BUSINESS NEWS

Japanese business leaders said Thursday support will be necessary for struggling firms under a second state of emergency over the novel coronavirus in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, while they viewed the decision as inevitable due to resurging infections. (Kyodo)

Honda Motor will reduce vehicle production due to a supply crunch in semiconductors, Nikkei has learned, a sign that a pandemic-spurred global shortage is threatening the auto industry. (Nikkei)

A Japanese credit research firm says the number of pubs and restaurants going bankrupt last year hit a record high due to the pandemic. (NHK)

Investors in Tokyo snapped up stocks on Thursday on hopes for additional stimulus measures in the US. An overnight rally in New York also supported the rise. (NHK)

A monthlong state of emergency planned by the Japanese government to contain a resurgence of novel coronavirus infections is expected to knock trillions of yen off private consumption, with some economists predicting the economy will return to contraction. (Japan Times)

Japan’s likely decision to declare a state of emergency in the Tokyo area will most probably trigger a contraction in January-March, analysts say, adding to the headache for policymakers struggling to cushion the blow to the economy from the pandemic. (Reuters)

The balance of money circulating in Japan’s economy hit a record high for the ninth consecutive month in December, data showed on Tuesday, as the central bank continued to flood the economy with cash to cushion the blow from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reuters)

Traders at Tokyo's Toyosu wholesale market prayed for prosperity in the year ahead as they held their first auction of 2021 on Tuesday. (NHK)

Sales at major department stores in Japan during New Year's fell sharply as the coronavirus pandemic intensified. Managers downsized their sales campaigns, including "lucky bag" offerings, during the seasonal shopping period. (NHK)

Ramen chain store operators Gift and Maruchiyo Yamaokaya have managed to keep 2020 sales at roughly the same level as a year ago, even as the COVID-19 pandemic hammered the industry, by adapting quickly to the deteriorating business environment, company leaders said. (Nikkei)

This year's first auction of blowfish, or fugu, has been held in the western city of Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. (NHK)

Japan's economy is expected to make its sharpest rebound in decades this year, with consumption set to pick up toward the end of 2021 as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the broader economy eases. (Kyodo)

The idea of a tunnel for auto traffic between Japan's main island of Honshu with Hokkaido to the north has gained new momentum after years of being considered a wasteful long shot. (Nikkei)

Department stores in Japan are bracing for sales of their New Year bargain packages while taking measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (NHK)

Tokyo stocks are likely to climb in 2021 with progress in global COVID-19 vaccinations helping to improve the business climate and Japan's accommodative monetary policies remaining in place. (Japan Times)

Wasabi is a crucial ingredient in Japanese sushi. It is known as ‘green gold’ in Japan. But even in Japan, authentic wasabi is hard to find. It is difficult to grow, consequently expensive to buy. (The Hindu)

Tokyo's benchmark stock index hit a 30-year closing high on Tuesday, following a rise in US markets. (NHK)

FamilyMart Co. President Takashi Sawada has said the convenience store operator will increase the number of its outlets with Amazon Hub parcel lockers sevenfold, to about 350, by the fiscal year through February 2022. (Japan Times)

The government kept its assessment of industrial production unchanged, saying it was picking up. (WION)

Japan's unemployment rate improved to 2.9% in November, dropping for the first time in five months in a sign that the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on the labor market is easing, government data showed Friday. (Japan Times)