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Leika Kihara
For Leika Kihara's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2015
Bank of Japan to stand pat even as goals depart from reality, sources say
Bank of Japan policymakers are in no mood to expand monetary stimulus this week, sources familiar with their thinking say, even as poor data challenges their presumption that economic recovery will boost inflation to its 2 percent target next year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 20, 2015
Worries over Chinese yuan put BOJ in a bind
China's devaluation of the yuan exposes an undefended flank in the Bank of Japan's efforts to jolt its flagging economy out of decades of deflation, which rely heavily on a solid pick-up in overseas demand.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2015
Japan using robots as fix for labor, growth woes
Factory worker Satomi Iwata has new coworkers, a troupe of humanoid automata that are helping to address two of Japan's most pressing concerns — a shortage of labor and a need for growth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 29, 2015
Spending slump casts doubt on Bank of Japan optimism
Household spending slumped unexpectedly in April and consumer inflation came in roughly flat, casting doubt on the central bank's view that a steady economic recovery will help move inflation toward its ambitious 2 percent target.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 22, 2015
Abe-Kuroda 'honeymoon' risks being soured by fiscal friction
The rift between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his hand-picked central banker is becoming hard to conceal, leaving “Abenomics” and its money-printing program under a dark cloud.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 8, 2015
China eager to learn from Japan's economic missteps
China is poring over Japanese history for economic lessons to keep its massive economy away from the recession and deflation that has blighted Japan for 20 years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Dec 9, 2014
BOJ increasingly likely to cut price forecasts, sources say
The Bank of Japan looks increasingly likely to cut its inflation forecasts next month, sources say, making its target of 2 percent in the year from April look ever more ambitious, just three months after it eased monetary policy to keep the goal in sight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2014
Kuroda sprang easing surprise to head off damaging inflation forecast
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda not only surprised the markets with his latest splurge of monetary easing. He sprang it on his own Policy Board members just two days earlier, jolted into action to stop them from making a lowball forecast that might have sunk his flagship inflation target.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 10, 2014
Kuroda sprang easing surprise to head off damaging inflation forecast
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda not only surprised the markets with his latest splurge of monetary easing. He sprang it on his own Policy Board members just two days earlier, jolted into action to stop them making a low-ball forecast that might have sunk his flagship inflation target.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
May 27, 2014
Confident of recovery, Bank of Japan eyes stimulus exit
The Bank of Japan has begun shifting its focus from supporting growth to phasing out its massive stimulus, taking the first tentative steps toward a potentially momentous move for the world economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 12, 2014
Weak exports, not tax hike, could shake BOJ
The Bank of Japan is increasingly confident that the economy is weathering the recent tax increase and on its way out of deflation, but another threat to that optimistic scenario is lurking in the form of weak exports.

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