DEMAND FOR ROBOTS IN JAPAN INCREASES DUE TO THE PANDEMIC

Highlights –

• Demand for robots in Japan increases due to the pandemic.
• Robots are being substitutes for providing physical human contact.
• Japan’s Groove X Inc. has developed a humanoid ‘healing robot’ called ‘...

JAL PLANS TO RAISE AROUND $2.9 BILLION IN CAPITAL WHILE ALSO POSTING AN OPERATING LOSS

Highlights –

• JAL plans to raise around $2.9 billion in capital while also posting an operating loss.
• The airline company is expecting to post an operating loss of around 85 billion yen.
• For the July-September period, JAL estimated to...

HITACHI ANNOUNCES ABOLISHMENT OF ‘HANKO’ SEALS FOR INTERNAL PAPERWORK BY 2022

Highlights –

• Hitachi announces the abolishment of ‘hanko’ seals for internal paperwork by 2022.
• It intends to do so by March 2022 and also reduce paper copies by 70 percent.
• The company also intends to slash the number of ...

JAPAN AIRLINES CO. TO REPORT OPERATING LOSS OF AROUND $810 BILLION

Highlights –

• Japan Airlines Co. to report operating loss of around $810 billion.
• The operating loss will be reported from July to September period.
• On Friday, JAL is scheduled to release its first-half earnings reports.

BY FISCAL YEAR 2022 ANA HOLDINGS INC. PLANS TO CUT AROUND 3,500 JOBS

Highlights –

• By fiscal year 2022 ANA Holdings Inc. plans to cut around 3,500 jobs.
• All Nippon Airways Co. will cut down new hiring for fiscal 2021 starting April.
• The company began offering early retirement with severance pay from Oct...

JAPAN REPORTS THE NUMBER OF BABIES BORN IN 2020 TO DROP IN RECORD LOW

Highlights –

• Japan reports the number of babies born in 2020 to drop in record low.
• The drop is expected to be around 845,000.
• In 2019, the record was below 865,239.
• The Japanese govt. is said to release an initial estimat...

JAPAN’S SHIONOGI & CO. WAS HIT BY A CYBERATTACK LEADING TO DATA BREACH

Highlights –

• Japan’s Shionogi & Co. was hit by a cyberattack leading to a data breach.
• The drug firm’s Taiwanese subsidiary was hit by the cyberattack last month.
• Import licenses for medical equipment and employee res...

NARITA AIRPORT OPERATORS TO REDUCE CHARGES FOR DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES

Highlights –

• Narita Airport operators to reduce charges for domestic and international airlines.
• Narita International Airport will be waiving landing and parking charges.
• Small-sized aircraft for international flights will receive a $...

DEPARTMENT STORE SALES IN SEPTEMBER FELL BY 33.6 PERCENT IN JAPAN

Highlights –

• Department store sales in September fell by 33.6 percent in Japan.
• In August the sales in department stores fell by 22 percent.
• In the reporting month, sales totaled about $3.1 billion at 196 outlets.
• The deman...

PLAN APPROVED BY FAMILYMART CO. FOR ITOCHU CORP. TO TAKE THE FORMER’S STORE PRIVATE

Highlights –

• Plan approved by FamilyMart Co. for Itochu Corp. to take the former’s store private.
• FamilyMart will be delisting from First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Nov. 12.
• Itochu, the top shareholder of FamilyMart ...

JAPAN TO USE FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY AT THE TOKYO OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS

Highlights –

• Japan to use facial recognition technology at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
• The technology was originally intended for security purposes.
• The record data will hopefully prevent cluster infections.
• The me...

SEPTEMBER SUPERMARKET SALES IN JAPAN DROPPED BY 4.6 PERCENT

Highlights –

• September supermarket sales in Japan dropped by 4.6 percent.
• Sales at 10,851 supermarkets totaled to $9.6 billion.
• Sales in clothing fell by 23.5 percent.
• Household products were down by 13.4 percent.

JAPAN’S HEALTH MINISTRY REPORT DROP IN THE NUMBER OF NEWBORNS NEXT YEAR; PANDEMIC

Highlights –

• Japan’s Health Ministry report drop in the number of newborns next year; Pandemic.
• The number of pregnancies in the country fell by 11.4 percent.
• In May newborn's birth rate saw the sharpest drop of 17.1 percen...

CONDOMINIUM SALE LISTINGS IN TOKYO FELL BY 26.2 PERCENT; APRIL-SPETEMBER

Highlights –

• Condominium sale listings in Tokyo fell by 26.2 percent; April-September.
• The condominium sale for the first half of fiscal 2020 was the lowest.
• Around September, however, the number rose to 5.0 percent.
• The r...

JAPAN AND CHINA TO POSSIBLY RESUME SHORT AND LONG TREM BUSINESS TRAVEL

Highlights –

• Japan and China to possibly resume short and long term business travel.
• The two countries are hoping to open travel on mutual understanding.
• The two countries have been negotiating to reopen borders since July.

A TEMPLE IN TOKYO HELD ‘MEMORIAL SERVICE’ FOR HANKO SEALS DISCARDED BY COMPANIES

Highlights –

• A temple in Tokyo held ‘memorial service’ for ‘hanko’ seals discarded by companies.
• Around 50 ‘hanko’ seals that were discarded by companies due to the digitalization move.
• Holding &ls...

JAPAN’S BUDGET AIRLINE ZIPAIR LAUNCHED PASSENGER SERVICES ON FRIDAY

Highlights –

• Japan’s budget airline Zipair launched passenger services on Friday.
• Zipair scheduled its first flights between Tokyo and Seoul.
• The airline company delayed its service by five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. ECONOMY NEEDS AT LEAST AN YEAR TO RECOVER TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS: FEDERAL RESERVE

Highlights

• Clarida on Wednesday said the COVID-19 recession threw the economy into a very deep hole and it will take some time, perhaps another year, for the level of GDP to fully recover to its previous 2019 peak

• US GDP slumped at its fastest pace in the second ...

JAPAN GOVERNMENT GAVE RENT SUPPORT TO ALMOST 96,000 HOUSEHOLDS AMID PANDEMIC

Highlights –

• Japan government gave rent support to almost 96,000 households amid pandemic.
• Around 109,000 people had submitted applications for rent support.
• Up to 53,700 yen per month can be provided to a single-member household...

TOKYO STOCKS FELL ON THURSDAY MORNING

Highlights –

• Tokyo stocks fell on Thursday morning.
• The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell by 109.10 points.
• Topix index was down by 7.77 points.
• Stock issues declined in pharmaceuticals, precision instruments, and farms, ...