According to The Asahi Shimbun, tourists may be forced to cough up a "sayonara tax" when they leave Japan.
The new tax would raise cash for the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) to bolster its PR campaigns overseas and expand multilanguage services in Japan.
The exit tax will be one proposal on the table to help the government hit its target of attracting 40 million overseas tourists by 2020.
In 2016, Japan saw the number of foreign arrivals topping 24 million, a year-on-year increase of 20 percent.
But it is proving an enormous challenge to hit the 2020 target as it amounts to a rise in visitors of more than 60 percent from 2016.
The agency argues that it will need to raise Japan's global profile to attract more visitors, and the proposed tax will provide the funds to enable this.
Any such sayonara tax would be certain to draw fire from tourists, as well as from the tourism and aviation industries.
“There is no way we will support it," said one official in the tourism industry.
An official with a leading carrier said the aviation industry could be hit hard if the tax was steep.
The JTA plans to lay out a policy on how to expand revenues by the end of 2017 by forming a panel as early as September. Officials in the tourism and aviation industries are expected to sit on this committee.
The agency mentioned the exit tax in a report it compiled Aug. 29 on requests for tax reform for fiscal 2018, referring to departure taxes in Australia and South Korea as examples.
Passengers leaving Australia by air or sea are required to pay about 5,000 yen ($US 45), according to the JTA.
In South Korea, about 1,000 yen is included in air fares and 100 yen in sea fares as an exit payment.
The agency will consider an option to charge a departure tax only on visitors from overseas as their number has surged in recent years.
In contrast, the number of Japanese travellers overseas has stagnated due to terror attacks in Europe and elsewhere, and the depreciation of the yen has not helped.
The JTA says a wide range of measures should be implemented to hit the 2020 target, including staging more PR events abroad and offering services in many languages in Japan.
The tourism-related initial budget request for fiscal 2018 was 24.7 billion yen, up by 17 percent from the current fiscal year.
If foreigners and Japanese were each charged 1,000 yen when they leave Japan, the arrangement would bring in about 40 billion yen to national coffers. In 2016, about 17 million Japanese departed the country.
But major Japanese airports are already collecting 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen per adult from passengers on international flights as an airport charge.
In addition to the expected resentment in tourism-related industries, skeptics say there is no guarantee that expanded PR campaigns overseas and multilanguage services will ensure a sharp rise in foreign tourists to Japan.
The fate of the proposed sayonara tax will likely hinge on whether the agency can convince the Finance Ministry and ruling Liberal Democratic Party of exactly where the proposed tax would be spent and whether the benefits would be commensurate with the new tax burden.

Ref: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201708300059.html
 
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According to The Australian, Qantas has announced it will base four of its new 787-9 Dreamliners in Brisbane, potentially opening up new direct flight routes into Queensland. The four aircraft, collectively worth a billion dollars, will begin operations from mid-2018, with the first to be called the “Great Barrier Reef” following a public naming competition.
Qantas (QAN) chief executive Alan Joyce said as Queensland was the birthplace of Qantas, it was only fitting the company base its newest planes in the state capital. “We’ve said initially the planes will take over from the routes our older 747s fly, but there are also new destinations we are looking at given the capability of our aircraft,” Mr Joyce said in Brisbane on Tuesday.
“A range of exciting options is on the table.” Specifically, the increased flying range of the Dreamliners means direct flights to North American centres including Chicago, Seattle and Vancouver are now possible.
The Queensland government has welcomed the move, after securing the new Dreamliner base using its Industry Attraction Fund, with the planes expected to support 470 jobs at Brisbane Airport.

Ref:http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/qantas-to-base-dreamliners-in-brisbane/news-story/fd4600338c4179c0a317d24146141820

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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Panasonic will roll out a remote monitoring service for seniors living alone that alerts caregivers of possible signs of health problems, hoping to meet growing demand as Japan grapples with its aging population.
Starting in September, the Japanese company will outfit around 10 homes in three cities with devices measuring everything from the occupant's movements, breathing and sleep patterns to the temperature of various rooms. Local nursing staff will be contacted to perform a check-in if changes that suggest trouble occur, such as a rapid rise in room temperature or signs of poor sleep.
Similar services sound the alarm only when some abnormality occurs: in the case of a fall, for example, or if the lights have been turned off for a long time. Panasonic's system uses artificial intelligence to analyse links among the occupant's past health and sleep patterns in order to predict problems before they occur.
If the initial trial proves successful, Panasonic will take the service to other areas. The electronics maker plans to scale up the operations in fiscal 2019, marketing the service to municipalities and the companies they hire to handle nursing care. Forays overseas, including to elsewhere in Asia, are planned as well. The company hopes to turn this service and similar offerings for inpatient facilities into a 10 billion yen ($US 91.4 million) business by fiscal 2025.
Roughly 70% of Japanese seniors who officially require long-term care receive it at home, the Cabinet Office says. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has called on municipalities nationwide to install by 2025 community support systems for seniors living in their areas. Panasonic's service could help care providers allocate their time more efficiently, lightening the load as caregivers take on more patients.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Panasonic-to-help-keep-eye-on-single-living-seniors
 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, shares of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal and other Japanese steelmakers fell on Thursday after media reports said the country's biggest producer of steel had agreed on price cuts for the six months through September with Toyota Motor.
Nippon Steel, which agrees twice a year to prices with Toyota that are considered a benchmark for both the steel and auto industries, had earlier said it wanted to raise prices by ¥5000 per tonne for its main customers.
The surprise price cut is expected to weigh on margins for Japanese steelmakers, which have forecast solid profit growth in the business year through March 2018 because of expected product price hikes, especially with the recent surge in steel-making ingredients such as iron ore.
Chinese iron ore futures rose to their highest level in more than five months on Tuesday as falling stockpiles of the steelmaking raw material at the country's ports reflected strong demand.
The Nikkei business daily reported that Toyota will drop its wholesale steel prices for its parts suppliers by around ¥5000 ($US46) per tonne in the October-to-March period.

Ref:http://www.afr.com/business/mining/iron-ore/shares-in-japans-top-steelmakers-drop-on-reports-of-price-cuts-20170824-gy3s6p
 
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Japan's top chemical makers are pumping up production of next-generation rubber for high-performance tires, expecting demand to accelerate as more electric vehicles hit the streets.
Asahi Kasei has unveiled a new type of rubber that, when used in tires, offers more than 10% improvement in fuel efficiency without sacrificing resistance to wear. This material is the next generation in solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber, or S-SBR, which provides better mileage and handling on the road than other types of rubber. The Japanese chemical maker is the world's leading producer of S-SBR.
The new rubber will show up in tires from Germany's Continental and other manufacturers in 2018, starting with the European market. The European Union in 2016 banned the sale of tires that do not meet strict environmental and handling stability standards. Electric vehicles are also more widespread there than in other parts of the world. These environmentally friendly autos' batteries and electronics make them heavier than conventional vehicles, creating a drain on efficiency that top-of-the-line tires aim to offset.
Asahi Kasei's S-SBR plants in Singapore and Japan are currently running at full capacity for a combined 240,000 tons of annual output. The company said in July it would add an additional 30,000 tons or so of capacity at the Singapore facility, and aims to increase sales of the material 15% by 2020 compared with the 2016 level.
JSR will begin mass-producing its own next-generation S-SBR this year, which offers lower rolling resistance thanks to changes in its silica content, resulting in better fuel efficiency. Manufacturers including Bridgestone will use the material, which will also provide better handling.
The chemical maker is expanding a Thai rubber plant and plans to begin production at a Hungarian facility as early as 2018. Production capacity in that year is to be double that in 2016, and the company aims to increase sales 10% annually through March 2020.
Global tire sales for passenger cars and minitrucks are expected to reach 2.21 billion units in 2025, up 38% from 2015. S-SBR demand is expected to double over that time to 1.75 million tons as tire companies work to make driving safer and keep up with stricter environmental regulations, such as Europe's and those China plans to apply starting in 2019. Japanese chemical makers could lead the way, if they use their development assets wisely.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Japan-chemical-makers-putting-next-gen-rubber-to-road

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According to The Asahi Shimbun, the Seven-Eleven convenience store chain is planning to reduce its carbon footprint by introducing hydrogen fuel-cell trucks developed by Toyota Motor Corp. to deliver food and other goods to its outlets across Japan.
The trucks will feature a refrigeration unit for keeping the products cold.
Seven-Eleven Japan Co., operator of the stores, and Toyota agreed on the arrangement this month.
Toyota has been developing fuel-cell trucks for the purpose of delivery and plans to put the vehicles into practical use in 2019.
They are being developed based on an existing model from Hino Motors Ltd., a leading manufacturer of trucks and a Toyota affiliate.
It is not known how many fuel-cell trucks will be introduced by Seven-Eleven Japan.
Toyota will consider an option to market the trucks on a full commercial basis in the future.
Seven-Eleven Japan is expected to consider installing fuel-cell generators at its outlets to use them as power sources for refrigerators and freezers.
The company uses 5,800 trucks across the country for delivery.
Of these, gas-electric hybrids and other trucks that emit less carbon dioxide than conventional trucks account for 15 percent.
The company targets to raise the share of such vehicles to 20 percent by 2020.

Ref: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201708220030.html
 
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According to the Domain, Dozens of trades people gathered in south west Sydney on Monday volunteering their labour for free around the clock in a bid to build a “house of love” in 28 days that will be auctioned off with all funds going to the Children’s Cancer Institute.
“We’ve been inundated with people who want to be a part of this project,” says Bill McDonald, of McDonald Jones Homes. “I can’t get over how strong that little boy has been, and it just rips your heart apart seeing those children in hospital fighting cancer. No child should ever have to suffer that.
“So if we can help raise funds to help find a cure and better treatments, then that’s one of the most rewarding things you can ever do. It’s very satisfying.”
The anticipated $680,000-plus from the auction of the fully-furnished, two-storey, four-bedroom home at Walker Corporation’s newest community, Appin Place in Appin, near Kayne’s home in Bradbury, will fund vital research for the Institute.

Ref:https://www.domain.com.au/news/tradespeople-to-build-sydney-house-in-just-28-days-for-build-for-a-cure-charity-20170822-gy0xg7/

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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Chinese tourists have been a key driver of growth in Japan's tourism industry, with their bakugai, or "explosive buying," in recent years boosting Japan's consumption figures. But as their spending has slowed, some Europeans are overtaking them.
According to a Japan Tourism Agency survey, the British were the most free-spending foreign tourists in Japan from April to June. They spent an average of about 250,000 yen ($US 2,270) per visit, followed by the Italians, who spent about 230,000 yen.
The Chinese still ranked third, with per capita spending totaling some 220,000 yen, but they were closely followed by the French and Spanish, who shelled out from 200,000 yen to more than 210,000 yen per visit.
In contrast to Chinese visitors, who tend to focus on shopping, Europeans are most often interested in experiences. The survey shows British respondents spent 72% of their travel budget on lodging, food and drink and entertainment, compared with 35% for Chinese. While 13% of British travel budgets went to shopping, Chinese spent about 60% on shopping, although that is down from 2015, when the bakugai phenomenon peaked.
Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market is one of the city's tourist magnets where Westerners are often seen. A pair of 30-something Italians were there recently, eating kaisendon -- rice bowls topped with raw fish -- at a restaurant inside the market.
The men, who said they came to Japan to sample Japanese cuisine such as sushi and ramen, were in the country for a monthlong visit, starting in mid-July. They planned to spend 8,000 yen each a day on lodging and food.
European tourists typically do not make big purchases on single items or experiences. Many slurp down cheap ramen noodles. Instead they open their wallets to travel farther afield to see the sights -- hot springs or museums, for example.
European tourists who come to Japan like to stay awhile. The average length of stay for sightseeing in April to June was 14.5 days for British tourists, rising from 12.3 days for the same period in 2015. The figure for Italians also grew to 12 days from 11.5 days over the same period.
The figures for Germans and French tourists declined over the same period, but they are still averaged 14 days and 12.9 days, respectively, both more than twice as long as the Chinese average of 5.9 days.
Total spending by foreign tourists in Japan reached a record 2.04 trillion yen in the first half of this year. Mizuho Research Institute estimates the amount of added value created by tourist spending will reach 4 trillion yen if spending maintains its current pace in the second half of this year. That translates to an additional 0.8% in nominal gross domestic product.
The Japanese government has set a target of 8 trillion yen in foreign tourist spending by 2020, twice the most recent annual figure.
Takayuki Miyajima of Mizuho Research Institute said the amount of spending needs to rise, not just the number of foreign tourists, if that expenditure is to contribute significantly to Japan's consumption. In particular, offering services and products that meet tourists' desire for experiences, not just their needs, is key, he said.
Chinese visitors, more than 6 million of whom came to Japan in 2016, still far outnumber Europeans. By way of comparison, just under 300,000 British tourists came to Japan that year. Thus, increasing the number of deep-pocketed European travellers is also important for the Japanese economy, experts say.

Ref:https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Consumers/European-tourists-are-bigger-spenders-in-Japan-than-Chinese?page=1

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According to The Australian Financial Review, the spot price of iron ore extended its rally this month to 6 per cent, defiantly challenging increasingly bearish forecasts.
Ore with 62 per cent content in Qingdao ended up 3.5 per cent to $US77.94 a tonne on Friday, according to Metal Bulletin, rising for a sixth consecutive week. The price surge was paced by soaring iron ore futures traded on the Dalian Commodity Exchange.
Consensus forecasts continue to call for the spot price to retreat as this year progresses, on expectations that demand for steel in China will ease and as supplies from Australia and Brazil rise. Credit Suisse sees iron ore averaging $US70 a tonne in the September quarter before sliding to $US55 in the final three months of 2017. Citigroup, Sucden Financial, Axiom Capital Management and hedge fund Academia Capital also are bearish.
A renewed effort by Chinese authorities to shutter older, inefficient steel mills now and through the approaching winter season there has been linked to higher steel output as mills seek to capture as much profit as they can. As long as profit margins remain high for mills, they will keep producing at full speed. But with economic growth in China expected to slow, the outlook for steel is becoming somewhat more clouded.

Ref: http://www.afr.com/business/mining/iron-ore/iron-ore-defiantly-surges-towards-us78-a-tonne-20170818-gxzss2

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, two of Japan's leading trading houses are backing high-tech services for farmers in an effort to branch out further beyond their hard-commodity businesses.
Mitsubishi Corp. will soon give growers a way to disperse agricultural chemicals more efficiently using drones. Skymatix, a Tokyo venture owned by the trader and IT group Hitachi, provides large unmanned aerial vehicles able to treat a hectare in about 10 minutes. Farmers input the fields they wanted treated, the chemicals to use and other information by tablet. Any reporting required by municipalities can managed in the cloud, eliminating the hassle of paper documents.
Mitsubishi began a service in July that uses drone-mounted cameras to check on crop conditions by analyzing leaf color. The trading house aims to quickly sign up tens of thousands of customers for these two services and is developing new ones that can make use of the collected data.
Mitsui & Co. is scaling up a agricultural consulting business in North America that advises farmers on boosting their harvests using satellite weather data and soil analysis. The service is offered by Farmers Edge, a Canadian firm in which the Japanese trading house raised its stake in a funding round last year. Now a Mitsui subsidiary, Farmers Edge uses the data to devise efficient fertilization plans that can help growers lower their costs and increase their yields. Mitsui is also considering expanding this business to Japan.
Other Japanese trading companies are also applying technology to businesses where nature can use a helping hand.
Sojitz is working with wireless carrier NTT Docomo and others to test the use of artificial intelligence and the internet of things for bluefin tuna farming in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture. The goals are to optimize feeding, a task that relies heavily on experience, and to automate the process of counting fish populations.
Marubeni is using drones for its own forestry business, taking aerial photographs to track growth in its pulpwood acreage in Indonesia. The trading firm has 120,000 hectares of forest land there, and the use of drones is proving far more efficient than visual inspections.

Ref: https://asia.nikkei.com/Japan-Update/Mitsubishi-Mitsui-plow-tech-into-new-solutions-for-agriculture

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