Back to Contents of Issue: September 2002
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Made in the People's Republic. How dependent on imports from China have Japan's consumers become? Aera magazine considered that question and provided this sector-by-sector breakdown. In descending order, bamboo skewers for yakitori (95% imported from China), Western-style umbrellas (90), Uniqlo casual wear (90), green tea beverages (more than 80), sporting goods (70 to 80), tombstones (70 to 80), eels (70), bicycles (49), towels (40), fresh mushrooms (40), handbags (30), dentures (30), TV sets (20), crayons (16), leather shoes (15), bridal costumes (10), onions (10) and cut flowers (0.9). Potpourri The most recent sales stats from Japan's record industry show the continued dearth of million-seller single hits for the 12th straight year. Between December 2001 and May 2002, the best-selling recent singles included Hikaru Utada's Traveling, with 856,000 CDs sold, followed by Life Goes On, by Dragon Ash. Compared with the year before, overall sales of CD singles declined by 25.2 percent and albums by 29.1 percent. ¥ The Tokyo metropolitan government has designated just six places that can be rented out to "heaven artists." That's the local term for street performers, who, unlike TV or film crews, seldom bother to ask for anybody's permission when going about their business. Available locations will include Yoyogi Park, inside three subway stations, at the Edo Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku and the plaza in front of the Tokyo city hall in Shinjuku. Nickel bag. You want a shopping bag, you gotta pay a tax for it. Tokyo's Suginami Ward is mulling over the idea anyway. Amazingly 59.5 percent of Nikkei Business readers who responded to an Internet poll said they'd support the idea. It will give consumers a greater awareness of the environment and resources, said 86.3 percent. And moreover, it will cut waste, agreed 84.4 percent. Among the 40.1 percent who voiced opposition to the idea, 54.4 percent said they doubted if the tax would have any impact on bag consumption.
By the numbers. 10 -- the point size of letters being adopted by increasing numbers of street maps, which up to now had relied on tiny six- or seven-point type. The growth in large-size print on maps is a sure sign of the aging population. ¥ 1,206 -- the number of self-service gas stations in Japan. Up from 363 at the end of 2000. ¥ 263,440,000 -- the number of video cassettes and DVDs rented out by Tsutaya, a popular chain, during 2001. The figure was up by 17 percent from the previous year. ¥ 55:45 -- the ratio of domestic seafood products consumed in Japan to imports. ¥ 80 -- the percentage of items sold in convenience stores that are gone within one year of their introduction. ¥ 120 -- volume of mayonnaise, in metric tons, provided to food manufacturers. ¥ 85.7 -- percentage of Japanese with round heads. Up from 84.5 percent 50 years ago. (They're taller too, 171.4cm for the average male, up from 158.5cm in 1880.) ¥ 49 -- percentage of growth in electric power consumption by home users since 1990. |
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