{
  "id": 19066395,
  "title": "‘Feeling guilty’: price hikes a tough sell in Japan despite inflation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/feeling-guilty-price-hikes-a-tough-sell-in-japan-despite-inflation",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-09T02:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/11/09/companies/japan-firms-price-hikes-tough-sell/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Japanese retailers Uniqlo and Saizeriya recently faced backlash over price increases, despite ongoing inflation, according to reports. Uniqlo's decision to raise the price of basic socks sparked outrage before the company quickly reversed the move. In a similar situation, Italian-style restaurant chain Saizeriya apologized for adding ¥20 ($0.13) to the price of its signature Milanese Doria dish. This public resistance to price hikes reflects the challenges Japanese firms encounter as they navigate surging costs in a country where long-standing deflation has cultivated a consumer base resistant to higher prices.",
  "summary": "Firms are struggling as they battle rising costs in a country where decades of deflation have nurtured a consumer class averse to higher prices.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nikkei Asia",
        "title": "Japan manufacturers lift profit outlooks on price hikes, weak yen",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/japan-manufacturers-lift-profit-outlooks-on-price-hikes-weak-yen",
        "published": "2026-11-07T18:56:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "'Feeling guilty': Price hikes a tough sell in Japan despite inflation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/feeling-guilty-price-hikes-a-tough-sell-in-japan-despite-inflation",
        "published": "2026-11-08T03:33:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "'Feeling guilty': price hikes a tough sell in Japan despite inflation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/feeling-guilty-price-hikes-a-tough-sell-in-japan-despite-inflation-18877034",
        "published": "2026-11-08T06:15:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}