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April 26, 2024
 

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Emi Urabe
For Emi Urabe's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
An electronic board in Tokyo showing the yen-dollar rate on Wednesday
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 24, 2024
Japan ‘very close’ to yen intervention, former top currency official says
Market reaction to U.S. data could encourage Japanese authorities to act about the yen, according to Mitsuhiro Furusawa.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki warns he’s ready to take action in the foreign exchange market after the yen fell further past ¥154 to the dollar.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 16, 2024
Japan’s tepid warning on yen fuels renewed weakness ahead of IMF
The finance minister’s comments come after the yen set a fresh 34-year low of ¥154.45 following stronger than expected U.S. retail sales figures.
Former Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Tatsuo Yamasaki previously warned of the possibility of a looming currency intervention two days before Japan entered markets in September 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 3, 2024
Ex-finance official who warned of Japan's 2022 yen intervention sounds alarm
"Officials wouldn’t have issued such strong warnings unless they were prepared.” said Tatsuo Yamasaki, a former vice minister overseeing the yen.
Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, is warning against speculative moves in the foreign exchange market as the yen continues to fall.
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2024
Japan’s currency chief warns against speculative moves in market
"The current weakening of the yen is not in line with fundamentals and is clearly driven by speculation,” Masato Kanda said.
Akihiko Matsuura, head of UA Zensen, has called for a standard 6% increase in total wages.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2024
Major union UA Zensen calls for 6% pay raise to support BOJ policy shift
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also pushing for wage gains after hikes last year failed to keep up with inflation, putting a burden on household budgets.
Former finance ministry official Michio Saito says Japanese long-term yields won’t climb much beyond 1% even if the Bank of Japan revises its yield curve control program.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 15, 2024
Mr. JGB says end of BOJ’s negative rate won’t set yields on fire
Yields won’t keep shooting up after the initial jump as the central bank will still be offering support for the economy, says Nomura's Michio Saito.
Pedestrians walk past an electronic board displaying various companies' share prices, in a business district in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 20, 2023
Japan’s fiscal advisory board warns of impact of higher rates
Even small changes could have a large impact given rates are so low and Japan has the largest public debt load among developed economies.
The total value of unpaid household tasks was ¥111 trillion for women and ¥32 trillion for men in 2021, according to a recent Cabinet Office report, indicating the amount of men's work around the home is less than a third of what women do.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 4, 2023
Japanese women are missing out on ¥111 trillion in unpaid wages
A recent report has highlighted both the wage gap between men and women, as well as the sheer amount of uncompensated work that gets done in Japan.
The Bank of Japan's inflation outlook doesn’t reflect reality, according to one of the country’s leading experts on prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2023
BOJ’s outlook doesn’t reflect reality, key price expert says
While the bank sharply raised its price outlook last month, it was still kept too low, said University of Tokyo economics professor Tsutomu Watanabe.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2023
Official behind last year’s ¥9.33 trillion yen intervention strategy reappointed
Masato Kanda has become just the fourth official in the past three decades to serve a third year as vice finance minister for international affairs, Finance Ministry documents show.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2023
Rapid return of tourists to Japan helping fuel inflation for BOJ
Almost 2 million visitors arrived from overseas in April, compared with less than 140,000 a year earlier, according to Japan’s National Tourism Organization.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2023
Credit Suisse AT1 bond writeoff hands $1 billion loss to Japan investors
It’s 'regrettable” that the fallout from Credit Suisse’s woes affected investors in Japan, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 4, 2023
BOJ should review yield curve control under Ueda, ex-finance official says
Takehiko Nakao, a former vice minister for international affairs, stressed the need for a policy tweak — even if that results in short-term shocks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2023
Fears of societal collapse prompt new push for babies in Japan
Ideas like compulsory paternity leave, canceling student debt for people who have a baby, and ¥10 million ($76,445) payouts for a third child have been thrown around in recent weeks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 22, 2023
Japan to spend $15 billion on inflation aid ahead of local polls
The measures include handouts for low-income households and their children, and support for households that use liquefied petroleum gas, according to documents from the Cabinet Office.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 17, 2023
Japan’s largest trade union head says 2023 is pivotal for wages
Trade union leader has stressed the importance of moving toward continued wage growth in the face of rapid inflation and economic stagnation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Nov 2, 2022
Kishida adviser sees perpetual bond solution for Bank of Japan's ETF stash
The idea would enable the BOJ to reduce its exposure to risk assets by moving them off its balance sheet in a way that doesn't trigger market turmoil.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2022
Traders watch for response from Japan as yen approaches ¥150 against dollar
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki reiterated to reporters on Monday that the country will take bold action if there are speculative foreign exchange moves.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2022
Ruling LDP looks to continue aid to struggling Japan firms as pandemic loans end
The party will draw up new support proposals for firms at risk of default, aiming to reflect them in the government's economic package that will be put together by the end of the month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 12, 2022
Japan’s economic rebound unlikely to derail BOJ governor's easing plan
The nation's GDP is predicted to have returned to its pre-pandemic level, but weak wages and a darkening global outlook will likely see Haruhiko Kuroda stick to his stance.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan's former PM Aso meets Trump for talks on security and economy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Taro Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in New York on Tuesday. The Japanese government’s top spokesman on Wednesday played down the meeting as one conducted "in the capacity of one lawmaker" and “without the government’s involvement.”
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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