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Erica Yokoyama
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2024
Japan’s slower wage growth adds to reasons for BOJ to hold
Nominal cash earnings for workers rose 0.2% from the previous year, decelerating sharply from a 1.5% increase in October, the labor ministry said.
Consumer price gains in Tokyo slowed for a second month in December.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 9, 2024
Tokyo inflation slows as thrifty consumers curb some outlays
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.1% in the capital, decelerating from 2.3% in November.
The Tokio Marine & Nichido Building in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 26, 2023
Japan penalizes biggest property insurers for price fixing
The Financial Services Agency has issued business improvement orders on the core units of Tokio Marine, MS&AD Insurance and Sompo.
An electronic board displays various companies' share prices at a business district in Tokyo in October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 26, 2023
Japan’s labor demand holds steady in positive sign for wages
The job-to-applicants ratio eased a tad to 1.28, meaning there were 128 jobs offered for every 100 applicants, the labor ministry reported.
Japan's core consumer prices rose 2.5% in November from a year earlier, marking the slowest pace of increase in over a year in a sign of easing cost-push pressures in the world's third-largest economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 22, 2023
Japan’s cooling inflation also offers encouraging signs for BOJ
Consumer prices excluding fresh food items rose 2.5% from a year earlier as falls in energy costs deepened and gains in processed food prices eased.
Japan's exports in November fell for the first time in three months, dragged down by China-bound chip shipments, underscoring worries that slowing overseas economies will complicate policymakers' efforts to wind back on stimulus.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 20, 2023
Japan’s exports dip as global slowdown puts pressure on recovery
Exports fell 0.2% from a year earlier despite weakness in the yen, dashing economists' hopes for a 1.4% increase and support from overseas demand.
The reading of the key index measuring confidence among major Japanese manufacturers, such as those in the auto and electronics sectors, rose for the third straight quarter, according to the Bank of Japan's tankan survey.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 13, 2023
Firms more confident ahead of BOJ policy meeting, tankan shows
Evidence of robust corporate sentiment boosts the odds of large wage hikes, paving the way for the normalization of monetary policy.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.3% in November from the prior year in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 5, 2023
Tokyo inflation cools to slowest pace in over a year
The development supports the Bank of Japan’s view that it should continue to be cautious about a tightening of policy.
Strong shipments of cars, especially to the U.S., helped push up Japan’s industrial production more than expected in October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 30, 2023
Japan's factory output beat expectations in October
Improvement in supply chains bolstered automakers while inventory adjustments underpinned the electronics parts industry.
Japan's economy shrank 2.1% in the July-September period from the previous quarter on an annualized basis, suggesting that its economic recovery remains patchy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 15, 2023
Japan’s economy shrinks, backing BOJ and government's stimulus case
Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2.1% in the third quarter, deeper than economists’ estimate of a 0.4% shrinkage.
Economists estimate Japan's real gross domestic product shrank at an annualized 0.4% in the three months through September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2023
Japan’s economy likely shrank in summer as recovery sputters
Economists estimate that real gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 0.4% in the three months through September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 1, 2023
Japan ramps up yen intervention warning after BOJ-fueled sell-off
The broad decline toward ¥152 to the dollar has the currency around the threshold that a year ago drove Japanese authorities to swoop in to prop it up.
Japan's industrial output increased a smaller-than-expected 0.2% in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2023
Japan's September industrial production growth misses consensus
Factory output increased 0.2% from a month earlier, missing economist expectations of a 2.5% gain.
Japan's exports rose more than expected in September, led by shipments of cars and medical supplies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 19, 2023
Japan exports rise more than expected in support for recovery
The value of exports gained 4.3% from a year earlier, led by shipments of cars and medical supplies in the first overall rise in three months.
Japan's real wages in August declined for a 17th straight month, as persistent price hikes continued to outpace salaries.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2023
Japan's slower-than-forecast wage growth supports BOJ caution
Nominal cash earnings for workers rose 1.1% from the previous year, matching the revised figure from the previous month.
Core inflation in Tokyo slowed in September for the third straight month, mainly on falling fuel costs, but there are concerns the weak yen may push up import costs and the price of basic goods.
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2023
Tokyo inflation slows on subsidies, supporting BOJ policy stance
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda re-emphasized this week that the goal of achieving 2% inflation accompanied by wage gains had not yet come into sight.
Japan's economy grew less than initially estimated in the second quarter as capital expenditure slid, suggesting heightening overseas uncertainties are weighing on business confidence.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 8, 2023
Japan economic growth revised down as firms and consumers cut back
Gross domestic product grew at an annualized 4.8% from the previous three months, revised figures from the Cabinet Office showed Friday.
Japanese companies raised spending on plants and equipment in the April-June quarter but the pace of annual gains slowed to the lowest in five quarters, reflecting global recession worries amid China's slowing growth.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 1, 2023
Japan firms cut capital spending over global growth concerns
The latest figures feed into a picture of Japan’s growth being overly reliant on overseas demand.
Manufacturing machinery and electronic components were among the biggest drags on Japan's industrial output in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 31, 2023
Japan output drops in July as global slowdown reverberates
Factory output declined 2% from June, the industry ministry said Thursday.
Japan’s unemployment rate rose for the first time in four months in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2023
Rising jobless rate dims outlook for labor market and inflation
The job market must tighten to spur wage gains, which in turn would contribute to a virtuous cycle of inflation and salaries.

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