Get the latest intelligence direct to your inbox.

Nearly three decades after founding Rakuten, Mickey Mikitani remains one of Japan’s most closely watched business leaders, particularly as the country debates how to remain competitive in an increasingly global and AI-driven economy. In the CNBC Managing Asia interview below aired May 4th, Mikitani reflects on the key decisions that shaped Rakuten’s rise, including the controversial move to make English the company’s common language, the long and difficult path toward buildin

On April 28th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), alongside the Financial Services Agency, National Police Agency, and Ministry of Finance, issued a joint request to major industry associations and crypto-related bodies, calling for stricter compliance measures across the sector. Authorities warned that real estate transactions in Japan - given their high asset value - are particularly vulnerable to misuse for money laundering. Domestic and in

From April 2026, non-residents buying real estate in Japan face a straightforward but important requirement: most acquisitions must be reported shortly after completion under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash A “non-resident” is defined by residency status rather than nationality. This means the rules apply not only to foreign buyers, but also to Japanese nationals living overseas who do not have a legal residence in Japan. The sc

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) on April 30th released its fiscal 2025 and March 2026 housing starts statistics. FY 2025 runs from April 2025 to March 2026. Total housing starts nationwide in FY2025 came to 711,171 units, down 12.9% year on year, marking a return to decline after increasing in the previous fiscal year. Total floor area fell 13.2% to 54.57 million square meters, also reversing the previous fiscal year’s growth. Breakdown by P

Mitsui Fudosan will open a shared office and co-creation base at New Chitose Airport in August, positioning the facility at the center of Hokkaido’s expanding semiconductor cluster, as Chitose emerges as one of Japan’s key semiconductor nodes. RISE GATE New Chitose Airport lounge CG rendering, courtesy of the company. The project, branded RISE GATE NEW CHITOSE AIRPORT, will be located on the third floor of the domestic terminal and developed in partnership with RISE-A. It is