The "consumption tax" for tourists visiting Japan may usher in a new mechanism, the murder of a Chinese boss and his wife in Tokyo has made a breakthrough, and a movie starring Nana Komatsu will be released

Hello everyone, welcome to the [Belden Board] column, where you can see the recent major events and small events in Japan.

This column is in the form of a weekly report, updated 1-2 times a week, and is divided into two parts: "Little Trumpet" records some small things and interesting facts close to life, and "Memorabilia" is the dynamics of Japanese society and economy. Without further ado, let's go~

The May Day holiday is approaching, and Japan has become a popular destination for outbound travel

As the May Day holiday approaches, the number of bookings for accommodation and air tickets by OTAs continues to climb. According to Qunar.com, the demand for outbound travel on May Day this year is strong, and Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore are popular tourist destinations. Trip.com Group's overseas ticket enquiries increased by 56% compared to the same period last year. During the long holiday, international cruise ships departing from Shanghai and Xiamen, Fujian Province were sold out, and the total transaction value reached more than 1.5 times that of the same period in 2019.

There may be a new system for the "consumption tax" for visitors to Japan

On April 23, the Japanese government considered introducing a new system to exempt visitors from consumption tax on the purchase of souvenirs. This means that you can pay the price of goods including consumption tax first, and you can choose to have the tax refunded directly to your credit card when you leave the country, without using cash.

The Japanese government plans to strengthen the rectification of the phenomenon of illegal reselling of local products in the country by maliciously using the tax exemption system, considering the cumbersome procedures for cash tax refund at the airport, in order to avoid chaos at the airport, the Japanese government encourages the use of cashless tax refund measures with simple procedures, and said that it will further improve the details in the future and strive to be included in the tax reform in 2025.

SOURCE: KYODONEWS

BYD's sales soar in 2023, and Japanese auto brands suffer setbacks in the Chinese market

BYD, China's leading electric vehicle company, has shown strong growth momentum in its latest earnings report. The December 2023 settlement shows that its sales soared by 42.04% year-on-year, and its net profit surged by 80.72%. This year, sales are expected to increase by 62.3%, exports will increase by leaps and bounds, and sales from overseas businesses will also increase significantly. At the same time, relevant data shows that the market share of Chinese local auto brands in China continues to rise, while the market share of Japanese auto brands has declined significantly, from 22.6% in 2021 to 17% in 2023, and is currently only about 15%.

Nissan and Panasonic have launched a new service for the interconnection of cars and home appliances

Nissan Motor announced on the 19th that it has joined forces with Panasonic to launch a new service that combines intelligent connected cars and home appliances. Connected appliances can verbally indicate when family members are coming home and when an electric vehicle (EV) has been charged.

In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT), in which everything is connected through the Internet, including buildings and infrastructure, has become widespread. The two companies believe that the demand for the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to increase due to the digitalization of society, and they aim to improve the convenience of their products through cooperation.

Japan Lunar Sphere Detector SLIM 3rd Dormant 后恢复通信

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on the 24th that it has resumed communication with the probe "SLIM" that landed on the surface of the moon. In a severe environment where the temperature fluctuated from 110 degrees Celsius during the day to -170 degrees Celsius at night, SLIM achieved the third "overnight stay" that was not envisaged.

SLIM began dormant in the early morning of March 30, when the landing site entered the night, and began to generate electricity after the daylight was shining. According to JAXA, data from SLIM was confirmed on the evening of the 23rd of this month. Allegedly, the main functions were maintained. Due to the high temperature of the body, only minimal movement confirmation was performed.

China-related stocks show signs of recovery amid the downturn in Japan's stock market

Japan's stock market plunged amid signs of recovery in China-related stocks. Affected by China's economic stimulus policy, the manufacturing industry has begun to pick up, and the Tokyo market has strengthened expectations for China's economic upturn, and the reassessment of related stocks to buy may accelerate. Recently, stocks such as precision motors and industrial robots that rely on the Chinese market have risen significantly, while the Topix stock price index has limited gains.

Experts pointed out that there are obvious signs of recovery in China-related stocks, but further confirmation of data is needed. At the same time, China's manufacturing industry has bottomed out, and the semiconductor market is expected to accelerate rapidly, but the consumer sector still faces challenges. The overall outlook for China's economy has been affected by structural issues such as the real estate recession, but the market is positive about the rebound in demand in investment areas such as factory automation.

The average price of newly built apartments in the Tokyo metropolitan area has reached a new high

According to the latest report from the Japan Institute of Real Estate Economics, the average selling price of newly built apartments in the capital area of Japan in 2023 will reach 75.66 million yen, a record high for three consecutive years. Housing prices in Tokyo's 23 wards exceeded 100 million yen for the first time, and high-end property sales were booming.

The chief researcher of the Japan Institute of Real Estate Economics believes that the demand for high-priced housing is still strong, and housing prices will continue to rise slowly this year. At the same time, housing prices in Kanagawa and Chiba also rose significantly, but Saitama fell slightly. However, as house prices climbed, the supply of new condos continued to decline, falling to a nearly 50-year low. It is expected that the average selling price of newly built apartments in the Tokyo metropolitan area will fall sharply in March 2024, which may be related to the oversupply of high-priced houses in the previous year.

图源:Jiji Press

Governor of the Bank of Japan: If prices continue to rise, additional interest rate hikes may be added

In a speech in Washington on April 20 (Japan time), Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda pointed out that if prices continue to rise, the possibility of raising interest rates is extremely high, but did not disclose the exact time. Given the interest rate differential between Japan and the United States, the yen has depreciated significantly, and the market reacted strongly to the rhetoric of an additional interest rate hike. Ueda stressed that the current rate of price inflation has not reached the central bank's target of 2%, and it is still necessary to maintain accommodative financial conditions and carefully assess the impact of policy changes on the economy and prices.

63% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan will raise their basic wages in FY2024

According to the survey results released by the Ministry of Finance on the 22nd, 63.1% of medium-sized and small and medium-sized enterprises nationwide have raised their basic wages in FY2024, an increase of 8.8 percentage points from 54.3% in FY2023. This is a clear reflection of the fact that the momentum of wage increases has also been extended to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) against the backdrop of manpower shortages and high prices.

However, compared to 81.1% of large companies (77.9% in FY2023), the percentage of SMEs that raised their basic wages was relatively low. In the midst of wage hikes led by large corporations, improving the treatment of small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for 70% of the working population, is the key to economic recovery.

"Time" magazine announced the top 100 influencers: Japan's Hayao Miyazaki, Chizuruko Ueno and others are on the list

Time magazine announced the list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2023 in April, among which Japanese animation film giant Hayao Miyazaki, sociologist Chizuruko Ueno, Professor Hayashi Hayashi of Osaka University, and Akiko Iwasaki (American), a professor at Yale University in the United States, are all on the list.

Hayao Miyazaki is known as "the most influential director in the animation industry", and his new work "How Do You Want to Live" is also known as a "masterpiece" that attracts everyone. Chizuruko Ueno's writings are widely popular in China, and her writings spread feminist ideals. Professor Lin Keyan has made a breakthrough in the successful cultivation of eggs using male rat iPS cells, bringing hope to infertility patients. Professor Akiko Iwasaki's immunology research is of great significance for revealing post-COVID sequelae.

The original operator of the "Manga Village" was sentenced to pay 1.7 billion yen in compensation

The three major Japanese publishing houses filed a lawsuit against the original operator of the website, Mitsumi Hoshino, for about 1.93 billion yen for the unauthorized publication of works on the pirated website "Manga Village". The judgment found that the works published by Manga Village without authorization had the same effect on the Internet as the for-profit electronic distribution works, and demanded compensation for 17 works, including One Piece, and calculated the amount of damages based on the average click-through rate of each volume and the selling price of a single book between June 2017 and April 2018.

Mitsumi Hoshino was sentenced to 3 years in prison, a fine of 10 million yen, and an additional fine of about 62 million yen (June 21) by the Fukuoka District Court. After serving his sentence, he asked for a retrial. On April 18, the Tokyo District Court ordered Hoshino to pay a total of about 1.73 billion yen in damages. According to the publisher, this is the highest amount of compensation ever paid in a piracy website lawsuit.

There is a breakthrough in the murder of a Chinese boss and his wife in Tokyo

Recently, a shocking case occurred in Japan, where two charred bodies were found deep in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. After a police investigation, it was learned that the deceased were Ryutaro Takajima (55 years old), a Chinese-Japanese man, and his wife (45 years old).

According to the latest revelations from the Japanese police, the body of the murdered Chinese boss Mr. Takashima was found at 6:50 am on the 16th, but he appeared at 0:00 am on the 16th in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo.

An eyewitness at the scene (a staff member of the Forestry Association) said: "In recent days, we have been logging in the vicinity, and the first discoverer was the contractor owner. He called me and said, 'There's something burning, I don't know if it's a person or a model doll and I hope I can confirm it together.'

So the staff arrived at the scene at around 6:50 a.m. At this time, the two bodies lying on the ground in a cross were still burning, and the flames were about 30 centimeters high. Because his face was covered by a plastic bag, he thought it was just a model doll that had been burned. However, whether it's the smell or something else, it's clear that this is not a model.

According to the latest revelations from the Japanese police, the man who voluntarily surrendered was a suspect in Hirayama Tsukuken who lived in Koshigogaya City, Saitama and worked in the construction industry (25). On the 23rd, the Japanese police have arrested him for "destroying the body". The police also searched the victim's belongings and blunt objects suspected of being used to injure the victim in the car in his name.

Hanyu Yuzuru's ex-wife Yuko Suenobu appeared on live TV for the first time after her divorce

In April, Yuko Suenobu appeared at the recording site of Yamaguchi Prefecture's local program "Hot Blood Saturday", and in the one-hour live broadcast, Suenobu devoted herself wholeheartedly and showed a rap performance, but she was silent on the topic of divorce.

In an article published on April 18, "Women's Seven" expressed concern about the mental damage to Yuko Sueno, and reported in detail the reasons why Yuko Suenobu remained silent about the "three months of disappearance".

Rio Uchida is in a relationship with Internet celebrity Hikaru

According to "Bunchun", Rio Uchida is in a relationship with Internet celebrity Hikaru. On the evening of the 21st, the two had dinner together at a high-end sushi restaurant, and then returned to the man's apartment. Uchida's office responded, "I will leave private matters to me. Hikaru admitted the relationship as a fact after the report.

Tadayoshi Okura and Alice Hirose have broken up

According to "Female Seven", Okura Tadayoshi and Hirose Alice have broken up. The two have been dating for two years and were once called "expected to get married". But Alice Hirose moved at the end of last year and left the room where 2 people lived together. The reason for the breakup was that "both of them worked too well". Neither firm responded.

Satomi Ishihara made a strong return to the showbiz with a new drama

In April, Satomi Ishihara's new drama "Destiny" was broadcast on TV Asahi in Japan, which is also her return to TV dramas after three years. The screenplay is written by Noriko Yoshida, and tells the suspenseful love story of the heroine Naku Nishimura who reunites with her college lover after 12 years and makes her face the "past" again.

In this work, Satomi Ishihara collaborates for the first time with actors Kazuya Kamenashi, Minami Tanaka, and Hikaru Ishida, and she vividly portrays a female college student who grows up after experiencing friendship and love. The 37-year-old Ishihara played a young female college student in the TV series, which made netizens shout "no sense of disobedience" and successfully completed her gorgeous comeback after giving birth.

Matsumoto 13 years of appearance stage 剧

Jun Matsumoto, a member of the idol group "Arashi", will return to the stage for the first time in 13 years and star in Hideki Noda's new work "Triangle Relationship". The show will feature a luxurious cast of Jun Matsumoto, Masami Nagasawa, and Eita Nagayama for a total of 80 performances, and will tour Tokyo, Kitakyushu, Osaka, and London. Jun Matsumoto said that it was a great challenge to perform with well-known actors, and he would do his best to meet the challenge. Inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Hideki Noda created this suspenseful story in which Jun Matsumoto, Eita Nagayama and Masami Nagasawa will play pyrotechnicians, physicists and clergy respectively, making it the first time that the three will share the stage.

Source: Chunichi Sports

Nana Komatsu and Ryuhei Matsuda starred in movie stills released

Nana Komatsu and Ryuhei Matsuda starring in the movie "We" will be released on May 31. The film is set in Kanayama on Sado Island, and tells the story of a cleaner woman (Komatsu) who loses her memory after falling and meets and attracts each other to a guard (Matsuda) who has no name and memories of the past. There are co-stars such as Shinobu Otake, Chinosuke Kataoka, Shizukawa Ishibashi, and Takumi Tanaka, and Yojiro Noda serves as the musician.

Source: watakushidomowa.com

The movie version of Ryo Takeuchi's "Goodbye Yangtze River" was released

Documentary director Ryo Takeuchi recently launched a shocking movie version of "Meet the Yangtze River Again". This work revisits the protagonists along the Yangtze River, and shows the changes of time and the ups and downs of life by recording the current life stories of the protagonists. With a unique perspective and keen observation, Ryo Takeuchi captures the real life conditions of the people along the Yangtze River, making the audience feel as if they are in this ancient land and experiencing those unforgettable times with them. The release of the film has aroused heated discussions among Chinese and Japanese audiences, who have said that this film is not only a visual feast, but also a spiritual touch.

Hikaru Utada "First Love" 影像时隔24年限定重返荧屏

Hikaru Utada's first return to the classic song "First Love" in 24 years will be released for a limited time this month. Topics such as "very touched" and "shaking to the music for the first time in a long time" continue to heat up, and they have received rave reviews on Japanese social media. This performance is not only Hikaru Utada's affectionate feedback to fans, but also a tribute to the song "First Love".

图源:THE FIRST TIMES編集部

Hayao Miyazaki's "What kind of life do you want to live" broke 700 million at the box office

On April 20, the pre-sale box office of "Howl's Moving Castle" has exceeded 2.8 million yuan.

Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece "What kind of life do you want to live" released in China has exceeded 700 million yuan at the box office, which is close to Makoto Shinkai's "Suzubud Journey" last year, becoming the runner-up of Japanese animated films at the box office in China, and is expected to become the highest box office of Japanese animated films in China. At the same time, another Ghibli classic "Howl's Moving Castle" is also about to be released, which has sparked heated discussions on social platforms. According to the statistics of "Maoyan Movie", as of April 20, the pre-sale box office of "Howl's Moving Castle" has exceeded 2.8 million yuan, and the audience's expectations have exploded.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun

Studio Ghibli received the Honorary Palme d'Or

At the 77th Cannes International Film Festival, Studio Ghibli, which produced many popular animated works such as "How Would You Like to Live Your Life", won the honorary Palme d'Or. It is reported that the honorary Palme d'Or is not won by an individual, but by a group, and this is the first time.

Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki expressed his great honor and joy upon learning of the award and expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the festival.

"Forty years ago, I founded Ghibli with directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata with the aim of bringing high-quality, high-quality animation to people of all ages, from children to adults. Ghibli has come a long way to get to where it is today. Although Miyazaki and I are both old, Studio Ghibli's philosophy will continue to be passed on to new challenges. Please continue to look forward to our new work!"

The 77th Cannes International Film Festival will be held on May 14~25. Director George Lucas also received an honorary Palme d'Or.

The benefits of self-cooking, you can pinch as big as you want for sushi

(Source:x.com @naoryourisuru)

Leisure time~

(Source:x.com @kazoo1984kazuno)

Flower raft

(Source:x.com @benzycocker)

The whisper of spring

(Source:x.com @photo_okina)

mauve

(Source:x.com @4_adiantum7)

Green

(Source:x.com @asagi_photo0921)

I want to go back to the countryside and live

(Source:x.com @photo_okina)

Evening daily in the city

(Source:x.com @shun_chan20)

A sunset like magic

(Source: x.com@ ___p98)

Fishing port with the moon

(Source:x.com @reposted)

※ The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nippon Street.

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