Benchmark land prices released on September 15 showed continued gains in urban areas across Kansai, led by strong increases in central Osaka and parts of Kyoto, with experts expecting the upward trend to continue for the time being while warning of growing effects on housing costs and regional disparities. (News On Japan)

Japan's benchmark land prices rose for a fifth consecutive year on average, with commercial land posting stronger gains as demand for hotels and other properties remained firm in major cities, according to figures released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks ended almost unchanged on September 15, with the Nikkei 225 closing around 63,485, down about 8 points, as a rebound in SoftBank Group and selected artificial intelligence-related shares offset caution over oil above $107, rising bond yields and this week’s Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan policy meetings. (News On Japan)

The Osaka prefectural and municipal governments said on September 14 that they have set a minimum sale price of 92.113 billion yen for the second-phase development area on Yumeshima, the site of the Osaka-Kansai Expo. (News On Japan)

Rising long-term interest rates in Japan and the United States are increasing pressure on households and businesses, with more than 5,600 additional small and midsize Japanese companies at risk of falling into the red if borrowing rates rise by 0.5 percentage point. (News On Japan)

Rakuten Mobile said on September 14 that it has withdrawn a plan to forcibly cancel mobile service contracts for customers who fail to link their accounts to a Rakuten ID by the end of November. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks were mixed on September 14, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,499, down 511.89 points, as selling in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares weighed on the headline index, while the broader TOPIX rose 32.88 points to 4,061.18 on buying in value, defensive and domestic-demand shares. (News On Japan)

Japan's major banks are intensifying competition for household money as rising interest rates revive the appeal of deposits, prompting lenders to launch new savings products, wealth-management services and point-based incentives. (News On Japan)

Japan is facing growing pressure over its treatment and recruitment of foreign workers, with serious allegations of abuse emerging even as companies compete for a shrinking pool of overseas labor and some industries approach government-set limits on the number of workers they can accept. (News On Japan)

Japan's corporate goods prices rose 7.6% in August from a year earlier, remaining above 7% for a third consecutive month as escalating tensions in the Middle East pushed up prices for petroleum, coal and chemical products. (News On Japan)

Business sentiment among Japan's large companies returned to positive territory in the July-September quarter for the first time in two quarters, supported by growing demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and AI data centers as well as improving conditions in hospitality, restaurants and finance. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on September 11, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 63,442, down 2.8%, as oil prices above $108, renewed Middle East tensions, U.S. rate-hike fears and expectations for another Bank of Japan increase triggered a broad selloff led by artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on September 11, with the Nikkei average at one point dropping more than 2,000 points as escalating attacks between the United States and Iran drove oil prices higher and intensified concerns about inflation and corporate earnings. (News On Japan)

Tada Shrine in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, has filed for protection under Japan's Civil Rehabilitation Act, becoming the first shrine in the Kansai region and only the third nationwide to enter bankruptcy proceedings, according to Teikoku Databank. (News On Japan)

Protein powder prices are rising sharply in Japan as booming overseas demand for whey, partly linked to the growing use of weight-loss drugs, combines with the weak yen to make the key ingredient increasingly expensive for Japanese buyers. (News On Japan)

The takeover battle for Kakaku.com, operator of restaurant review site Tabelog and price-comparison service Kakaku.com, intensified on September 11 after Swedish investment firm EQT raised its tender offer price to 3,680 yen per share, surpassing a rival proposal from a group led by LINE Yahoo. (News On Japan)

Amazon has opened its third logistics facility in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, creating the company's largest distribution hub in the Kansai region with capacity to handle up to 1 million packages a day. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks edged lower on September 10, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,143, down 0.19%, as gains in selected semiconductor and electronic-component shares faded under pressure from oil above $100, rising global bond yields and expectations that the Bank of Japan may raise rates next week. (News On Japan)

More than half of the religious corporations investigated for operating temple lodgings and religious training programs at World Heritage-listed Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture were found to have failed to declare income totaling more than 100 million yen, according to findings by the Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau. (News On Japan)

Closures and bankruptcies among Japanese rice farmers are running at a record pace in 2026, with 32 cases recorded from January through August as an aging workforce, rising costs and falling rice prices make it increasingly difficult for producers to remain in business. (News On Japan)