkets where higher personnel costs could lead to losses.