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May 22, 2024
 

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Toru Fujioka
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 19, 2021
BOJ carves out more policy flexibility after three-month review
The bank also said it would offer lending incentives if it lowered its target rates.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 11, 2021
BOJ looking to foster more yield fluctuations in bond market
The range around the 10-year yield target is a key focus for markets as the central bank looks to enhance the sustainability of its monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 1, 2021
BOJ considers three pressure points to prolong stimulus
But with the Nikkei stock index around three-decade highs, some lawmakers and economists are asking why it's necessary to keep propping up the market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 26, 2021
Japan’s factory output shows resilience despite emergency
Industrial output rose 4.2% in January from the previous month, with production of memory chips and semiconductor equipment climbing, the trade ministry reported Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 18, 2021
Bank of Japan policy review seen as fine-tuning, not game-changing
BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has a history of delivering surprises, so investors have been left guessing about what the policy assessment announced last month will deliver, if anything.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 16, 2020
Japan’s ¥73.6 trillion stimulus hinges on spending by older generation
People over the age of 65 make up 29% of the population and account for almost 40% of the consumer spending that is the biggest driver of Japan's economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 14, 2020
BOJ seen extending pandemic-fighting programs this week, according to survey
All but one economist projected the BOJ will make no change to its interest rates, forward guidance or key asset-purchase program.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2020
BOJ’s local bank aid makes rates harder to cut, ex-official says
To gain eligibility for the interest payments, regional banks must make decisions on merging or show they have improved their profitability.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 19, 2020
Japan’s top union federation to demand wage raises despite pandemic
Rengo chief Rikio Kozu has indicated he'll push for a 4% wage increase, including base pay.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2020
Tokyo’s tiny ramen bars close up shop rather than raise prices
'A price increase was never an option because passing our burden onto customers would be totally unfair,' said a worker at one restaurant that closed in August.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2020
BOJ official says digital currency needs public support first
China's plans to issue a digital yuan, while still not fleshed out, have heightened global interest in digital currencies among central banks and policymakers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2020
BOJ likely to reduce inflation forecasts as Go To campaign cuts prices
The travel discounts started in July, and have helped drive consumer inflation below zero as hotel prices dropped by more than 30% from a year ago.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 12, 2020
BOJ’s swelling share of Japan assets complicates future exit from stimulus
The central bank now owns 71% of exchange-traded funds, a fifth of commercial paper and 7% of corporate bonds, its assets equivalent to 137% of gross domestic product.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2020
Bank of Japan coronavirus loans may ensure ‘zombie’ firms limp on
The total lent so far is already more than four times the amount deployed from January 2009 to support firms during the global financial crisis.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 12, 2020
Bank of Japan’s aid to lenders hasn't warmed them to negative rates
For the country's commercial banks, the BOJ's sub-zero rates strategy aimed at stimulating the economy and prices has eroded their profit margins.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 11, 2020
BOJ gets first female executive director in 138-year history
Tokiko Shimizu's appointment as one of only six BOJ executive directors is another step forward for gender equality at the central bank.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 30, 2020
‘Jobs for life’ in South Korea and Japan set to cushion virus blow
A longtime thorn for businesses and productivity in Japan and South Korea is set to prove a bulwark for those economies as the coronavirus threatens millions of jobs around the world.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Mar 9, 2020
Japan's GDP contraction revised to 7.1%, fueling recession fears amid coronavirus crisis
The data show that the economy was already in a highly fragile state when the virus started to slam exports, supply chains, tourists and shoppers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 14, 2020
Even before COVID-19, Japan economy likely took biggest hit since 2014
Economists estimate the economy shrank at an annualized rate of 3.8 percent in the third quarter and that the virus will likely push Japan into recession.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2019
Massive fiscal stimulus in works as Japan's politicians shrug off concerns about national debt
Japan looks set to re-embrace the power of public spending with one of its biggest ever stimulus packages.
Why half of Japan's cities are at risk of disappearing in 100 years
A couple looks out onto the Fukuoka nightscape. Due to its distance from Tokyo and its close proximity to South Korea and China, professor Tomoya Mori believes that Fukuoka is one of the few metropolitan regions of Japan that will see some form of growth in the decades to come.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Japan concerned over U.S. officials' remarks on atomic bombings
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters during a news conference in Washington on Thursday.
Japan's revised immigration bill clears Lower House
Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
The politicians moving Japan forward on climate
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
Morning-after pill buyers back prescription-free sales following trial
Some 2,181 morning-after pills were sold at 145 pharmacies across the nation, with Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture recording over 200 sales each.
Want to be a voice actor? Stay 'true to the character'
SungWon Cho is a veteran with more than 10 years of experience portraying characters in anime, cartoons and video games.
Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”

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