Japan firms to kill business deals involving Uyghur forced labor
Kyodo -- Feb 22
Twelve major Japanese companies have established a policy of ceasing business deals with Chinese companies found to benefit from the forced labor of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's far-western Xinjiang region, a Kyodo News investigation showed Sunday.
Pressure has been mounting on Japanese firms to take action over such human rights abuses in the supply chain after the United States and Britain imposed import restrictions on cotton and other products originating from the autonomous region.
The Japanese government, which has been criticized for being slow to impose similar sanctions, has been passive in addressing the issue due to fears of provoking China.
In a report last year, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute identified over 80 global companies "directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through abusive labor transfer programs." Kyodo News recently asked 14 Japanese companies mentioned by the think tank how they plan to respond.
- Kyodo
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RTE - May 20
Japan's core consumer prices posted their biggest jump in seven years in April, official data showed today, as global commodity prices soared and the yen slumped against the dollar.
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marketwatch.com - May 19
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Japan is planning to open its first casino on 'Dream Island.'
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Japan's Jan.-Mar. GDP contracts annualized 1.0 percent
NHK - May 18
Japan's gross domestic product contracted an annualized 1.0 percent in real terms from January to March, compared to the previous quarter.
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CBS Sunday Morning - May 17
In Japan, grass-and-straw tatami mats – once a privilege reserved for the elite – have been a key feature of home design since the Middle Ages, crafted by gifted artisans. But now, with cheap knockoffs and changing lifestyles, the industry is at a crossroads.
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Nikkei - May 17
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Nikkei - May 17
Saizeriya, a Japan-based chain of family-style Italian restaurants, has discontinued certain dishes over supply chain disruptions abroad and is turning to domestic procurement of certain ingredients.
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NHK - May 17
A Japanese court has ruled a local government broke the law by ordering a restaurant chain to shorten its business hours to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
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Nikkei - May 16
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Business Times - May 16
Japan's wholesale prices in April jumped 10 per cent from the same month a year earlier, data showed on Monday (May 16), rising at a record rate as the Ukraine crisis and a weak yen pushed up the cost of energy and raw materials.
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The term “Zen” has outgrown its origins as a sect of Buddhism, becoming an ubiquitous descriptor for design, lifestyle and even fashion, leaked from the East to the West and now prefixing a plethora of commodities, from “zen grey” paint to beauty products.
Classic Japanese audio brand Onkyo files for bankruptcy
Nikkei - May 14
Japanese audio equipment maker Onkyo Home Entertainment filed for bankruptcy at Osaka District Court on Friday, with total liabilities of around 3.1 billion yen ($24 million).
Nintendo heirs eye Kyoto revitalization project around HQ-turned-hotel
Nikkei - May 13
Nintendo's founding Yamauchi family will redevelop the neighborhood around the company's former headquarters in Kyoto, eyeing restaurants, an art gallery and more.
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Nikkei - May 12
Ayako Koizumi recently sent a message to her colleagues in the product development section at Japan Tobacco to thank them for the preparation of a training program for new employees.
