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Japan to Raise EV Subsidies by 400,000 Yen

TOKYO - The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that it will increase subsidies for environmentally friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles by 400,000 yen. Under a revision to the clean energy vehicle promotion subsidy program, the ministry said it will raise the maximum subsidy for EVs by 400,000 yen to a ceiling of 1.3 million yen.

At the same time, subsidies for fuel cell vehicles, or FCVs, will be reduced by 1.05 million yen, lowering the maximum amount to 1.5 million yen.

The revision comes after the United States pointed out that Japan’s subsidies for FCVs were comparatively high, with the ministry saying the changes were made to improve fairness among different vehicle types in line with agreements reached in Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations.

The new subsidy levels will apply to vehicles newly registered as new cars on or after January 1 next year.

Source: TBS

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Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) began causing significant disruption to Japan's Obon holiday travel on August 11, with ANA canceling 58 flights serving Haneda and Narita airports, JAL canceling four flights, and JR East suspending some services on the Joban Line as the storm approached eastern Japan.

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) is expected to make landfall near Ibaraki Prefecture between around 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on August 11, bringing rapidly strengthening winds, high waves and heavy rain to parts of Kanto and southern Tohoku, with unsettled weather potentially continuing even after the storm moves inland.

Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.

Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

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