An army of vending machines is defying the drive to cashlessness but recalibrating them will be expensive
Running in one of Japan’s beloved long-distance relay races taught me an important lesson
Barrier to deter sightseers highlights friction generated by rising visitor numbers drawn by weak yen
Demographics are squeezing Japan’s ability to continue to deliver high levels of service
A wave of activism is coming from a quarter Japanese companies did not expect
The beauty of cherry blossoms lies in their ephemerality — a hard thing for modern mankind to grasp
Latest data shows number of Japanese nationals falling by almost 100 an hour on average despite government efforts
Optimism is tempered by concerns about a shrinking workforce
Job agency chief warns that while the latest tech tools are producing more candidates, public mistrust is hindering progress
Reversing population decline will need more than just economic incentives
Share prices may have finally overtaken level of 1989 but sentiment in Tokyo is nowhere near as bullish as it was
The word ‘Gambatte!’ is much-loved in the country’s lexicon, but could it be about to outlive its purpose?
Mobile carrier teams up with Mitsubishi to take joint control of 15,000-strong chain
Farmers, retailers and builders rethink business models as world’s fastest-ageing society runs out of workers
Military sent to rescue people trapped after shocks kill four and leave thousands of homes without power
To many, the legal pursuit of an avicidal driver will look like a sign of gross fiscal indiscipline
The latest in the monster series can be seen as an allegory that lets the country move on from past traumas
Younger workers have new expectations of risk, reward and responsibility
Investors say Beijing’s sanctions could offer an unexpected boost by creating a national champion
The country has become the world’s second largest jewellery market, trailing only the US
Labour deficit means companies are freed from having to keep excess staff and can focus on what they are best at
Prime minister Kishida says: reassess our economy; yen falls, inflation bites; equities offer ‘new opportunity’; Bank of Japan rates scrutinised; overseas property buyers keen to enter; population strain prompts pension action; art market surges
Changing tastes and a more international audience are boosting demand
In the small community of Ichinono, the first birth in more than two decades has focused minds on a demographic crisis
Could the downfall of a second-hand car dealer prove restorative for Japan’s psyche?
