ANA holdings posts record revenue for Apr.-Jun.; profit dips
ANA on Tuesday reported group revenue in the quarter rose 6.2 percent year-on-year to 548.7 billion yen, or 3.7 billion dollars.
But the airline says the yen's appreciation from the same period last year eroded net income, which fell 7.1 percent to less than 23 billion yen, or 154 million dollars.
The number of passengers on international flights climbed 9.6 percent.
That reflects demand from foreign visitors, as well as a recovery in the number of outbound travelers from the pandemic slump.
Passengers on domestic flights also rose. But ANA says the number of business travelers remains low, at about 70 percent of pre-COVID levels.
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The Mainichi
5 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Edging Toward Japan: The Japanese soul of John Lennon
I was watching recently the 1988 documentary film "Imagine: John Lennon" about the short, memorable life (1940-80) of the famous rock musician. The former Beatle has legions of fans across the world, though I never particularly counted myself as one of them. But of late I have become quite intrigued by aspects of John Lennon which do not really seem to feature in public consciousness. I am greatly fascinated by the mountain resort of Karuizawa -- Tokyo's cool retreat from the oppressive summer heat and teeming with secluded, wooded residences. It's a place I try to get to whenever I can. John Lennon is said to have visited Karuizawa during the last three summers of his life and stayed each time at the historic Mampei Hotel, deeply nestled in the forests there. John Lennox's connection with Karuizawa seems to be relatively little known -- it is not mentioned at all in the "Imagine" film and when I asked quite a knowledgeable Japanese friend about it, he said he had never heard about it. I discovered an article in a local Karuizawa magazine, which noted that Lennon liked to visit the Shiraito Waterfall and the Usui Pass Lookout point in Karuizawa, and that he is reputed to have taught the recipe for "Royal Milk Tea" to the head waiter at the Mampei Hotel. Lennon appeared to enjoy the simple life in Karuizawa, eating apple pie in the hotel cafe and wandering over to the French bakery on the main street to buy baguettes. This was all at a period of Lennon's life when he was prioritizing spending time with his infant son Sean (born in 1975) with his Japanese wife Yoko Ono. I was curious to know more about the Japanese life of John Lennon. When on a recent trip from my home in Kansai, I was excited to see from Google Maps that a hotel (the Metropole Hotel, Omiya) I was staying at outside Tokyo just happened to be immediately next to the John Lennon Museum. But when I got to the hotel, I discovered to my disappointment that the museum had in fact closed down in 2010. Apparently, Yoko Ono had cooperated in the opening of the museum in 2000 to commemorate Lennon's 60th anniversary and had lent many papers and artefacts relating to the musician, but the museum had existed for a mere 10 years. What everyone seems to know about John Lennon in his final years is that he lived in New York (where he was assassinated in December 1980) and that he often spoke of his love of that city. In the "Imagine" film, Yoko Ono shrewdly observed that Lennon saw in New York a larger, more cosmopolitan version of his home city of Liverpool. Both port cities drew in influences from around the world and had the comforting familiarity of the docks. In other words, the seeds of Lennon's final positioning in New York were sown in his Liverpool upbringing. That may be true, but I also think that the seeds of his final positioning in a hotel in the woods of Karuizawa, Japan, were also buried far deeper than we might think. There is a general tendency to assume that Lennon's connection with Japan was the almost accidental product of his having fallen in love with Yoko Ono. But I perceive it differently. If you find yourself living with a Japanese woman in New York and spending your summers in Japan, then it is reasonable to assume that there is something about Japan which is calling out to you. When Lennon became regularly sequestered in the mountains of Japan, I don't see that as an accidental occurrence, but the consequence of some inner yearning. It's curious that when chronicling and analyzing the lives of artists, biographers often ignore the parts of their psyche with which they have little familiarity or understanding. The great Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, for example, was utterly obsessed during the last years of his life with the 1906 novel "Kusamakura" ("The Three Cornered World") by Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki and kept the book alongside the Bible by his bedside. He once read the entire novel on consecutive evenings over the phone to his cousin, and broadcast a chapter from it on his radio show. Yet if you read a biography of Glenn Gould, you are unlikely to see this mentioned at all or else quickly dismissed as a piece of "eastern mysticism". Similarly, for me, while New York represents the public face of John Lennon in his final years, the more hidden, private space was occupied by Japan and Karuizawa. I sometimes walk the streets of Liverpool and stand outside the Cavern Club where the Beatles first found fame, and walk down to the statue of the Fab Four on the dockside. John Lennon will always belong in some form or other to Liverpool. But in ways that are not yet fully understood, I feel the ultimate destination of Lennon's soul-searching life story were the quiet forests of Karuizawa, Japan. How those Karuizawa woods might have impacted his music in the 1980s had he lived a little longer is a subject that is fascinating to imagine. @DamianFlanagan (This is Part 67 of a series) In this column, Damian Flanagan, a researcher in Japanese literature, ponders about Japanese culture as he travels back and forth between Japan and Britain. Profile: Damian Flanagan is an author and critic born in Britain in 1969. He studied in Tokyo and Kyoto between 1989 and 1990 while a student at Cambridge University. He was engaged in research activities at Kobe University from 1993 through 1999. After taking the master's and doctoral courses in Japanese literature, he earned a Ph.D. in 2000. He is now based in both Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, and Manchester. He is the author of "Natsume Soseki: Superstar of World Literature" (Sekai Bungaku no superstar Natsume Soseki).
Asahi Shimbun
7 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Royal Holdings in tie-up to open 21 luxury hotels in Japan by 2035
An architectural rendering of a high-end hotel and resort facility under Minor Hotels' Anantara brand, slated to open in 2030 in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. The facility overlooking Mount Asamayama will boast a 100-meter-long roof. (Provided by Royal Holdings Co.) Restaurant operator Royal Holdings Co. is teaming up with Minor Hotels, the largest hotel group in Southeast Asia, to develop luxury hotel accommodation in the Japanese market. The company plans to open 21 hotels across Japan by 2035, targeting wealthy foreign tourists from the more than 36 million people who visit each year. Based in Thailand, Minor Hotels operates more than 560 luxury hotels and resort facilities in 57 countries. It is also a member of the Global Hotel Alliance, the world's largest alliance of independent hotel brands, serving 30 million members. It will be Minor Hotels' first foray into Japan. Royal Holdings and Minor Hotels established a joint venture earlier this year. On July 10, they unveiled plans to open Anantara Karuizawa Retreat, a hotel and resort facility, in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, in 2030, partnering with general real estate firm List Group. Anantara is Minor Hotels' flagship brand. Situated on a 42,000-square-meter plot overlooking Mount Asamayama, the facility will have 51 guest rooms, of which 23 are suites, It will also boast a spa, swimming pool and restaurants. The companies are preparing to apply for confirmation for construction. Accommodation fees and other details have yet to be determined. William Heinecke, founder and chairman of Minor International, which operates Minor Hotels under its umbrella, told a news conference in Tokyo that Japan is the first choice of overseas destination for Thai people. He expressed gratitude that the globally recognized hotel brand of Anantara had been accepted in the Japanese market. Royal Holdings started in-flight catering services and operating a cafe at Fukuoka Airport in 1951. The company has operated the Royal Host family restaurant chain as well as the Shakey's pizza chain since the 1970s. In addition, it operates restaurants at airports, expressway facilities and hospitals, and runs Tenya, a restaurant chain specializing in tempura rice bowls. As for its hotel business, the company opened its first Roynet Hotel (present-day Richmond Hotel) in 1995. It currently manages 43 Richmond Hotels, which target business travelers. 'We want to operate hotels aimed at wealthy visitors from abroad in tourism destinations and cities around the country as a way to expand the scope of our business,' said Royal Holdings President Masataka Abe.
Yomiuri Shimbun
8 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Executive Order Sets No Date to Cut Auto Tariff;U.S., Japan Begin to Diverge on What Agreement Means
Uncertainty has yet to be dispelled over details of an agreed-upon automobile tariff to be imposed on Japan by the United States. An executive order issued Thursday by the White House to impose a 15% tariff on Japan will place a heavy burden on Japanese companies. But the order did not specify an actual date for when the duty on automobiles will be reduced from the current 27.5% to 15%. The Japanese government has boasted of that reduction as the key result of its recent tariff negotiations with the United States. 'It is so disappointing, as we were hoping that [the auto tariff] would be reduced at the same time as the reduction of the 'reciprocal tariff,'' an executive of a leading automaker said after learning that the executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump made no mention of an automobile tariff. Since April, a 27.5% tariff has been levied on automobiles. The recent Japan-U.S. agreement is supposed to reduce the tariff to 15%, but when it will be implemented is uncertain. The car tariff squeezes manufacturers' bottom lines. 'It is becoming a burden day by day,' said a senior automaker official. 'We hope the updated tariff rate will be applied as soon as possible.' Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa said Friday, 'We will urge [the United States] to take steps to fulfill the agreement as soon as possible.' However, the reciprocal tariff and the car tariff are based on different laws. The United Kingdom waited more than a month to see a lower tariff levied on its cars after reaching an agreement with the United States. Many products affected Meanwhile, the reciprocal tariff on most Japanese exports will be set at 15% from Thursday. 'While the hurdle has been lowered [from the initially announced rate], the impact of the tariff remains unclear,' said Hitoshi Suzuki, president of sake brewery Ichinokura Co. in Osaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Riding a Japanese cuisine boom, Ichinokura has built up its exports to the United States, and the tariff hike comes as a significant blow. Sake was subject to nearly zero tariffs at 3 cents per liter, but that will now rise to 15%. Tariffs on fishery products will also increase. A seafood processing company in Mombetsu, Hokkaido, has doubled its scallop exports to the United States since China imposed an import ban on Japanese seafood products in 2023. 'If we pass on the tariff increase through our prices, customers in the United States may hesitate to buy,' the president of the company said. According to the Japanese government, products with original tariff rates of 15% or higher will continue to be subject to the same tariff rates. This was a special measure agreed upon between the European Union and the United States, and Japan had also agreed to the same mechanism. However, this was not explicitly stated in Thursday's executive order. Even Akazawa, who led the negotiations, told reporters Friday, 'We need to examine the details' of the agreements. No joint document made The lack of a joint agreement document has also made the deal unclear. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on July 23, 'We'll evaluate [Japan's performance] every quarter and if the president's unhappy then we'll boomerang it back to the 25% tariff rate, both on cars and the rest of their products.' Itochu Corp. Executive Vice President Tsuyoshi Hachimura said Friday at a press conference: 'The agreement has not been put into writing, and there is even talk of evaluating [Japan's performance], so nothing has been decided yet. At this stage, it is better not to be too positive.' The government also intends to take domestic measures. 'We will make every effort to mitigate the impact on industry and employment, such as providing financial support,' Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said when he heard opinions from the automobile industry in Tokyo on Thursday. Saisuke Sakai of Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd. pointed out uncertainty for companies, saying that the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises would be particularly significant. 'It is necessary for the public and private sectors to work together not only to provide financial support to companies but also to help them shift away from dependence on exports to the United States and develop products with high added value,' Sakai said.
