Applications for Japan’s "Business Manager" residency status, which is granted to foreign entrepreneurs launching businesses in the country, have fallen by approximately 96% following the tightening of screening standards introduced in October last year.
The Nikkei 225 surged sharply in Tokyo trading on May 7th, rising more than 3,300 points to close at 62,833.84 yen, marking both the largest gain in its history and the first time the index has finished in the 62,000 range, as buying orders spread rapidly from the opening bell following the Golden Week holidays and continued to build throughout the session.
Nearly 1,500 businesses, including restaurants, have come under scrutiny as authorities move to address a growing issue in Ameyoko, one of Japan’s busiest shopping streets, where eateries have been expanding onto public roads without permits, prompting a crackdown by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
The number of vacant homes across Japan has surpassed 9 million—roughly double the figure from 30 years ago—yet efforts to address the issue are being held back by increasingly complex inheritance cases that make resolution difficult.
A proposal to eliminate Japan’s consumption tax on food for two years, long promoted by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is facing complications, with a reduced 1% tax option now gaining traction within the government due to technical constraints that could delay full implementation.
A tanker carrying Russian crude oil arrived off the coast of Imabari in Ehime Prefecture on the morning of May 4th, marking the first such import since the United States launched an attack on Iran and reflecting a government-led effort to diversify energy procurement sources.
Sales of the "Dream Jumbo Lottery," offering a combined top prize of 500 million yen including adjacent number bonuses, began nationwide on May 1st.
Japan intervened in currency markets in late April, spending an estimated 5–6 trillion yen to support the yen after a sharp slide toward the 160-per-dollar level triggered concern over rising import costs and market instability, marking one of the largest such actions in recent years as authorities moved to counter what they described as excessive volatility rather than any specific exchange rate target.