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August 27, 2025
 

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Yoshiaki Nohara
Japan's consumer price index for January rose 2% from a year ago, topping estimates to support the Bank of Japan's move to end its negative interest rate policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 27, 2024
January inflation topped forecasts, data shows, supporting BOJ policy shift
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2% from a year ago, while prices of processed food gained 5.9% and prices for lodging increased by 27%.
A Rapidus factory construction site in Chitose, Hokkaido, in December
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 21, 2024
Japan’s chip spree aims to kick economy into high gear
The government’s chip strategy aims to triple domestic chip sales to around ¥15 trillion by 2030.
Japan's exports rose to a record high in January, lifted by robust shipments of cars and chipmaking equipment, marking the second straight month of growth despite concerns about slowing global demand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 21, 2024
Export growth beats forecasts, adding to momentum for BOJ policy shift
Gains in exports are a positive sign after the economy unexpectedly fell into recession in the last quarter of 2023 due to stagnant domestic spending.
Tetsuro Higashi, the chairman of Rapidus, speaks during an interview in Tokyo in February last year.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2024
Japan earmarks ¥45 billion to fire up chip research at home
The funds are part of a major national push to catch up in semiconductor manufacturing.
Industrial output in December rose a seasonally-adjusted 1.8% from the previous month, following a 0.9% decline in November, with the industry ministry maintaining its basic assessment that it is fluctuating indecisively.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 31, 2024
Japan’s factory output gains to support economy’s patchy rebound
The rebound may potentially remove a hurdle for the Bank of Japan as it mulls the timing of a likely interest rate hike.
Core inflation in Tokyo slowed below the central bank's 2% target to hit the lowest level in nearly two years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 26, 2024
Tokyo’s sharp cooling of inflation complicates BOJ’s policy outlook
Tokyo consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 1.6% in January, compared with 2.1% growth in December.
The value of Japan's exports rose at the fast pace in a year in December, propelled by shipments to China growing for the first time in over a year and record sales to the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 24, 2024
Strong December exports boost odds of a return to growth last quarter
A return to growth would make it easier for the Bank of Japan to end its negative rate policy.
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2024
Japan’s economy gets boost from 25 million visitors in 2023
A weak yen has helped boost tourists’ spending power, making Japan a much more affordable and attractive destination.
Japan’s economic recovery from the pandemic is losing momentum as overseas economies slow and sticky inflation weighs on domestic consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 8, 2023
Japan’s deepest economic contraction since pandemic clouds path for BOJ
Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized 2.9% in the three months through September from the previous quarter as households reined in spending.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 7, 2023
BOJ’s Ueda meets Kishida and discusses monetary policy stance
The meeting is likely to make BOJ watchers nervous given that the central bank made a surprise policy tweak last December after similar talks.
Capital spending on goods excluding software rose 0.3% in the three months through September compared with the previous quarter, possibly serving as an encouraging sign for the Bank of Japan.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2023
Japan’s capital spending nudges higher in sign of resilience
Some analysts still warn that GDP could contract again in the current quarter
Strong shipments of cars, especially to the U.S., helped push up Japan’s industrial production more than expected in October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 30, 2023
Japan's factory output beat expectations in October
Improvement in supply chains bolstered automakers while inventory adjustments underpinned the electronics parts industry.
Core consumer prices in Japan rose 2.9% in October from a year earlier, staying above the Bank of Japan's 2% target for the 19th straight month as products seeing price hikes continued to broaden.
BUSINESS
Nov 24, 2023
Japan inflation quickens, clouding price outlook for BOJ
A weak yen has been a key driver behind high import costs, as it has stayed near a 33-year low against the dollar in recent months.
Japan's exports gained 1.6% from a year earlier in October, slowing from a 4.3% increase in the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 16, 2023
Japan’s economy remains under pressure as export growth slows
The value of exports gained 1.6% from a year earlier, slowing from a 4.3% increase in the previous month, according to the Finance Ministry.
The construction site of a new Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 9, 2023
Japan set to earmark ¥2 trillion for chips in extra budget
Japan is in the midst of a spending spree to revive its chip industry with an aim to triple the sales of domestically produced semiconductors by 2030.
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2023
BOJ’s Ueda gets reality check on yen in march to normalization
The yen unexpectedly weakened after the central bank loosened its grip on bond yields Tuesday.
Japan's industrial output increased a smaller-than-expected 0.2% in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2023
Japan's September industrial production growth misses consensus
Factory output increased 0.2% from a month earlier, missing economist expectations of a 2.5% gain.
Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell discussed a regional trade pact with Japan's economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura during their meeting in Osaka on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 30, 2023
Australia reassures Japan on CPTPP and strength of relationship
Australian Trade Minister discussed a regional trade pact with Japan's economy minister during their meeting in Osaka.
Japan's exports rose more than expected in September, led by shipments of cars and medical supplies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 19, 2023
Japan exports rise more than expected in support for recovery
The value of exports gained 4.3% from a year earlier, led by shipments of cars and medical supplies in the first overall rise in three months.
Japan's real wages in August declined for a 17th straight month, as persistent price hikes continued to outpace salaries.
BUSINESS
Oct 6, 2023
Japan's slower-than-forecast wage growth supports BOJ caution
Nominal cash earnings for workers rose 1.1% from the previous year, matching the revised figure from the previous month.
Tokyo releases AI-generated video of Mount Fuji erupting
A screenshot from an AI-generated video showing what could happen to Tokyo if Mount Fuji erupted
Japan aims to tighten rules for business manager visas from October
The number of foreign residents with business management residency status had reached a record 41,615 as of the end of 2024.
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
Japan ranked one of the most peaceful places in Asia as global tensions rise
Visitors look at paper cranes hung at Peace Park in Nagasaki on Aug. 8, a day ahead of the 80th anniversary of the World War II atomic bombing of the city.
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
The Japanese flag (left) with the flag of the African Union
Japanese prefectures break with labor ministry on minimum wage
The ministry of labor has suggested a 6% minimum wage increase, but most prefectures reporting so far are opting to go slightly higher.
Philippines quietly deepening ‘unofficial’ defense ties with Taiwan
Filipino soldiers take part in a flag-raising ceremony on Mavulis Island during a visit by the Philippines' Armed Forces chief of staff, in Batanes, the Philippines, in June 2023. Batanes, a group of idyllic islands at the country’s northernmost tip, sits about 160 kilometers from Taiwan.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
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By Alex K.T. Martin

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