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September 16, 2025
 

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ECONOMY

Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, speaks on Tuesday about the implementation of the Japan-U.S. trade deal.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 16, 2025
U.S. tariffs on Japanese autos formally cut to 15% from 27.5%
The reduction is a long-awaited implementation of the terms of a July 22 agreement.
Drawn by reforms and growing shareholder focus, activist investors are ramping up buying Japanese stocks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 16, 2025
Activist funds ramp up Japan bets after record bids last year
The 10 largest activist investors in Japan put an estimated ¥890 billion into Japanese stocks in the first half of this year.
Australia’s past economic “golden ages” show how bold reforms drove growth, but policymakers now face the challenge of boosting productivity and preparing the nation for a more competitive global environment.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 16, 2025
Can Australia achieve a third economic golden age?
The ’80s and ’90s were the heydays of reform. The challenge now is how to move forward.
European Commission Executive Vice President Stephane Sejourne
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2025
EU wants to boost economic security cooperation with Japan
Stephane Sejourne said that together, the EU and Japan should tackle issues such as China's overproduction and U.S. protectionist trade policies.
The average summer bonus for employees of major companies in Japan has now increased for the fourth year in a row.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 14, 2025
Summer bonuses at major Japan firms hit record
The shipbuilding, retail and finance sectors all posted significant jumps, while both the steel and service industries saw an overall decline.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato reaffirmed in a joint statement their commitment to allowing markets to determine currency exchange rates and not targeting them for competitive advantage.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2025
U.S. and Japan pledge not to manipulate forex for competitive advantage
Tokyo has spent close to $150 billion in the last three years trying to prop up the yen with the last move in July last year.
A screen displays share prices outside a securities firm in Tokyo. Some activists believe Japan’s corporate governance reforms will touch more firms, especially smaller ones.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025
Activist AVI poised to boost holdings of Japan small-cap shares
The plan is an example of how activists are shaking up corporate Japan as they plow capital into the country given the Tokyo bourse telling firms to raise their enterprise value.
False social media stories about Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba planning mass immigration obscure Japan’s real and growing reliance on foreign labor.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 12, 2025
Japan needs an immigration debate, not social media myths
There’s no mass immigration from the Global South into Japan, though you might not know that if you primarily consume your news on social media.
South Korea’s lack of a free trade deal with Mexico puts it at a disadvantage to Japanese rival carmakers.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2025
Mexican tariffs give Japan’s carmakers an edge over Korean rivals
Higher tariffs are expected to apply to a list of more than 1,400 categories of products coming from countries with which Mexico has no trade agreement.
Business sentiment among major Japanese companies turned positive for the first time in two quarters in July to September, according to a government survey released Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 11, 2025
Sentiment among big Japanese firms turns positive for first time in two quarters
The business sentiment index represents the proportion of firms seeing their business conditions improve from the previous quarter minus that of those feeling the opposite.
Residential buildings in the Harumi district of Tokyo. Condominium associations have started to invest in bonds to try and keep pace with inflation.
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2025
Japan’s condo associations start buying bonds to fund repairs
The move by the associations is meant keep pace with inflation amid rising repair costs.
The Bank of Japan's wait-and-see approach is likely to continue given the political climate and the tariff situation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 11, 2025
Rate increase in Japan less likely following Ishiba's resignation
Political uncertainty will make a move higher in October difficult.
Geopolitical shifts, technological transformation and climate change are reshaping, not reversing, globalization.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2025
What happens next to globalization?
For starters, the rise of China and other economies is bringing an end to the postwar world order dominated by the United States.
Traders in Tokyo celebrate an earlier record high closing of the Nikkei 225. The benchmark index has been rallying in recent days on trade optimism and political hope.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 10, 2025
Tokyo stocks achieve record close after strong performance on Wall Street
A sustained rally has followed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s announcement of his resignation.
U.S. President Donald Trump South Korean leader and Lee Jae Myung meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Aug. 25.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2025
U.S. and South Korea in deadlock over $350 billion investment fund
Seoul has been emphasizing to U.S. officials that it cannot accept the same terms as Japan’s $550 billion investment pledge finalized last week.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on April 2.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2025
U.S. Supreme Court to review Trump tariffs on fast-track schedule
The justices said they will hear arguments in the first week of November, an unusually aggressive schedule that suggests the court will try to resolve the case quickly.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief negotiator, says that U.S. tariffs on Japanese autos will fall soon.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2025
Akazawa heralds U.S. trade deal as he moots wrinkle in it
He notes Japan cannot finance any project that contravenes its laws.
A customer shops at a Takeya store in Tokyo in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 9, 2025
Hidden inflation drives Japanese consumers to price-tracking sites
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.1% in July from the previous year.
The Nikkei Stock Average's opening, high and low prices on Tuesday are seen on a stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 9, 2025
Nikkei 225 hits record on Ishiba resignation news, then falls back in afternoon
The benchmark reached a new all-time high in the morning of 44,185.73
ASEAN leaders take a group photo at the bloc's summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 26. The association, set to expand to 11 members, aims to protect its autonomy and unity through deeper integration, sustainable growth and broader partnerships.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2025
ASEAN balances autonomy and unity in a shifting geopolitical landscape
ASEAN, set to expand to 11 members, aims to protect its autonomy and unity through deeper integration, sustainable growth and broader partnerships.
SDF spots China’s biggest aircraft carrier for first time
The Fujian aircraft carrier is seen in Shanghai in May 2024 as it leaves for its first sea trial.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
Is America ready for Japanese-style 7-Elevens?
Convenience stores are a fixture of Japanese life and 7-Eleven, a chain that began in the U.S. in 1927, opened its first store in Japan in 1974 — and then became wholly Japanese-owned in 2005 through parent company Seven & I Holdings.
Final weeks of World Expo in Osaka likely to see large crowds
With one month left to go, crowds are expected to swell at the World Expo in Osaka during its final weeks.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Pole vault rivals in awe after Duplantis has another historic night in Tokyo
Sweden's Armand Duplantis competes in the men's pole fault final during the World Athletics Championships at National Stadium in Tokyo on Monday.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
Tara Davis-Woodhall leaps to gold and finds redemption at world championships
Tara Davis-Woodhall celebrates after winning the women's long jump final at the World Athletics Championships at Tokyo's National Stadium on Sunday night.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the 6th annual Sustainable Japan Award.

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