Japan's core machinery orders fell 12.4% in May from the previous month to 962 billion yen, marking the first decline in two months, the Cabinet Office said on July 15. (News On Japan)

Japanese companies announced new cybersecurity services, investment products and technology initiatives on July 14, while earnings releases highlighted sharply different conditions across the housing and food-import sectors. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rebounded on July 14 after an early fall of nearly 1,000 points, as investors bought back semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares while a recovery in South Korean equities and easing Japanese bond yields helped restore risk appetite. (News On Japan)

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group became Japan's most valuable company for the first time on the Tokyo stock market on July 13, overtaking Toyota Motor as expectations grow that higher interest rates will lift bank earnings. (News On Japan)

A debate over whether shorts belong in the workplace is spreading in Japan after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike encouraged metropolitan government employees to wear cooler clothing, including shorts, as part of efforts to cope with intensifying summer heat. (News On Japan)

A 65-year-old man who spent 40 years working for a company was shocked to learn that his pension would amount to 168,000 yen a month, raising fresh concern over whether retirees in Japan can live on public pension payments alone. (News On Japan)

Small supermarkets offering lower prices than convenience stores and closer access than full-size supermarkets are expanding rapidly across the Tokyo metropolitan area, as retailers race to meet demand from older consumers, single-person households and shoppers under pressure from rising prices. (News On Japan)

A welfare facility in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, has begun preparations to sell about 220 giant stag beetles, one of Japan’s largest species, from July 13. (News On Japan)