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May 05, 2024
 

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Sumio Ito
For Sumio Ito's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 31, 2022
Ex-official warns BOJ against using digital yen to juice policy
Hiromi Yamaoka said that while it's clear Japan's payment systems need to change, he is totally against the idea of the central bank using a digital yen to gain extra policy leverage.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 6, 2022
Bank of Japan plans to discuss changing long-held view on price risks, sources say
The central bank meets on Jan. 17 and 18, with its quarterly report on prices and growth likely to be the focus of interest.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2021
BOJ likely to scale down COVID-19 aid, former executive says
The BOJ could extend some parts of the program beyond March, while scaling back other areas such as its corporate debt buying, says the former leader of the bank's pandemic crisis response.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2021
BOJ’s newest board member sees Japan inflation creeping up
Higher energy costs have helped Japan's key gauge of consumer prices edge up over the last two months for the first time in more than a year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2021
Bank of Japan's extra goals help it play down inflation, ex-official says
The central bank will continue to diversify its goals so it can place less emphasis on achieving its price target, according to a former BOJ executive director.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 22, 2021
BOJ's Haruhiko Kuroda reaffirms policy mix need ahead of LDP leadership vote
The central bank decided to set short-term interest rates at minus 0.1% while guiding 10-year government bond yields around 0% to keep borrowing costs low for companies and households.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Sep 21, 2021
Haruhiko Kuroda's monetary experiment set to continue beyond BOJ tenure record
Reaching the landmark as longest-running governor will be testament to Kuroda's ability to keep political and market pressure at bay despite having failed to spark inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2021
Japan stimulus likely to continue whoever wins election, former BOJ exec says
'You would be risking a big market reaction by touching monetary policy,” said Kazuo Momma, former head of monetary policy at the central bank.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 18, 2021
Bank of Japan flags new step on climate and extends COVID-19 support program
The Bank of Japan surprised investors by joining other central banks with a measure to support climate change mitigation, while standing pat on its main policy levers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 16, 2021
BOJ sees no need for extra bond-buying tweaks for now, sources say
The BOJ starts its two-day meeting Thursday, with a majority of economists expecting the bank to extend its special COVID-19 funding program to help struggling businesses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 27, 2021
Japan to miss key 2% inflation target again as policy coordination loosened
'It's hugely symbolic that even Kuroda can't hit the target after a decade,” said a chief economist and former Bank of Japan official.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2021
BOJ likely to discuss raising economic outlook, sources say
BOJ officials see a strong recovery in the United States and China as a driving force for Japan's export-reliant economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 13, 2021
Ex-BOJ member sees no rate cuts without fresh crisis
Former board member Makoto Sakura's comments indicate the BOJ's bar for lowering rates is as high as ever and that weak inflation alone won't be enough to trigger such a move.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 19, 2021
BOJ carves out more policy flexibility after three-month review
The bank also said it would offer lending incentives if it lowered its target rates.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 11, 2021
BOJ looking to foster more yield fluctuations in bond market
The range around the 10-year yield target is a key focus for markets as the central bank looks to enhance the sustainability of its monetary stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 1, 2021
BOJ considers three pressure points to prolong stimulus
But with the Nikkei stock index around three-decade highs, some lawmakers and economists are asking why it's necessary to keep propping up the market.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 18, 2021
Bank of Japan policy review seen as fine-tuning, not game-changing
BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has a history of delivering surprises, so investors have been left guessing about what the policy assessment announced last month will deliver, if anything.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2020
BOJ’s local bank aid makes rates harder to cut, ex-official says
To gain eligibility for the interest payments, regional banks must make decisions on merging or show they have improved their profitability.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 23, 2020
BOJ official says digital currency needs public support first
China's plans to issue a digital yuan, while still not fleshed out, have heightened global interest in digital currencies among central banks and policymakers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 21, 2020
BOJ likely to reduce inflation forecasts as Go To campaign cuts prices
The travel discounts started in July, and have helped drive consumer inflation below zero as hotel prices dropped by more than 30% from a year ago.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
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.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
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