News

The Ito family, founders of Seven & i Holdings Co., have abandoned their plan to buy out the company, effectively thwarting a hostile takeover bid by Canadian convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. The family's decision stems from their inability to secure the necessary funds for a formal offer, despite Couche-Tard's initial proposal of 7 trillion yen ($46.7 billion) last year.

Trade Minister Yoji Muto's visit to Washington failed to secure assurances from the U.S. administration regarding exemptions from the planned tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles. Despite gaining "some understanding" from U.S. officials, Japan's economic future remains uncertain as discussions continue.

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed a more accurate method to estimate radiation exposure doses, which is now available for public access and has been used to support decisions regarding the lifting of evacuation orders in Fukushima. This method provides a significant improvement over previous approaches and offers hope for optimizing evacuation routes in the event of future nuclear disasters.

The average price of a new condominium in Japan surpassed 60 million yen for the first time in 2024, marking the eighth consecutive year of record highs, driven by rising construction and labor costs. This trend is evident across major cities, with some regional cities near train stations witnessing condominium sales exceeding 100 million yen.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu nationalist organization in India, has reignited the debate over the country's official name, advocating for it to be referred to exclusively as "Bharat." This has sparked reactions from various political leaders, with some supporting the idea and others criticizing it as divisive.