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April 28, 2024
 

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Leika Kihara
For Leika Kihara's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2022
BOJ debated impact of future exit from easy policy amid rising prices
A summary of opinions suggests some policymakers are slowly becoming more open to the possibility of an eventual withdrawal of the radical monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 1, 2022
Stealth yen intervention aims for maximum impact, says finance minister
Officials remain tight-lipped on exactly when they intervened in the market in October. Full details of their actions will not be available until quarterly intervention data is published.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Oct 30, 2022
Wages, not yen, key to when Japan shifts away from ultralow rates
With Japan's economy still weak, the BOJ is not expected to raise interest rates in the near term, even if that means more downward pressure on the yen.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / ANALYSIS
Oct 25, 2022
Will they or won't they? Japan turns to guessing game to shore up yen
Analysts say the strategy of staying mum keeps investors guessing on intervention, thereby discouraging speculators from testing the yen's new lows.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2022
IMF sees Japan currency intervention as 'signaling' move with short-term impact
Markets are focusing on whether Japan will step in again, as stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data pushed the dollar to a fresh 32-year high.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2022
BOJ discussed inflation risks in subtle shift in board debate
One board member went as far as saying the Bank of Japan must eventually communicate an exit strategy from ultraeasy policy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2022
Japan's business mood worsens as cost hikes bite, BOJ survey says
Adding to the gloom, fears of a global economic slowdown cloud the outlook for the export-reliant economy, which is still just emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Sep 28, 2022
Weak yen pulls Japan away from BOJ governor's radicalism
Government intervention to prop up the yen shortly after Haruhiko Kuroda made comments that led to a weakening of the currency highlights the uneasy relationship between the two.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 12, 2022
BOJ set to end COVID-relief plan, but no change to loose policy
The winding up of the plan would reflect easing funding strains among small, service-sector firms that were hardest hit by the pandemic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 10, 2022
Japan's wholesale inflation moderates on easing global commodity pressure
July's increase in the corporate goods price index marked the 17th straight month of gains but slowed from a revised 9.4% rise in June.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jul 11, 2022
Death of Abenomics father may give Japan scope to curb stimulus
The death of Shinzo Abe could eventually allow Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to phase out Abe's government spending and monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jul 1, 2022
As U.S. recession fears mount, Japan widens forex watch to include risk of yen spike
The stance suggests that currency-market intervention is less likely than some investors are expecting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 1, 2022
Mood at Japan's manufacturers worsens for second quarter amid rising costs
Confidence among big nonmanufacturers improved, a central bank survey showed, suggesting service-sector firms are shaking off the drag from the pandemic.
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 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 22, 2022
BOJ debated weak yen and harm from excess moves at April meeting
The yen has plunged to a new 24-year low of u00a5136.71 per dollar, as investors are focusing on the contrast between the BOJ's ultraloose policy and the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate hikes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Jun 19, 2022
Once feted for pandemic heroics, world's central banks face an uneasy crowd
Faith has begun to erode that policymakers will hit their typical 2% inflation targets any time soon — a worrisome development that's begun shaping central banks' own reactions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jun 13, 2022
Mr. Exit or Mr. BOJ? Race for Japan's top central bank job to intensify
Hiroshi Nakaso and Masayoshi Amamiya both have deep expertise in central bank affairs, but the two could differ on how soon the Bank of Japan should roll back its monetary policies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2022
Japan closer to intervention on yen after government and central bank joint statement
'We have seen sharp yen declines and are concerned about recent currency market moves,' the Finance Ministry, BOJ and the Financial Services Agency said in a joint statement.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 10, 2022
Weak yen pushes up Japan's wholesale import costs at record pace
Beverage and food prices rose 4.6% last month year-on-year, accelerating from the previous month's 4.1% gain, data shows.
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.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
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.
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.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
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.
Top U.S. and China diplomats talk tough amid warnings of new ‘downward spiral’
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

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