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An electric scooter was spotted early Tuesday morning on the Metropolitan Expressway in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, prompting highway officials to release video footage on social media to warn riders of the extreme danger. The Metropolitan Expressway operator said the incident occurred at around 3 a.m. on the inbound lane of the Shibuya Route. Video the company released shows an individual unlawfully riding an electric scooter onto the highway for about 1 kilometer, sometimes veering from the shoulder into traffic lanes. Fortunately, drivers were able to spot the scooter in time and avoided a serious accident, the company said. While electric scooters are permitted on regular roads, their use on expressways is strictly prohibited due to the heightened risk of fatal accidents. Source link

Tokyo is providing another tranche of military aid to Manila under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) framework that will include a ¥1.6 billion ($10.7 million) grant for additional coastal surveillance radar systems, rigid inflatable boats and other equipment. As territorial disputes between China and the Philippines intensify, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo announced on Thursday that the grant is intended to help strengthen the maritime security capabilities of the Philippine Navy as well as the surveillance and monitoring capabilities of the air force. Agreed in an exchange of notes in Manila between Japan’s ambassador to the Philippines, Kazuya Endo, and Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, the arrangement also includes funds for equipment designed to support the continued operation of the air surveillance radar systems that Manila procured from Tokyo in 2020. Source link

UA Zensen, which consists of unions in textile, retail and some other industries, on Thursday announced a plan to demand a 6% wage increase for regular employees in next year’s “shunto” spring labor-management negotiations. Meanwhile, UA Zensen plans to seek a 7% wage increase for part-time workers, who make up about 60% of the roughly 1.9 million workers in its member unions. The plans are slated to be formally adopted at a central committee meeting in January. The demand for a 6% wage increase for regular workers, including a 4% pay scale increase, is the same level as the 2024 shunto and higher than the 5% target set by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, the national umbrella body of labor unions. The 7% demand for part-time workers, including an 80-yen hourly wage hike, is higher than the previous year’s 6% demand, including a 70-yen hike. “We want to step up efforts to raise small companies’ wage levels to narrow their gaps” with large companies, UA Zensen chief Tomoko Nagashima told a news conference in Tokyo the same day. Source link

The Bank of Japan should exercise caution when it makes adjustments to the degree of monetary easing, consistent with the state of the economic recovery, according to Toyoaki Nakamura, one of the bank’s most dovish board members. “We are at a state where it’s important to adjust the degree of monetary easing carefully in accordance with the economic recovery by assessing a broad array of data,” Nakamura said Thursday in a speech to local business leaders in the city of Hiroshima. His remarks indicated that the idea of hiking interest rates this month may not have unanimous support. The yen weakened immediately after the speech as traders pared back bets on a December move. Source link

Abu Dhabi – Lewis Hamilton bids farewell this weekend to Mercedes, the team that carried him to six world titles, as his future outfit Ferrari seeks to win a first constructors’ crown in 16 years. Sunday’s floodlit Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks the end of an era as the Briton concludes a remarkable 12-year spell with the Silver Arrows and a 26-year association with the Mercedes brand. Hamilton will then move on to Ferrari, with Italian fans hoping he can rediscover the mojo that made him the sport’s most successful driver with seven titles and 105 wins before hitting a trough of frustration in the current “ground effect” era of racing. Source link

Tokyo is closely monitoring the situation in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s temporary declaration of emergency martial law, with the political turmoil in Seoul expected to affect the improving relations between Japan and the neighboring country. Some Japanese government officials have voiced concerns about the future of the Yoon administration as the political confusion in South Korea is expected to continue for the time being, although the martial law order was lifted only about six hours after it was issued. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Wednesday that he is carefully watching the situation in South Korea “with special and serious attention.” Source link

On Wednesday night in New York, the dreams of crypto’s permabulls became reality: Bitcoin hit $100,000. A monthlong rally has seen the largest and oldest cryptocurrency alternately approach — and then repeatedly shy away from — that most sought-after of round numbers. Spurring the moves: the digital-asset industry’s chest-thumping optimism that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would halt the tough government scrutiny that prevailed during his predecessor’s administration and instead pursue policies and regulators friendly to the digital-asset industry. Source link

LONDON – Only once in the sport’s 1,500-year history has a five-day Grand Sumo Tournament, or basho, been held outside Japan — and next year, London’s Royal Albert Hall will repeat its feat of 1991. To be as true to tradition as possible, the venerable concert hall will build a raised clay dohyō in the center of the auditorium to host the event, with spectators sitting around it on cushions and, further back, on chairs. “We’ll experience not just the sport, but the tradition and the ritual and the culture of sumo,” said James Ainscough, chief executive of the Royal Albert Hall. Source link

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s temporary declaration of martial law has raised concerns about the impact on Japanese businesses operating in the country and on Japanese tourists. While there have been no significant disruptions, such as widespread tour cancellations, some companies are restricting business trips to South Korea. “Even though martial law has been lifted, I still feel uneasy. But canceling the trip now isn’t an option,” said a 27-year-old company employee from Tochigi Prefecture before departing from Narita Airport for a four-day trip to Seoul. The immediate effects on travelers appear to be limited. Travel giant H.I.S. reported that its local staff assessed the situation in tourist areas following the martial law declaration and found “crowds of tourists, with no noticeable changes.” The company has continued operating tours as planned. Tokyo-based Nippon Travel Agency has advised tourists in South Korea to avoid areas where protests are taking place. Japanese airlines have also reported minimal disruptions. According to Japan Airlines, the reservation rate for its Wednesday morning flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Seoul was 80% to 90%, with no significant cancellations. ANA also confirmed it was operating normally without flight suspensions or notable cancellations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that over 40,000 Japanese nationals reside in South Korea, with around 3,000 Japanese companies maintaining local offices. Some companies have already begun taking precautionary measures. Trading giant Itochu announced plans to restrict business trips to South Korea for the rest of the week. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance instructed all 49 employees at its Seoul branch — including Japanese expatriates — to work remotely. Concerns over protests potentially escalating remain, and companies are closely monitoring the situation while preparing contingency plans. Translated by The Japan Times Source link

A total of 88 women and girls as young as 16 were arrested from January to November for soliciting prostitution near Okubo Park, a municipal park in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, the Metropolitan Police Department said Wednesday. The arrests, made under the anti-prostitution law, reflect ongoing challenges in curbing illegal activities in the area, which has been dubbed a “prostitution haven” on social media. Officials have noted a troubling trend of younger women engaging in solicitation and are intensifying patrols while working closely with local governments to provide support. Source link