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April 30, 2024
 

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Masahiro Hidaka
For Masahiro Hidaka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 28, 2017
Japan's richest village having hard time luring low-pay workers to process its pricey scallops
Sarufutsu in the far north of Hokkaido is the nation's richest village, thanks to a bounty of scallops pulled from the Sea of Okhotsk.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 21, 2017
BOJ faces new challenges when stimulus measures end
While Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has underscored how much work still lies ahead, when the central bank does finally hit its inflation target and exits stimulus, it is likely to face huge balance sheet losses.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 14, 2017
Nobel economist's ideas seen giving justification to delay Japan's consumption tax hike
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration has a habit of co-opting Nobel Prize-winning economists when it lays the groundwork for contentious policy decisions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2017
Regional underdog shows Japanese banks how to beat demographics
Critics say Kochi Shinkin Bank has lost its way and is acting more like an investment firm than a regional lender. Supporters say it shows that provincial banks can thrive in Japan even as their customer base shrinks, so long as they're prepared to adopt new business models.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2016
Amamiya, aka 'Mr. BOJ,' shapes central bank policy behind the scenes
Masayoshi Amamiya is viewed as so essential to operations at the Bank of Japan that he's known inside the central bank as "Mr. BOJ."
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Sep 7, 2016
BOJ review of easing actions casts spotlight on core policy planning unit
The Bank of Japan's unprecedented review of its unprecedented monetary policy has stepped up focus on a key group of Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's allies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 22, 2016
BOJ increasingly worried by strong yen, insiders say
Having adopted a negative interest rate on some excess reserves to penalize financial institutions for leaving money idle, the Bank of Japan may consider helping them lend by offering a negative rate on some loans, according to people familiar with talks at the BOJ.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 22, 2016
BOJ on verge of fresh inflation target delay, putting monetary policy under scrutiny
The Bank of Japan is poised, for the third time in less than a year, to push back the time frame for reaching its inflation target, making it harder for policymakers to hold off from enlarging monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 20, 2016
BOJ officials 'disappointed' with unambitious salary talks
Bank of Japan officials are increasingly expressing disappointment at subdued annual wage talks, according to people familiar with the discussions, making next week's monetary-policy decision a closer call.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 19, 2015
Ex-BOJ exec says further easing hinges on output, export data
Poor data for exports and industrial output have the potential to force the Bank of Japan into bolstering stimulus later this month, said a former chief economist for the BOJ.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 15, 2015
Bank of Japan maintains record stimulus, trims inflation outlook
The Bank of Japan's unprecedented monetary stimulus can drive inflation to its 2 percent target, Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said as the bank left its policy unchanged and trimmed its price outlook.
BUSINESS
Jun 25, 2015
BOJ's chief economist pushes for CPI changes that could boost inflation
The Bank of Japan's chief economist urged the government to adjust consumer price data to better reflect housing costs, a change he estimates would boost the inflation rate by as much as 0.2 percentage point.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 24, 2015
BOJ's 2015 stimulus reluctance spurs debate over tapering
With its reluctance to add to record monetary stimulus even as inflation remains well below its target, the Bank of Japan has stoked speculation about it scaling back its asset purchases as soon as early 2016.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2015
Kuroda ally says yen's excessive strength now corrected
The excessive strength in the yen that damaged Japanese manufacturing in recent years has now been corrected, according to an ally of Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2015
BOJ refrains from boosting stimulus after growth picks up
The Bank of Japan refrained from increasing monetary stimulus, as Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda bets on stronger growth fueling inflation that is one-tenth the BOJ's target.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 11, 2015
Drop base money goal to regain market's trust, ex-BOJ economist says
The Bank of Japan risks losing the confidence of investors by sticking to a bond-buying plan that is failing to drive inflation to its goal, says a former chief economist at the central bank.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2015
Soccer still a refuge for BOJ staff
The Bank of Japan officials huddle: they're planning a counterattack.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 13, 2015
'Hidden inflation' bodes well for BOJ efforts to boost prices
If the Bank of Japan's core price gauge is anything to go by, inflation has all but disappeared. Try telling that to anyone who pays the bills.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 13, 2015
BOJ sees extra stimulus as counterproductive for now
Bank of Japan policymakers view further monetary easing to shore up inflation as a counterproductive step at present, amid concern it could trigger declines in the yen that damage confidence, sources said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 15, 2014
BOJ rejects fresh stimulus to offset cheap oil's affect on inflation, sources say
The Bank of Japan rejects the idea that additional monetary stimulus is needed to prevent a recent decline in oil prices from pulling down inflation, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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