Japan’s government plan to flood the market with stockpiled rice to lower prices is facing setbacks, as demand slumps and cancellations from retailers increase. Initially popular, the rice is now piling up on shelves, prompting calls to extend the end-of-August sales deadline. Even discounted imported rice is struggling to sell. Meanwhile, rice prices have unexpectedly risen for the first time in 10 weeks. (News On Japan)

A severe water shortage is spreading across Japan, triggering fears of a significant impact on this year’s rice harvest and prompting farmers and local governments to call for urgent conservation efforts. Some are warning that the current situation may rival or even exceed the infamous drought of 1994, known as the "Heisei Great Drought." (News On Japan)

Japan's national average hourly minimum wage for this fiscal year has been set at 1,118 yen, marking a record increase of 63 yen from the previous year. (News On Japan)

Rice harvesting has already begun in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, the southernmost town on Japan’s main island of Honshu. In some areas of Kushimoto, early harvesting is carried out around this time of year to avoid damage from typhoons, which tend to approach during the late summer season. (News On Japan)

VIRTU Financial Inc., a global leader in electronic trading and liquidity provision headquartered in New York, has officially announced the launch of its new intelligent investment strategy initiative in the Japanese market — the Future Savings Project. (News On Japan)

As of July, high school students across Japan have effectively begun their job hunt, entering a job market where demand far exceeds supply. With a record-high job-offer-to-applicant ratio of 4.1, companies are fiercely competing to secure these “golden eggs”—young workers straight out of high school—who are seen as a valuable alternative to university graduates. (News On Japan)

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, increasing tariffs on imports from dozens of countries, including Japan. The administration says the new rates will go into effect from midnight Aug. 7. (NHK)

Aeon has announced its 2026 New Year osechi offerings on July 31st, with reservations beginning on August 1st. Among the lineup is its most popular product, the "Kyoen" osechi, which maintains its price while expanding to a record 75 items under the Topvalu brand. The assortment includes a colorful mix of Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes designed to appeal to all age groups. (News On Japan)

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings reported a net loss of 857.6 billion yen for the April to June 2025 quarter, driven by newly booked special losses totaling 903 billion yen. (News On Japan)

Driving school fees in Japan have been steadily increasing. Over the past decade, the nationwide average has risen by about 15%. According to the Internal Affairs Ministry’s Consumer Price Index, as of July, the average cost for automatic transmission training in Tokyo stood at 335,078 yen. (News On Japan)

Toyota Motor has resumed part of its advertising on Fuji TV, returning in late July with sponsorship of a motorsports segment in the evening news after a suspension that began in January. (News On Japan)

Why was SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son able to secure a meeting with Donald Trump before any other Japanese business leader? How did he manage to attract trillions of yen in investment from global leaders and major investors? And how did he build SoftBank into a global tech empire? (News On Japan)

Isawa Onsen in Yamanashi Prefecture, once known as the "inner sanctum" of the Tokyo metropolitan area for its popularity among group travelers from the capital, is undergoing a quiet transformation. Easily accessible from Tokyo in about 90 minutes by express train, the area has long been home to traditional ryokan inns with Japanese-style architecture and koi-filled courtyards. However, many of these ryokan are now under new ownership, with a significant portion—an estimated one-fourth—believed to be controlled by foreign capital, mainly from China. (News On Japan)

The world's relationship with fossil fuels is changing rapidly, and carbon taxes are increasingly crucial in reshaping how we consume energy. (News On Japan)

Japan's tallest wooden office building has been unveiled in Tokyo's Kyobashi district, jointly developed by Dai-ichi Life Insurance and Shimizu Corporation. The newly completed Dai-ichi Life Kyobashi Kino Terrace stands 12 stories tall at 56 meters and features a hybrid structure that combines timber and steel. (News On Japan)

Japan continues to face a prolonged heatwave, and the lack of rainfall is severely impacting the country's rice production, including the renowned Uonuma Koshihikari variety in Niigata Prefecture. (News On Japan)