News On Japan

World's largest pension fund posts fourth straight quarterly loss

TOKYO, Feb 04 (UPI) - Japan's massive public pension fund continued its longest ever losing streak, reporting on Friday a $14.2 billion loss for the third quarter, its fourth straight quarter of negative returns.

The Government Pension Investment Fund, the world's largest pool of retirement savings and the largest public investor in Japan, blamed the performance on the strength of the dollar against the yen which pushed down the book value of its investments abroad.

Its investments results update shows a -1% return for the quarter, $1 billion more than it lost in the second quarter, as the value of its investments plummeted amid its longest losing streak since 2003 when it reported four consecutive quarterly falls. ...continue reading

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Meta, the U.S.-based tech giant, announced on January 21st that it has implemented new restrictions for teenage users on its photo-sharing app Instagram in Japan.

Japan Post has announced that it will cease the delivery of reptiles and small birds at the end of March.

Nissan Motor is implementing a workforce reduction plan involving 9,000 employees, with over 70% of the cuts concentrated in production sites, according to a JNN investigation.

The Osaka-Kansai Expo is three months away and challenges remain in areas such as pavilion construction and ticket sales.

Cedar pollen dispersal in Tokyo began on January 8th, marking the earliest start since monitoring began in 1985, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

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Young Japanese workers in their 20s and 30s are increasingly resistant to taking on managerial roles. According to a recent survey, Japan ranked lowest among 18 major countries in the percentage of workers aspiring to become managers.

The demand for custom-made suits is growing as professionals increasingly view them as a form of self-investment rather than just “battle gear” for work.

Fallout continues from a scandal involving a woman and popular TV personality Nakai Masahiro, who is best known as a former member of the disbanded pop idol group, SMAP. (NHK)

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on January 17th that the average agreed amount for last year's winter bonuses at major private companies reached 891,460 yen, an increase of 4.93% compared to the previous year. This marks the first record high in five years, surpassing the previous peak set in 2019.

Corporate bankruptcies in Japan rose for the third straight year in 2024. It is the highest number since 2013. Rising prices and labor shortages were to blame in many cases. (NHK)

Kobe is set to become the first city in Japan to consider imposing a tax on vacant units in high-rise condominiums. Mayor Hisamoto expressed strong support for the measure, stressing that the city will avoid repeating the situation seen in Tokyo’s Harumi Flag development.

Japan’s largest non-life insurer, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, has decided to raise the starting salary for university graduates joining the company in April next year. The salary for general positions will increase from approximately 280,000 yen to a maximum of about 410,000 yen.

The deadline for the U.S. presidential order, which demanded the termination of Nippon Steel’s planned acquisition of U.S. Steel within 30 days, has been extended.