The bankruptcy of payment processing company Zento Shin has raised concerns over the impact on restaurants and other small and midsize businesses, while highlighting regulatory gaps in Japan's rapidly expanding cashless payment industry. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks fell sharply on August 19, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 65,326.42, down 3.2%, its lowest finish since August 4, as renewed selling in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares combined with rising bond yields, higher oil prices and geopolitical concerns to trigger a broad risk-off move. (News On Japan)

Real estate company Rewrite has built a business around properties that owners struggle to give away, sometimes listing them for just 1 yen in a strategy that produces virtually no immediate profit but can generate lucrative deals years later through referrals and repeat customers. (News On Japan)

Pan Pacific International Holdings, the operator of Don Quijote discount stores and other retail businesses, posted net profit of 110.1 billion yen for the year through June 2026, up 21.6% from a year earlier and exceeding 100 billion yen for the first time. (News On Japan)

JA Zen-Noh Niigata decided on August 18 to set its advance payment for standard Koshihikari rice from the 2026 crop at 18,500 yen per 60 kilograms of brown rice, about 40% lower than a year earlier as inventories continue to build. (News On Japan)

An international meeting on Pacific bluefin tuna resource management reached agreement on August 18 to raise the catch quota for large fish in the western and central Pacific by 25% while reducing the quota for smaller fish by 6%, a shift that could eventually lower prices for the prized tuna used in high-end sushi and sashimi. (News On Japan)

Japan's benchmark long-term interest rate briefly rose to 2.945% as government bonds were sold on August 18, reaching a fresh high not seen in about 30 years as uncertainty in the Middle East pushed up crude oil futures and fueled expectations that inflation could accelerate. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 17, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 69,220.25, up 506.45 points, as buying in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares outweighed weaker-than-expected economic growth, rising bond yields and renewed concern over household spending. (News On Japan)

Japan's economy expanded for a third consecutive quarter in the April-June period, with real gross domestic product rising 0.3% from the previous three months, equivalent to an annualized increase of 1.1%, according to preliminary data released by the Cabinet Office. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 17, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 69,220.25, up 506.45 points, as buying in artificial intelligence and semiconductor-related shares outweighed weaker-than-expected economic growth, rising bond yields and renewed concern over household spending. (News On Japan)

BYD is making its most ambitious push yet into Japan with the Racco, a purpose-built electric kei car developed in roughly two years for a segment unique to the Japanese market, as the Chinese automaker seeks to turn three years of difficult sales growth into a durable presence in one of the world’s most demanding auto markets. (News On Japan)

A new Japanese-made high-speed train developed for Taiwan arrived in the southern city of Kaohsiung on August 15, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in July 2027. (News On Japan)

Commercial and industrial damage from the Kumamoto earthquake has already reached 117.6 billion yen, while continuing water outages are preventing many businesses from reopening. (News On Japan)

An Okinawa dairy farming family is working to protect local milk production as soaring feed and utility costs, extreme summer heat and reduced demand during the school vacation place growing pressure on an industry that has seen the number of farms fall sharply over the past four decades. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 14, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 68,714, up 0.59%, as investors continued buying semiconductor, artificial intelligence and earnings-backed shares, while the broader TOPIX gained 0.51% to 4,197 and reached another record high. (News On Japan)

Rakuten Securities held an event for parents and children at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on August 13 to teach families about building assets ahead of the launch of the new Junior NISA program in January 2027. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks rose on August 13, with the Nikkei 225 advancing to 68,601.21, up 1.6%, as semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares followed Wall Street higher, while the broader TOPIX climbed to a record high despite continued concern over wholesale inflation, the yen and Bank of Japan rate-hike expectations. (News On Japan)

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States. (News On Japan)

Hiroshi Okuda, a former president of Toyota Motor who helped lay the foundation for the automaker's emergence as one of the world's leading manufacturers, died of old age on August 8 at the age of 93. (News On Japan)

Tokyo stocks ended nearly unchanged on August 12, with the Nikkei 225 at 66,988.82, as gains in energy and financial shares offset weakness in electronics and pharmaceuticals while investors weighed higher crude oil prices, a weaker yen and growing expectations for another Bank of Japan rate increase. (News On Japan)