The Nikkei Stock Average surged past 71000 on Thursday, closing at a record high for the fourth straight session, as easing tensions in the Middle East lifted investor sentiment while the yen weakened to a nearly two-year low against the dollar. (News On Japan)

Nissan Motor announced that it will launch the fully redesigned Kicks compact SUV on June 18, marking the model's first full overhaul in six years as the automaker seeks to strengthen its position in Japan's highly competitive small SUV market. (News On Japan)

Japan's return to a world of higher interest rates is reshaping household finances, with a growing number of young homebuyers turning to 40- and 50-year mortgages to afford rapidly rising apartment prices, according to a discussion aired on BS-TBS's Report 1930 on June 17. (News On Japan)

Japan's Fair Trade Commission has conducted on-site inspections of six major food manufacturers over suspicions they formed a cartel to coordinate ice cream prices, with authorities investigating whether the companies exchanged information and unfairly adjusted planned retail price increases in response to rising costs. (News On Japan)

The Nikkei Stock Average briefly topped the 70,000 mark for the first time on June 16, rising as much as 700 points to an intraday high of 70,020 after the Bank of Japan's decision to raise interest rates matched market expectations, before retreating as investors locked in profits, though the benchmark still ended the day at a record high. (News On Japan)

The Bank of Japan is set to begin a two-day monetary policy meeting on June 16th, with financial markets widely expecting the central bank to raise its policy interest rate to 1%, the highest level in 31 years, despite the unusual circumstance of Governor Kazuo Ueda being absent from the meeting. (News On Japan)

Okinawa Coca-Cola Bottling has begun operating a large-scale solar power generation system at its Urasoe plant, aiming to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 330 tons annually while expanding the use of renewable energy in the prefecture. (News On Japan)

The Nikkei Stock Average surged more than 3,000 points in morning trading on June 15, climbing above the 69,000 mark for the first time and setting a new intraday record as investors reacted positively to a peace agreement between the United States and Iran. (News On Japan)