4 h. ago Japan’s booming toy market defies declining birth rate as adults get playful

The toy market in Japan is on an upwards trend despite the country’s declining birth rate, boosted by robust demand from adults seeing gadgets as an affordable hobby and a means to connect with others via social media, a research firm said. The market in the 2024 financial year grew 7.9 per cent from a year earlier to a record 1.1 trillion yen (US$7.4 billion), led by trading cards and character merchandise, expanding 36 per cent from 10 years ago, according to the Japan Toy Association. Other...

Politics

2 w. ago Japan’s property market booms with US$22.8 billion investment surge

Japan’s renewed economic vigour is spurring more investment in its property market, especially the multifamily segment, but the environment presents challenges for investors, according to Hong Kong-based Avatar Capital Partners. The world’s fifth-largest economy was attracting more property investment from both domestic and foreign capital, which required the asset-management firm to be savvy in its investment choices to secure assets, said Angel Li, a founding partner. Avatar said in July that...

Economics

2 w. ago China’s population decline laid bare as Shanghai school enrols only 22 pupils

A primary school in Shanghai has attracted national attention after its student body shrank to just 22 this year, highlighting the dramatic impact China’s plunging birth rate is having on the education system. Sanqiao Primary School in the Pudong New Area now has more full-time staff than pupils – with 22 children and 23 teachers – despite being located in one of China’s largest cities, according to enrolment data released on the local education authority’s website. The information was first...

Culture

2 w. ago From India to Vietnam, Lego bets on Asia’s booming toy market

After posting record half-year sales figures on Wednesday, Lego said it would sustain its momentum by doubling down on the market in Asia. The Danish toymaker announced 34.6 billion kroner (US$5.4 billion) in revenue for the first half of 2025 – higher than those of rivals Mattel and Hasbro, and up from US$4.8 billion for the first half of last year. Consumer sales also increased by 13 per cent. While the toymaker expanded its market share in every major geography, Chief Executive Officer Niels...

Politics

2 w. ago Japan’s niche chip gear makers left out of Nvidia boom, Marumae CEO says

Prices are rising across Japan, but not for the components of chipmaking gear. Tokyo Electron supplier Marumae is seeking out deals to change that. Many Japanese makers of vacuum parts found in chip tools have yet to reap gains from an artificial intelligence boom that is spurring billions of dollars of spending on Nvidia chips and other hardware, according to Marumae president Toshikazu Maeda. That is because such manufacturers are fighting with dozens of other companies in Japan that...

Politics

3 w. ago China’s new child subsidy is popular. But will it actually raise the birth rate?

China’s new child subsidy is popular. But will it actually raise the birth rate?  South China Morning Post

Politics

4 w. ago ‘Still quite large’: South Korea’s birth rate battles erode its military might

As South Korea’s troop numbers dwindle to levels unseen in decades, fears are growing that the country’s ability to deter Pyongyang and secure its heavily fortified border with the nuclear-armed North may be slipping at a moment of heightened regional uncertainty. According to a Defence Ministry report released last Sunday, the South Korean military has shrunk by 20 per cent over the past six years, with active-duty personnel now numbering around 450,000 – down from about 690,000 soldiers in the...

Events