November Begins

Happy Halloween, and welcome to November! This year we tried to put our toddler in a pumpkin suit, but he wasn’t a fan.

I don’t know if anyone else had already submitted to the idea of winter, but Friday morning I woke up sweating under the blanket, and the temperature is supposed to go back to the 20C area in the next week. And somehow I caught a cold in that brief taste of the chill.

The biggest news of the week was around President Trump’s visit to Japan to meet Prime Minister Takaichi and set the coming tone for US-Japan relations. Takaichi used a lot of flattery, Trump was seemingly pleased in-between wandering off in conversations, and some deals were made.

Domestically, Takaichi and the government are pushing for a few other things: free high school education; reduction of overtime restrictions; and a temporary elimination of the consumption tax. Like many government policies, some sounds good, and some sounds pretty bad. It is odd that the interest rates remain the same when inflation is still the biggest shadow over the finances of most of Japan’s residents.

Micro-economics

Accelerated inflation and rising household costs, particularly for food and raising older children, drive the recent policy debates. Takaichi’s fresh government moves to provide some relief through measures like an expanded free high school education system; meanwhile, a separate proposal to cut insurance coverage for certain prescription drugs is meeting overwhelming opposition from patients.

• Child-rearing costs in Japan soar when a child reaches junior high school
• Japan’s faster inflation highlights need for Takaichi response
• OTC類似薬、保険適用外しに9割「反対」 患者ら「声を聞いて」 [90% Oppose Removing Insurance Coverage for OTC Similar Drugs; Patients Urge ‘Listen to Us’]
• 高校無償化の制度設計 自民、維新、公明が合意 約6000億円必要毎日新聞 | LDP, Ishin, and Komeito agree on system design for free high school education, requiring approximately 600 billion yen
• Prices of 143 food items to rise in Japan in November

Macro-economics

The larger economy is a mix of ups and downs, with corporate income and tax declarations hitting record highs, even as the Bank of Japan holds rates steady against the odds. The auto industry sees Chinese EV giant BYD aggressively entering the market, and major players like Toyota are looking into “reverse importing” vehicles produced in the U.S. back to Japan.

• New farm minister hints at rethink of rice output increase
• At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan’s EV market
• トヨタ 米での生産車を日本へ「逆輸入」実施の方針 日産も検討 [Toyota Plans to ‘Reverse Import’ Vehicles Produced in the US to Japan; Nissan Also Considering It]
• BOJ keeps policy rate at 0.5% as lack of U.S. data makes forecasting difficult
• 法人税の申告額、バブル期超え過去最高 所得額も初の100兆超：朝日新聞| Corporate Tax Declared Hits Record High, Surpassing Bubble Era; Income Amount Exceeds ¥100 Trillion for the First Time
• 法人所得が初の100兆円超え 24年度、申告税額はバブル期上回る - 日本経済新聞Corporate Income Exceeds ¥100 Trillion for the First Time in FY2024; Tax Declared Surpasses Bubble Era

Current events and society

Japan’s annual white paper on suicide is an awful overview, with the number of suicide cases among students and young people aged 15-29 hitting a record high and exceeding 3,000 respectively. At the same time, elementary and junior high schools report record numbers of students refusing to attend school.

• Number of suicide cases among students in Japan hits record high in 2024
• Elementary and junior high schools see record nonattendance figure
• 小中高の自殺最多529人､15~29歳は3000人超 25年白書 - 日本経済新聞 | Suicides Among Elementary, Junior High, and High School Students Hit Record High of 529; Ages 15-29 Exceed 3,000 in 2025 White Paper
• 若者の自殺、5年連続3000人超 オーバードーズ多さも指摘 25年白書毎日新聞| Youth Suicides Exceed 3,000 for 5th Straight Year; High Number of Overdoses also Noted in 2025 White Paper

Politics

Japanese politics saw Prime Minister Takaichi navigate a high-stakes summit with former President Trump in a potential early win for her premiership. Domestically, the ruling LDP is moving to propose new economic measures by mid-November, though they face resistance on planned overtime work reform from the Rengo labor union chief.

• Takaichi buys time and builds trust with ‘near-perfect’ Trump summit
• LDP to propose economic measures by mid-November - The Japan Times
• Rengo chief rebuffs PM’s move to ease cap on overtime work

Technology

The Asahi system failure hits one month with no recovery in sight, and a Russian hacker group claims responsibility for the cyberattack on Askul.

• アサヒグループHD システム障害1か月 復旧めど立たず 現場は [Asahi Group HD System Failure Reaches One Month; No End in Sight for Recovery Efforts]
• Russian hacker group claims responsibility for Askul cyberattack

Safety

The increase in bear attacks continues, prompting the government to hold cabinet meetings on countermeasures. Authorities are urgently preparing to allow police officers in Hokkaido and several Tohoku prefectures to use rifles for bear control.

• 北海道でも初の緊急銃猟 札幌市西区の公園でヒグマ2頭を駆除 [First Emergency Hunting in Hokkaido Too: Two Brown Bears Eliminated in a Sapporo Nishi Ward Park]
• 群馬 沼田 住宅の敷地でクマに襲われ男性けが [Man Injured After Being Attacked by Bear on Residential Property in Numata, Gunma]
• クマ被害対策 閣僚会議に格上げ 30日会合へ 官房長官がトップ [Bear Damage Countermeasures Elevated to Cabinet Meeting; Chief Cabinet Secretary to Chair Meeting on the 30th]
• Japan’s government ramps up bear control efforts amid rise in attacks
• クマに警察官がライフル使用へ 北海道と東北6県を念頭に準備急ぐ [Police officers to use rifles against bears; preparations expedited with Hokkaido and six Tohoku prefectures in mind]

Closing Out

Got any anecdotes or stories you'd like to share or questions you'd like to ask? Send them in! Whether it's part of the news or just a story from your life, I'd love to hear from you.

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