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Japan Forward
01-08-2025
- Japan Forward
Japanese Woman Attacked in China While Walking with Child
On July 31 in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, a Japanese woman walking with her child was attacked and injured by an unidentified person. The suspect has not yet been apprehended, and it remains unclear whether the woman was targeted because of her nationality. A similar incident occurred in Suzhou in June 2024, when a Japanese mother and child were injured in a knife attack by a Chinese man. The latest attack took place inside a subway station. Using what appeared to be a rock, the perpetrator struck the woman, who sustained injuries. She was treated at a hospital and is not in a life-threatening condition. The child with her was reportedly unharmed. On August 1, the Japanese Embassy in China issued a warning email to Japanese residents, urging them to "remain highly vigilant of their surroundings, including any suspicious individuals, when going out." In response to the incident, the Japanese government called on Chinese authorities to swiftly apprehend the suspect, impose strict punishment, prevent similar attacks, and ensure the safety of Japanese nationals. China has designated 2025 as the "80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression." On July 25, the Chinese film "Dead to Rights," based on the Nanjing Incident during Japan's military occupation of the city, was released. In light of these developments, the Japanese Embassy has warned of a possible rise in anti-Japanese sentiment. The June 24, 2024, incident in Suzhou involved a Japanese woman and her preschool-aged child. They were attacked with a knife by a Chinese man while waiting at a bus stop for a Japanese school bus. A Chinese bus attendant, Hu Youping (54 at the time), was fatally stabbed while trying to stop the attacker. Mourn, Honor Hu Youping, the Chinese Who Protected Japanese Kids The bus stop in Suzhou where bus attendant Hu Youping gave her life in trying to protect a Japanese mother and child from a knife attack. (©Kyodo) In another case, in September 2024, a Japanese elementary school boy was stabbed to death in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. In response to the most recent incident, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China — an organization made up of Japanese companies operating in the country — issued a statement on August 1. "It is extremely regrettable that such an incident has occurred again," the chamber said. The organization emphasized that it takes the matter "with the utmost seriousness" and stressed that "for Japanese companies operating in China, ensuring the safety of employees and their families is fundamental to doing business." It called on both the Japanese and Chinese governments to promptly disclose detailed information about the incident, including its background and motive, and to take appropriate steps to protect Japanese nationals. Suzhou, located in the southern part of Jiangsu Province, is a major commercial and industrial hub with a significant presence of Japanese companies. According to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4,919 Japanese nationals were living in Suzhou as of October 2024 — a 7.4% decrease from the previous year. Author: Shohei Mitsuka, The Sankei Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Tariffs Throw Cold Water on Wage Increases by Smaller Japanese Firms Says Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman
The Yomiuri Shimbun Ken Kobayashi The tariff measures taken by U.S. President Donald Trump raises concern about efforts by small and midsize companies in Japan to increase wages, said Ken Kobayashi, chairperson of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The following is excerpted from an interview with Kobayashi conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Shinsuke Ishiguro. *** We are concerned about what will happen to the U.S. economy as a result of the tariff policy imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. For the past several decades, the world has been globalized with the United States at the center, and a trade system has been established in which products are manufactured where costs are lowest and sold where costs are highest. The United States, with its voracious appetite for consumption, has been importing and buying goods in large quantities from all over the world. Although Washington has a trade deficit, it has been able to attract investment from around the world and make up the deficit through its financial account balance. Raising tariffs will cause price hikes in the United States and cool consumption. If the United States sneezes, it's not surprising for the world to catch a cold. It is questionable whether Mr. Trump was fully aware of this environment. Mr. Trump has set a goal of reviving U.S. manufacturing industries through his tariff measures. But in the process of globalization, the U.S. workforce has been polarized into a top and bottom tier, and the pool of reliable skilled workers is thinning. The U.S. government has also adopted a policy of excluding immigrants who might be able to join the workforce, and it may be difficult to revive the manufacturing industries during his term. Japanese firms may also move to increase production in the United States to avoid tariffs. But it will be difficult to secure local workers, and this is not realistic from a standpoint of economic rationality. What worries us most about the impact on small and midsize enterprises in Japan is that a series of tariff measures may dampen the trend toward wage increases and passing their mounting costs along to their prices that has been accelerating over the past several years. In particular, tariffs on the automobile industry, which is one of Japan's key industries and has a broad related industries, are a very serious problem. Major automakers are competitive and may be able to compete in the United States even if they raise prices there. However, we are concerned that they may put pressure on small and midsize companies to cut costs to make up for what they cannot cover by raising prices alone. In this year's shunto spring wage negotiations, even small and midsize firms raised wages by nearly 5% in response to the labor shortage. However, since the Trump tariffs have increased unpredictability, they may not be able to increase by what they're able to. The firms' wage increases and passing of mounting costs along to their prices could backslide. We will appeal to large companies not to ask small and midsize firms to cut costs. If small and midsize firms can't secure funds to run their businesses, we will work with the government to address the situation. At the first round of the Japan-U.S. negotiations, which was attended by Mr. Trump, he reportedly mentioned the cost of stationing U.S. troops in Japan. If the talks have rough going in the future, Japan might feel temptation to make concessions in the security area to achieve benefits on tariffs. If such a thing happens, there will be no way to stop it. The biggest issue for Japan is how to deal with tariffs, and anything that impedes free trade must be eliminated. In the Japan-U.S. negotiations, it is essential for Japan not to link security and trade issues. Ken Kobayashi Kobayashi graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law. He then joined Mitsubishi Corp. in 1971. After serving as senior executive vice president and in other posts, he became president in 2010 and corporate advisor in 2022. He became chairperson of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2022 and works to improve the environment for small and midsize enterprises. He is 76.
Japan Times
11-02-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's business community expresses relief after the Ishiba-Trump summit
The Japanese business community seems to have taken a positive view of the first summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump late last week. There was a sense of relief among Japanese companies that Trump did not propose a difficult deal, but uncertainty about the future still continues. "It's very significant that the meeting, aimed at strengthening relations with the United States, was successfully held," Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, told a news conference on Monday. Tokura noted that Ishiba and Trump confirmed the importance of Japan-U.S. cooperation not only in the security field, but also in the economic field. Ken Kobayashi, head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a statement that the meeting was an important step in building a relationship of trust between the Japanese and U.S. leaders. But at the same time, Trump mentioned his eagerness to eliminate the U.S. trade deficit with Japan. He seems ready to correct it through tariffs. An official of a major Japanese automaker said that tariffs, if imposed, would dampen exports to the United States. "We would like to ask the government to take measures, such as tax cuts, to make it easier to sell even some of our vehicles in Japan," the official added. "We could take a blow (from tariffs) as we import raw materials and other goods from the United States and China, but we believe the impact would be limited at this point," Ayako Hirofuji, chief financial officer of cosmetics maker Shiseido, said at a press conference on Monday. "We'll monitor future developments."
