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A Mainichi Shimbun report has revealed that multiple temple lodgings (shukubo) at the World Heritage site of Koyasan failed to report income totaling over ¥100 million, as pointed out by national tax authorities. Religious corporations are exempt from tax on income tied to religious activities, but portions classified as for-profit business — such as lodging and food service — are taxable. On 5ch, threads buzzed about the blurry line between religious activity and taxable business, the reality of skyrocketing shukubo rates driven by inbound tourism, and differences in how other famous temples like Mt. Hiei operate.

World Heritage Site Koyasan: Temple Lodgings Underreport Income, Over ¥100 Million, Tax Authorities Point Out | Mainichi Shimbun

Mainichi Shimbun

September 10, 2026, 04:30 (Last updated 9/10 07:24)

Source: mainichi.jp / Original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “World Heritage Site Koyasan: Temple Lodgings Underreport Over ¥100 Million, Tax Authorities Point Out.”

On September 10, Japan’s National Police Agency announced it will set up a panel of experts to discuss whether to add the security services industry to the list of sectors covered by the “Specified Skilled Worker” residence status for foreign workers, as well as “Employment for Skill Development,” the new system replacing the Technical Intern Training Program. The work envisioned includes facility security and traffic control, as well as cash transport — a job that demands a high degree of trustworthiness. The panel will consist of six members, including lawyers and university professors well versed in accepting foreign workers and representatives of industry groups, and is expected to compile a report by around next January. On 5channel threads, opinions were split, with users raising doubts about screening people by nationality, voicing concerns over public safety, and worrying about the impact on job opportunities for existing jobseekers such as Japan’s “employment ice age” generation.

The National Police Agency announced on the 10th that it will set up an expert panel to debate the pros and cons of adding “security services” to the industries covered by the “Specified Skilled Worker” residence status for foreign workers and “Employment for Skill Development,” the system replacing the Technical Intern Training Program.

A report is expected to be compiled as early as next January. Based on that report, the agency is expected to ask relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Justice, to revise the system.

The panel is made up of six people, including lawyers and university professors with expertise in accepting foreign workers, along with representatives of industry groups. It will discuss which specific duties — such as facility security, traffic control, and cash transport — should be permitted, how many workers to accept, and what skills, including Japanese language ability, should be required.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (News Speed+) thread “[Foreigners] National Police Agency Weighs Adding “Security Guards” to ‘Specified Skilled Worker’ Visa — Cash Transport Too?“.

According to Bloomberg reporting, even as the yen touched its strongest level against the dollar in six months, Japanese retail investors have actually been piling into more short-yen positions — with data from the Financial Futures Association of Japan and others putting the estimated net short position at ¥3.61 trillion. On 5ch’s News Speed+ (Newsplus) thread, reactions were split over whether this “contrarian bet” made sense. Alongside speculation about exporters like Toyota cashing in on currency swings, plenty of posters dismissed FX trading outright as “gambling,” some sharing firsthand accounts of losing tens of millions of yen — and the discussion spiraled into a broader debate over whether retail FX trading is worth it at all.

Yen hits 6-month high, but retail investors double down with contrarian short-yen bets

(Bloomberg): Japanese retail investors are taking a contrarian stance against the yen’s rapid climb. Even as the currency strengthens to its highest level against the dollar in six months, individual traders have been building up bets against it.

Bloomberg’s analysis of margin (FX) trading data from the Financial Futures Association of Japan and the Tokyo Financial Exchange found that retail investors’ net short-yen position rose last week to an estimated ¥3.61 trillion, up from August. Bearish yen positioning had peaked at ¥4.41 trillion in July — the highest level since 2015.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread ““ú–{‚ÌŒÂl“ŠŽ‘‰ÆA4’›4000‰­‰~‚̉~”„‚è@‰~‚‚É‹t’£‚è@‚±‚̂܂܉~‚i‚Þ‚Æ‹­§ƒƒXƒJƒbƒg‚à š2 [‚¨’f‚èš].”

According to a report by the Asahi Shimbun, delivery trucks in the tower-condo district of Toyosu, Koto Ward, Tokyo, are being forced to park illegally on the street, and Yosuke Ide (33), representative of YUM JAM LLC, which handles deliveries for a major online retailer, describes the dire situation as making “it impossible to work.” A single delivery run to a tower condo can involve roughly 100 packages, and the chronic parking shortage has become a persistent problem. On 5ch’s News Express+ board, suggestions for streamlining deliveries — like “just stop at the entrance” or “switch to leave-at-the-door delivery” — came one after another, while harsher voices toward residents also emerged, arguing that “if you chose to live somewhere so inconvenient, the burden on delivery drivers is just something you have to accept.” Opinions were split over how much responsibility should fall on the condo management versus the residents themselves.

Late July, in the Toyosu area of Koto Ward, Tokyo. Along the roadside lined with tower condos, light cargo vans and delivery trucks were parked bumper to bumper.

“There’s just so little space to park a car in the city center — it makes it impossible to work.”

So laments Yosuke Ide (33), representative member of YUM JAM LLC, which is contracted by a major online retailer to handle deliveries from a logistics warehouse to individual homes around the Toyosu area.

Source: asahi.com / Read the original article here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (News Express+) thread: [Tower Condos] Delivery workers lament parking shortage, “It’s impossible to work” — authorities also weighing countermeasures