SoftBank Group announced on May 31st that it will build a data center in France dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), with total investment potentially reaching approximately 14 trillion yen.
Japan's restaurant industry is facing growing uncertainty after the government suspended the acceptance of new foreign workers under the Specified Skilled Worker visa program for the food service sector, a move that is affecting businesses, language schools, and students who had hoped to build careers in Japan.
As soaring valuations in AI and semiconductor stocks prompt concerns about concentration risk, market analysts are increasingly pointing to energy shares as a potential alternative investment theme in an inflationary environment.
Toyota Motor has decided to halt development of the LF-ZC, a next-generation electric vehicle planned under its Lexus luxury brand, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Fixed-rate mortgage costs in Japan are set to rise again in June as the country's five major banks increase home loan rates in response to higher long-term interest rates, with their flagship 10-year fixed-rate mortgages rising to preferential rates of 3.27% at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, 3.5% at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and 3.25% at Mizuho Bank.
Japan is facing a growing transportation dilemma. While a record number of foreign visitors in 2025 has fueled congestion and traffic jams in major cities and tourist destinations, many rural communities are grappling with the opposite problem: shrinking populations and aging residents are making it increasingly difficult to maintain public transportation services.
Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disorder that makes bones fragile and prone to fractures, Toshiya Kakiuchi built a company with a mission to transform both the physical and emotional barriers faced by people with disabilities.
Finland is positioning economic resilience as a core pillar of national security, with Finnish Economic Affairs Minister Sakari Puisto emphasizing closer cooperation with Japan in advanced technologies, supply chain security and dual-use industries during a recent visit to Tokyo.