1．A police squad inspected areas on Tuesday where bears have been spotted in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan. The move came ahead of a bear culling operation scheduled to start on Thursday.
2. A Japanese government council has been formed to bolster the country’s economic security. It has hammered out priority economic growth measures for 17 strategi fields, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The measures will be reflected in a new stimulus package ahead of schedule.
3. Japanese lawmakers are expected to discuss how to deal with the country’s departure tax as part of tax reforms for the next fiscal year. Travelers leaving Japan, including Japanese citizens, must pay 1,000 yen, or about 6 dollars and 50 cents, per person. The departure tax, formally called the International Tourist Tax, was introduced in 2019. It is collected as a free added to prices of tickets for airlines and other forms of transportation.