Toyota trawls for big spenders with $4m Lexus yacht
Nikkei -- Sep 21
Toyota Motor has unveiled the first yacht under its Lexus luxury brand, with a 450 million yen ($4.17 million) price tag in Japan that aims it squarely at the super-rich.
The LY 650 will launch in Japan, the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 30. The 20-meter vessel combines Toyota's shipbuilding expertise with the design sensibilities of Lexus, featuring a curvy motif and a luxurious interior. It contains three sleeping quarters, with space for six people.
The boat was designed in collaboration with the Italian yacht designer Nuvolari Lenard and is built in the U.S.
Toyota has sold about 900 boats in Japan since establishing its shipbuilding business in 1997. This is the first foray outside autos for Lexus, which unveiled the yacht concept in January 2017.
- Nikkei
Catch quota for Pacific bluefin tuna may be raised
NHK - Jul 30
Delegates to an international conference on the management of bluefin tuna stocks in the Pacific Ocean have agreed to raise the catch quota for large fish in its western and central waters.
Japan's factory output rises, job availability at near 1-year high
Reuters - Jul 30
TOKYO - Japan’s factory output rebounded in June and job availability rose to the highest level in nearly a year, data showed, a sign robust overseas demand was offsetting the drag to consumption from the pandemic.
Olympic merchandize selling well as Japan's medal haul grows
Kyodo - Jul 30
As Japan's impressive medal haul grows, sales of official Tokyo Olympics merchandise such as badges and keyrings have been surging, with fans queuing outside stores to buy them despite mounting COVID-19 infections.
Toyota halts Lexus and Land Cruiser plants on ASEAN virus spread
Nikkei - Jul 28
NAGOYA -- Toyota Motor will suspend production of the Lexus and the Land Cruiser at two domestic plants for several days in August as rising coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia disrupt parts production.
BOJ's 2% Inflation Target Has Resulted in Japan's Economy No Longer in Deflation, Kuroda Says
usnews.com - Jul 28
TOKYO (Reuters) - The Bank of Japan's 2% inflation target has pulled Japan's economy out of deflation, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Tuesday, adding that this was not a mistaken policy.
Japan should be able to vaccinate 'quite rapidly' in the next few months, economist predicts
CNBC International TV - Jul 27
Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics says he expects restrictions on activity in Japan to begin easing by the end of this quarter as the elderly should be fully vaccinated by then.
Newbie in Crypto World? Introduction to Chart Analysis
newsonjapan.com - Jul 26
Are you a newbie that recently learned about cryptocurrency and now wants to take a shot at it?
Tokyo restaurant and bar owners angry over COVID-19 aid system
Japan Times - Jul 25
Restaurant and bar operators in Tokyo are angry at the metropolitan government over a new program to provide coronavirus relief to those meeting requests for business suspensions and other measures, which comes as an existing aid program faces delays.
Major websites briefly go down in global outage
NHK - Jul 24
The Japanese government's cybersecurity body says many public- and private-sector websites briefly went down early Friday.
Japanese sponsors poured $3 billion into the Tokyo Olympics. What will they get in return?
fortune.com - Jul 23
Japanese corporate sponsors of the Tokyo Olympics have poured $3 billion into the Games, the largest-ever amount contributed by domestic companies.
Pokemon Go still catches 'em all after 5 years
Nikkei - Jul 23
TOKYO -- Five years after its launch, Pokemon Go monsters still run amok in the world and are chased by a legion of fans.
Suzuki, Daihatsu join Toyota-led EV project
NHK - Jul 22
Several Japanese automakers are joining hands to speed up the development of low-cost electric mini vehicles. Suzuki Motor and Daihatsu Motor are set to take part in a joint venture led by Toyota Motor.
MGM Resorts reveals plans for $9 billion casino in Japan
Wall Street Journal - Jul 22
MGM Resorts International formally proposed building a $9 billion casino resort in Osaka, reinvigorating its push to open Japan’s first casino gambling facility after pandemic-related delays.
No-spectator Olympics produces winners and losers for Japanese stocks
Japan Times - Jul 21
Tokyo’s delayed Olympics is flipping conventional wisdom on its head, with Japan’s stay-at-home stocks expected to emerge as winners rather than once-favored advertisers, real-estate firms and travel operators.
Sponsor Toyota to skip Olympic TV commercials amid lacklustre support in Japan
indianexpress.com - Jul 19
Tokyo 2020 sponsor Toyota will not run Olympics-related TV commercials amid lacklustre public support for the Olympics, with two-thirds of Japanese doubting organisers can keep the Games safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a local media poll.
Accomplices in Ghosn escape sentenced to prison
NHK - Jul 19
A Japanese court has handed down prison sentences to two US citizens who helped former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan.
