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Masaaki Iwamoto
For Masaaki Iwamoto's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Aug 17, 2015
Abe to revert to economy after war statement, defense fight
After delivering a much-anticipated statement on Japan's war legacy and engaging in a bruising legislative fight over defense laws, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got a reminder on why he needs to return his focus to the economy.
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Jun 16, 2015
Kuroda yen u-turn message was aimed at TPP renegades in Washington
When Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said in Tokyo last week the yen has weakened enough, his key audience was 11,000 km away in Washington.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 9, 2015
Kuroda's former ally Ito sees little downside now for yen
It's hard to imagine the yen declining much further from its current lows, said a former deputy to Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda when he was in charge of the nation's currency policy.
BUSINESS
May 7, 2015
Keidanren pressures big companies to share weak-yen benefits
The nation's biggest business lobby is urging large companies to pass on the benefits of a weaker yen to their suppliers as the Abe administration seeks to relieve pressure on small firms.
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2015
Abe adviser fears BOJ has den of conspirators opposing reflation
The Bank of Japan appears to be wavering in its commitment to unprecedented monetary easing, said Kozo Yamamoto, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and an advocate of reflationary policies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2015
Cabinet OKs tax breaks for firms to move headquarters from Tokyo
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet approved plans to give tax breaks to companies that move their headquarters out of Tokyo as Japan seeks to revitalize regional economies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2015
LDP lawmaker calls for yen to strengthen to 100
The yen is too weak and is squeezing many companies with higher import costs, according to Taro Kono, a lawmaker in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2015
Aging Japanese prove rich pickings for investment fraud
A growing number of retirees in Japan are falling victim to fraud, underscoring one of the downsides of promoting personal investment in the world's most aged nation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 23, 2014
Retirees swell national debt treating clinics as clubs
Kaoru Ishiyama gets to an orthopedic clinic in Kawasaki early so he can chat with about 20 other retirees while they wait outside for it to open, each sitting on folding chairs brought from home.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 28, 2014
Foreign labor key to Olympic gold
At a construction site in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, worker Fan Xiuyu says he's too busy to miss the wife and 6-year-old child he left behind in China.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 18, 2014
Analysts split on fiscal crisis timeline
Economists are split over how long the government has to rein in the world's biggest debt burden, a Bloomberg News survey shows, adding to a debate on whether the government should keep ratcheting up the sales tax.

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