News On Japan

Tokyo again acts as a magnet for corporate Japan

Falling rents and a growing need for in-person meetings spur relocations

TOKYO - Tokyo has begun to attract businesses again as office rents continue to fall and companies' need for in-person meetings grows after the COVID pandemic.

The number of companies that moved their head office to the capital's 23 wards rose 13% on the year from January to August and the number of exits slowed, bringing the net outflow to its lowest level since 2019.

Tsukui Staff, a staffing agency affiliated with the nursing-care service provider Tsukui, relocated its headquarters from Yokohama to Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in April to meet the growing need for face-to-face interviews with prospective job seekers. ...continue reading

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Japan's total population, including foreign residents, stood at 122.97 million as of October 1, 2025, down 3.17 million from the previous census in 2020, marking only the third decline since the national census began in 1920.

Typhoon No. 26 is forecast to move through the southern Izu Islands near Hachijojima through the morning of October 1, bringing the risk of torrential rain, strong winds and severe weather before heading east of Japan. Up to 150 millimeters of rain is forecast in the southern Izu Islands during the 24 hours through the morning of October 1, raising the possibility of rainfall reaching warning levels.

A woman in her 50s with severe heart failure underwent what was described as the world's first surgery using commercially available iPS cell-derived heart muscle sheets at an Osaka hospital on September 29, marking the first practical use of the regenerative treatment.

Tokyo recorded rain for a 34th consecutive day on September 29, setting a new all-time record for the capital, but the prolonged wet spell could finally end after Typhoon No. 26 passes the Izu Islands between the night of September 30 and the morning of October 1.

The University of Tokyo has selected professor Yuko Fujigaki, 64, as its next president, making her the first woman to lead Japan's most prestigious university.

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TOKYO - Tokyo stocks fell on September 29, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,481, down 396 points, as the September-end ex-dividend adjustment, U.S. stock weakness, higher bond yields and oil-related inflation concerns weighed on investor sentiment.

Osaka Prefecture's minimum wage will rise to 1,231 yen per hour in October, providing welcome relief to part-time workers struggling with higher living costs while placing growing financial pressure on businesses, some of which are responding by reducing employee hours and introducing robots that can perform certain tasks for the equivalent of just 94 yen an hour.

The average annual salary for employees at private-sector companies in Japan rose 1.9% to a record 4.87 million yen last year, marking the fifth consecutive annual increase, according to the National Tax Agency.

Toyota Motor's global vehicle sales fell 6.4% from a year earlier to 790,743 units in August, marking the second consecutive month of year-on-year declines as high gasoline prices linked to the Middle East crisis continued to weigh on demand for gasoline-powered vehicles in China.

Tokyo stocks fell on September 29, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,481, down 396 points, as the market adjusted for September interim dividends and investors remained cautious over high Japanese bond yields, a weak yen, oil prices and profit-taking after the recent rebound.

Japan will unify liquor tax rates on beer, happoshu and other beer-like beverages from October 1, lowering the tax on regular beer while raising it on cheaper alternatives in a reform expected to reshape prices and competition across the domestic beer market.

Beaujolais Nouveau, France's newly produced wine traditionally associated with autumn, arrived in Japan on September 28 about a month earlier than usual after a record-breaking heatwave accelerated this year's grape harvest.

Tokyo stocks fell on September 28, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,878, down 486.58 points, as an early rally above 67,000 faded into profit-taking despite dividend-related buying and continued support for banks and insurers.