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April 24, 2024
 

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Yasushi Azuma
For Yasushi Azuma's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
BUSINESS / Economy
May 13, 2013
G-7's tacit approval of Kuroda's fiscal experiment may weaken yen more
Finance Minister Taro Aso and Bank of Japan chief Haruhiko Kuroda hear nothing critical from their G-7 peers about the yen's slide, giving the dollar room to climb.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2013
Japan monetary policy may spark debate at G-7 as dollar surges over yen
Japan's aggressive monetary easing policy may spark debate at a two-day meeting of the Group of Seven financial chiefs from Friday as the dollar surged to ¥101 in Tokyo for the first time in more than four years.
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2012
Nation urged to boost defense role
Japan needs to play a greater role in addressing regional crises in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region and secure a position as a "tier-one nation," according to a new report released Wednesday by a group of U.S. defense experts.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2012
Washington seeks long-term leader for deeper ties
The United States is tired of the frequent changes of prime minister in Japan in recent years and hopes to build a more robust relationship with Tokyo as a key partner in the Asia-Pacific region, experts say.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2011
Surging yen sparks little debate in G-7
Financial chiefs of the Group of Seven industrialized nations agreed Friday to take powerful steps to stabilize financial markets and promote fiscal consolidation, amid growing uncertainty and with no clear end in sight to the European debt crisis.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2010
Kan prods IMF for reforms that boost crisis role
WASHINGTON — Japan is calling on the International Monetary Fund to adopt a set of structural reforms to reinforce its ability to prevent future economic crises and boost its legitimacy as a key financial lender.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 8, 2008
Profit-hungry airlines court upscale passengers
From beer to automobiles, the market is teeming with various products and services dubbed "premium" — a seeming magic word among many Japanese consumers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 29, 2008
Toyota reputation as F1 host on the line
After wiping out as host of last year's disastrous Formula One Grand Prix, Toyota Motor Corp. is under the gun to prove it can run a major motor racing event at its Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, scheduled this year for Oct 10 to 12.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 20, 2008
Dyson urges youths to take interest in engineering, science
James Dyson, founder of British vacuum cleaner maker Dyson Ltd., is urging young people to turn toward engineering and science to revive faltering manufacturing in Britain and other industrialized nations.
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2007
Japan mulls more aggressive approach to forex investment
The government is expected to face growing pressure in 2008 to more actively invest its nearly $1 trillion (¥113 trillion) in foreign reserves to help restore the health of state finances.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 16, 2007
'Mr. Yen' warns of further subprime credit woes
Japan and the other Group of Seven economic powers should remain vigilant against a possible aggravation of the credit crunch stemming from the U.S. mortgage loan problem as its impact on the real economy is still unknown, according to a former senior Finance Ministry official.
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2007
G7 meeting to address subprime, credit crunch concerns
Group of Seven financial chiefs will rack their brains to find ways to quell fears of a credit crunch stemming from the U.S. subprime mortgage loan problem and prevent a recurrence of such ills when they gather for a regular meeting in Washington next week.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2007
World Bank asks Japan to maintain foreign aid
Japan should remain committed to lifting millions of people around the world out of poverty and not be shortsighted about foreign aid even though it is under budget constraints, a top executive of the World Bank said.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2007
Experts lament cuts in Japan's foreign aid
Development experts lament recent cuts in Japanese foreign aid and are calling for a reversal of the trend, saying such spending benefits Japan's interests in addition to helping millions in poverty.
JAPAN
May 1, 2007
Asian finance chiefs to meet on crisis-averting currency swaps
Finance ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus Japan, China and South Korea will gather Saturday in Kyoto to discuss ways to enhance financial cooperation, including the launch of a multilateral currency swap deal.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2007
G7 compromises on yen exchange rate
Strong concern expressed by euro-zone financial leaders moved the Group of Seven nations to suggest the yen's weakness against the euro should be corrected to reflect expectations Japan's economic recovery will continue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 27, 2006
Finance readies promos to hawk JGBs overseas
The Finance Ministry is once again warming up its overseas bond campaign in hopes of diversifying its bondholder base to increase stability and management of the Japanese government bond market.
BUSINESS
Aug 11, 2006
BOJ gets leeway as Fed pauses interest rate hikes: economist
The U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to pause rather than end its drive to raise interest rates has taken some of the pressure off the Bank of Japan, which is planning rate hikes of its own, according to analysts.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2006
Rate hikes to help depositors little, borrowers less
Now the Bank of Japan put an end to its five-year-old ultraloose policy, the biggest concern for most people is how the change will affect them.
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2006
Recent BOJ moves hint at end to ultraloose policy: analysts
Recent open market operations by the Bank of Japan have prompted analysts to speculate the central bank is set to lift its ultraloose monetary policy on April 11.
'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 cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
An AI star seeks to bring self-driving cars to Japan by 2030
Japanese startup Turing plans to unveil a self-driving car with at least 30 minutes’ driving range next year and develop a fully autonomous car by 2030.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
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.
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.
Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.

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

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