According to The Asahi Shimbun, the nation’s most powerful business lobby said Japan must aim to become “an AI and robotics powerhouse” but cautioned that can only happen if the government develops new long-term strategies.
It presented a lengthy wish list April 16 to help achieve that goal. In its proposal to strengthen the nation’s industrial base, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) took issue with the way Tokyo is trying to achieve its vaunted goal of going carbon free by 2050 and measures now in place to make Japan a global player in the semiconductor industry and related fields. It said short- to medium-term tactics are not the answer. “A comprehensive long-term strategy to cover the entire range of industry has yet to be established,” Keidanren said. It urged the government to work closely with industry and academia to develop a long-term strategy through to 2040, with the aim of shoring up industrial competitiveness. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15233450
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, as Japan’s population ages, a record-breaking number of houses across the country now sit vacant, with many showing unlit windows, walls covered with vines and rooftops crumbling.
The number of these “akiya” (vacant) houses has reached 9 million nationwide, or 13.8 percent of the total number of homes in Japan, a government survey released on April 30 showed. This means that roughly one in every seven homes is vacant. Of these 9 million vacant homes, 4.76 million, including new homes, are for rent or sale, according to the preliminary figures released by the internal affairs ministry. Around 380,000 are vacation homes and other buildings intended for seasonal or occasional use. However, the biggest challenge is the increase in abandoned vacant homes with no intended use. The number of such homes increased by 370,000 from the previous survey to 3.85 million, the highest on record. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15252431
According to The Asahi Shimbun, while most Japanese would choke at the high prices of "kaisen-don" seafood rice bowls, the weak yen is whetting the appetites of foreign tourists such as Orr Israeli Dayan and Omer Dayan.
“In Israel, they cost 1.5 times as much,” Omer said. “I don’t think they are expensive.” In February, Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai, a commercial facility with more than 50 eateries, opened on Tokyo’s waterfront, adjacent to the Toyosu Market. When the line-ups of expensive menu items were revealed, many Japanese quickly made fun of them on social media, naming them “inbaun-don” (inbound-donburi). But the prices failed to dampen the appetites of Orr Israeli Dayan, 28, and Omer Dayan, 30, who came to Japan from Israel on their honeymoon. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15245613
According to The Asahi Shimbun, at least 90 taxi operators have already registered in the two weeks after a new ride-sharing service was launched here and in Tokyo.
While the majority of current customers are foreign tourists, taxi companies are hiring more drivers in anticipation of the service’s wider adoption. On the evening of 19 April, local taxi company MK Co. received a ride-share reservation through the Uber app from Vietnamese tourists who wanted to travel from Kiyomizudera temple to Kyoto Gosho. Ninety percent of the company’s ride-sharing customers are foreign visitors, likely familiar with the service in their home countries. Domestic customers, on the other hand, are still unfamiliar with the concept. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15245852
According to The Jiji news, the average unit price of new condominiums put up for sale in the greater Tokyo area in fiscal 2023 hit a record high for the third consecutive year, Real Estate Economic Institute Co. said.
In the year that ended in March, the average condo price in Tokyo and its three neighboring prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama came to 75.66 million yen, up 9.5 pct from the previous year. https://sp.m.jiji.com/english/show/32497#goog_rewarded
According to The Asahi Shimbun, a domed stadium is to be built on the site of the old Tsukiji fish market site near Ginza that closed six years ago under a redevelopment plan approved by the Tokyo metropolitan government.
Officials announced that a group of companies led by Mitsui Fudosan Co. had been chosen to lead the project that eventually will include a hotel as well as a landing port for “flying cars.” A basic agreement between the consortium and the Tokyo metropolitan government is expected to be signed by the end of the current fiscal year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 and the entire complex is expected to be in full operation by fiscal 2038. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15238962
According to the Asahi Shimbun, Kanden Reality & Development (KRD), which is involved in housing and other businesses, will more than double its investment in overseas operations by 2035. Starting this month, the "Overseas Business Department" has been upgraded to a headquarters to strengthen its authority and enable quick decision-making.
President Kenichi Fujino said, "We will focus on overseas business where investment efficiency is high, even if we have to take risks. The reorganization is also an expression of our intention to move to the next phase.” The company launched its overseas business in 2017. The company has been involved in residential development and real estate investment in the United States, Australia, and Southeast Asia, where population expansion and economic growth are remarkable, and has been involved in about 40 projects to date. The company has recently decided to develop a project in the U.S, and it plans to increase its investments from approximately 59 billion yen (stock basis) at the end of fiscal 2023 to 130 billion yen, 2.2 times the current amount, by fiscal 2035. https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASS4C2JWPS4CPLFA003M.html
According to The Asahi Shimbun, ahead of its official opening, tech trade show SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 offered a glimpse of futuristic mobility, sustainable food and entertainment innovations in a preview event on 9 April.
The media preview featured a new compact tricycle, a water-sky versatile drone, beef-free hamburgers and other highlights from the show’s Showcase Program, which envisions “urban life in 2050.” “Experience a sustainable and high-tech Tokyo,” said Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, promoting the event that will be held in multiple venues across the capital from 27 April to 26 May. SusHi Tech Tokyo, which stands for the Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo, is organized by the Tokyo metropolitan government. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15225540
According to The Jiji News, Kirin Holdings Co. aims to become a leading group in health food-related operations in Asia, President Takeshi Minakata has said.
"We are eager to become the No. 1 or No. 2 player in Asia" in the sector, he said in a recent interview, indicating that the major Japanese food and beverage group plans to further strengthen its health food operations by leveraging the brand power of Blackmores Ltd., an Australian health supplements firm it acquired in 2023. https://sp.m.jiji.com/english/show/32267
According to the Asahi Shimbun, JR (Japan railway) Tokai is trying to improve the hydrogen engine, which was originally used for automobiles, and to use it for railroads in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. If realized, it will be the first of its kind in the world. Why are they going down this difficult road when there are other environmental technologies that are being developed ahead of them?
In the development of environmental technologies using hydrogen, fuel cells are leading the way. Toyota Motor Corporation has installed them in its "Mirai" passenger car, and they are already on the market. In the railroad industry, JR East is also testing a train that uses batteries in combination. JR Tokai, however, has not concentrated on fuel cells, but has also branched out into hydrogen engines. The company wants to have a variety of options as a possibility in case fuel cell power increases come to a standstill. JR Tokai is also researching the use of vehicles that run solely on battery electricity and the use of biofuels, which are considered to emit virtually no CO2. The current situation, in which the company continues to expand its options, illustrates the difficulty of decarbonizing railroads. Hidemasa Tanaka, team manager in charge of the project, also says, "The cost is still very high for all of them, and we cannot make a decision yet”. https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASS434DWBS43ULFA002M.html |
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