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Japan
Intelligence for Better Decision Making
Apple’s Strategic AI Spending Reshapes Market Leadership and Investor Sentiment
Dec. 11, 2025 | CompetitivenessIn 2025, investors have closely watched how leading technology companies allocate resources to artificial intelligence.
**Apple’s shares fell 18 percent in the first half of the year amid criticism of its unclear AI strategy.**
However, a 35 percent rally in the second half outpaced AI-focused peers such as Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia, lifting Apple’s market capitalization to about $4.1 trillion and making it the S&P 500’s second-largest constituent—overtaking Microsoft and closing in on Nvidia.
**Amid widespread concern over runaway AI spending, Apple has kept tight control of its investments and steered clear of the high-cost arms race.**
Investors see that restraint as a defensive stance that could reward shareholders once AI technology reaches mass adoption.
**Yet despite its strong late-year performance, Apple now trades at roughly 33 times projected earnings for the coming year—well above its 15-year average valuation of under 19 times.**
Analysts warn that this premium may be excessive and question whether investors are overpaying for perceived defensiveness in an uncertain AI landscape.
**Apple’s enduring consumer brand and the potential for AI to enhance its devices and high-margin services underpin its appeal.**
In a market where heavy AI budgets face scrutiny, the company’s measured approach offers a lower-risk path for investors seeking exposure to AI without the costs associated with aggressive spending.
Japan Moves Forward with Maiden Name Usage Reforms for Married Couples
Dec. 11, 2025 | Governance & LawJapan’s government is advancing proposals to allow married individuals to retain and use their maiden names in both social and official settings.
**Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to submit a bill in the 2026 ordinary Diet session that would let spouses continue using their former surnames, while preserving the requirement for married couples to share a legal surname.**
Under her proposal, individuals could use their maiden names as “common names” in everyday life, and those names would appear in parentheses on official documents such as passports.
**This initiative stems from the coalition agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Nippon Ishin no Kai.**
Despite that partnership, some LDP members—who favor an optional separate-surname system—are expected to challenge the plan, and opposition parties continue to push for a more comprehensive framework that fully legalizes separate surnames. Takaichi, holding to a traditional view of family unity, has consistently resisted proposals that would grant married couples full surname autonomy.
**In May, Nippon Ishin no Kai introduced its own legislation to allow former surnames to be recorded either alone or alongside current surnames on public records.**
Government and ruling-party officials are still negotiating how those entries would function across administrative databases, official registries and various legal forms.
**Critics argue that merely permitting maiden names in parentheses fails to address deeper concerns about personal identity and social recognition.**
Business groups such as Keidanren continue to lobby for an optional separate-surname system, citing gains in international competitiveness and workplace efficiency. Amidst this pressure, internal resistance within the LDP suggests it will be difficult to reach a broad consensus on the scope and mechanisms of surname reform before the 2026 session.
**Takaichi has vowed to coordinate closely with coalition partners and relevant ministries as they conduct technical reviews and draft the legislation.**
On December 9, 2025, during a House of Representatives Budget Committee session, she drew on her experience as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications to stress the importance of removing the disadvantages spouses face when mandatory surname changes follow marriage.
Monitored Intelligence for Japan - Jan. 1, 2026
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Erudite Risk takes an all risks approach to intelligence reporting. We categorize key intelligence into one of 40 different risk intelligence categories.
The goal is to provide intelligence that allows decision makers to avoid being blindsided by what they may have missed, while informing them to make better decisions as well.
Erudite Risk also includes operations categories so you can monitor the environment for better decision making. Everything is tied together--what happens in risk affects operations and what happens in the market impacts risk profiles.
We categorize key intelligence into one of 30 different operations intelligence categories.
Different roles and functions within the organization can monitor different key issue areas. HR may monitor employment, wages, regulations, labor and management relations, etc., while P&L leaders may monitor overall developing trends.
「投資促進や雇用の拡大につながる」 北海道知事、泊原発再稼働同意
Hokkaido Governor Agrees to Restart Tomari Nuclear Power Plant, Leading to Investment Promotion and Job Expansion
Mainichi Shimbun | Local Language | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Regulation
Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki formally consented on December 10, 2025, to the restart of Hokkaido Electric Power’s Tomari Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3, following consent from the host and four surrounding municipalities. The restart is targeted for as early as 2027, pending remaining reviews by the Nuclear Regulation Authority and completion of safety-related construction work, including a new seawall expected by March 2027.
Governor Suzuki justified his decision by highlighting benefits such as reduced electricity rates, securing decarbonized power to boost economic growth, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. He emphasized that the announcement aims to increase predictability for corporate investment decisions, promoting investment and job growth within the prefecture.
Despite the restart consent, the governor maintains opposition to advancing surveys for final disposal sites for high-level radioactive waste in Suttsu Town and Kamoenai Village, urging the national government to foster public understanding of disposal projects. Tomari Unit 3 passed safety reviews in July 2025, confirming compliance with new regulatory standards.
Hokkaido Electric’s president stated the company will focus on completing safety reviews and related construction to enable an early restart. The plant began commercial operation in 2009, was shut down for inspections in 2012, and has been under review since 2013. Plans also include building a new port and dedicated road near a residential area to support nuclear fuel transportation, though details remain undecided.
前線影響、落雷や竜巻注意 北―西日本、大気不安定
Frontline impact, beware of lightning and tornadoes in northern to western Japan, unstable atmosphere
Tokyo Shimbun | Local Language | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | Extreme Weather Events
The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a warning for northern to western Japan due to a highly unstable atmosphere expected through December 12. This condition is caused by a developing low-pressure system passing through northern Japan and a cold front moving southward near Honshu. Warm, moist air converging with cold air aloft is creating an unstable atmospheric environment.
Residents in affected areas are advised to exercise caution against potential hazards including lightning, tornadoes, violent gusts, sudden heavy rain, and hail. The agency specifically urges people to seek safety indoors if they observe signs of rapidly developing cumulonimbus clouds.
World's 1st Autonomous Passenger Ship to Start Service in Japan
Nippon | English | News | Dec. 12, 2025 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption
Japan's Nippon Foundation announced that the world's first regular passenger ferry equipped with autonomous navigation technology will begin commercial service by the end of March 2026 at the earliest. This ferry, named Olympia Dream Seto, operates between Okayama city in Okayama Prefecture and Shodoshima island in Kagawa Prefecture.
The ferry features a fully automatic operation function under specific conditions, aimed at addressing crew shortages and reducing accidents caused by human error. It is operated by Kokusai Ryobi Ferry Co. and has become the first ship certified by the Japanese government as an "autonomous ship."
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