FEATURE: Matcha's moment in peril as Trump tariff threat looms over industry
By Toma Mochizuki, Spotlight Japan - 12 minutes ago - 16:17 | All, Spotlight
The Kokaen tea farm in western Japan's Aichi Prefecture is among many in the matcha industry that has benefited from the recent boom in popularity of the Japanese powdered tea.
While a surge in demand has been welcomed in a country where domestic tea consumption has been declining, there are concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff regime may push up prices and dampen sales.
The uncertainty has left both experts and tea farmers anxious, fearing that a shrinking global market could mean the loss of a promising and lucrative opportunity.
>>Read the full article with visuals and video on Spotlight Japan>>
More Spotlight Japan stories:
Remote Japan island, population 11, aims to become global manga hub
Award-winning short captures rawness of relationships in 14 minutes
FEATURE: Silent witnesses: A-bomb trees carrying on aging survivors' legacy
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Revised Law Speeds Up Push to Stamp Out Online Casino Use; Raising Public Awareness a Key Issue
The Yomiuri Shimbun Flyers bearing the message, 'Online gambling is a crime,' are seen on the counter at a pizza delivery business in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, on Monday. A bill that prohibits advertising leading to online casino websites has been passed into law, but the public and private sectors will need to work together to craft a range of measures to stamp out illegal gambling from Japanese society. Following Wednesday's passage of the revised basic law on countermeasures against gambling addiction, the government will proactively initiate demands to remove social media posts and internet videos that encourage people to use online casinos based offshore. National Public Safety Commission Chairperson Manabu Sakai has insisted the revised law marked a significant step forward in tackling online gambling. 'We will forge ahead with efforts to eliminate information that entices people to casino websites,' Sakai said at a regular press conference Thursday. Connecting to an online casino from Japan and using the website to gamble is a violation of the nation's Penal Code provisions on gambling. However, there were no restrictions on the use of social media and blogs to post messages, such as a list of '10 recommended online casinos,' intended to stir up interest in them. The National Police Agency launched a survey in 2024 to gauge the extent of online casino use. The survey results, released in March, revealed that about 3.37 million people are using or have used online casinos from Japan, with total annual wagers reaching an estimated ¥1.2 trillion. About 60% of these online casino users were aware they had a gambling addiction. This was the first time the government had made public the results of a survey on online casinos. Posts by celebrities and influencers that spark interest in gambling websites among young people and others have become a factor in some people getting involved in illegal gambling. The revised law clearly defines advertisements and social media posts that guide users to casino sites as illegal. Penalty provisions were not included in the bill because priority was given to swiftly passing it into law. However, under the revised law, advertisements leading to casino sites that previously were considered 'harmful information' are now deemed to be 'illegal information.' Consequently, the Internet Hotline Center Japan, which has been commissioned by the NPA, is now able to demand internet providers and social media platform operators remove such content. According to the survey, about 75% of people who had viewed casino sites said they had actually remitted money for gambling. It is hoped that measures blocking the 'entrance' to these websites will have a major impact on preventing online gambling. Raising public awareness The revised law also requires the central and local governments to conduct awareness campaigns to inform the public that using online casinos is prohibited. A male employee at a Pizza-La pizza delivery shop in the Koenji area of Suginami Ward, Tokyo, was preparing delivery bags at around noon on Monday. Inside each one, he placed a flyer explaining that using online casinos violates gambling laws and that 'not knowing' online gambling is illegal is not a sufficient excuse. This was part of an initiative launched by the NPA with the Tokyo-based Safety Driving Association. The association's 48 members will cooperate with the campaign. 'We feel a social responsibility to do this,' said a director at the association. Ensuring that young people are fully aware that online gambling is illegal remains a pressing issue to be addressed. To help this message get through, the NPA will work with the operators of large-screen displays at Tokyo Dome and elsewhere to broadcast awareness videos and press entertainment agencies to prevent their talent from becoming the face of an online casino. Blocking remittances The Financial Services Agency and the NPA in May pressed entities including the Japanese Bankers Association and the Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association to tell their members to halt any transaction that is found to be a remittance to an online casino operator. Cutting off the sending of money to such operators is called a 'payment block.' However, 'tokuryu' anonymous and fluid crime groups are among the domestic operators that function as payment service agents that collude with the casino website operators. 'We'll crack down on operators that popularize online casinos and also step up our activities to raise awareness of the issue,' a senior police official told The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Japan to cut super-long-term bond issuances amid rising yields
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government said Friday it plans to reduce issuances of super-long-term bonds from July in a rare review of its original program in the middle of a fiscal year amid concern over a recent surge in yields. But the total amount of bonds scheduled for issuance in the current fiscal year through March 2026 is projected to remain unchanged from the initial plan at 176.9 trillion yen ($1.2 trillion), as the Finance Ministry seeks to increase sales of short-term bonds. The revised plan was presented to bond market participants during a meeting hosted by the ministry and is likely to be formalized, subject to adjustment if necessary, an official said. The move comes as yields on 20-, 30- and 40-year bonds have surged since April, partly due to concerns over Japan's fiscal health following growing calls from opposition parties to cut taxes. In its latest policy meeting earlier this week, the Bank of Japan, the biggest holder of government bonds, decided to slow the pace of its debt-buying reduction from next year, aiming to prevent a sharp rise in yields and broader market turbulence from rapid tapering. During the previous gathering ended May 1, some BOJ board members expressed the view that the government bond markets had been "divided by maturity," as seen in the significant rise in yields on super-long-term bonds, according to the minutes released Friday. Some members noted that the number of participants in the super-long-term bond markets "was limited in the first place" and that the rise in the yields of those bonds was attributable to factors such as a decline in investor demand, the minutes also said. Analysts have said reduced purchases by key institutional investors, including life insurers, were among the reasons for the jump in yields, which move inversely to prices.
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
87 Japanese nationals, family members evacuated from Iran, Israel
KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 18:00 | All, Japan, World A total of 87 Japanese nationals and their family members have evacuated from Iran and Israel amid conflict in the Middle East, the Japanese government said Friday. The evacuees arrived in Azerbaijan's capital Baku and Jordan's capital Amman by bus as local airports remained closed and none of them had health issues, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said. Of the 87, including six foreign nationals, 66 left Tehran and arrived in Baku early Friday, while 21 departed from Tel Aviv and reached Amman on Thursday afternoon, the Foreign Ministry said. The government is arranging additional bus transportation to evacuate more people from Iran as early as Saturday, Iwaya said. "As the situation remains very tense, the government will protect Japanese citizens with a high sense of urgency," he said. Around 220 Japanese nationals remained in Iran and around 1,000 in Israel after the evacuations, according to the ministry. Japan also plans to dispatch two Self-Defense Forces planes to a base in Djibouti in eastern Africa to evacuate its nationals if airports in Iran and Israel reopen, according to Iwaya. Israel and Iran have continued to exchange strikes since the former attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and military targets last week, alleging the Islamic Republic was close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, a claim it denies. With possible U.S. military intervention in the conflict attracting global attention, President Donald Trump has upped pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear program by setting a deadline for negotiations. "I will make my decision of whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in a statement, which was read by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing on Thursday. Related coverage: Japan to send 2 defense force planes for possible Mideast airlift Japan urges all nationals in Iran to evacuate amid Israeli attacks
