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May 01, 2024
 

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Toru Fujioka
For Toru Fujioka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
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
Aug 21, 2015
Economists cut Japan growth view again, widening gap with BOJ
Economists from Nomura Holdings Inc. to BNP Paribas SA lowered their forecasts for the economy this week, making the central bank's growth outlook for this year look increasingly optimistic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2015
Japan can offset China yuan move by easing: Abe adviser
Japan "need not worry" about China's devaluation of the yuan because it can always offset the effects by easing monetary policy, said an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 27, 2015
Japan's economy shrank last quarter, top forecaster says
The Japanese economy likely contracted last quarter, dragged down by weak consumer spending and a slump in exports, according to a top forecaster.
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2015
Abe aide says ¥2.5 trillion may be needed to offset next tax hike
It could be difficult for the Bank of Japan to taper its record monetary stimulus before a planned sales-tax hike in 2017, and the government may need to compile a ¥2.5 trillion economic package to cushion the blow to households, an adviser to the prime minister said Tuesday.
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.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 29, 2015
BOJ inflation gauge slows to zero as oil weighs
The Bank of Japan's main gauge of inflation slowed to zero, as cheaper oil prices counter Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's effort to reflate the economy.
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.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 1, 2015
Kuroda shifts to defense in BOJ's struggle to reach inflation target
For the first time, Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said his original two-year time frame for reaching 2 percent inflation will not be reached. But it did not prompt him to step on the stimulus accelerator.
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 20, 2015
Kuroda ally says weak yen shouldn't stop more stimulus if needed
Concern about weakening the yen should not prevent the Bank of Japan from easing monetary policy further if necessary, said Masahiro Kawai, a university professor who has collaborated on research with Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 5, 2015
Abe boosts Kuroda reflation effort with BOJ board nomination
The Abe administration has nominated a proponent of reflationary monetary policy for the central bank's board, buttressing Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's effort to end a two-decade slump in the world's third-biggest economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 30, 2015
December output gain hints at end to latest recession
Industrial production snapped two quarters of decline in December, signaling the economy may have limped out of recession.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 18, 2014
Companies still hoarding cash despite pleas from Abe, Kuroda to spend
Two days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured a pledge from Japan Inc. to do its best to boost wages to revive the world's third-biggest economy, data showed companies hoarding record amounts of cash.
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.
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2014
Abe will have chance to name more women to BOJ board
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a chance to appoint a second female to the Bank of Japan's Policy Board next year, which would mark a first in the institution's 132-year history, said one of his advisers, Etsuro Honda.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Nov 6, 2014
After BOJ shocks market, some ask why it gave no warning
Hours after the Bank of Japan caught central bank watchers off guard by boosting stimulus, officials were fending off complaints about its communications.
'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.
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.
Did Japan intervene to prop up the yen? Analysts think it did.
A man walks past an electronic board displaying the exchange rate for the yen against the U.S. dollar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday.
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.
Golden Week crowds greeted with high temperatures as holiday period kicks off
The departure lobby for domestic flights is crowded with travelers at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Saturday, the first day of this year's Golden Week holidays.
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.

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