Japan News
-
AFGHANISTAN, 2017/09/09
Destinations worldwide welcomed 598 million international tourists in the initial six months of 2017, some 36 million additional than in the same period of 2016. At 6%, increase was well above the trend of recent years, making the current January-June period the strongest half-year since 2010.
Visitor numbers reported by destinations around the world reflect strong request for international travel in the initial half of 2017, according to the new UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Worldwide, international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) increased by 6% compared to the same six-month period last year, well above the sustained and consistent trend of 4% or higher increase since 2010. This represents the strongest half-year in seven years.
-
JAPAN, 2017/09/08
The driver punched the air as his red and white Honda McLaren roared over the finish line. It was Suzuka, Japan, 1988, and Ayrton Senna had just become Formula One world champion for the initial time. The McLaren racing team and its engine maker, Honda Motor, were unstoppable that year, their drivers winning all but one of the 16 grand prix races.
Off the track Honda had been tasting success, too. In the 1970s, its engineers had raised the bar for fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions with the CVCC engine. In the 1980s, as its engines were propelling Senna to multiple victories, the Civic and Accord cars were redefining the American family sedan. In 1997, Honda became one of the initial carmakers to unveil an all-electric battery car, the EV Plus, capable of conference California’s zero emission requirement.
-
JAPAN, 2017/08/21
A culture that celebrates robots and a tradition of "lifetime employment" — retaining and retraining workers — created a muted debate.
Thousands upon thousands of cans are filled with beer, capped and washed, wrapped into six-packs and boxed at dizzying speeds — 1,500 a minute, to be exact — on humming conveyor belts that zip and wind in a sprawling factory near Tokyo.
Nary a soul is in sight in this picture-perfect image of Japanese automation.
-
JAPAN, 2017/08/15
Foreign Minister Taro Kono made his presence felt on his initial overseas trip since taking the position last week. In fluent English, Kono exchanged opinions with other foreign ministers and distinguished himself on several occasions, inclunding with an off-the-cuff counterargument to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Although Kono has made a solid start, however, the diplomatic arena contains a lot of pending issues — and producing good results will not be easy.
-
JAPAN, 2017/08/11
-
JAPAN, 2017/08/09
With a diversified portfolio of services, Tokyu Land Corporation–one of the leading real estate companies in Japan–is reshaping the urban face of Tokyo with a long-term vision beyond 2020 and participating in the landmark redevelopment of 425 Park Avenue–a multipurpose building in the Plaza District of Manhattan
To what extent are world economic events and local developments such as Abenomics and the 2020 Olympic Games impacting the real estate market?
-
JAPAN, 2017/08/09
Traditional technology pioneer Japan has faced increasingly stiff competition from the likes of Korea, Taiwan and China in the manufacturing stakes in recent years, and in a lot of cases, has been completely overtaken by its regional counterparts in international consumer markets as some of the country’s most well-known technology brands have experienced a dramatic fall from grace.
To the outsider looking in, it would seem that Japan has somewhat lost its characteristic innovative edge. Both the Japanese and industry experts alike, however, argue that this is far from the truth. While goods made by once-leading Japanese electronics firms such as Sharp and Toshiba may have been steadily and undeniably restored by gadgets from their Asian competitors on department store shelves, the country’s manufacturers are indeed still ahead of the game in the technology sphere, only in areas where it’s not so obvious to customers.
-
JAPAN, 2017/07/10
The Japan–EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations appear to be coming down to the wire. Both sides are aiming to reach a framework agreement prior to the G20 summit on 7 July. Agriculture, as usual, is one of the sticking points, particularly for items such as cheese.
The domestic political setting in Japan shows some of the usual signs of tension. The Japanese government is seeking to advance the country’s wider trade goals by reducing tariffs and other import barriers in overseas markets. On the other hand, Japan’s farm lobby — led by the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Group (JA Group) and their allied politicians in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) — is seeking to maintain specific barriers to imports of farm products given Japan’s small-scale and inefficient agricultural sector.
-
JAPAN, 2017/07/10
In March 2017, the Japanese government announced it was terminating the Self-Defence Force’s (SDF) participation in the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). This abrupt withdrawal came only four months next the SDF’s deployment in November 2016 under the new upgraded mission of Kaketsuke Keigo (rush and rescue).
Under Kaketsuke Keigo, the SDF’s mandate is to protect Japanese nationals, foreign aid workers and peacekeepers under threat. It was added to the security legislation passed by the Diet in September 2015 legalising Japan’s proactive contribution to peace. The South Sudan mission was the initial mission the SDF undertook under the new laws.
-
CHINA, 2017/07/10
Sino–Japanese relations have been stuck in a political quagmire for over six years. Tensions have resurfaced time and time again over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands since September 2010, at the same time as a Chinese fishing boat rammed two Japanese coast guard boats and its captain was arrested by the Japanese. Japan harbours suspicions that Chinese aggression is aimed at an eventual retreat of the United States from Asia and the Pacific. And China continues to lambast Japan for its failure to face up to its history in the Sino–Japanese wars, inclunding its contemporary push towards re-militarisation.
