Toyota Motor Corp. said on January 29th that its global vehicle sales in 2025 reached a record high, marking the sixth consecutive year the automaker has ranked first worldwide, supported by strong demand for hybrid vehicles in North America. (News On Japan)

Japan’s oldest coin is often said to be Wado Kaichin, a name many people remember from school textbooks, but an even older form of coinage was discovered in Asuka Village in 1999, triggering widespread attention and forcing historians to rethink the origins of Japanese currency. (News On Japan)

Rare earths are strategic materials on which the world remains heavily dependent on China, and as Beijing increasingly uses export controls as a diplomatic and economic lever, Japan’s latest challenge is drawing historic attention as a potential turning point. With 2026 being described as the “first year of domestically sourced rare earths,” the question is whether Japan can truly become a game changer in reducing its reliance on China. (News On Japan)

A private lodging operator based in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward and its chief executive have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of violating Japan’s Private Lodging Business Act, marking the first such criminal referral nationwide under the law, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. (News On Japan)

The dollar-yen rate swung sharply over just a few days, with the yen strengthening rapidly from the 159 range to the 153 range, fueling market speculation that Japanese and U.S. authorities may have carried out “rate checks” to signal readiness for intervention. (News On Japan)

Japan’s department store sales fell for the first time in five years in 2025, as spending by foreign visitors shifted toward lower-priced goods and pushed down average purchase amounts. (News On Japan)

Japan’s wages have risen by more than 5% for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025, and this year’s annual spring wage negotiations are set to begin in late January, raising fresh questions over whether pay growth can finally catch up with inflation and what steps are needed to restore household purchasing power. (News On Japan)

A large-scale AI data center has begun operating on the site of a former factory in Sakai, Osaka, raising expectations that artificial intelligence will become even more embedded in everyday life while also highlighting the growing battle for dominance in AI infrastructure and its potential impact on Japan’s economy. (News On Japan)

Japan’s trade balance remained in the red for a fifth consecutive year in 2025, but the deficit narrowed sharply as exports, led by semiconductors, rose to a record high. (News On Japan)

Sony has announced it will spin off its television business as competition in the global TV market continues to intensify, saying it has reached a basic agreement with major Chinese electronics maker TCL to begin talks toward a strategic partnership. (News On Japan)

Japan’s long-term interest rates, which directly influence fixed mortgage borrowing costs and broader financing conditions across the economy, continued their rapid climb and reached the 2.35% range on January 20th, marking the highest level in roughly 27 years as investors grew increasingly uneasy about Japan’s fiscal outlook and stepped up bond selling amid political pledges for consumption tax cuts that some market participants believe could become permanent. (News On Japan)

More people in Japan are looking to change jobs as work styles and values shift in the post-pandemic era, pushing individuals to seek better roles that match their skills, experience, and lifestyle, while companies facing digital transformation and new business pressures are also reshaping hiring by expanding mid-career recruitment. (News On Japan)

Japan’s long-term interest rates continued to climb on growing concerns over worsening public finances, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond rising above 2.2%, marking its highest level in roughly 27 years. (News On Japan)

Moving to a new country can be exciting, but it also comes with a host of logistical and emotional challenges. (News On Japan)

At the start of the year, gold and silver briefly reclaimed their positions as the world’s largest assets by market capitalization amid heightened global uncertainty. (News On Japan)

In the year 2026, the concept of scarcity for assets like Bitcoin, gold, and silver has evolved beyond traditional boundaries of supply constraints. (News On Japan)

A wave of new subscription-style services is drawing attention in Sapporo, with everything from coffee and craft beer to cleaning now being offered for a flat monthly fee. (News On Japan)

A logistics company based in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, a key transport hub in Kyushu, has developed a massive high-performance refrigerated warehouse in-house, using advanced technology to extend the freshness of vegetables and fruit and help farmers avoid the income squeeze known as “bumper crop poverty.” (News On Japan)

Asahi Beer’s sales in December fell by more than 20% from a year earlier, as the effects of a prolonged system disruption continued to weigh on shipments. (News On Japan)

Bitcoin's trajectory is showing promising signs of significant growth, with projections suggesting a possible 50% price increase by March, as its correlation with gold diminishes. (News On Japan)