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April 18, 2024
 

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Mayumi Otsuma
For Mayumi Otsuma's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 28, 2013
Tax-free gifts unlocking retiree savings
Shoko Iwasaki looked for years for a tax-free way to pass down a lifetime of savings to her grandson. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered the 71-year-old an answer with a program now helping unlock pensioners' hoarded wealth.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 12, 2013
'Abenomics' dark side: hinterland pay cuts
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cuts to local-government subsidies are like trying to "wring water from an old rag that's been squeezed dry," says Kazuya Yoshida, a 27-year municipal employee in Shijonawate, Osaka Prefecture.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2012
Aso takes reins of shrinking economy with fiscal gusto
Taro Aso, son of a cement magnate and a champion of pork-barrel spending when prime minister, is Japan's sixth finance chief in three years, auguring expanded fiscal stimulus in the world's third-largest economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2012
BOJ has done too little, says contender
The Bank of Japan has failed to end more than a decade of deflation by being too cautious, according to Takatoshi Ito, a former Finance Ministry official who is a contender to become the central bank's next governor.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2012
Election may curtail stimulus even as recession looms
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's decision to call an election in December may inhibit the government's ability to stimulate the economy even as it slides toward its third recession in four years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 16, 2011
BOJ chief sees only bubbles on horizon
With his nation's economy contracting under disaster damage of as much as ¥25 trillion ($310 billion), Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa is signaling that his biggest worry is inflation.
BUSINESS
Apr 15, 2011
Nuke plant escalation fails to dent rebound expectations
An escalation in Japan's nuclear crisis has failed to dissuade analysts from forecasting an economic rebound starting next quarter, an outlook that hinges on a recovery in business and household confidence.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2010
Kaieda: foreign cash buys 'effective'
The Bank of Japan may want to consider buying foreign currency assets to help ease the yen's appreciation, economic and fiscal policy minister Banri Kaieda said.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2010
Yen's impact may spur more BOJ support
Evidence in the Bank of Japan's "tankan" survey that companies are growing more pessimistic may prompt the central bank to expand support as soon as next week for businesses grappling with the yen's advance.
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2010
BOJ looks to expand balance sheet
The Bank of Japan may seek next week to counter a contraction of its balance sheet caused by the monthend expiration of an emergency-credit program and persistent deflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2010
BOJ to Hatoyama: rein in debt
Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa escalated pressure on Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to contain the world's largest debt with a warning that investor "trust" won't be assured in the aftermath of Greece's budget woes.
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2009
BOJ said to see deflation stretching through 2011
The Bank of Japan will probably forecast that declines in consumer prices will extend into 2011 even as the economy recovers, sources said.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2009
BOJ may have to buy more debt: Yamaguchi
The Bank of Japan may need to expand its purchases of corporate debt to prevent a credit shortage from worsening the recession, BOJ Deputy Gov. Hirohide Yamaguchi said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2008
BOJ urged to tackle credit crunch more aggressively
Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa may be forced to adopt more aggressive measures to ease the credit shortage bedeviling companies, economists say.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2008
Shirakawa moves to demystify BOJ
Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa, after four months on the job, is making one of the world's most opaque major central banks more transparent.
BUSINESS
Apr 5, 2008
G7 to remain vigilant but not support dollar: Sakakibara
The Group of Seven nations will probably maintain their vigilance on currencies next week without committing themselves to supporting the dollar, said Eisuke Sakakibara, Japan's former top currency-policy official.
BUSINESS
Oct 10, 2007
Negative factors seen foiling BOJ interest rate hike this week
The Bank of Japan will probably not raise interest rates this week because confidence at small companies has deteriorated and policymakers are still assessing the effect of the U.S. housing slump on economic growth.
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2007
Muto's prospects for taking BOJ helm seen fading
Bank of Japan deputy chief Toshiro Muto is less likely to become the next governor since the opposition won last month's election, casting doubt on the central bank's plan to gradually raise interest rates.
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2007
Fukui to keep pushing for higher rates, defying Abe
Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui may say no to an interest rate increase this week. It won't be his last word on the subject.
Magnitude 6.6 quake strikes off Shikoku
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern Japan on Wednesday. The area marked in red recorded a weak 6 on Japan's seismic intensity scale.
Why hasn't Japan moved to prop up the weak yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
Snake on a train: Discovery of serpent delays Tokyo-Nagoya shinkansen
A Tokaido shinkansen. It is unclear whether the snake was venomous or how it ended up on the train, and there was no injury or panic among passengers.
Unpacking the chaotic by-election in a scandal-hit Tokyo district
People listen to a campaign speech in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Tuesday.
Benefits and risks: AUKUS looks to take gamble on Japan
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British leader Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego in March last year.
Kyoto’s demon night parade lives to haunt another day
In a Kyoto long past, the "hyakki yagyō" (100 demon night parade) haunted a sleepy corner of Kyoto. Now, one enterprising monster enthusiast has won a small batttle to keep the march alive.
Japan’s best and brightest designers set to shine in Milan
Adal’s Look into Nature brand, on show at Salon del Mobile 2024, rethinks "igusa" (Japanese rush grass), traditionally used for tatami, as a sustainable material for furniture.
U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
Unpacking the chaotic by-election in a scandal-hit Tokyo district
People listen to a campaign speech in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Tuesday.

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

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on
By Lance Henderstein

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Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima
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