Latest from Japan

A ranking of industries with the highest share of workers earning over ¥8 million a year, based on the FY2025 Survey on Private Sector Salary Conditions, is making waves online. The top spot goes to the electricity, gas, heat supply, and water industry at 47.2%, followed by finance and insurance at 31.7%. Meanwhile, the lowest-ranked industry comes in at just 2.8%, highlighting a huge gap between sectors. Reactions on the thread were split depending on where people stood: some pointed out that “¥8 million today, with inflation, is only worth about what ¥5 million was before COVID,” others cited data showing civil servants’ salaries overtake private-sector pay from their 40s onward, and still others bragged about their income by naming specific industries, drawing a mix of envy and skepticism.

The industry with the highest proportion of high earners making over ¥8 million a year is “electricity, gas, heat supply, and water utilities.” Among its 181,000 salaried workers, the share earning over ¥8 million reaches 47.2% — meaning nearly half fall into the high-income bracket (related article: “[Ranking] The Share of Workers Earning Over ‘¥8 Million’ and ‘¥10 Million’ by Industry — Including Average Salaries by Sector 〈FY2025 Survey on Private Sector Salary Conditions〉”).

The electricity/gas industry also posted a 29.9% share of workers earning over ¥10 million a year. The high profitability that comes with supporting critical infrastructure underpins this high-level pay structure.

Ranked second is “finance and insurance.” Among its 1,295,000 salaried workers, 31.7% earn over ¥8 million a year. The share earning over ¥10 million is also high at 20.0% — meaning one in five workers reaches that milestone. The average salary here is ¥7.26 million.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Latest 2026] Ranking of Industries With the Most “High Earners Over ¥8 Million” — The Reality: #1 Is 47.2%, Dead Last Just 2.8%“.

Chinese EV giant BYD has reportedly reached 10,000 vehicle deliveries in Japan’s passenger car market roughly three years and nine months after entering it, with its kei-class (Japan’s compact minicar standard) battery EV “RACCO,” launched in late July, now accounting for about 80% of orders and becoming the brand’s flagship model, according to Chinese media. On 5ch forum threads, posters pointed out that the delivery count per dealership looks tiny given the headline total, and many said they never actually see the car on the road despite the strong sales — sparking a recurring back-and-forth between claims of “I see them all the time in Tokyo” and counterclaims of “I’ve never seen one.” Reactions also diverged sharply over perceptions of Chinese EV quality and expectations for future market share.

Chinese outlet Kuai Technology reported on the 8th that, in connection with BYD delivering its 10,000th new vehicle in Japan, the battery EV “RACCO,” designed specifically to meet Japan’s kei-car standard and launched in late July, has already become the brand’s flagship sales model.

According to the report, BYD reached its 10,000th delivery about three years and nine months after entering Japan’s passenger car market in January 2023. That milestone vehicle was the “SEALION 6,” a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and the first PHEV BYD introduced for the Japanese market.

The report noted that BYD’s passenger vehicle registrations in Japan rose 68% year-on-year to 3,742 units in 2025, then rose 42.7% year-on-year to 2,334 units from January to June 2026, before hitting an all-time monthly high of 1,260 units in August 2026 — with RACCO accounting for roughly 80% of those orders.

Source: recordchina.co.jp / Original article here

25AnonymousOct 12, 2026 22:40

A RACCO craze is sweeping across Japan

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “BYD delivers its 10,000th new vehicle in Japan, with kei BEV “RACCO” already its flagship model — Chinese media.”

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ population migration statistics, Okayama Prefecture’s net outflow rate for women in their early 20s hit 3.07% last year, while Kagawa Prefecture’s reached 3.71%. That means more than 3% of women in their early 20s left each prefecture within a single year. The original article presents this figure as one factor behind rural population decline. On 5ch, opinions split between those citing structural causes — a lack of appealing jobs and universities locally — and those citing cultural ones, namely a desire to escape the gender-role pressures and conservative atmosphere that persist in rural areas.

Special feature: the decline of young women in Okayama and Kagawa is accelerating.

■ Over 3% of women in their early 20s leave Okayama and Kagawa in a single year

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, last year Okayama Prefecture’s net outflow rate for women in their early 20s was 3.07%. Kagawa Prefecture’s was 3.71%. That means more than 3% of women in their early 20s left Okayama and Kagawa within a single year.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

※This article excerpts and summarizes the 5ch (News速報+) thread “How do we stop it? Outflow of young women from the prefecture accelerates — over 3% of women in their early 20s left Okayama and Kagawa in a single year.”