Chinese cash keeps Japan's struggling hot spring resorts bubbling
Overseas buyers made up almost half of Japanese hotel deals that closed in the year to March, according to MSCI Real Assets. High-profile hotels such as the Rihga Royal Hotel in Osaka and the Tokyo Hyatt Regency are among the assets that have changed hands recently.
Japan’s tourism industry enjoyed a steady boom from 2012 until the pandemic, as the government sought to attract inbound tourists and the yen weakened. Many traditional ryokan, however, have struggled to attract enough foreign visitors to stay afloat as they fell behind more modern hotels in adapting to things like online bookings or multilingual services, while holding on to other traditions.
Many ryokan for example serve fixed-menu meals in the guest’s room as part of a rigid package – a custom that some, including the Atami Pearl Star, are starting to rethink. Offering food and accommodation separately gives guests more freedom, while area residents or day trippers can enjoy meals without needing to spend the night.
The predicted influx of Chinese investment into Japan also comes as rich individuals increasingly explore the country as a place to invest or even live. ...continue reading
Singapore is Japan's top property investor in 2023: report
Business Times - Sep 25
Singapore became the biggest investor in Japan's real estate sector this year, lured by the yen's weakness and growing demand in logistics and hospitality industries, according to Knight Frank.
'CROSS FM' Chairman Horiemon begins radio wave experiment
News On Japan - Sep 24
Japanese entrepreneur Takafumi Horie held a press conference Friday announcing a 'big experiment' for his recently purchased radio station 'CROSS FM' in Kitakyushu.
Duolingo's Japan user base increases fivefold
News On Japan - Sep 24
One of the most widely used language learning apps in the world, "Duolingo," continues to grow in Japan, with the number of users increasing fivefold over the past three years.
More firms avoid using Johnny & Associates entertainers for their ads
NHK - Sep 23
A survey by a private research firm in Japan has found an increasing number of listed companies are severing ties with talent agency Johnny & Associates over reported sex abuse by its late founder.
Bank of Japan holds pat on monetary policy
NHK - Sep 22
Policymakers at the Bank of Japan have decided to leave the central bank's easing program unchanged as they wrapped up their two-day meeting on Friday.
Japan's Ghibli anime studio to be acquired by Nippon TV
Nikkei - Sep 21
Nippon Television Holdings will acquire Studio Ghibli -- the globally acclaimed anime house known for smash hits like "Spirited Away" and director Hayao Miyazaki -- through subsidiary Nippon TV, the company announced on Thursday.
Toshiba is set to delist in Japan after 74 years as part of $14 billion deal
CNN - Sep 21
Toshiba said on Thursday that a $14 billion tender offer from private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) had ended in success — a deal which paves the way for the embattled industrial conglomerate to go private.
Japan McDonald's to reduce deliveries to cope with looming '2024 Problem'
News On Japan - Sep 21
Japan McDonald's will reduce the frequency of delivering ingredients and supplies from its logistics warehouses to its stores by 20% starting next month.
Hearings begin in Carlos Ghosn's $1 billion lawsuit against Nissan
The National - Sep 20
Judicial hearings on the $1 billion lawsuit that Carlos Ghosn has filed against Nissan, the auto company he used to head, have begun, with lawyers from both sides meeting the judge charged with overseeing the case in Beirut.
Land prices in Japan up for 2nd year
NHK - Sep 20
Average land prices in Japan have risen for a second straight year. Reinvigorated social and economic activity spurred by easing pandemic concern drove the increase.
SoftBank Group to gain $5.12 billion proceeds from Arm IPO
Kyodo - Sep 20
SoftBank Group Corp said Tuesday that it will receive $5.12 billion in proceeds from the initial public offering of Arm Holdings Plc, a British chip designer under the Japanese conglomerate, by the end of September.
China's imports of Japanese seafood drop by 67% in August
NHK - Sep 19
China's imports of Japanese seafood fell by two-thirds in August from the same month last year, as Beijing halted all such imports following the release of treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Insanely evil Japanese company implodes overnight
Japanalysis - Sep 19
What happens when an egotistical trust fund baby becomes Vice President of his dad's $1B company? Watch and find out. BIG MOTOR!
Bank of Japan unlikely to start tightening policy this year, ANZ says
Bloomberg - Sep 19
Richard Yetsenga, chief economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., discusses policies of central banks including the People's Bank of China and the Bank of Japan.
The mood in Japan has changed: Daiwa Securities's Tashiro
Bloomberg - Sep 18
The mood in Japan has changed and the deflationary times we’ve experienced for so long that people are more optimistic than before.”
Japan's dairy farming isn't faring well
East Asia Forum - Sep 16
Japan's dairy farmers are facing a tough financial situation. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the number of dairy farmers in the country declined by 5.3 per cent - faster than the average rate of 4 per cent - over the past 10 years.
