Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Business May 29, 2008
Banks overconfident on subprime appraisals
While modesty has long been seen as a virtue in Japan, the nation’s major banks appeared to break free of the cultural constraint recently as they claimed that the worst of the subprime mortgage crisis is almost over — at least for them. However, ...
Business Apr 15, 2008
Shirakawa quick to dive into the deep end at G7
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) No toasts were raised, no flowers were handed out. Only the challenge of hard work awaited Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa as he made his debut at a meeting of financial leaders from the Group of Seven major economies over the ...
Business Apr 14, 2008
Japan wants IMF to monitor sovereign wealth funds
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Japan expressed hope Saturday that the International Monetary Fund will play a more active role in monitoring the movements of sovereign wealth funds because such an involvement of the international body would help minimize “protectionism” in countries receiving their investment. “We recognize ...
Business Oct 11, 2007
Grain importers told to prepare for worst
With grain markets growing increasingly tight amid declining crops in major exporting countries, import-dependent countries like Japan need a firm grasp of market trends and must brace themselves for the worst, according to the head of an intergovernmental market watcher. While pointing out there ...
Business Oct 2, 2007
Privatization ends postal savings safe haven
Will there be any changes in services at post offices under the just-started 10-year process of privatizing the postal system? There may be few big changes in the initial stage. But individual investors will at least have to rethink where they should put their ...
Business Jan 25, 2007
World must try harder to save tuna, U.N. says
KOBE (Kyodo) The international community must do a better job fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing of tuna, a senior U.N. food agency official said. “What we really need would be more strong commitments by all states and stakeholders to implement . . . ...
Business Nov 14, 2006
TSE under pressure from global consolidation
The Tokyo Stock Exchange has been saying for some time that investors and listed companies could be the biggest winners in a global realignment of the world’s major stock exchanges, a shakeup that has been gathering pace, as seen in the TSE’s tieup talks ...
National Nov 9, 2006
Ex-banker's novels help simplify investor jargon
On a recent trip to the bookshop, two books with rather flashy jackets catch your eye. They appear to be out of place, perhaps abandoned in the best-seller area by a fickle customer. You pick them up almost without thinking, perhaps attracted by the ...
Business Sep 28, 2006
Markets show mixed reaction to Cabinet, press for reform
Financial markets want the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to keep pushing the reforms promoted by Junichiro Koizumi, analysts say, but some fear the negative impacts of expected tax hikes and a deterioration in the government’s relations with the Bank of Japan. Market ...
National Jan 4, 2006
Pet businesses going to the dogs -- to their owners' delight
Two-year-old Melon slept on a small bed at one of the many beauty salons in Tokyo’s Daikanyama shopping district, under a mist of negatively charged ions that reputedly reduces stress. The hourlong relaxation treatment — with a price tag of 9,000 yen — included ...
National Jul 28, 2005
Imperial succession proposals in conflict
The government’s interim report on Imperial succession Tuesday offers two conflicting proposals, despite its earlier enthusiasm to make history by backing the idea of a reigning female monarch. The advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in the report that Japan should accept ...
National Jul 28, 2005
Imperial succession proposals in conflict
The government’s interim report on Imperial succession Tuesday offers two conflicting proposals, despite its earlier enthusiasm to make history by backing the idea of a reigning female monarch. The advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in the report that Japan should accept ...