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June 30, 2026
 

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DEPARTMENT STORES

The Yodobashi-Ikebukuro commercial complex at the east exit of Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2026
Yodobashi-Ikebukuro commercial complex opens after full renovation
The building, which previously housed Sogo & Seibu’s flagship Seibu Ikebukuro department store, also houses sporting and variety goods stores and restaurants.
A customer purchases a bento box at the Matsuya Premium Ginza store on Wednesday morning in Tokyo's Chuo Ward.
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2026
Two Matsuya companies team up in Tokyo on premium beef dishes
The Matsuya Premium Ginza store offers upscale takeout dishes including premium beef-on-rice bowls.
A tasting corner in the gift center at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Wednesday
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2026
Japan’s department stores gear up for summer gift season
Some have rolled out merchandise tailored to the 2026 World Cup, which is set to kick off on June 11.
While the total number of visitors to Japan have wavered as the Middle East conflict hurts travel demand, tourists from places like Taiwan, South Korea and Southeast Asia have been increasing this year and the weak yen is encouraging them to spend.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 2, 2026
Japan’s duty-free sales climb in May as tourism boom endures
Japanese department stores are rebounding from a shaky start to the year as lingering political tensions kept many Chinese tourists away.
The Galeries Lafayette mall, with posters advertising new season collections, in Beijing on Tuesday, a day before it closes
BUSINESS
May 28, 2026
Frugal and more online: Smarter spenders rewrite luxury’s China dream
Foreign luxury brands might not be retaining the pull — and the cashflow — in China that they counted on in the world’s second-largest economy in the 2010s.
Japanese sake brewer Dassai is working to enhance its brand recognition and expand into foreign markets, aiming to achieve annual sales of ¥100 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2026
Sake brewer Dassai features art in pop-up at Mitsukoshi store
The temporary shop at the flagship department store in Tokyo showcases artworks expressing the essence of sake brewing as felt by artists who visited Dassai’s brewery.
A parent and child visit a school backpack section in Yokohama on March 26.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2026
Durability key in school backpack sales in Japan
More makers and retailers are highlighting products featuring durability and designs that do not easily lose appeal.
Japan’s iconic department stores, once central to urban culture, are rapidly declining due to e-commerce growth, tourism-driven sales and changing consumer behavior.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 17, 2026
Has the death of the department store reached Japan?
Many thought Seibu would be one of the few landmarks to survive. Yet the owners were unable to renew terms with the Shibuya landowners, and it will close after nearly 60 years.
The Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings saw duty-free sales rise 5.4% in March, in line with a 5.5% increase in overall sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2026
Japan’s department store duty-free sales rebound as China-driven slump eases
The gains mark a shift for the stores, which had endured consecutive months of declining duty-free sales amid lingering tensions with China.
Seibu department store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2026
Sogo & Seibu to close Shibuya store in September
The company failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension with the rights holder for the land and buildings housing the store over the redevelopment of the site.
People gather in front of the main store of Meitetsu Department Store in Nagoya that closed on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2026
Meitetsu Department Store closes in Nagoya after 71-year run
The closure is part of a redevelopment plan for the Nagoya Station area, led by the department store operator’s parent company, Nagoya Railroad.
Tourists with their suitcases wait for a train in Osaka.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2026
Japan’s duty-free sales fall further as China tensions linger
Arrivals from China plunged 45% to 330,000 people in December, even as overall foreign visitor numbers for 2025 hit a record high — topping 40 million for the first time.
The Matsuya Ginza department store is promoting Angel Hair Chocolate as a special product for Valentine's Day-related chocolate sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 20, 2026
Valentine’s Day sales campaigns in Japan feature experiences
Meanwhile, confectionery-makers are trying to take advantage of strong demand for chocolate bars from those who make sweets as Valentine’s Day gifts.
The Mitsukoshi department store in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings said duty-free sales across its domestic stores fell 14% in December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2026
China travel curbs hit Japan duty-free sales in December
Prolonged geopolitical tensions with Beijing are now weighing on Japan’s retail sector.
Customers check out items at Sogo & Seibu's Sogo store in Yokohama on Friday.
BUSINESS
Jan 2, 2026
New Year’s sales start at major department stores
Sogo & Seibu’s Sogo store in Yokohama prepared about 30,000 lucky bags, including ¥2,026 packages containing jackets for men.
Takashimaya will sell ¥20,260 lucky bags through a lottery that allow customers to experience as if they are a horse owner throughout the year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 10, 2025
Horse-themed lucky bags to hit Japan during 2026 New Year’s sales
Next year’s bags include those providing customers an opportunity to interact with horses as consumers are increasingly prioritizing experiences over goods.
Pastry shop Chez Shibata opens on the newly renovated basement floor of Seibu Ikebukuro on Tuesday in Tokyo's Toshima Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2025
Seibu’s Ikebukuro store to open new ‘depachika’ food floor
A highlight of the renovated basement floor is the opening of 10 new cake shops, including Chez Shibata, which is opening its first shop in the Kanto region.
The decline in department store sales was partly because the number of shoppers from abroad plunged 16.7% to 476,000 to slip below 500,000 for the first time in 10 months.
BUSINESS
Aug 25, 2025
Department store sales down 6.2% in July
The decline was partly because the number of shoppers from abroad plunged 16.7% to 476,000 to slip below 500,000 for the first time in 10 months.
Data compiled by the Japan Department Stores Association shows that tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2025
Japan’s department store shares lag as tourist splurge slows
Tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41% in May from a year earlier.
Major department stores are doing their best to cater to foreign customers, but it’s unclear if it will lead to more sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2025
Department stores’ tax-free sales drop as tourists’ shopping patterns change
Greater foreign tourist diversity has led to a change in shopping priorities, the executive of the Japan Department Stores Association said.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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