Nipponica

Hunters in northern Japan are refusing to take on the surging bear population, warning that “fighting a brown bear is like fighting a US military commando”.

With a record 219 bear attacks, including six fatalities, over the past year, rural communities are desperate for help – but hunters say the dangerous job simply isn’t worth the meagre pay.

Bear hunter is one of the professions that you should never underpay and never get on their bad side.

According to a Mitsubishi Research Institute survey, 27% of respondents expressed an interest in visiting the Expo as of April this year, almost unchanged from the previous survey conducted in October 2023 and four points lower than in October 2022. The number of pre-ordered tickets sold was approximately 2.8 million as of June 19, or only 20% of the target.

This is unfortunate but not unexpected. As a bit of a World Expo nerd, I am really excited to visit simply because my mid-20th century utopian ideals still haven't been totally purged from my psyche. Events like the 1964 World Expo and places that ape the Expo ethos like 1980s EPCOT Center had an optimistic, global view of the future which is sadly rare nowadays. Expos have always been driven by a commercial drive for pavilion sponsors and business in the host city, but it could be much more than that. Hoping that Osaka can provide a unique experience that will drive people to visit.

Japan's capsule toy industry has come a long way from the corner of the supermarket, as it enjoys a new boom at home that is spurring multiple market players to set their sights on overseas expansion.

The whole Gacha Industrial Complex is fun on one hand but it is a kind of warm-and-fuzzy introduction to gambling for kids and adults. You get a prize every time but rarely the one you actually wanted, which encourages you to take another chance.

The old man will now leave the room and let joy return.

The poll also revealed 10 per cent of Japanese have set out to “tolerate” the heat no matter what in the coming months, while a further 33 per cent said they would try not to use the cooling device – but expected to relent if the temperatures become unbearable.

Alarmingly, most those saying they would attempt to get through the summer without air conditioning were elderly who live on pensions and savings, leaving them highly vulnerable to heatstroke.

This is more than just a climate crisis, it is now going to be a health and economic crisis.

The Nikkei Stock Average hit an all-time closing high on Thursday, on the back of a rally in Japanese tech stocks that tracked the artificial intelligence frenzy in the U.S.

A recent global survey conducted by Gallup on employee engagement, including job motivation and willingness to contribute to an organization, found that the percentage of employees in Japan who are motivated by and actively engaged in their work was just 6% in 2023, which was among the lowest levels in the world. The result for Japan stands out in contrast to the average of 23% worldwide and 18% in East Asia. Mongolia was the East Asian country with the highest proportion of motivated and engaged employees, at 41%.

Tracks with what I see in my everyday office life.

Nikkei and JPX Market Innovation & Research will remove Lawson, a convenience store chain, from the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 on July 9 due to the company being designated as a stock "to be delisted" by the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Lawson isn't going away but it is now co-owned by Mitsubishi & KDDI. But still, good night my dearest.

Since its arrival on Japan's shores a quarter-century ago, American membership-only warehouse food and home goods club retailer Costco has grown significantly and evolved into being seen by many as a consumption-driven savior for struggling local economies.

The CostCo bulgogi stick was the only thing keeping peace between Japan and Korea over the past decade. May it drip scalding hot meat juice on me for years to come.

The central government said Friday that it will provide subsidies in August and September to slash electricity and city gas bills by ¥2,125 per month for the average household.

Good news but just a bandage on a gaping economic wound. The yen needs intervention for Japanese residents to remain competitive with the rest of the world.

Japan will start issuing new banknotes on Wednesday, showcasing what it touts is the world's first use of cutting-edge holography that makes the portraits of historic figures look like they are rotating in 3D on the bills, one of their anti-counterfeit measures.

In the first design change in 20 years, the 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen bills will have bigger face value numbers printed on them than the current versions, so all people, regardless of age and nationality, can recognize them easily.

I do not think this is the typical "I don't like change" attitude but the new banknote designs are a huge step back. They look like a bunch of elements randomly completely thrown together and they lack the cohesiveness that the current set have.