The Japanese hospitality and tourism industry is beginning to recover in earnest after being badly hit by COVID-19. (World Economic Forum)

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday its net profit fell 14.0 percent in fiscal 2022 from the previous year to 2.45 trillion yen ($18 billion), the first decline in four years due to rising material costs. (Kyodo)

On Tuesday, Mountain View, California-based Wisk Aero and Japan Airlines (JAL) announced a partnership that seeks to lay the groundwork for autonomous aviation. (flyingmag.com)

Real wages in Japan have fallen year over year for the 12th straight month, as rising consumer prices continued to eat into workers' earnings. (NHK)

Japan's downgrade on Monday of the legal status of COVID-19 will likely deliver the Japanese economy a 4.2 trillion yen boost, driven in part by an increase in the number of inbound tourists, according to an estimate by a private sector economist. (Japan Today)

Warren Buffet said he is more comfortable with Berkshire Hathaway Inc deploying capital in Japan than Taiwan, reflecting the growing tensions between the United States and China. (The Standard)

Corporate involvement in agriculture is growing in Japan. The number of companies in the sector increased 30% over the five years through 2022, accounting for roughly 40% of domestic sales. (Nikkei)

How is the recovery in the Japanese Yen currency impacting the markets? The Henessy Japan Fund (HJPNX) has 35 holdings of Japanese companies that operate globally. (TD Ameritrade Network)

Japan imported a record 155.2 billion yen ($1.2 billion) worth of marine products from Russia in 2022, data from the Finance Ministry showed Friday, highlighting the country's continued reliance on Moscow for its seafood supply despite a deterioration of relations over the war in Ukraine. (Kyodo)

Portfolio manager Dan Maguire joins host Thomas Mucha to discuss the massive economic and market implications of Japan's efforts to end deflation. (Wellington Management)

Over half of small and mid-sized companies in Japan plan to raise salaries this year amid a labour crunch and record inflation, according to a survey by the Japan Chamber of Commerce. (South China Morning Post)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday (May 4) warned of “uncertainty” around the direction of Japan’s monetary policy, saying a possible shift from ultra-low interest rates could have a significant impact on global financial markets. (Business Times)

Binance is getting ready to re-enter the Japanese market by buying a 100% share in Sakura Exchange BitCoin (SEBC), a registered supplier of crypto services. (blockzeit.com)

The government’s annual Cool Biz energy-saving campaign for late spring and summer kicked off across Japan on Monday. (Japan Today)

SoftBank-backed mobile payment service PayPay will ban the use of outside credit cards on its app later this year in favor of its proprietary card, as the company seeks to close the gap with rival Rakuten Group in credit card transactions. (Nikkei)

Ever since Warren Buffett's endorsement of Japan equities during his recent visit to Tokyo, weekly data from Japan Ministry of Finance shows foreign investors have been buying the most Japan equities on record. (Blockworks Macro)

A group of investors led by prominent activist shareholder Yoshiaki Murakami said a push by the Tokyo bourse for better capital efficiency will strengthen their crusade to reduce Japan’s unusually high number of chronically undervalued stocks. (Reuters)

Japan's Astellas Pharma said on Monday it agreed to buy U.S. drugmaker Iveric Bio Inc for about $5.9 billion in its biggest acquisition, giving it access to a range of ophthalmology treatments. (Nikkei)

Rising inflation and an intensifying labour crunch are prodding smaller local Japanese firms to follow their big counterparts in raising pay, a move that can generate broader wage hikes and encourage the central bank to phase out its massive stimulus. (CNA)

Just 0.8 percent, or 15, of the 1,836 companies listed on the top-tier Prime Market on the Tokyo bourse were headed by women as of the end of January, according to credit research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd, reflecting the struggle among major businesses to embrace diversity in management. (Japan Today)