📢 Japan’s Biggest Stories in January 2025 | BOJ Rate Hike, Kyoto Tourist Tax, Record Heat, Osaka Smoking Ban & $1.4M Tuna Auction

🔥 This week, we’re doing things differently! We’re recapping the biggest news stories from January 2025—from the Bank of Japan's interest rate hike to Kyoto's crackdown on over-tourism, record-breaking heat, a smoking ban ahead of the Osaka Expo, and a jaw-dropping tuna auction bid. Plus, some important updates about the future of Japan This Week—so stick around!

⏰ Timestamps:
(0:00) Welcome to Japan This Week! 📢
(1:27 - 3:17) BOJ raises interest rates to a 17-year high 📈
(3:20 - 5:13) Kyoto increases hotel taxes to curb over-tourism 🏨
(5:16 - 6:57) Japan logs its hottest year on record—again! 🔥
(7:00 - 9:00) Osaka expands public smoking bans ahead of Expo 2025 🚭
(9:03 - 10:56) A massive tuna auction bid kicks off the new year 🐟💰
(10:59 - 11:48) Podcast update: What's next for Japan This Week? 🎙️
(11:48 - 13-06) New shows coming soon: Japan Today Spotlight & Japan Yesterday 🔍🎧

🔔 Don’t miss our latest deep dive!
Check out our Japan Today Spotlight video covering the Fuji TV-Masahiro Nakai scandal and the fallout shaking Japan’s entertainment industry. Watch here: 
https://youtu.be/WKGGoNXl74k

💬 What do you think about Kyoto's new tourist tax? Is it fair? Let us know in the comments!

👉 SUBSCRIBE for more insights on Japan’s top stories!
🔗 Read more at Japan Today: 
https://japantoday.com

🎯 #JapanNews #JapanToday #BOJ #Overtourism #KyotoTravel #OsakaExpo2025 #ClimateChange #TunaAuction #Tokyo #JapanBusiness #JapanCulture

Jan. 31, 2025 Month in Review: BOJ rate hike, Kyoto tax, record heat, Osaka smoking ban & ¥207M tuna

*This episode originally appeared as part of our Japan Today Spotlight series on YouTube.
In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we dive into the bizarre and uniquely Japanese phenomenon of taishokudaiko—resignation agencies that handle the quitting process for employees. What does this say about Japan’s evolving work culture? Is it a sign of progress, or a deeper reflection of the country’s reluctance to confront uncomfortable situations?

April 16 , 2025: The bizarre Japanese trend of paying someone to quit your job

Japan’s Expo 2025 has opened in Osaka — but not without controversy.
Ballooning costs, delayed pavilions, confusing ticketing, and a sweltering summer ahead have raised questions about whether the ¥235 billion (approx. $2.1 billion CAD) price tag is really worth it.

And when it’s all over? Yumeshima Island becomes the site of Japan’s first casino resort — projected to cost ¥1.27 trillion (approx. $12.3 billion CAD).

*This segment originally aired as part of Japan Today Spotlight on YouTube.

🎥 Watch the full video version here: https://youtu.be/lIAc50ABgF8
📍 More Japan news at japantoday.com

April 25, 2025 |Japan Today Spotlight 14 Osaka Expo 2025 Visionary Showcase or Expensive Misfire Audio Only

Why does "chikan" behavior — public groping on Japan’s trains — continue, even after decades of awareness campaigns?

In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we explore how offenders operate, what train companies and police are doing, and what victims — and the falsely accused — need to know. We also take a closer look at how Japan’s objectification of women plays into the larger issue.

👉 This originally appeared as part of our Japan Today Spotlight video series on YouTube.
📺 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/Xq2K6XRN70Q

🎙️ Produced by Japan Today and GPlusMedia.

May 2, 2025 | Why is chikan behavior still so common on Japan's trains?

🎙️ Japan Today Spotlight: Is Japan’s media stuck in the past?
Legacy broadcasters like NHK, Fuji TV and TBS once defined Japan’s national conversation. But in the digital age, they’re struggling to adapt — weighed down by rigid hierarchies, aging audiences and slow innovation.

This episode explores why Japan’s biggest media outlets are falling behind, what’s keeping them from modernizing, and what it means for journalism’s future.

📰 Based on a Japan Today article by Jeff W. Richards: https://japantoday.com/category/features/opinions/japanese-media-giants-falling-behind-in-digital-age
📺 Watch the video version on YouTube:https://youtu.be/j0a2XB1E3bU

May 9, 2025 | Is Japanese media stuck in the past?

End of the Yakuza? Inside Japan’s Vanishing Underworld
The yakuza once ruled Japan’s streets — now their numbers are at a record low. But what’s replacing them might be harder to see… and harder to stop.

In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we look at the fall of Japan’s traditional crime syndicates, the rise of encrypted “tokuryu” groups and the lasting social impact of tattoo stigma, front companies and prosthetic fingers for ex-gangsters.

🎙️ Originally produced as a video for Japan Today Spotlight on YouTube.
📺 Watch the full video version here: https://youtu.be/LvUPkE42cuA
📍 Hosted by Jeff Richards from the Japan Today newsroom in Tokyo.

May 16, 2025 | End of the yakuza? Inside Japan’s vanishing underworld

Japan’s tourism boom is fueling more than just hotels and souvenir shops. In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we explore the rise in sex work targeting foreign visitors — a shift driven by demand, a weak yen, and disappearing restrictions.

Originally released as a video on the Japan Today Spotlight YouTube channel.
🎥 Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/NlNIf-yAevc

🎙️ Hosted by Jeff Richards, from the Japan Today newsroom in Tokyo.

May 23, 2025 | Japan’s sex industry boom: How tourism and the yen are changing everything

Nissan is planning to cut 20,000 jobs and may shut down factories in Japan. What’s behind the crisis at Japan’s No. 3 automaker — and can a new CEO turn things around?

This episode explores the failed merger with Honda, ongoing financial trouble and how U.S. auto tariffs are adding to the pressure.

Originally released as a video on the Japan Today Spotlight YouTube channel.
🎥 Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/AKTlU_QHeVA

🎙️ Hosted by Jeff Richards, from the Japan Today newsroom in Tokyo.

May 29, 2025 | Why is Nissan failing and what speed bumps lie ahead?

Japan’s rice crisis isn’t just about food — it’s about identity, politics and a decades-old system that’s now under pressure.

In this extended episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we look at what’s really driving rice prices through the roof. From delayed stockpiles and 700% tariffs to political fallout and consumer frustration, this deep dive explains how Japan’s most sacred crop became a national flashpoint.

📺 This originally aired as part of our Japan Today Spotlight video series on YouTube.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/InU_JSn7coQ

June 6, 2025 | Japan’s rice crisis: Why prices are soaring and what’s behind it

What really goes on inside Japan’s idol industry?

In this episode of Japan Today Spotlight, we explore the strict no-dating and no-sex rules placed on J-pop idols — especially young women and girls. From public punishments and emotional control to the rise of AI-generated performers, we look deeper at the power dynamics, mental health impact and troubling double standards behind the glossy image of idol culture.

🎥 Watch the full video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1oB8rKR8edU

This originally appeared as part of our Japan Today Spotlight series on YouTube.

June 13 | Why Japan’s J-pop idol industry bans sex, dating and romance

A weekly roundup of the week's biggest — and smallest — national news, crime, politics and entertainment stories from Japan Today with a dash of opinionated commentary and a sprinkling of readers' comments. Ready for you every Friday evening (JST).

May 29, 2025 | Why is Nissan failing and what speed bumps lie ahead?

Japan This Week

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