By the end of the year the results of Japan’s third auction round of offshore wind projects should be clear, with round 4 expected to open shortly afterwards. Though concerns remain around project sizes, approval processes and infrastructure, the government is trying to accelerate progress in the domestic sector and develop a local supply chain....

Make a purchase at a central Tokyo convenience store these days and there is a very good chance that the clerk will speak Japanese with a foreign accent. While encountering migrant workers in service industries has long been the norm in other global cities, this represents a major shift in Japan over recent years. Most...

In addition to the obvious benefits of being able to watch ultra-high-definition cat videos while on the move, 5G wireless broadband is vital infrastructure for transformational technology such as the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR). Japan is carving out some important niches in the 5G space,...

An inbound tourism boom and the weak yen have sparked a debate in Japan about two-tier pricing: charging more at restaurants and sightseeing spots to visitors from overseas than locals. There has been inevitable backlash from a section of foreign residents complaining they’ll have to prove they’re not tourists, and talk about the fairness of...

Japan’s greying demographics are a double-edged sword. The fact that it boasts the oldest population on the planet is a testament to its advanced, universal healthcare system. But caring for this expanding legion of seniors throws up challenges for that healthcare system, as well as for public finances. At the other end of the demographic...

  Corporate Japan is undergoing change, of that there is no doubt. Hierarchies are slowly getting less rigid, working hours are down and wages are up (at least at most big companies). Work-life balance is gradually becoming more than just an empty slogan and the number of people leaving the public sector to join startups...

  Recent weeks have seen legislative moves by Japan’s government to exponentially expand the permitted area for offshore wind, an agreement with the United States to cooperate on floating offshore development and more than a dozen Japanese firms form a consortium to advance the technology required for wind power generation far from shore. All of...

Multiple contradictory trends can currently be seen around technology and the labour market. Warnings have been issued that automation and the recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) will make much of the workforce redundant. Though that danger may become a reality in the future, in place of the predicted ‘job apocalypse,’ labour shortages are now...

  On February 22 the Nikkei 225 index finally surpassed the peak it reached at the height of the bubble economy in 1989, making headlines and provoking analysis in Japan and around the world. One of the major drivers of the current buoyancy in global equities is optimism around how the spread of Generative Artificial...

  It is not yet full steam ahead, or even full wind ahead, for Japan’s offshore sector, but things are certainly headed in the right direction. Winners of the second round of auctions for offshore wind projects were announced last month, and bidding for the third round recently opened. While a number of issues remain,...