Reading Global(2022.01.11)
Kishida said it would ban new foreigners from entering the country until the end of February
Kyodo News Agency reported that Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio revealed on the 11th that he would start vaccinate children under 12 years old who were not previously vaccinated as soon as possible on the new crown vaccine. Target those who wish to be vaccinated, and promote necessary procedures such as medicine.
Regarding the strengthening measures at border crossings that in principle prohibit the entry of new foreigners in response to the Olmikharong strain, he said that "the general framework will be maintained by the end of February." Kishida said that "the necessary response measures will be taken from the perspective of humanitarian and national interests."
In addition, he pointed out that not only the elderly, but also the general population will be vaccinated in advance, so he intends to start the mass vaccination center operated by the Self-Defense Forces again.
In view of the rapid spread of the Olmikron strain, Japan has further strengthened its epidemic prevention measures. Not only will the vaccination of the elderly at high risk of severe illness be accelerated, but it will also respond to the increase in the number of infections among young people. Advance vaccination of the general population is expected to begin after March and will use the additional 18 million doses of the vaccine that the U.S. company Modena has agreed to supply.
Kishida noted that there are 16,000 local medical institutions nationwide that respond to home and residential care, and "a 30% over-plan situation is ready." He also called it an emergency to prevent hospital beds, and will step up discussions to revise the criteria for hospitalization and discharge of people infected with the Olmiqueron strain.
The average income in Japan is 8 years to buy a house, and Tokyo has reached 13 years
Japan Economic News reported on the 11th that Japanese private survey data show that the average price of newly built houses in Japan is about 8 times the annual income of residents, and it is about 13 times in Tokyo. Housing prices in Tokyo have become unattainable for many people, but demand is still strong and popularity has not diminished. In addition to benefiting from low interest rate policies, increased liquidity as it resonates with the active second-hand housing market also supports the high house-to-income ratio.
According to information released by The Japanese real estate research company Tokyo KANTANEI, in 2020, the average price of newly built houses is several times the average annual income of residents, and the average of Japan is 8.41 times. In terms of prefectures, the highest house price-to-income ratio is 13.4 times that of Tokyo, where the average annual income is 5.96 million yen (about 328,000 yuan), while the price of housing is as high as 79.89 million yen (4.391 million yuan). The house-to-income ratio is at its highest level in the past 15 years.
Generally, when applying for a housing loan in Japan, "the ratio of house price to income is within 5 times is a standard." However, the average annual income of Japanese residents has not risen in 20 years, while the average residential price has risen by more than 20 million yen in the past 10 years. In particular, in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, where more than 100 million yen of "over 100 million houses" have increased, and the limited affluent class has been driving demand. The number of residential units listed in Tokyo is expected to increase by 4% in 2022.
On the other hand, according to Tokyo's KANTANEI data, the price of second-hand houses in Tokyo (converted by 70 square meters of usable area) was 59.71 million yen (about 3.286 million yuan) as of November 2021, up 12.1% year-on-year. From the perspective of Duxin District 6, it rose 9.3% year-on-year to 93.63 million yen (about 5.153 million yuan).
Apple plans to allow third-party payment systems into its app store in South Korea
Reuters reported that South Korea's telecom regulator said on the 11th that Apple has submitted a plan to allow third-party payment systems to enter its app store to comply with a new regulation that prohibits major app store operators from forcing software developers to use their payment systems.
After the bill was passed last August, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) has asked Apple and Alphabet's Google to submit compliance plans. The law came into force in September.
Google announced in November that it would comply with the revised Telecommunication Business Act, which would allow developers to use other payment systems, and the commission rate would be cut to 11 percent, though the percentage would remain 15 percent if users used the payment system built into google's app store.
Apple said in a statement that it looks forward to working with KCC and developers to develop a solution that benefits Korean users.
The KCC said Apple plans to allow other payment systems to replace the current 30 percent commission with lower service fees. The regulator said it would discuss further details with Apple, including commission rates and the exact date the payment option went into effect.
Hennessy released its first NFT, priced at over $200,000
Forbes reported on the 11th that Hennessy is entering the cryptocurrency field. The LVMH cognac brand has released its first NFT product for $226,450.
The NFT represents the physical and digital ownership of the brand's first and last bottles (bottles 1 and 250, respectively), Hennessy 8, a limited edition cognac launched by the brandy brand.
The liquor and digital assets will be sold to a single buyer on the spirits NFT platform BlockBar on the 12th, priced at 70.47 Ether (about $226,000).
The BlockBar platform stores the physical object of this bottle of wine for free. If you buy it, you'll also get an electronic bottle of wine, which serves as a verification of ownership, proof of authenticity, and the right to deliver the physical wine upon request. When buyers buy the NFT, they can advertise ownership of the two bottles of wine and have a crypto version held by BlockBar. Buyers can redeem physical products or trade NFT products on the digital marketplace.
While NFTs exist in the digital world, Dov Falic, co-founder and CEO of BlockBar, said NFTs provide real-life answers to many of the current pitfalls in the spirits industry. "Asset-backed NFTs are the safest way to protect alcohol collections and a way to hedge market risk," Falic said. At BlockBar, we only work directly with brand owners like Hennessy, so the NFT acts as a digital certificate of authenticity, eliminating concerns about any counterfeit products. ”
Volkswagen's Skoda Motor delivered 878,200 units worldwide in 2021, down 12.6%
Reuters reported that Volkswagen's Skoda Motor Company said on the 11th that due to the industry suffering from semiconductor shortages and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, its global deliveries in 2021 fell by 12.6% year-on-year to 878,200 units.
In its regional market, the Czech automaker saw the biggest drop in sales in China, with deliveries down 58.8 percent to 71,200 units.
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Tesla owners in the United States use electric vehicles to mine $800 per month
CNBC reported on the 8th that an amateur miner named Siraj Raval in the United States used the Tesla Model 3 he bought in 2018 to mine. He bought an Apple Mac Mini box computer and installed free bitcoin mining software. The power needed for mining is then obtained from the 12-volt on-board power supply of the Tesla electric car through an inverter. At the same time, he also bought a graphics card, placed it in the Tesla front trunk, and used the vehicle's battery pack to "mine". While these practices will cost the car its warranty, Laver says it's worth the mining. He said that the price of Ethereum rose sharply last year, and mining on electric vehicles every month can earn an additional $800 (about 5100 yuan).
(This article is compiled from Kyodo News Agency, Nippon Keizai Shimbun, Reuters, Forbes)
Economic Observation Network intern reporter Zhou Yuqing sorted out