This Week in Japan #35 (December 11th)

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Nintendo Company Brochure Becomes Valued Collector’s Item

The outbreak of the Corona virus has not made it easy for recent graduates. Many companies have had to face massive losses in profit as well as adjust to shifting to online. Needless to say, job offers for promising graduates have been harder than usual to come by. That being said, Kyoto-based game company Nintendo has produced a brochure to introduce the company to new recruits and entice them to join the team. The unique brochure has subsequently become a collector’s item. Check the link below for the full article:

Children Choose Kimetsu Over Their Parents As Movie Sales Continue to Climb 

According to a survey conducted on December 3 by Benesse Corporation, one of Japan’s largest education companies, Kamado Tanjiro from the manga and anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba not only claimed the number one spot but also smashed previous records in a survey asking elementary students who they look up to. The survey was taken in November and asked around 7,600 elementary students across the country between the grades of 3 and 6. 618 votes went to Demon Slayer’s main character Kamado Tanjiro.
Among the reasons why he was chosen, the response, “he does his best without ever giving up,” was one of the most common. Other answers included reasons such as, “he is nice to everyone” and “if I think about Tanjiro, I can do my best.” Check the link below for the full article:

Nestle Announces A Stop of Sales for “MILO” drink after sales Increase by 7 Fold

On December 12, Nestle announced a stop in sales for its multivitamin chocolate drink MILO after demand for the product suddenly increased  7-fold. 

Milo, a popular drink in Singapore, is one of several products produced by Nestle that involves a chocolate and malt powder being mixed with water or milk to create a vitamin-rich drink. The drink is typically targeted towards children, but due to the recent demand by adults as well, Nestle Japan has temporarily suspended the sale of 3 Milo products: Nestle MILO Original 240g, Nestle MILO Original 700g, and Nestle MILO Original Sticks. Check the link below for the full article:

Tokyo Governor Koike Announces to Reduce Gasoline Car Sales Down to 0 by 2030

Tokyo Governor Koike has vowed to reduce the number of gasoline cars sold in the city to 0 by 2030. She has also added that the city will aim to reduce motorbike sales to 0 by 2035. This plan will follow Prime Minister Suga’s goals of also eliminating all sales of gasoline-powered vehicles in the entire country by the mid-2030s, albeit a bit sooner.
The reasoning behind this target is an attempt to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Prime Minister Suga has set a goal for Japan to have zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.
In order to promote sales of hybrid and electric vehicles, specific initiatives are being planned for automobile manufacturers. On the same day as Governor Koike’s announcement, Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled a brand new fuel cell vehicle called “Mirai.” Despite global success with models like the Prius, domestic sales of electric cars have declined in recent years.
Similar initiatives across the globe are also influencing the decision to start cutting out gas. China as well as California, are both aiming to eliminate gasoline sales by 2035.

Hosts of This Week In Japan

Julian Domanski

Born in England, Julian is a writer, videographer & musician living in Tokyo. When he’s not drinking copious amounts of English Tea, he can be found studying Japanese or trying to master the surprisingly complex basics of the Jiuta Shamisen.

Yasuharu Matsuno

Founder of Japan Insider (Former Ryu Tokyo). Japanese-born entrepreneur. Yasu spent his life around the globe – Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Australia, and the U.S. He hopes he had more time to play Japanese RPGs. MBA from Columbia University in the City of New York.