Nipponica

Two branches of the Japanese convenience store chain Ministop in Kyoto Prefecture are suspected of falsifying expiry dates on foods prepared in their kitchens for several years, the local health center said Tuesday.

The revelation comes after operator Ministop Co., a subsidiary of retail giant Aeon Co., said Monday it had found such misconduct at 23 stores in Tokyo, Saitama, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures.

This may be my own bias but I’ve always considered Ministops to be a lesser konbini in the great hierarchy so I’m not too surprised. Long live the king, long live Seicomart.

Japanese trading house Itochu will begin discussions with the banking unit of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain on a capital and business alliance, as it looks to increase its consumer financial service offerings.

The Japanese trader has "agreed to commence discussions" with Seven Bank on the tie-up, "including collaboration across a wide range of financial fields," it said on Monday. Nikkei understands that Itochu is considering acquiring not only Seven Bank's treasury shares -- stock bought back from shareholders -- but also shares held by institutional investors. Combined, they would potentially amount to a 20% stake.

Worth noting that Itochu owns FamilyMart. Compared to the failed Couche-Tard deal, increased domestic partnerships like this seem like a better way to grow.

The new yen-denominated stablecoin will be named JPYC. To peg its value to the yen, it will be backed by such highly liquid assets as deposits and government bonds. Sales are expected to begin in the weeks after registration as a money transfer business is established.

Individuals, corporations and institutional investors wanting to use the new JPYC stablecoin will be able to apply to purchase it and transfer the payment, after which it will be transferred into their electronic wallets. Uses will include such international remittances as sending money to students abroad, as well as corporate payments and the blockchain-based asset management services known as decentralized finance.

For reasons still unknown, we are being dragged into this world against our will.

Japan's immigration authority is intensifying efforts to crack down on suspected abuse of the business manager visa program, which is intended to help foreign entrepreneurs start businesses in the country.

The heightened scrutiny follows the recent arrest of a Sri Lankan national accused of assisting compatriots in illegally obtaining business manager visas through the use of fictitious companies and falsified documents.

Many experts argue that Japan's business manager visa is prone to abuse because it is subject to less oversight than other residency categories, enabling individuals to set up shell companies to help others obtain or extend visas.

Yes, people abusing the system should be found and removed from the country. But the infographic in this article shows that people on this visa are a mere fraction of the total of foreigners in the country. Good to stop the misuse of the system but I hope that these people aren't the designated scapegoats for the anti-immigrant wave.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will announce the initiative at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama, Japan, that runs from Wednesday to Aug. 22.

Japan will support efforts to link India, the Middle East and Africa. The aim is to capture demand in African emerging markets and pursue economic security aims, such as ensuring a stable supply of resources.

To increase maritime shipping in the western Indian Ocean, Tokyo will use official development assistance to help build ports and roads in East Africa.

More belts. More roads.

Seven & I Holdings said it will open 1,300 new international stores, mainly in the United States, in an update to its midterm plan after Circle-K operator Alimentation Couche-Tard dropped its ¥6.77 trillion ($44.9 billion) takeover proposal.

The company said it will also add 1,000 net new outlets in Japan as part of its growth strategy. The goal is to "satisfy changing customer needs with new formats and accelerate openings,” the operator of 7-Eleven stores said in a presentation Wednesday.

This article summarizes the Couche-Tard drama from the past year well. Ultimately, 7 along with its rivals Lawsons & FamilyMart are too vital to the functioning of Japanese society to be run by a foreign operator. I was very happy to see the Canadians surrender. Au revoir!

The NocoMart store opened on the island of Nokonoshima, which has a circumference of about 12 kilometers and a population of around 600. Residents expressed delight that they can now easily buy food and drinks on the island thanks to the store's opening.

The revolution continues.

The British company Skytrax recently announced the winners of its 2025 World Airline Awards. Regarded as the top prizes in the aviation industry, the awards began in 1999. All Nippon Airways was fifth and Japan Airlines ninth in the World’s Best Airlines category.

Much love for my two home airlines, but the most interesting part of this article is the chart of historical places in this survey. ANA has always been consistent, but JAL was in the 20s and 30s a decade ago. An amazing turnaround for the flag carrier.

U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs will create regional trading blocs and realign global supply chains, the CEO of Japanese trading house Marubeni has warned.

"There is a perception that things are getting back to normal" now that some countries have tariff agreements with the U.S., but "the protectionist tendencies will alter the movements of goods and alter supply chains in the mid to long term," Masayuki Omoto, the CEO of one of Japan's five main general trading houses, told Nikkei Asia.

"I believe economies will become more regionally focused -- or bloc-based," he said.

Globalization being buried, one tariff at a time.

Hiroyuki Goto ventured into what appeared to be a high-risk business nearly two decades ago when, at the age of 28, he started providing rent guarantees for foreign nationals living in Japan.

Goto's experience suggested that the actual risk of backing a foreign resident might not be unusually high, and he thought that renting a place should not be an obstacle for people coming to Japan. More broadly, he felt it was inevitable that the country would have to accept more foreign workers due to depopulation.

So, he started GTN.

This is one of many areas that make starting a life in Japan so difficult. GTN was the only company that would allow me to open a credit card when I first came here to work and that allowed me to build up my personal infrastructure. This guy is a saint.