Prolific opera tenor Ken Nishikiori has received online acclaim for his rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Japan Today reported on 2 February.

Celebrated as a successful singer, the 55-year-old front man of the Shimane Ken Band reportedly knows the song thanks to his father’s musical influence when he was growing up.

Since the band’s label uploaded the cover of the British rock band last year, the song has attracted an increasing number of viewers, with many commenting that Nishikiori’s vocal rendition sounds hauntingly similar to that of Freddie Mercury.

A localised version of Ninja Warrior, a programme format owned by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, is set to appear on Britain’s ITV in spring, according to a press release issued 18 February.

Building on its success in its home market and popularity in the US, Sweden and Malaysia, the new British entertainment series promises to show the toughest assault course on UK TV.

Some 250 contestants from across the country will battle challenges testing strength, speed and courage in a bid to scale Mount Midoriyama and be crowned Ninja Warrior UK.

Naoto Kan was in Anglesey to campaign against the construction of the Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant, the North Wales Chronicle reported on 25 February.

The prime minister of Japan at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in 2011, and now an anti-nuclear campaigner, Kan encouraged developers Hitachi, Ltd. to halt their plans on the island.

“It is clear to me that what caused [the 2011] catastrophe was our commitment to an unsafe and expensive technology that is not compatible with life on this planet”, he said. He later met Anglesey councillors and held a local meeting.

Sosei Group Corporation has acquired a clinical-stage private UK-based biotechnology firm to share development of innovative medicines, according to a press release dated 22 February.

Heptares Therapeutics Limited will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese bio-pharmaceutical firm, while retaining its existing R&D operations in the UK.

It is hoped the tie-up will create a global biopharmaceutical group with access to pharmaceutical markets worldwide and regulatory expertise across the EU, Japan and the US.

The president of BT Japan Corporation has become the first female vice-chairman appointed to the advisory board of Keidanren, the Japan Business Federation, Japan Real Time reported on 10 February.

Aged 50, Haruno Yoshida is one of the youngest leaders ever appointed to Keidanren.

A conservative group, composed almost entirely of men in their sixties who have spent their careers in one firm, the chief business lobby has previously pushed back against some of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s steps to empower women.

Chairman Sadayuki Sakakibara said the move was a first step, and that there could be a woman in the post of vice-chairman or chairman in the future.

Transport Minister Baroness Kramer has visited Japan to raise the profile of British firms and their transport expertise, according to a press release dated 29 January.

During visits to Hitachi, Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., all firms that support significant numbers of jobs in the UK, Kramer discussed ways of strengthening cooperation in research and development. Further, she emphasised the country’s knowhow in rail, ultra-low emission vehicles and driverless technology.

“I am keen to ensure that our supply chain is engaged with Japan’s development plans in upcoming major projects such as the Olympics. The UK has a great deal to offer in terms of expertise, high quality products and services”, she said.

Chelsea Football Club has signed a five-year, shirt-sponsoring agreement with tyre manufacturer the Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., the International Business Times reported on 27 February.

Expected to bring the club £40mn per year, the deal is the second biggest in the history of English football, and will go into effect at the start of the 2015–16 season.

According to the chairman of the Japanese firm, Tadanobu Nagumo, “This shirt partnership with Chelsea will give Yokohama an opportunity to showcase our company to a huge, worldwide audience”.

TELL has launched a new website that includes an anti-bullying video contest to address the country’s growing mental health needs,Japan Today reported on 18 February.

Run by Executive Director Ian de Stains OBE, the English-language service, formerly called Tokyo English Lifeline, has redesigned its online presence to increase awareness of mental health issues, support those who require help and promote fundraising events.

On www.telljp.com, designed by Custom Media K.K., visitors are invited to create videos as part of the charity’s anti-bullying campaign.

A study by The Economist Intelligence Unit shows that Tokyo is the safest city in the world, according to a press release dated 27 January.

In terms of air and water quality, the Japanese capital came second and sixth, respectively, while London was placed sixth and fourth.

Overall, the UK capital was ranked 18th, but was the only city surveyed that received a perfect score for safety in relation to construction for its Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

The Safe Cities Index 2015 ranks 50 urban centres worldwide across five continents, measuring security in digital, health, infrastructure and personal terms.

Airbus S.A.S. has secured an order from ANA Holdings Inc. for its single-aisle aircraft, the Bristol Post reported on 2 February.

Based in France, the firm has secured an order similar to one placed in 2014 that will support its Bristol unit of some 4,000 staff. Here, engineers design the wings for all its aircraft.

John Leahy, chief operating officer for the firm said, “We are extremely pleased that such a prestigious airline as Japan’s ANA has placed repeat orders for our A320 family aircraft”.

Nothing gets more customers flocking to a shop on a whim than a “going out of business” sign, according to the Sunday Mainichi (8 March). It was reporting on a famous discount shop, near Tokyo Station, that for 16 years has been marketing itself as going out of business.

Now, however, the shop’s owner has attested the sign to be true, and has marked down to “¥3,000 plus consumption tax” every item in the shop—including pricey designer handbags. (more…)

Since 1970, Sanyo Shokai Ltd. has been licensed to design, manufacture and sell garments under Burberry Group plc. However, the Shukan Toyo Keizai (7 February) reports that the 45-year contract with the luxury British brand will terminate in June. Thereafter, Burberry—which began preparing for this move in 2000—will supply the Japan market directly.

Sanyo will be the last overseas firm with which Burberry will have a tie-up. The agreement, initiated in the 1990s under a separate licence, has enabled Sanyo to sell Burberry garments in the Black Label and Blue Label lines. (more…)

Acknowledging the UK as “the country with the world’s most competitive market for online supermarkets”, Nikkei Business (2 February) devoted a page of its issue on distribution to examining the rapid growth in this sector.

As a result of looming labour shortages as well as pressure to boost efficiency and cut fixed costs, Japan is keen to acquire foreign knowhow.

In the UK, experts generally agree that year-on-year growth in the number of Internet supermarkets was 10%–15% in 2014 for total sales of £8,100mn, and accounted for 5.5% of the total market for food. (more…)