Every two weeks, I break down the news that actually affects your daily life - new visa rules, policy changes, seasonal quirks - plus one story about the stuff that sneaks up on you. This isn't about selfies in the scramble or green tea ceremonies. It's about the small victories, everyday frustrations, and unexpected moments that make up life in Japan.
The More Things Change...
The More Things Change...Finally, in the penultimate week of October, we are out of summer. And, well, we skipped half of fall, apparently. The big news of the week was of course the least surprising: Takaichi is the new Prime Minister, and the first woman to hold the post in Japan. Her promised policies center on the economy, social issues, and national defense. As for the rough edges of the day to day, well, it’s at least not getting worse, and there are indicators that point to some positives. The classic consumable staple rice is getting cheaper, wages are slowly going up, and measures are being taken to help with the bear problem. But we’ll have to wait and see what real effects we get out of all this. The initial reactions to Takaichi’s victory have been mixed: on one hand, it’s no minor event for a woman to take the seat; on the other, she’s likely to continue a lot of the work started by the Abe governments, which have also been of mixed efficacy depending on who you ask. Micro-economicsFinally a bit of good news for most of Japan this past week, as rice prices ease down four weeks in a row, and part time hourly wages trickled up in September. Big earners of over 10 million yen now make up about 6.2% of employees, too - 28% of those are in utilities like gas and electric, with finance making up the next biggest chunk.
Macro-economicsOn the back of Takaichi’s ascension to premiership, the markets were pleased with the expectedness, and the top banks of Japan - Sumitomo Mitsui, MUFG, and Mizuho - are planning to adopt stablecoins, so-called for their intended value matching traditional currency like yennies and dollaroos.
Current eventsEven the grapes are in turmoil, as former King Kyoho has been de-throned by the Shine Muscat in terms of cultivation land. The ease of growing is a major factor, as the population of grape farmers gets older overall. A Japanese trio dominated the women’s figure skating segment of the Grand Prix de France, including a surprise first-place over triple champion Sakamoto!
PoliticsTakaichi negotiated a coalition with the “sub-capital Osaka” party, Nippon Ishin, to secure her ascension to the head of government. Saga City’s council saw some new blood in their election on the 19th with the Kokumin and Sanseito parties getting their first seats.
TechnologyNTT is continuing development of their generative AI models with better handling of Japanese and trained for finance and healthcare uses, while JR Central will also use AI for passenger analysis on the shinkansen. Meanwhile, the week’s earlier AWS outage brought down Nintendo’s Switch online services.
SafetyThe bears continue to victimize around the country as the fatal count hits a record 7 for the year, with an additional 101 injuries since April, prompting police training and some towns authorizing firearm use in emergencies.
Closing OutGot 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. 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246 |
Rough Edges Japan
Every two weeks, I break down the news that actually affects your daily life - new visa rules, policy changes, seasonal quirks - plus one story about the stuff that sneaks up on you. This isn't about selfies in the scramble or green tea ceremonies. It's about the small victories, everyday frustrations, and unexpected moments that make up life in Japan.
Feb 7 Daily Newsletter Hey readers! After a long hiatus I'm back and we're going to try some daily newsletters for a while. This week’s selected Japanese news highlights shifts in corporate governance, emerging labor issues, and key technological breakthroughs. Financial news was dominated by an activist investor’s move against Toyota Industries, while local economics dealt with the negative consequences of overtourism near Mount Fuji. Safety concerns remain a constant, addressed through...
New Week, New Challenges Late again. I wonder if it’d be easier to do this daily! The brief phase of political excitement seems to have passed, as Takaichi’s government is mostly doing normal things like policy making and debates. Some of which is good news for most folks: we could see some subsidies for essentials, vouchers for rice, and changes to the costs of high school education. Prices of goods remain high, though, so the positives are more of a dampening effect on the pressure on our...
I'm Very Sleepy and I Blame The Cold This week has a lot of news on Takaichi’s planned and upcoming policy, an escalation in response to the bear attacks, and some year-end accolades and reflections. It’s a bit weird to think about the year almost being over, but indeed, we have less than 2 months left! “The days are long, but the years are short.” Truly, they get shorter every year, it feels. Some things to watch for: - we are entering flu season, so get your shots and stay hydrated and...