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Kantaro Komiya
JAPAN
Aug 2, 2023
Typhoon Khanun kills one, cuts power to a third of Okinawa homes
High winds hit power lines in Okinawa Prefecture and knocked out electricity to more than 200,000 households on Wednesday morning.
JAPAN
May 26, 2023
Japan ramps up Russia sanctions and condemns nuclear deployment in Belarus
G7 leaders last week showed their resolve to support Ukraine with additional military aid and sanctions on Russia.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2023
Spending in Japan unexpectedly drops as wages fall for a full year
Household spending fell 1.9% in March from a year earlier, the data showed, against economists' median forecast for a 0.4% rise and following a 1.6% gain in February.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2023
Kishida urges extra inflation-relief steps as Japan's households struggle
The news comes as households grapple with intensifying cost-of-living pressures amid elevated inflation for items such as energy and food, hitting consumption and smaller businesses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 28, 2023
Japan's factory output posts biggest fall in 8 months on weak autos and chip sector
A fall of 4.6% in January from a month earlier marked the fastest decrease since May 2022.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 7, 2023
Real wages rebound in December on bonuses and household spending falls
Japan's real wages rose 0.1% in December from a year earlier, posting the first gain since March, a labor ministry data showed on Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 3, 2023
Japan's fourth quarter economic growth likely rebounded on tourism reopening
Signs of stronger momentum heading into 2023 could influence major companies and workers in Japan as they head into annual labor talks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 22, 2022
Japan revises up growth forecast on higher capital spending and wages
The projections underscore how the country is set to buck a global growth slowdown thanks to robust domestic demand supported by inbound tourism reopening.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 30, 2022
Japan's October factory output fell on global slowdown and weak chip demand
The feeble business activity highlights challenges for the world's third-largest economy, which has been lagging behind peers in recovering from the pandemic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 29, 2022
Japan retail sales up for eighth month on tourism reopening
The number of foreign visitors to Japan in October was almost 500,000, more than twice as many as in September.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2022
Japan's September factory output posted first fall in four months
Manufacturers took a hit from rising costs for raw materials and the global economic slowdown.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 5, 2022
Japan to curb electricity costs amid weak yen and recession risks, PM says
The government will compile another economic stimulus plan by the end of October, including a rare measure to directly ease the rise of electricity prices, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 14, 2022
Japan's machinery orders posted surprise gains in July
The surprise increase in core orders — a barometer of capital expenditure — could provide temporary relief for policymakers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 1, 2022
Japan's tight jobs market fails to deliver on egalitarian promise
The emergence of the freelance class poses a challenge to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has pledged to redistribute wealth through wage hikes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 24, 2022
Japan's fatty fish: Yet another climate change harbinger?
Savor the next time you order a fatty piece of fish at the sushi counter. Fisherman on the frontlines say you may not be able to for long.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2022
Japan's economic growth seen weaker as global economy stutters
Manufacturers are susceptible to the gloomier growth outlook in major trading partners such as the United States and China that are stoking recession and stagflation fears worldwide.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 30, 2022
BOJ's public relations crisis forces rethink on inflation message
Public anger has been particularly strident, with tabloids and television programs criticizing 77-year-old BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda as someone earning a fat salary and being out of touch.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2022
Retail sales rose faster than expected in May as Japan eased COVID curbs
Strong consumption is expected to lead an economic rebound this quarter, although rising inflation poses a risk to household spending for the rest of 2022.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2022
Japan's inflation tops BOJ target for second month, testing monetary stance
The data challenges the Bank of Japan's view that the recent rise in prices is temporary and does not warrant withdrawing monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2022
Japan's core machinery orders post surprise double-digit growth
Monthly growth was far stronger than economists' median forecast for a 1.5% dip and followed a 7.1% jump in March.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic