News On Japan

World's largest pension fund posts fourth straight quarterly loss

TOKYO - 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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[updated 12:30 p.m.] As of around noon on June 1st, Typhoon No. 6 was moving closer to Okinawa Main Island, with Naha expected to enter the storm's violent wind zone shortly as heavy rain, strengthening winds, and rough seas battered the region, forcing the suspension of buses and monorail services, the closure of schools and commercial facilities, and prompting the Okinawa Meteorological Observatory to warn of possible landslides and flooding later in the day.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi strongly rejected accusations that Japan is embracing "new militarism," describing such claims as false while delivering a speech at a major regional security conference in Singapore on May 31st.

A series of false bear sighting reports posted to an online alert system operated by Aomori Prefecture has disrupted schools, prompted a police investigation, and raised concerns about the growing impact of misinformation on public safety.

A social media dispute between a 17-year-old high school student from Tokyo's Itabashi Ward and a 16-year-old boy from Edogawa Ward escalated into a planned group fight involving around 30 youths, some of whom allegedly brought weapons including a rusty saw, iron pipes, a special baton and even a shovel.

Japan's population stood at 123.05 million in 2025, according to preliminary results from the national census released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, marking a decline of 3.097 million people over the past five years.

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SoftBank Group announced on May 31st that it will build a data center in France dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), with total investment potentially reaching approximately 14 trillion yen.

Japan's restaurant industry is facing growing uncertainty after the government suspended the acceptance of new foreign workers under the Specified Skilled Worker visa program for the food service sector, a move that is affecting businesses, language schools, and students who had hoped to build careers in Japan.

As soaring valuations in AI and semiconductor stocks prompt concerns about concentration risk, market analysts are increasingly pointing to energy shares as a potential alternative investment theme in an inflationary environment.

Toyota Motor has decided to halt development of the LF-ZC, a next-generation electric vehicle planned under its Lexus luxury brand, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Fixed-rate mortgage costs in Japan are set to rise again in June as the country's five major banks increase home loan rates in response to higher long-term interest rates, with their flagship 10-year fixed-rate mortgages rising to preferential rates of 3.27% at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, 3.5% at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and 3.25% at Mizuho Bank.

Japan is facing a growing transportation dilemma. While a record number of foreign visitors in 2025 has fueled congestion and traffic jams in major cities and tourist destinations, many rural communities are grappling with the opposite problem: shrinking populations and aging residents are making it increasingly difficult to maintain public transportation services.

Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disorder that makes bones fragile and prone to fractures, Toshiya Kakiuchi built a company with a mission to transform both the physical and emotional barriers faced by people with disabilities.

Finland is positioning economic resilience as a core pillar of national security, with Finnish Economic Affairs Minister Sakari Puisto emphasizing closer cooperation with Japan in advanced technologies, supply chain security and dual-use industries during a recent visit to Tokyo.