Business and Economy

This category covers the economic and commercial forces shaping daily life in Japan: from national wage debates to the fortunes of individual retail chains. The scope runs from corporate boardrooms to convenience store aisles, from policy announcements affecting millions to the social media moment that tanks a single brand's reputation.

English-language coverage of Japan's economy tends to lead with exchange rates and export figures. Snooze. We're more interested in what economic change actually looks like at street level. A government wage target is one data point; the survey of small businesses saying they can't meet it is the story. We're as interested in why a beloved subculture bookstore chain is struggling as in what the Finance Ministry is signaling.

We're keenly interested in what works in other countries that *doesn't* work in Japan. For example, why has Subway failed to take off while Starbucks has become a household name?

Many articles here look at the squeeze between stagnant wages and rising prices (in rice, produce, and everyday food staples) recurs constantly, often through the prism of what convenience stores are selling and what consumers can no longer afford. Work culture is another site of tension: the push for four-day workweeks, the slow renegotiation of manager-employee relationships in language and hierarchy, and the contested legacy of practices like hōrensō.

And then there are the retail pivots and failures that tell a larger story: foreign chains losing their foothold, subcultural shops overextending, and new models like admission-based bookstores finding audiences where traditional retail couldn't.