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August 31, 2025
 

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Yoshiaki Nohara
Japan's chief tariffs negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, expects to visit the U.S. at least once more before the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump issues an executive order to formally lower tariffs on Japanese imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2025
Akazawa expects to make another trip to U.S. ahead of executive order
Various consultations need to be completed before the agreement can be implemented, Japan's chief tariff negotiator says.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s top trade negotiator, said U.S. officials expressed regret that the stacking rule had been applied to Japan despite a verbal agreement, and said Washington would refund any overpaid levies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 10, 2025
U.S. and Japan working to announce tariffs won’t stack
The United States is working to finalize an announcement that would end the stacking of universal tariffs on Japanese goods.
A Bank of Japan board member suggested the possibility of a rate hike by year-end, depending on the impact of U.S. tariffs, according to a summary of opinions from the central bank’s policy meeting last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 8, 2025
BOJ may exit wait-and-see mode by year-end, policy meeting summary says
Depending on the impact from U.S. tariffs, another rate hike then might be possible, an unnamed board member hinted.
Industrial production gained 1.7% from the previous month, according to the industry ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2025
Factory output gain in Japan shows firms’ resilience amid tariffs
Though economists had expected a 0.8% loss, industrial production gained 1.7% from the previous month while output rose 4% from a year earlier, topping expectations of a 1.3% gain.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) shakes hands with economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, at the Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka on July 19.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 28, 2025
Japan expects only 1% to 2% of $550 billion U.S. fund to be investment
The bulk of the fund, agreed as part of Japan's trade deal with the U.S., will consist of loans, says chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa.
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, apparently reflecting the impact from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025
Japan’s exports fall as U.S. tariffs stoke recession risks
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported.
Outlays by households in Japan, adjusted for inflation, gained 4.7% from a year ago in May, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2025
Japan’s households boost spending by most since summer of 2022
Consumption makes up more than half of Japan’s economic output and could determine whether the economy will enter or avoid a technical recession.
Japan's factory output in May fell 1.8% from a year earlier, missing expectations of a 1.6% rise.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025
Japan’s factory output misses expectations as U.S. tariffs hit
Industrial production increased 0.5% from the previous month, the industry ministry reported Monday.
Governments seeking agreements to whittle down country-by-country tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 2, and then suspended until July 9, have no idea where additional levies will land.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025
Trump’s threat of more tariffs makes U.S. trade partners wary of signing deals
The U.S. might apply levies under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act on a range of foreign-made products in certain industries.
Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa deflected a question over whether Japan will seek an extension of the deadline for the across-the-board tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 20, 2025
Japan won’t fixate on July 9 in U.S. trade talks, says Akazawa
Tokyo's top trade negotiator deflected a question over whether Japan will seek an extension of the deadline for the across-the-board tariffs.
Japan’s trade surplus with the U.S. last year stood at ¥8.6 trillion ($59.3 billion). Roughly 82% of the gap was due to Japan’s surplus in cars and auto parts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2025
U.S. focus on auto trade gap is sticking point for Japan deal
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba briefed CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda and others about the latest developments in the bilateral trade negotiations.
Exports measured by value dropped 1.7% in May from a year earlier, suggesting exporters may be absorbing the tariff shock by cutting prices, as export volume rose 1.8%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 18, 2025
Japan’s export drop raises recession risks as U.S. tariffs bite
The drop in exports and the larger trade deficit add to concerns that Japan’s economy could shrink again in the second quarter.
Japan’s top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa speaks to reporters Friday at Haneda Airport in Tokyo before heading to Washington.
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2025
Akazawa sees a deal with U.S. sparing Japan from higher car levies
Akazawa heads to the U.S. as the two nations eye a potential trade deal out of an expected summit in Canada between Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office after holding talks with opposition leaders Thursday.
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2025
Japan and U.S. still far apart in tariff talks, Ishiba cited as saying
Ishiba is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders gathering in Canada starting Sunday, but a deal is far from certain.
Japan's exports in terms of value dropped 3% in the first 20 days of May from the same period a year earlier, indicating the impact of U.S. tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 6, 2025
Japan’s early May exports drop as tariff woes upend commerce
Exports measured by value dropped 3% in the first 20 days of May, which compared with a 2% rise for April.
Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, left Tokyo for Washington on Thursday for the fifth round of trade negotiations with the United States.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2025
Japan to continue to seek tariff removal in latest negotiations ahead of G7
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the summit, with anticipation mounting for a trade deal announcement.
Japanese firms' capital expenditure gained 1.8% in the three months through March from the previous quarter, while inflation is keeping a lid on household spending and U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign clouds the trade outlook.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 2, 2025
Japan’s firms raised capital spending ahead of U.S. tariffs
Business spending holds the key to the country’s economic growth as inflation keeps a lid on household spending.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda
BUSINESS / Economy
May 28, 2025
Ueda to monitor risk of high long-term bond yields affecting shorter-term rates
The comments come at a time of heightened concern about volatility at the long end of the bond market.
Japan may offer cooperation on shipbuilding expertise and an Alaska natural gas project as part of trade talks with the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 26, 2025
Japan touts ships expertise and LNG investment, with tariff talks key
There is rising momentum in the negotiations as the U.S. tariffs threaten to drag Japan’s economy into a technical recession ahead of the Upper House election.
Bank of Japan policy board member Asahi Noguchi says there’s no need to make major changes to the bank’s Japanese government bond purchase plan.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2025
BOJ dove Noguchi sees no need to change JGB tapering plan
The BOJ is currently trimming its purchases by ¥400 billion ($2.8 billion) a quarter and is on course to reach monthly buying of around ¥2.9 trillion by the spring of 2026.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’
Some 93.1% of Japanese teenagers who struggle with school life said they felt like they “wanted to disappear from the world" at the end of summer vacation ahead of the start of a new term, according to a recent survey released by Yokohama-based nonprofit Daisan Kazoku.
Most Trump tariffs are not legal, U.S. appeals court rules
Workers hang a large poster of U.S. President Donald Trump on the facade of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Washington on Wednesday.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
Can anime carry the memories of World War II?
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.
Jesse Kirkwood: ‘Languages are entire cultural universes with all sorts of baggage’
Jesse Kirkwood is part of a vibrant field of translators who have nurtured what might be called a “post-Murakami era of Japanese literature and translation,” one book at a time.

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