Try the Daily Briefing
Try the Daily Briefing for your country of choice for two weeks--free of charge and with no obligation.
Have a service or subscription question? We'd be happy to hear from you.
Japan
Intelligence for Better Decision Making
Western Japan Earthquakes Disrupt Infrastructure and Spur Emergency Response
Jan. 8, 2026 | Infrastructure & UrbanizationStrong earthquakes struck western Japan on January 6, 2026, causing widespread tremors, injuries and infrastructure disruptions.
**A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit eastern Shimane Prefecture at approximately 10:18 a.m. local time, with its hypocenter about 11 kilometers below the surface.**
The quake registered an upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in parts of Shimane and Tottori prefectures. Within minutes, aftershocks measuring 5.1 and 5.4 followed, and at 10:28 a.m. a tremor reached a lower 5 intensity in Yasugi. The Japan Meteorological Agency advised that similar-strength shocks could continue for up to a week, citing past instances of larger quakes following initial events in the region.
**Across Shimane, Tottori, Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures, authorities confirmed seven injuries.**
In Matsue, Shimane, four people—one seriously and three with minor wounds—were hurt primarily by falls during violent shaking. Single injuries were reported in Yonago (Tottori), Fukuyama (Hiroshima) and Okayama, including a supermarket customer who suffered minor burns when cooking oil spilled. Three women in their 60s to 90s in Sakaiminato required treatment for fall-related injuries.
**Structural and utility systems also suffered damage.**
Ceiling panels collapsed at Yonago City Hall, and minor damage to facilities in Matsuejozan Park led to temporary power outages that darkened lighting at the national treasure Matsue Castle. A cliff collapsed near Yasugi, and turbidity in groundwater rendered tap water muddy for about 1,000 households in Nanbu Town, Tottori Prefecture. Temporary power cuts disrupted Sanyo Shinkansen services between Shin-Osaka and Hakata until early afternoon, while the Ichibata Electric Railway and sections of the Yonago and San’in Expressways briefly closed before resuming later that day.
**The central government established a liaison office at the Prime Minister’s Office to coordinate the national response, and regional emergency response headquarters activated in the affected prefectures.**
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and senior officials monitored developments and directed ongoing damage assessments. The Japan Meteorological Agency maintained its alert level and urged businesses and residents to stay prepared for further tremors. In Tottori Prefecture, Governor Shinji Hirai planned inspections of the hardest-hit western areas to assess needs and oversee relief measures.
**The Shimane nuclear power plant, whose No 2 reactor resumed operations in December 2024, reported no abnormalities in reactor function or radiation levels following the quake.**
Plant operators confirmed stable conditions through continuous monitoring, and there were no disruptions to nuclear safety protocols or environmental radiation readings.
**On January 7, recovery efforts focused on restoring basic services and supporting affected residents.**
In Nanbu Town, four water trucks—some dispatched from neighboring municipalities—distributed drinking water at four locations, although municipal supply restoration remained uncertain. Yasugi City provided blue tarps for temporary roof repairs, and evacuation centers remained open across multiple municipalities in Shimane and Tottori prefectures. West Japan Railway Company resumed normal rail services, with only partial suspensions on the Kisuki Line due to concurrent snowfall, and highway closures lifted later the same day.
Sony Honda Mobility Unveils Afeela Electric Vehicle Lineup and Launch Timeline
Jan. 8, 2026 | FirmsSony Honda Mobility, a joint venture between Sony Group Corp and Honda Motor Co., has unveiled its first electric vehicle prototype and outlined plans for its market rollout.
**On January 5, 2026 in Las Vegas, Sony Honda Mobility introduced the Afeela 1 prototype, a four-door, five-seater electric sedan that integrates advanced sensor arrays for driver assistance and an immersive audio-visual system leveraging Sony’s entertainment expertise.**
The company plans to begin delivering the Afeela 1 in California in 2026, following the initiation of US customer orders in 2025, and to launch in Japan during the first half of 2027 after deferring its original 2026 rollout. In the US, the base model starts at $89,900, with a flagship version priced at $102,900, while the standard trim carries an approximate price of 14 million yen in Japan.
**At the vehicle’s core lies an AI-powered personal agent co-developed with Microsoft Corp, which enables occupants to control vehicle functions through natural-language dialogue, receive destination suggestions based on passenger preferences and enjoy enhanced entertainment options such as back-seat gaming, video streaming and interactive experiences.**
President Izumi Kawanishi has stated that generative artificial intelligence will define user experience and interactive communication, positioning the AI agent, multimedia suite and advanced driver-assistance features as key differentiators.
**Also at CES, the joint venture unveiled a second Afeela model—a sport-utility electric vehicle—targeted for US deliveries in 2028, though its pricing and full specifications remain undisclosed.**
This rollout occurs amid intensifying competition in Japan’s electric vehicle market, where Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co. and Suzuki Motor Corp are accelerating their EV introductions and China’s BYD Ltd. is preparing to launch a light electric vehicle locally.
Monitored Intelligence for Japan - Jan. 9, 2026
News
Media
357
Government
Releases
30
City/State
Releases
105
Embassy
Releases
0
Foreign
Service
Advisories
0
Service
Advisories
0
Academic/
Think
Tank
25
Think
Tank
25
Podcasts
0
Videos
0
Social
Media
0
Business
Releases
0
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.
Risk Categories Reported on Today
Risk Category
Items Reported On
Crime
7
Regulation
19
Privacy
4
Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes
13
Critical Infrastructure Failure
2
Natural Disasters
3
Extreme Weather Events
1
Political Scandal or Corruption
6
Accidents
4
Corporate Corruption or Fraud
5
Epidemics and Pandemics
2
Protest, Demonstration, Dissent
1
IP Protection
1
Climate Change
2
North Korea
1
Shifting Geopolitical Alliances
1
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.
Operations Categories Reported on Today
Operations Category
Items Reported On
Employment
19
Initiative
1
Asset Price Change
9
Budgets-Budgeting
3
Economic Growth
1
Tech Development/Adoption
4
Supply Chain Issues
1
Mergers & Acquisitions
4
Operating Results
1
Inflation
4
Real Estate
2
Taxes
2
Politics and Elections
3
Energy Prices
1
Bizdev-Partnering
1
Wages and Compensation
1
Legal Exposure
1
Trade Issues and Numbers
1
Demographics
2
日本経済、需要不足続く 積極財政で物価高加速も
Japanese Economy Faces Continued Demand Shortage, Aggressive Fiscal Policy Could Accelerate Inflation
Tokyo Shimbun | Local Language | News | Jan. 9, 2026 | UndeterminedInflation
The Bank of Japan reported on January 7, 2026, that the Japanese economy still faces insufficient demand for goods and services despite having surplus supply capacity, such as factory equipment and production. The supply-demand gap for July–September 2025 was minus 0.35%, slightly improved from minus 0.40% in the previous quarter, but demand shortage has persisted for 22 consecutive quarters since mid-2020. While price reductions could emerge, rising prices for certain items, especially food, remain unchecked due to factors including the weak yen.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is pursuing a "high-pressure economy" policy aimed at creating a positive supply-demand gap to stimulate economic growth and demand through aggressive fiscal spending. This approach intends to keep the economy overheated but carries the risk of accelerating inflation. Minoru Kiuchi, minister responsible for economic and fiscal policy, has indicated discussions about reaching a supply-demand gap of plus 2% as part of this strategy.
Overall, the Japanese economy continues to grapple with weak demand despite available supply, while government policies focus on aggressively stimulating the economy, raising concerns about potential inflation acceleration.
Flash floods in Indonesia's North Sulawesi kill 17
NHK | English | News | Jan. 9, 2026 | Natural Disasters
Flash floods in North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, caused by heavy rain on Monday have resulted in 17 confirmed deaths. The country's disaster management agency reported that torrential rain caused rivers to overflow and homes to be swept away in Siau Tagulandang Biaro Islands Regency.
As of Wednesday afternoon, two people remained missing, with ongoing search and rescue operations. Approximately 150 houses were damaged, and nearly 700 residents were forced to evacuate due to the floods.
Meteorological authorities state that around 80 percent of Indonesia is currently in the rainy season, including Sulawesi. This follows severe rain-related disasters in Sumatra last November, which caused over 1,100 fatalities.
Japanese govt. panel compiles plan to accept foreign workers
NHK | English | News | Jan. 9, 2026 | UndeterminedEmployment
A Japanese government panel has drafted an operational plan to accept up to 1.23 million foreign workers by the end of March 2029. This plan involves two pathways: the existing system for specified skilled workers and a new training program set to launch on April 1 next year. The new program is designed to train foreign workers to reach the skill level of specified skilled personnel within three years.
The draft plan breaks down the acceptance numbers by industrial sector. Under the current specified skilled worker system, 805,700 workers will be accepted across 19 fields, including industrial manufacturing and food and beverage production. The new training program will accept 426,200 workers in 17 fields, similar to those covered by the existing system but excluding automobile transportation and aviation.
The projected number of foreign workers was determined using factors such as the estimated domestic workforce size and anticipated productivity improvements. The government intends to present the draft plan to ruling parties and seek Cabinet approval later this month.
Contact us for a free trial of the Daily Briefing for your country of choice.
We currently cover:
South KoreaJapan
China
Taiwan
Vietnam
India
info@eruditerisk.com
The Daily Briefing is delivered Monday through Thursday via email.
Each day's reports include a combination of:
Takes
Takes are our deep dives into a topic of enduring interest or concern. Takes include copious references to all the media resources we gathered to build them.
Developments
Developments are key issues and incidents being heavily reported on in country. These are the centers of local thought gravity around which everything else revolves.
Risk Media
Summaries and analysis of the most important risk issues reported on in media, arranged by risk category. Learn about risk trends and issues while they are developing--before they blow up.
Ops Media
Summaries and analysis of the most important operational issues reported on in media, arranged by operations category. See what's changing in your market, and what's not.
Government Releases
Government press and data releases on key economic data, regulation, law, intiatives, incidents. Straight from the government's press to your eyes in less than a day.
Embassy and Business Association Releases
Statements and news releases from foreign embassies and business/industry associations, including chambers of commerce.
The Daily Briefing is comprehensive!
The Daily Briefing can run 50-100 pages each day!
Luckily, Erudite Risk tailors every report specifically to you.
Content Filtering
We try hard to ensure that every piece of information included in each day's reports will be of interest to our readers.
To fulfill our goal of comprehensively monitoring the intelligence landscape and also keeping reports readable, we build big reports--then deliver only the information that applies to you.
Each Daily Briefing is a bespoke report matched to your concerns. Tell us what you want in it, or we can match it to your professional needs. It's that easy.