FamilyMart has placed global baseball star Shohei Ohtani at the center of its latest campaign, featuring him in a nationwide TV advertisement tied to a revamped onigiri line. During a two-hour shoot in Los Angeles last December, Ohtani—whom President Kensuke Hosomi describes as soft-spoken and sunny—sampled 19 rice balls and even asked to take the leftovers home.
In other news, a toy trade fair was held in Osaka ahead of the year-end shopping season. The event brought together 84 manufacturers from Japan and abroad, showcasing a wide range of products from educational toys to collectibles.
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old entrepreneur is gaining attention with an innovative business model that uses goats for weed control. This service not only offers an eco-friendly solution but also has the potential to help sustain life in depopulated communities.
Japan’s National Tax Agency announced on Friday that the average annual salary for private-sector employees in 2023 rose to 4.78 million yen—the highest level since the survey began. This marks the fourth consecutive year of salary increases. However, despite record-high corporate profits, employee wages remain largely stagnant, leaving a growing segment of Japan’s workforce struggling.
Since the collapse of the bubble economy, non-regular employment has steadily increased, resulting in a widening gap between regular and non-regular workers. Currently, 15.4% of the population earns less than half the median standard of living, the second-highest proportion among G7 countries after the United States.
On the inflation front, Tokyo consumer prices rose 2.5% in September compared with the same month last year. The index excluding fresh food—which is often subject to sharp fluctuations—reached 110.0 across the capital’s wards, with the pace of growth remaining unchanged from the previous month.
In corporate news, Panasonic Holdings will begin soliciting early retirement applications next month at one of its core operating companies as part of broader restructuring efforts.
https://newsonjapan.com/article/147056.php