Japan Rice Price Situation: Ideas Later.

Japan rice price may dip to 'fair' 3,250 yen per 5 kg by June: expert

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260213/p2a/00m/0bu/030000c

Article to be deleted after ideas.

Article:

TOKYO -- Japan has been beset by high rice prices for months, with a 5-kilogram bag selling for an average of 4,188 yen (approx. $27) for the week of Jan. 30, according to agriculture ministry figures. Now, an agricultural policy expert has calculated that a truly fair price for that same bag would be 3,250 yen (about $20).

Prices spiked during a rice shortage last year, but they remain high even though the staple has returned to store shelves, and the most recent harvest was said to have been a good one.

Rice policy became a key issue in the House of Representatives election. What price would satisfy both consumers and farmers? The Mainichi Shimbun asked Kimio Inagaki, a research fellow at Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc. and an expert on rice issues, who calculated that "fair" figure.

A 'waiting game' until around June

"In broad terms, prices are on a downward trend, but they aren't falling easily. There's not as much surplus as people think," Inagaki explained while presenting data.

The production of staple rice for 2025 was generally favorable, with a harvest of about 7.47 million metric tons, an increase of 676,000 tons from the previous year.

However, that supermarket average of 4,188 yen per 5 kg for the week of Jan. 30 was down just 95 yen (some 60 cents) from the previous week. Prices have remained in the 4,000-yen range since September 2024.

The annual increase of 670,000 tons may seem reassuring, but Inagaki remains cautious. "Looking at the longer term, there was a total shortfall of about 1 million tons in the crops between 2022 and 2024. Although approximately 660,000 tons of reserve rice was released (by the government), there's still a shortage of 300,000 to 400,000 tons," Inagaki said.

He added, "Demand for the 2025 rice has not been finalized, but it's estimated at 6.97 million to 7.11 million tons, meaning supply would exceed that by 360,000 to 500,000 tons. However, simply seeing a 670,000-ton increase shouldn't bring complacency. There is only about a 200,000-ton buffer, so if growing conditions are poor for the 2026 crop, the situation would be uncertain."

Furthermore, the rice industry apparently cannot easily lower prices due to certain circumstances.

Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) across the country provide farmers an advance payment. But recently, some private traders have offered farmers higher prices than these advance payments to procure rice.

"In response to the rice crisis ... some regional JA branches offered amounts equivalent to twice the usual rate, around 30,000 yen (some $190) per 60 kg, last year. Selling rice purchased at such high prices cheaply would incur losses. So for now, it's a waiting game," Inagaki said.

So will rice prices remain high? Inagaki suggests not. He believes that the distribution side, including supermarkets, will reconsider rice prices between June and August. The indicator of surplus or shortage in the rice industry is private-sector distribution inventories at the end of June, according to Inagaki.

The appropriate inventory level is between 1.8 million and 2 million tons. If stocks fall below that range, prices will increase, and if they exceed it, prices will decrease. "If the 2025 crop is sufficient and the 2026 crop is expected to grow well, distributors and retailers won't want to hold excess inventory, so they will likely lower prices and sell off stock," Inagaki said.

What is the fair price?

The pressing question is what that price should be.

I believe the appropriate price is 3,250 yen per 5 kg, including tax," Inagaki said.

The benchmark takes into account producers' ability to maintain their livelihoods, consumers' financial situations, and competitiveness with imported rice.

Based on data collected by the Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inagaki calculated that if the sale price is 15,000 to 18,000 yen (roughly $95 to $115) per 60 kg for farms of 20 hectares or more, farmers can adequately sustain their operations and livelihoods.

In this scenario, the negotiated price from JA and others to wholesalers would be around 20,000 yen (about $127) per 60 kg, and the retail price, after storage and milling costs, would be approximately 3,250 yen per 5 kg.

Considering trends in imported rice, this amount could be described as within an acceptable range.

Following the 2024 rice shortage, private traders accelerated imports outside the government's tariff-free quota framework. Although a tariff of 341 yen (about $2.20) per kilogram must be paid, imported rice remains cheaper than domestic rice. In 2025, imports surged to 96,834 tons, 95 times the previous year. About 80% was from the United States, often retailing at around 3,500 yen (about $22) per 5 kg.

"This level isn't necessarily appropriate in the long term," Inagaki cautioned. He added, "However, amid current inflation, 3,500 yen per 5 kg might be acceptable for consumers. Domestic rice needs to be priced below that for consumers to choose it. From the perspective of promoting domestic agriculture, 3,250 yen for domestic rice is a realistic price."

Continued production increases are difficult

For 2026 staple rice production, the agriculture ministry has set a guideline of 7.11 million tons, below the 2025 crop. However, as of Jan. 16, the combined production targets set by 40 out of Japan's 47 prefectures totaled 7.25 million tons. Does this suggest strong motivation among producers to increase output?

Inagaki responded, "Most people understand that continually increasing production is difficult."

After a period of increased output immediately following World War II, Japan achieved rice self-sufficiency in the 1960s. Since then, production has become excessive while demand has continued to decline.

"For producers, the fear is a price drop. To increase production, demand must be developed."

While exporting surplus rice overseas may seem viable, Inagaki is skeptical. He stated, "Globally, Japanese rice is too expensive to be competitive. Targeting the gourmet market as a high-end Japanese food is one thing, but if the aim is to have it imported as a staple food by other countries, we would need to assume responsibility for stable supply. I don't think a plan to use exports merely as a buffer would earn trust."

A need for price assurance

After the rice shortage became apparent around the summer of 2024, the Shigeru Ishiba administration, established that fall, advocated for increased production. However, the subsequent Sanae Takaichi administration has shifted to a "production in line with demand" policy. Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki's remark at his inaugural news conference that the government would not "commit" to a rice price also drew attention.

However, Inagaki suggests that "the government should instead clearly indicate a target price."

He added, "Controlling production quantities is meant to stabilize prices. The purpose is to ensure consumers can buy rice with confidence, so a stance of not committing to getting involved in prices is inconsistent. The government should specify a price that allows consumers to buy with a peace of mind and consider compensation for farmers if prices fall short."

Japan Economy Growth: Ideas Later.

Japan's economy grows 0.2% in Oct.-Dec., spending edges up, exports weak

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260216/p2g/00m/0bu/026000c

Article to be deleted after ideas.

Article:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's economy grew by an annualized real 0.2 percent in the October-December period, the first expansion in two quarters, as personal consumption eked out a gain despite inflation, while exports fell after higher U.S. tariffs reduced auto shipments, government data showed Monday.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, gross domestic product adjusted for inflation increased by 0.1 percent from the July-September period, the Cabinet Office said in a preliminary report. GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a country.

The expansion was widely anticipated but turned out to be far smaller than expected. Economists polled by the Japan Center for Economic Research had forecast an annualized real expansion of 1.48 percent.

For the whole of 2025, nominal GDP, which shows the size of the economy in current prices, rose 4.5 percent from the previous year to 662.79 trillion yen ($4.3 trillion). In real terms, GDP totaled 590.68 trillion yen, up 1.1 percent, according to the Cabinet Office.

In the reporting quarter, private consumption, accounting for over half of the economy, grew by 0.1 percent for the seventh consecutive quarterly rise, bolstered by robust demand for mobile phones and accommodation, though spending on food and automobiles declined, according to the office.

Takeshi Minami, chief economist at the Norinchukin Research Institute, said growth in consumption was slow in the quarter, even as companies agreed to offer higher wages for fiscal 2025 following negotiations with labor unions.

The focus going forward is on whether salaries will further rise in the next fiscal year starting April and boost spending, especially on food and travel, which were areas squeezed by inflation, he said.

While the year-on-year increase in core consumer prices excluding volatile fresh food could fall below 2 percent as soon as the January-March period, "it is important that consumers truly feel that inflation is easing for them to expand spending," Minami said.

During the reporting period, exports fell by 0.3 percent from July-September, dragged down by weak automobile shipments affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, but the decline was milder than the 1.4 percent in the previous quarter.

A Cabinet Office official said that the higher tariffs do not seem to be casting a shadow over the broader Japanese economy, including the mindset of businesses and consumers, in the wake of a trade deal struck between Japan and the United States in mid-September.

"The U.S. tariffs impact remain, such as on automakers' profits, but uncertainties are receding over the outlook due to the implementation of the trade deal," the official said.

"But going forward, developments in trade relations outside of Japan and the United States, such as the United States and China or the European Union, could indirectly affect Japan's economy," the official said.

Lower spending by foreign visitors to Japan also contributed to the decline in exports, according to the Cabinet Office. Their spending is counted as exports in GDP data. Imports fell by 0.3 percent.

Business investment increased by 0.2 percent from the previous quarter due to strong demand for semiconductor manufacturing devices and research and development services, while companies also bought more software to make up for labor shortages, the official said.

Housing investment increased by 4.8 percent from the previous quarter following a sharp fall of 8.4 percent.

Nominal GDP increased by 0.6 percent from the July-September period, or at an annualized rate of 2.3 percent.

Japan Real Wages: Updated Feb. 13, 2025.

Japan's real wages fall 1.3% in 2025, down for 4th straight year

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260209/p2g/00m/0bu/019000c

Ideas

The disposable income of Japanese households continues to go down as wage increases can't seem to keep up with inflation along with the increase in price increases in Japan.

It must be remembered or considered, that up to 70 percent of Japanese workers don't work for the large name-brand companies in Japan but work for the small and mid-size companies which usually don't pay the same wage increases as the large companies as their profits margins are just too thin to try and match the large company wage increases.

And as the disposable incomes keep decreasing for Japanese households that means, after bills are paid, they have less and less money to spend in the economy, which means the economy is not going to grow as most consumers just don't have the needed extra money to spend on things in the economy.

Nominal wages are wages which includes the increase in inflation added on but is deceiving, as it looks good and looks like a consumer has more income but in reality real income is what matters for consumers and households everywhere.

Again, nominal wage increases just show how much inflation as increased as wage earners can see it in their paychecks but it really doesn't do anything for the disposable incomes of consumers as in the end, due to inflation, they actually have less to spend.

Consumer price increases of 3.7 percent might be even noticeable for most consumers who usually are just too busy to notice small increases in prices and if buying at a supermarket after a busy work day or a mother with two children just trying to get in and out of the supermarket, again they might not even notice the price increases.

But ask the low-income groups or the fixed income groups if they notice a 3.7 percent or even a 3.2 percent increase in consumer prices and most likely they can see and feel the increase in prices as they have a much limited disposable income to use in the supermarkets and in the economy, if any at all.

Yes, many Japanese companies at the shunto labor-management negotiations have agreed to increase the wages of their workers, which is of course very good and very needed, but the problem again, the small and mid-size Japanese companies, which might want to do the same thing, just can't do it at the same level, due their thinner profits margins, which means again up to 70 percent of the Japanese work force is still going to effected significantly by the inflation situation in Japan.

To be fair and positive, a 5.39 percent increase in wages is just an average and there might be some that will increase wages even more than that but not to dampen the mood there are going to be some or many that just can't match 5.39 percent as they might want to do and know they need to do it but their profits margins just can't handle a 5.39 percent increase in wage costs.

It has been suggested, in past articles, that many of the large Japanese companies, after the 2008 financial crisis began to sit on large cash reserves due to the possible uncertainty of the global economy at the time, but even today, its is suggested they are still sitting on huge reserves of cash and a increase of 5.39 percent in wages really doesn't seem like that much as they are still being very conservative with their funds.

Part of the problem or challenge is many of the large Japanese companies today are publicly owned which means they are accountable to shareholders who demand and expect a certain level of profit or return in their stock investments and increasing wages beyond 5 or even 6 percent level might be too much for even the large companies if they can't meet the profit projections as that their shareholders expect from quarter or quarter or even year to year.

Yes, private consumption or consume spending might make up to 50 percent of Japan's GDP or domestic product, but if consumers in Japan have decreased disposable incomes due to the continued increase in inflation there no way way consumer spending is going to be close to the 50 percent of GPD as consumer spending might make 45 or 48 or even 49 percent at the very most, and that amount is just not going to increase the growth of the economy in Japan.

It seems, and to be fair, the BOJ is relying heavily on wage increases to help improve economic growth in Japan. And its probably a good idea but again, large companies in Japan are going to do their part but the question mark, as always, is what are the small and mid-size companies going to do or what can they really do if anything to help boost the economy or increase wages enough to boost the economy.

Prices continue to remain high in Japan for several reasons, such as Japan is a resource-poor country which means it has to import much or what is needs as as global prices, due to many factors continue to increase, Japan importers and wholesalers continue to either absorb the price increases and or pass-on the price increases to the next in the supply chain which makes ultimately the final retail customer in Japan.

The other main reason is the variance between the US key rate and the Japan key rate due to the fact that for a period after the pandemic the US central bank kept increasing its key rate to try and decrease inflation while the BOJ kept its key rate almost at zero, suggesting the Japanese economy was just too weak for a rate increase and as a result the large variance between the US rate and the Japan rate as been a significant factor in the Japanese yen being very weak, which increases import prices in Japan.

As noted real wages decreased by 0.1 percent while nominal wages increased by 2.4 percent which means inflation might have increased by 2.5 percent or more from the previous year. 

At the same time, again, it means Japanese household's disposable income or even purchasing power of consumers in Japan continues to decrease which means there is/was less spending in the Japanese economy which again means less or no economic growth for the economy.

Nominal wages might look good or feel good in the short-term but in reality real wages is what matter as it determines purchasing power and the amount of disposable income consumer or households really have too spend in the the Japanese economy.

Have a nice day!

Japan Current Account: Updated Feb. 15, 2025.

Japan logs record current account surplus for 2nd year in 2025

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260209/p2g/00m/0bu/021000c

Ideas

There are some positives and negatives to why Japan's current account surplus is at a record level for the second straight year. The main reason is at a record again is most likely because of the weak Japanese yen, which allows higher returns on foreign investments and higher prices for Japanese company exports sold in foreign markets.

And there is a negative too such as a weak Japanese yen causes import prices for the Japanese domestic market to be higher than normal, meaning importers and wholesalers have to pay more for products they bring into Japan, and of course they often pass-on their increase costs to the next in the supposed supply chain which might be the final retail customer.

So for the Bank of Japan, which has to sort all of this they have to decide which is best for the Japanese economy, a weak Japanese yen, which increases the current account and at the same time helps Japanese investors in foreign markets and helps large Japanese export companies like Toyota as the weak yen increases their selling price in foreign market or does the Bank of Japan think the domestic economy should be more important and has to deal with the increase in import prices which effects the average Japanese consumer with higher prices.

Japan's current account is like the government's bank account as they use it of course for government spending including a host of budget increases needed to keep the economy moving in the right direction.

The challenge of problem is an increase in the current account should lead to an appreciation in a country's currency, but that for some reason has not happened in Japan or not for a very long time as Japan's currency continues to remain weak.

So what is really going on with both the current account and with Japan's currency situation, as are they really connected or is it only textbook ideas that connect them and is there other real-world situations taking place that has kept Japanese currency weak while Japan's current account is seeing record levels.

Its important to reflect on the idea that Japanese investors are now trading in overseas markets as they are not as loyal to their own country and its the same globally as investors, globally, these days, are looking outward.

And its the same with companies too, as they are not as loyal and maybe never have been and they will invest in any stable economy that can gives them the return they are looking for too just as investors are.

The goods trade, which seemed to take a plunge  of 76.8 percent, while not good, its still not a major problem, as exports increased 2.5 percent but the US tariff situation might have had something to do with the decrease.

And it seems Japan is creeping slowly back into the semiconductor market race as for a long time it was almost completely out of it with both South Korea and Taiwan taking most of the market share.

Japanese food too seems to be making a concerted effort too as their seems to be a continued race these days between South Korea and Japan related to which food is now more popular in foreign markets as both seem to be seeing increases in overseas food shipments.

Unfortunately, Japan seems to be way behind in the services trade area including software, which it seems Japan as all but given up developing any software in its home country.

As such they continue to pay significant royalties to the US and maybe even India these days as again Japan is a hardware focused manufacturing economy and doesn't seem to want to invest in software and or there just aren't any real software drivers in the economy that is making any kind of difference.

Japan seems to have created a new economic driver, which might have started back during the era of the late Prime Minister Abe, when Japan seemed to open up its economy and country to more foreign tourists, and especially to more Asian tourists to come to Japan and spend their money, which now is at record levels.

While foreign tourism might not exactly help boost the economy as much as domestic consumer spending its no doubt helping with economic growth as domestic consumer spending by Japanese households, recently, just hasn't been where it should be for a country which is considered the 4th or 5th largest economy in the world at this time.

Japanese travelers are at a disadvantage as they have to deal with weak Japanese yen which means if they travel to the US, the EU, or even other Asian countries their purchasing power is much less which means they have to spend more, which of course it could be an incentive to not travel overseas.

A drop in the current account for one month should not be that big of challenge as the December holiday period, globally, might have reduced a lot of economic activity as many countries and economies have holidays during the December period.

And at the same time, as the US is one of Japan largest trade partners, again the US tariff situation might have had some affect on the decrease in Japan's current account.

And lets not forget about China too which is one of Japan's largest trade partners and the latest spat between the two governments might have significantly spilled over in to the business and trade arena which might have affected Japan's current account.

The latest spat between the two countries might take some time to resolve as now, for example is the Chinese New Year period and Japan, unfortunately is only ranked 10th in destinations for Chinese tourists when at one time it might been close to being the number one destination for Chinese tourists.

As a result, Japan potentially is going to lose a lot of spending by Chinese tourists, as they have become big spenders as more and more Chinese tourists enter the middle class or even the upper middle class in China and want to travel to overseas places these days.

Have a nice day!

Tokyo Haneda Airports Users: Updated Feb. 17, 2026.

Tokyo's Haneda airport tops 90 million users for 1st time in 2025

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260129/p2g/00m/0bu/016000c

Ideas

Some of the ideas here might be related to personal experience and some might just be related to ideas about what is happening with Haneda these days.

As I lived and worked in South Korea, I would often travel to Japan, two or three times a year and, when Haneda became more prominent than Narita, Haneda into Japan became my main point of entry since about 2008 onward.

As the increase in the number of foreign tourists at Haneda and terminal three or what before was called the international terminal there number have increased significantly.

For example, in the fall of 2019 I traveled to Japan to Haneda there times and two which were during the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which I wasn't a part of going there and that was a major period of celebration in Japan and everything seemed so alive at that time. 

Haneda, going through immigration was full of foreigners and most of course were talking in their native language such at that time, the group I seemed to be with in waiting were from France as it seemed many airlines all came in at about the same time., which seems to be quite common for or maybe for busy airports its just a normal part of business.

Of course who could have known less than 6 month later the world would be turned upside down with the COVID pandemic.

And then, the unthinkable happened Japan basically closed itself off from the rest of the world and I wasn't able to get back to Japan and Haneda until the winter/spring of 2023 after of course I was able to shoe Japan that I had the required three COVID booster shots.

Before terminal three or the international terminal was built I don't remember ever landing at terminal one, which is related to Japan Airlines or terminal two which is related to All Nippon Airlines or ANA.

Before 2008, I think if I remember correctly, I always landed at Narita international airport and had to take the limousine shuttle but into Yokohama which took about 90 minutes, which from Haneda after Japan and South Korean finalized their shuttle agreement from Seoul Gimpo to Tokyo Haneda the trip to Yokohama from Haneda now only took about 20 minutes.

At that time there still were not a lot of foreign airlines actually using Haneda as most continued to use Narita airports. But around 2010 or 2014 or maybe just a little earlier many airlines were attempting to land at Haneda and because Japan was awarded the 2020 Summer Olympics, many foreign airlines were now competing to arrive at Haneda instead of Narita.

At that time, or around that time, the Japanese government decided to increase the number of countries for visa free travel to Japan as a way to increase foreign tourists into Japan and of course due to Japan being awarded the 2020 Summer Olympics making it much easier for foreigners to travel to Japan.

Japan is still very much a county that uses face to face business meetings for much of its business as meeting with prospective business partners is still a major situation despite the wide spread use of Zoom these days.

And airline travel to other parts of Japan is still very important and the two major airlines, JAL and ANA benefit significantly from business travel both domestically and internationally too.

Chinese tourists coming to Japan was always very robust, but as usual, due to Japan taking one step forward and ten steps back related to things said or done, as usual Chinese tourist, which used to be the largest tourism group going to Japan has significantly decreased and as now its the Chinese New Year period the numbers going to Japan are way down from last year or even the year before.

And yes foreign tourists from Hong Kong and Taiwan continue to go to Japan and with the Chinese New Year, now in full progress the numbers might be increasing as they, for whatever reason, don't exactly follow what Beijing says these days.

But while tourists from China might be way down those from South Korea seem to be way up as though, there are always historical and diplomatic friction, South Korean tourists seem dot be increasingly going go to Japan the last few years.

And as Japan is losing out on Chinese tourists going to their country South Korea seems to be getting more and more Chinese tourists the last few years.

Haneda international airport is in the central part of Tokyo and there just isn't much room for expansion and even maybe a new runaway it just isn't possible. As it seems Haneda might be at its maximum at this time, but maybe they can learn from Chicago or Heathrow in London how to squeeze a few more flights into an already overcrowded arrival situation.

And it seems, maybe many airports are the same, there are not a lot of international flights departing or leaving after 12 midnight as it seems everything seems to shut down at Haneda after 12. There are more flights being added from 12 to 6 am but there aren't a lot of shops open and transportation is very limited at Haneda from from 12 to 6 as maybe some tourists might have to wait until after 6 or later to get a shuttle bus or even a taxi into other parts of Tokyo.

While Narita airport in Chiba might be expanding, for most foreign travelers in and out of the Tokyo area just getting to Tokyo from Narita by the shuttle limousine bus service, due to traffic concerns could take up to an hour

Haneda is much more convenient and less expensive if you are lucky enough to get a flight to Haneda and not Narita.

That's not to say Narita is not a good airport, as it is very good but its just a little out of the way compared to Haneda and once you experience the Haneda in central Tokyo to your hotel destination somewhere in Tokyo there is no comparison which is the better alternative.

Have a nice day!

JAL sales in April-Dec. Update Feb. 7, 2026.

JAL sales in April-Dec. at record 1.51 tril. yen on firm inbound tourism

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260203/p2g/00m/0bu/029000c

Ideas

Both JAL and ANA should be seeing record sales and even record profits at this time as Japan is experiencing unseen records in foreign tourists entering Japan this past year. 

Of course maybe other airlines too are seeing record numbers as foreign tourists just keep going to Japan which might or might be at the saturation point yet for sustainable numbers.

It's interesting that Japan is not really that big of a country and travel from Hokkaido to Okinawa is really not that far but there seems to be a lot of domestic plane travel in Japan along with a lot of shinkansen or bullet train travel in Japan too.

At around 125 million people Japan is densely populated country and face to face business meetings is still an important component of doing business in Japan as Zoom and Microsoft teams have not completely taken over the business meeting aspect of business people meeting each other in Japan.

And yes, the situation with China is a little iffy right now as Japan and China once again are having challenges and travel from China to Japan has again taken a back seat to Chinese tourists visiting Japan.

Yes, a decrease in demand 20 to 25 percent might be considered significant but the overall effect might not be that bad as all other countries seem to be filling the gap as again there are a record numbers of foreign tourists entering Japan and JAL and both ANA might be getting their share of bookings these days.

China seems to be specialize in group bookings as maybe there is/are safety in numbers as maybe they prefer to travel in groups while other foreign tourists might prefer to travel alone or with one or two people only not in large groups.

For good or bad, intentional or unintentional, Japan every few years keeps making the same mistakes that upset both China or South Korea or both at the same time.

And again it's going to take some time before the situation calms down as always it seems to work itself out one way or another.

While its hopeful that they appetite to travel to Japan will return its not highly likely as what the powers to be say in China still resonates with a large part of the population but there are always the adventurous ones who might travel to Japan and ignore the powers to be.

More and more Chinese travelers, as has been suggested, are now not traveling in large groups but traveling on their own to places such as Japan or even South Korea these days.

JAL and maybe ANA too seem to have a good balance between domestic bookings and domestic bookings which complement each other and when one part is a little down the other part might be a little up which keeps the profits sustainable.

The only real grip, and its global, as ever since the pandemic or the end of the pandemic ticket prices have increased significantly and of course so has demand.

And unfortunately, airlines are a business so they always talk about customer service but in reality good customer service seems to be eroding in many airlines these days as they seem to be nit-picking with fee increases for luggage, fee increases for seats, and fee increases for whatever they feel they can get away with without regard or caring about the customers.

And yes, again, airlines are a business and as a business they have to maintain a certain level of profit to keep shareholder happy which unfortunately means due to fuel price increases, increases in demand, and increase in a number or areas they increase tickets prices.

And then there is there the segmentation of airline tickets to increase profits by separating the prices of aisle seats and window seats, segmenting premium economy from standard economy and who knows what else airlines do to get as much profit as they can from the customer.

JAL and ANA, while known for quality customer service do the same thing with many things related to the segmentation of customers as again they need to maximize profit as much as possible.

These budget carriers seem to always be having their ownership changed from one company to the next as they just can't seem to find the right business model and just are not sustainable in the long run.'

JAL already has some affiliate budget airline or regional airlines and there is only a limited number of resources and unfortunately budget airlines are always being sold or revived every few years or so it seems.

And yes, as expected JAL will probably transform jetstar into a new brand or something new version of the brand which seems to be quite common these days for budget airlines.

The barriers to entry for new budget airlines seems to be quite high and most just don't last that long no matter what they do, as they are only a limited number of travelers and if there are too many airlines and even too many budget airlines unfortunately the weak get left behind.

Of course name-brand loyalty is a major hurdle for any budget airline to overcome as flying with ANA or Japan in Japan, United or Delta in the US, or Korea Air in South Korea and or any of the name-brand Chinese airlines in China is a lot more earlier and maybe safer but maybe not easy on the budget.

Have a nice day!

Japan Farm Exports: Updated Feb.9, 2026.

Japan's annual farm exports rise to new record 1.7 trillion yen

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260203/p2g/00m/0bu/030000c

Ideas

The record of Japanese agricultural exports is not just about the popularity of Japanese food but about the practicality that the Japanese domestic market is decreasing each year and Japanese agricultural suppliers need to continue to find new markets and the global world is a huge market to be tapped by Japanese markets and its a sign of survival and not a sign of less nationalism in Japan.

And at the same time, to be honest Japanese food is becoming more popular as a South Korean too is becoming more popular as global consumers are willing to try different kinds of food with different kinds of tastes.

Yes, green tea is a major health product now, but at the same time, as global logistics costs have skyrocketed along the increase in demand for Japanese green tea, the price has increased significantly since the end of the pandemic.

Despite there being a supposed shortage of rice in Japan, shipments of Japanese rice is still being shipped globally as maybe the taste of Japanese rice is seen as being unique or it could just be an infatuation at the moment and the taste of rice produced in Japan tastes good just because it's Japanese.

But at the same time, the again, supposed shortage of rice production in Japan has impeded export rice as the powers to be just can't ship enough at they want, and to be fair, they can't even meet the needs of the domestic market much less global demand for Japanese rice at this time.

Rice is a major global product and many countries are able to produce rice so it's or like only Japan is able to produce rice which means there is significant competition which might limit the amount of rice that Japan wants or needs to ship globally.

The US is a top destination for many consumer products globally and green tea and seafood are examples of what US consumers might really like about Japanese food as some of the other offerings of Japanese food might not even be known by many US consumers.

And yes, the high US tariff situation might be having some effect but as long as US consumers continue to buy and want the products, Japanese suppliers and US importers are going to continue to bring to the US despite high tariffs.

Japanese food continues to be popular in many Asian countries and many Japanese restaurants are very common now in places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, and even China too.

Yes, the diplomatic row with China moves into row 2.0 or maybe row 25.0 as both countries seem to take one step forward and then ten steps back and can never seem to gain any kind of diplomatic sustainably between the two.

And yes, despite the diplomatic row between the two countries trade continues on but always of course not as much as before as there are gaps in many products being shipped or not shipped to China and or course gaps in products shipped or not shipped to Japan.

Of course the Chinese like Japanese beer too and even the diplomatic row can't stop the flow of Japanese beer to Chinese consumers who might prefer a Japanese beer over a Chinese domestic beer.

It seems a little strange but again, there is supposed to a shortage or was a significant shortage of Japanese rice in the domestic market but because of contracts globally those maybe had to be fulfilled even it it meant less rice being sold in the Japanese domestic market.

Japanese chain restaurants are now everywhere in Asia, again such as in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, and even in China and the US and even globally in the EU.

The global food market and or the global market of chain restaurants is significant and there are more and more Japanese restaurants also being opened every week which means the demand of Japanese rice globally continues to grow and probably will continue to grow as unfortunately the Japanese domestic market continues to decrease as the Japanese population just continues to decrease every year.

So Japanese rice and food producers probably have no choice but look outside Japan to the global food market to continue to increase their sales as again, there is only so much being bought in Japan which might not be enough to sustain many Japanese food producers.

So this always brings the discussion to the idea of immigration in Japan to increase the overall population in Japan in order to not only help producers and sellers in Japan but to help overall society in Japan despite some, and its a small but vocal group, who keep protesting that they don't want or need any more immigrants into Japan when its already known, that the majority of immigrant to any country bring needed skills and even more important need work values that can significantly help a country. But some in Japan again, like in some countries never get it.

Have a nice day!