News On Japan

Sales of Japanese carmakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda sink in China as they fall behind in EV race

Jul 19, 2023 (South China Morning Post) - Japan’s top carmakers suffered a huge setback in China in the first half, with sales plunging nearly 20 per cent, their biggest drop in the world’s largest car market since 2012, where the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is accelerating.

The top six – Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Subaru – all of which assemble and sell cars through their joint ventures with Chinese partners, sold 1.71 million conventional vehicles between January and June, a 19.9 per cent decline year on year, according to industry data provider MarkLines.

“The dynamic Chinese car market requires all players to react quickly to customers’ changing tastes,” said Eric Han, a senior ­manager at Suolei, an advisory firm in Shanghai. “Japanese carmakers are lagging behind their Chinese rivals in developing electric cars which are now in high demand here.” ...continue reading

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A new typhoon could form far south of Japan and potentially affect Okinawa around the Silver Week holiday period, while an autumn rain front is bringing heavy rain to areas along the Sea of Japan coast and threatening intense rainfall from Kanto to Kyushu from September 15.

Climbers who get into trouble on Mount Fuji during the official closed season could be charged for rescue by disaster-prevention helicopters under new safety measures being considered by Yamanashi Prefecture.

Genta Koja, a former deputy mayor of Naha who accepts the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko in Nago, won the Okinawa gubernatorial election on September 13, defeating incumbent Governor Denny Tamaki and bringing an end to 12 years of prefectural administrations committed to blocking the project.

Roads around the Fushimi Otesuji Shopping Street in Kyoto's Fushimi Ward were flooded on the evening of September 13 after water began gushing from a nearby road, forcing authorities to close part of the street to traffic.

China will sharply raise visa fees for Japanese nationals entering the country from September 14, with the cost of a single-entry visa increasing to 16,750 yen, about 7.4 times the current level.

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Tokyo stocks were mixed on September 14, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,499, down 511.89 points, as selling in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares weighed on the headline index, while the broader TOPIX rose 32.88 points to 4,061.18 on buying in value, defensive and domestic-demand shares.

Japan's major banks are intensifying competition for household money as rising interest rates revive the appeal of deposits, prompting lenders to launch new savings products, wealth-management services and point-based incentives.

Japan is facing growing pressure over its treatment and recruitment of foreign workers, with serious allegations of abuse emerging even as companies compete for a shrinking pool of overseas labor and some industries approach government-set limits on the number of workers they can accept.

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on September 11, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,442, down 2.8%, as oil prices above $108, renewed Middle East tensions, U.S. rate-hike fears and expectations for another Bank of Japan increase triggered a broad selloff led by artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares.

Japan's corporate goods prices rose 7.6% in August from a year earlier, remaining above 7% for a third consecutive month as escalating tensions in the Middle East pushed up prices for petroleum, coal and chemical products.

Business sentiment among Japan's large companies returned to positive territory in the July-September quarter for the first time in two quarters, supported by growing demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and AI data centers as well as improving conditions in hospitality, restaurants and finance.

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on September 11, with the Nikkei average at one point dropping more than 2,000 points as escalating attacks between the United States and Iran drove oil prices higher and intensified concerns about inflation and corporate earnings.

Tada Shrine in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, has filed for protection under Japan's Civil Rehabilitation Act, becoming the first shrine in the Kansai region and only the third nationwide to enter bankruptcy proceedings, according to Teikoku Databank.