Japan launched the 12th and final Mogami-class frigate "Yoshii" in December 2025. With 12 ships completed in just 5 years without delays, Japan demonstrates superior shipbuilding capability while Western nations struggle. Australia has selected Japan's New FFM as its next frigate.
Japan's winter ice cream market is booming — spending has doubled in 20 years, with 2024 sales hitting a record 645.1 billion yen. Discover how Morinaga's PARM success, 2000s manufacturing innovations, "kotatsu ice cream" culture, and winter-limited product strategies transformed an industry that once "burned through summer profits in winter."
Trump tariffs in 2025 caused Japan's top 7 automakers (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubishi) to lose ¥1.5 trillion in just 6 months. Nissan, Mazda, and Mitsubishi fell into the red. Learn how Japan's core industry is adapting to this "new normal."
The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at 0.75% at the January 22-23, 2026 meeting, on an 8-1 vote. Despite December's hike to a 30-year high, the yen kept weakening, and the BOJ went to 1.0% in June. We look at the impact on mortgage rates, what would take the pressure off the yen, and the carry trade.
Prime Minister Takaichi asked Keidanren to diversify supply sources for critical materials. With China tightening export controls on Japan, Tokyo is pushing seabed rare earth mining trials at Minamitorishima alongside international partnerships. In July 2026 the recovered mud was reported to be about 54% medium and heavy rare earths.
NTT is moving to repurpose its nationwide underground communication conduits for hydrogen transport. Using 600,000km of existing infrastructure could cut initial costs to under half of new pipeline construction. Commercialization is targeted for 2028, with transport trials in Tokyo set for fiscal 2026.
On 16 January 2026, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Tetsuo Hara, the artist behind Fist of the North Star, in Tokyo during her official visit to Japan. She had turned 49 the day before, and Hara gave her a print of Kenshiro and Raoh. A look at Hara's Uffizi commission, the manga's role in Weekly Shonen Jump's rise, and why Italy never let go of Ken il Guerriero.
Kyushu Electric's CEO predicts 20-30% power demand increase by 2034 due to TSMC semiconductor expansion and AI data center growth. Japan's 7th Basic Energy Plan emphasizes renewables and nuclear power to meet surging electricity needs.
In 2025, Japanese agricultural corporation bankruptcies hit a record 103 cases. Learn about the structural challenges facing Japan's farming industry: weak yen, soaring material costs, labor shortages, and succession crisis, all while food self-sufficiency remains at just 38%.
According to the latest forecast by SEAJ (Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan), sales of Japanese-made semiconductor manufacturing equipment are projected to reach ¥5.5 trillion in FY2026, up 12% YoY, exceeding ¥5 trillion for the first time in history. Expanding investment in advanced AI semiconductors is driving growth, with Japanese companies like Tokyo Electron expected to gain global market share.
Dentsu Soken and UK's Quant Network announce partnership to pioneer Japan's stablecoin market. Learn how programmable payments and orchestration technology are transforming Japanese finance, alongside megabank pilots and JPYC developments shaping 2026's digital currency landscape.