Record heat streak continues while Diet passes secondary capital bill
Plus: Honda and Nissan team up on car software, Japan unearths rare earth riches, and wage talks stall.
TL;DR
- Japan hits its fifth consecutive day of 40°C heat, surpassing the 2011 record for sustained extreme temperatures.
- The Diet passes the secondary capital bill despite opposition resistance, establishing a government backup outside Tokyo.
- Honda and Nissan will jointly develop car operating systems, targeting an agreement by August.
- Rare earth elements confirmed in seabed mud near Japan's easternmost island could reduce China dependence.
Society
Extreme heat grips nation for record fifth day
Temperatures spike across central and western Japan as the Meteorological Agency introduces a new "brutally hot day" classification.
Japan hit its fifth straight day of 40°C-plus heat on July 25, surpassing the 2011 record for sustained extreme temperatures. Cities across Gifu, Mie, and Yamanashi prefectures all breached 40.6°C as heatstroke alerts expanded to 14 regions. The Meteorological Agency introduced "kokushobi" (brutally hot day) to classify the phenomenon, a category rarely invoked before (via The Japan Times).
Politics
Parliament enacts secondary capital bill after showdown
The Diet passes controversial legislation creating a government backup center outside Tokyo, ending a drawn-out session marked by opposition boycotts.
The House of Councillors passed a secondary capital bill Friday, 123-121, backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party. The legislation requires the government to designate a prefecture outside Tokyo for emergency administrative operations during disasters (via The Japan Times).
Wage talks reach stalemate on minimum hike. Labor and management representatives remain deadlocked on fiscal 2026 minimum wage, with unions demanding a ¥75 hourly increase from the current ¥1,121 average facing stiff business opposition (via The Japan Times).
Business
Honda and Nissan forge software alliance amid resource gains
Japan's top automakers partner on operating systems while the nation secures strategic rare earth supplies from the seafloor.
Honda and Nissan are jointly developing a next-generation vehicle operating system built on Nissan's architecture, targeting an agreement by August. The collaboration aims to cut software development costs and compete with American and Chinese automakers (via The Japan Times).
Japan secures rare earth riches from seabed. Researchers recovered rare earth elements from mud at 5,700 meters depth off Minamitorishima, with medium and heavy rare earths comprising 54% of the sample. The discovery could reduce Japanese dependence on Chinese supplies amid supply-chain tensions (via The Japan Times).