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Erica Yokoyama
For Erica Yokoyama's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2023
Wage hikes at Japan’s small firms closely watched for BOJ clues
It’s the salary decisions at smaller companies without unions that will indicate how widespread wage gains really are.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 7, 2023
Japan real wages slump most since 2014 despite government push for more pay
Real cash earnings for Japan’s workers declined 4.1% from a year earlier in January, slipping for a 10th consecutive month, suggesting Japan is still far from a virtuous economic cycle.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2023
Tokyo inflation slows sharply as subsidies mask ongoing strength
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.3% in the capital in February, slowing for the first time since January last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2023
Ad giant Dentsu acknowledges culpability in Tokyo Games bid-rigging, report says
Dentsu President Hiroshi Igarashi made the comments during questioning by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office, NHK said Saturday, citing a source it did not name.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 16, 2023
Japan’s trade deficit smashes record, topping ¥3 trillion
Export growth slowed sharply to 3.5%, with chip-making equipment among the largest drags, in a sign of weakening global tech-sector demand.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 14, 2023
Japan deepens diversity lag with no women among BOJ nominees
The nominations came amid heightened expectations that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was looking to choose the first female deputy governor in the Bank of Japan’s 140-year history.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 14, 2023
Japan’s growth misses estimates in challenge for incoming BOJ chief
Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized pace of 0.6% in the fourth quarter, turning positive after the preceding quarter’s contraction.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 7, 2023
Japan intervened in forex markets twice in October to support yen, report shows
On the respective days, ¥5.6 trillion ($42.2 billion) and ¥729.6 billion were spent to prop up the yen, which hit a 32-year low against the dollar last autumn.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 2, 2023
Having a woman in BOJ’s top brass would help Japan's diversity push: ex-board member
Economists increasingly expect a female candidate to be in one of the BOJ’s most senior positions this spring after the central bank undergoes a leadership change.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2023
Japan to lag again on diversity if women shut out of BOJ race
Not a single woman’s name is doing the rounds as a potential replacement for Haruhiko Kuroda as central bank governor in the world’s third-largest economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 17, 2023
Japan’s largest trade union head says 2023 is pivotal for wages
Trade union leader has stressed the importance of moving toward continued wage growth in the face of rapid inflation and economic stagnation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 10, 2023
Tokyo inflation hits 4%, indicating stronger price trend than earlier thought
Consumer prices excluding fresh food climbed 4% in the capital in December as processed food and energy costs continued to mount.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 6, 2023
Japan real wages fall most since 2014, keeping BOJ goal distant
Real cash earnings for Japan's workers dropped 3.8% from a year earlier in November, declining for the eighth straight month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 28, 2022
Japan's factory output falls for a third month as global demand cools
Industrial production edged down 0.1% from October, dragged lower by falls in output of conveyor belts, cranes and equipment for making chips and flat panel displays.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2022
Japan’s inflation speeds up, backing expectation of BOJ shift
Consumer prices excluding fresh food climbed 3.7% in November from a year ago, accelerating to the fastest pace since 1981.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2022
Japan set to slip behind Taiwan on economic strength per person
Wretched year for yen set to cut wealth in Japan below its neighbors.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2022
Japan’s trade gap continues to outsize forecasts as yen weighs
The country's trade balance has now been in the red for 16 consecutive months, and the country is set to finish the year with a record annual trade deficit.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 14, 2022
Japan’s biggest companies diverge on economic outlook
An index of confidence among the country's biggest manufacturers edged down, while the reading for large service sector and construction firms rose.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 8, 2022
Japan’s smaller contraction masks extent of underlying weakness
Gross domestic product shrank an annualized 0.8% in the three months to the end of September from the previous period, revised figures from the Cabinet Office showed Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2022
Pricier Christmas cake hits Japan’s holiday season as inflation bites
The average price of a holiday season cake has risen by around 5% since last year to u00a54,040 ($30), according to a Teikoku Databank report.

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