Overview

• Ferme La Terre, part of the Bijū group, plans a confectionery factory next to its Biei flagship to produce items for Hokkaido sales by fiscal 2027.
• The Bank of Japan’s Kushiro branch reported its September diffusion index at +13, down 8 points from June and worsening for a second consecutive survey, the first such streak since June 2020.
• September’s severe storms left some Tokachi crops lodged or washed away, with bean quality degraded by flooding and pockets of fields too uneven for harvesters, forcing limited shipment cancellations.
• Prime Minister Ishiba said the government will provide detailed guidance and open a special consultation window to help businesses address the impact of recent U.S. tariff measures.
• Sapporo police announced arrests in separate cases, including three suspects on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury, a 39-year-old re-arrested on fraud allegations, and a 62-year-old detained on suspicion of nonconsensual intercourse and illicit filming.