BizMachi: Japan business, economy and company news
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Bain and GIC Weigh IPO or Sale of Japan HR Software Group WHI
Bain Capital and GIC are exploring a Japan listing or a sale of HR software group WHI, valued at no less than 500 billion yen in early talks.
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Bank of Japan Board Members Split on Pace of Next Rate Increase
The Bank of Japan published its summary of opinions from the October policy meeting. Some members want an early rate increase, while others warn about the economic cost of another rise.
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Toyota Sells 4.76 Million Vehicles in First Half of Fiscal Year
Toyota Motor reported consolidated vehicle sales of about 4,758,000 units from April through September 2026, roughly 25,000 fewer than a year earlier.
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Japan Foreign Visitors Fall 5% in September, Year-to-Date Total Passes 30 Million
Japan received 3.1 million foreign visitors in September 2026, down 5% from a year earlier, according to preliminary JNTO estimates. The year-to-date total still passed 30 million.
Top Stories
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Bain and GIC Weigh IPO or Sale of Japan HR Software Group WHI
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Bank of Japan Board Members Split on Pace of Next Rate Increase
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Toyota Sells 4.76 Million Vehicles in First Half of Fiscal Year
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Japan Foreign Visitors Fall 5% in September, Year-to-Date Total Passes 30 Million
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Nikkei Rebounds as Business Sentiment Hits a Four-Year High
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Reuters Tankan Shows Japanese Business Sentiment at Its Strongest Since 2021
Editor’s Picks
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Bain and GIC Weigh IPO or Sale of Japan HR Software Group WHI
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Bank of Japan Board Members Split on Pace of Next Rate Increase
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Toyota Sells 4.76 Million Vehicles in First Half of Fiscal Year
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Japan Foreign Visitors Fall 5% in September, Year-to-Date Total Passes 30 Million
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Reuters Tankan Shows Japanese Business Sentiment at Its Strongest Since 2021
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Nikkei Rebounds as Business Sentiment Hits a Four-Year High
Markets
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Nikkei Rebounds as Business Sentiment Hits a Four-Year High
The Nikkei rose 1.31% to 61,248.59 on November 11, 2026, as Reuters Tankan showed manufacturers’ sentiment at its highest since August 2021.
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Nikkei Posts Steepest Weekly Drop Since March as Tech Names Slide
The Nikkei 225 fell 5.78% on November 6, 2026, heading for its worst week since March as heavyweight technology shares dragged the index.
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Nikkei and TOPIX Edge Toward Records as the Yen Slips Back
The TOPIX closed at a record high in mid-August 2026 as the Nikkei gained 4.1% over the week and the yen weakened.
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Nikkei Slides as Talk of Joint Yen Intervention Rattles Investors
The Nikkei fell 1.9% to 52,849 on January 26, 2026, as expectations of joint Japan-US yen intervention rattled investors.
Trade & Currency
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Japan’s Current Account Surplus Falls Short of Forecasts in September
Japan’s current account surplus shrank to 2.37 trillion yen in September, well below forecasts, Ministry of Finance data…
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Japan Discloses Record 7.98 Trillion Yen Purchase to Shore Up the Currency
Japan spent a record 7.98 trillion yen buying its currency on 30 July, the Finance Ministry disclosed on…
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Japan Keeps Its US Trade Deal Intact After the Tariff Ruling
Japan says it will keep its 2025 US trade framework despite a February court ruling, while Tokyo and…
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China’s Export Curbs on Japan Put Rare-Earth Supply Chains Under Strain
China tightened export controls on dual-use items bound for Japan in January 2026, adding pressure on manufacturers that…
Real Estate
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New Condo Prices in Tokyo Area Reach a Record 114.94 Million Yen
The average price of new condominiums put up for sale in the Tokyo area rose 21.1% in April to September 2026 to a record 114.94…
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Condominium Redevelopment Gathers Pace as Large Projects Finish and Break Ground
Nomura Real Estate and Tokyo Tatemono completed a 589-unit redevelopment in Kunitachi, while a 576-unit project broke ground in Funabashi.
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Average New Condo Price in Greater Tokyo Passes 100 Million Yen
The average new condominium across Greater Tokyo reached 101.35 million yen in January to June 2026, up 13.1%.
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Foreign Buyers of Japanese Homes Face a New Reporting Rule
Non-residents buying homes in Japan must now file a report for every residential acquisition under rules in force since April 2026.
Automotive
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Toyota Sells 4.76 Million Vehicles in First Half of Fiscal Year
Toyota Motor reported consolidated vehicle sales of about 4,758,000 units from April through September 2026, roughly 25,000 fewer than a year earlier.
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Honda to Launch Compact EV in May with a Surprisingly Engine-Like Driving Feel
Honda Motor Co. announced on Friday that it will launch a new compact electric vehicle in Japan in late May, designed to replicate the feel…
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Toyota Closing 3 More Plants In Japan
Which Toyota plants are suspended in Japan and why? Toyota Motor Corp said Tuesday it will suspend another three assembly lines in Japan for several…
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Nissan Finally Profitable After Strong Q1 Results
Crisis-hit Japanese carmaker Nissan upgraded its annual outlook Wednesday, projecting a return to the black, after a strong first-quarter performance fueled by a recovery from…
Companies
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Bain and GIC Weigh IPO or Sale of Japan HR Software Group WHI
Bain Capital and GIC are exploring a Japan listing or a sale of HR software group WHI, valued at no…
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SoftBank Group Posts ¥1.1 Trillion Quarterly Loss as AI Bets Weigh
SoftBank Group reported a net loss of about ¥1.12 trillion for July to September 2026, against a ¥2.5 trillion profit…
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Musk’s Terafab Places Rush Orders With Japanese Chip Equipment Makers
Procurement officials from Elon Musk’s Terafab chip project visited Japan in early November and began placing orders, Nikkei reported on…
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Toyota First-Half Profit Rises 26% as Cost Cuts Offset Raw-Material Costs
Toyota posted a 26.1% rise in first-half net profit to ¥2.24 trillion and raised its full-year operating income forecast to…
Economy
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Bank of Japan Members Back Further Rate Hikes as Inflation Reaches Target
The Bank of Japan’s Summary of Opinions from its October meeting, released on 10 November, shows members agreeing that the next move is a further…
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Japan Household Spending Falls 6.8% in September, the Steepest Drop Since 2020
Japanese household spending fell 6.8% from a year earlier in September 2026, far worse than forecast, even as wages rose at their fastest pace since…
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Japan Real Wages Rise 2.2% in September, Ninth Straight Monthly Gain
Real wages in Japan rose 2.2% year on year in September 2026, the ninth consecutive monthly increase, according to the health ministry.
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Japan’s Factory Output Rebounds 2.2% in September After an August Slump
Japan’s industrial production rose 2.2% month on month in September 2026, beating forecasts, according to a preliminary report from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and…
Finance
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Bank of Japan Board Members Split on Pace of Next Rate Increase
The Bank of Japan published its summary of opinions from the October policy meeting. Some members want an…
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Bank of Japan Holds at 1.25% as Board Members Split on the Next Rate Hike
The Bank of Japan kept its policy rate at about 1.25% in October, and its opinion summary published…
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Japan Spent a Record ¥15.4 Trillion Defending the Yen in Summer Intervention
Japan spent ¥15.4 trillion buying yen between 30 July and 26 August 2026, and a 9 November breakdown…
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Japan’s Pension Fund Posts First Quarterly Loss in Six Quarters
The Government Pension Investment Fund lost ¥5.25 trillion in July to September 2026 as global bond prices fell…
Healthcare
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Fujifilm To Apply For COVID-19 Drug Approval
Fujifilm Holdings Corp. said Monday it has completed delayed clinical tests of Avigan, a potential treatment for COVID-19, paving the way for the application of sales and production of the…
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Japanese Firm Launches World’s 1st Coronavirus Killer UV Lamp
A major Japanese light equipment maker Ushio Inc. has recently launched an ultraviolet lamp that can kill the coronavirus without harming human health — the first of its kind in…
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Fujifilm Affiliate, Novavax Make COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
Fujifilm Corp said Friday its biotechnology subsidiary and U.S. vaccine maker Novavax Inc have agreed to manufacture bulk drug substance for the latter’s vaccine candidate against the coronavirus disease. How…
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Japanese Startup Creates Internet-Connected Face Mask
As face coverings become the norm amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese startup Donut Robotics has developed an internet-connected “smart mask” that can transmit messages and translate from Japanese into eight…
Market Entry
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Japan to Offer Multilingual Licensing Tests for Taxi and Bus Drivers
How will multilingual licence tests help ease driver shortages? Japan is taking a significant step towards inclusivity and addressing its driver shortage by introducing multilingual…
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What To Consider When Marketing To Japanese Customers?
Understanding Japanese customers has been tricky over the years. Potential entrants into this lucrative market have spent large chunks of money to grab a share…
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Top 7 Reasons To Enter Into Japanese Market
Although, China and India are attractive markets due to their sheer size and the vibrant cultures associated with them, the Japanese market still offers amazing…
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How to Enter Into the Japanese Market?
How to Enter Into the Japanese Market? That is the question many potential entrants to the Japanese market ask us every time we visit one…
Sports
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Olympic Medalists Allowed To Remove Masks for 30 Seconds on Podium
The International Olympic Committee said Sunday it has relaxed COVID-19 protocols at the Tokyo Olympics to allow medalists to take…
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10,000 Fans To Be Allowed at Olympic Events
After a lengthy period of indecision ? and with barely a month left until the opening ceremony on July 23…
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Eco-Friendly Tokyo Olympic Medal Podium Unveiled
The organizing body of the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday unveiled an environmentally friendly medal podium and newly composed music that…
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Japanese Sporting Goods Makers Start Making Medical Supplies
Why are sporting goods makers producing medical supplies? Sporting goods makers in Japan have begun manufacturing protective masks and medical…
Technology
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Japan Seeks Bigger Role in Asia’s Subsea Cables
Japan is advancing its strategic position in Asia’s critical subsea cable infrastructure as artificial intelligence and data center expansion drive unprecedented demand for transoceanic connectivity. Japan subsea cables Asia initiatives…
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Nintendo Pays 35M Euro Fine for Faulty Switch Controllers
Nintendo has agreed to pay a 35 million euro ($40 million) fine to settle a French consumer advocacy group’s claim over defective Joy-Con controllers for its Switch gaming console, the…
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Japan Moves to Enforce Stricter Social Media Age Verification for Minors
Japan’s government is advancing proposals to require stricter age verification on social media platforms operating in the country, as policymakers seek to limit minors’ exposure to harmful online content and…
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SoftBank Dethrones Toyota as Japan’s Most Valuable Company in AI-Driven Rally
SoftBank Group Corp. surpassed Toyota Motor Corp. on June 1, 2026 to become Japan’s most valuable publicly listed company, a milestone that underscores the growing dominance of artificial intelligence investment…
Tourism
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Japan Foreign Visitors Fall 5% in September, Year-to-Date Total Passes 30 Million
Japan received 3.1 million foreign visitors in September 2026, down 5% from a year earlier, according to preliminary JNTO estimates.…
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China Raises Visa Fees for Japanese Citizens About Sevenfold, Mirroring Japan
China raised visa fees for Japanese citizens to roughly seven times their previous level from 14 September 2026, a reciprocal…
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Japan Inbound Visitors Dip 2% in First Half, but Spending per Visitor Hits a Record
Japan welcomed 21.08 million foreign visitors in January to June 2026, down 2%, the first drop in five years, while…
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Japan Triples Its Departure Tax to ¥3,000 From 1 July
Japan raised its international tourist tax from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 per person from 1 July 2026, with revenue expected to…