April 10, Wednesday, 2024

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his wife, Yuko, now visiting the United States, have attended an informal dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden. Kishida gave Biden gifts that include a pair of coffee cups and ballpoint pens, which are traditional Wajima lacquerware from Ishikawa Prefecture. The area was hit by a deadly earthquake on January 1.
2. A long-established tea firm in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, is offering a metaverse service that enables people to attend Japanese tea ceremonies virtually. Fukujuen, which is headquartered in Kyoto’s Kizugawa City, has launched “metaCHA-Japanese Tea Experience.” 3. Producer prices in Japan rose slightly for the fifth straight month in March. A major factor was that the impact of government energy subsidies had run its course. The Bank of Japan says the preliminary Producer Price Index for the month was up 0.8 percent from last year.