author

 
 

Meta

Tetsushi Kajimoto
For Tetsushi Kajimoto's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Commuters at Tokyo Station earlier this month. A Reuters poll showed six out of 10 economists expect major firms' pay hikes in 2024 to exceed this year's.
BUSINESS / Companies / ANALYSIS
Nov 20, 2023
Japan's back-to-back wage bonanza would open door for BOJ exit
The news comes as the government pushes companies to hike pay to help offset rising living costs.
Tomoko Yoshino, president of Rengo, attends a meeting in 2022.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2023
Japan's largest labor union to seek worker pay hikes beyond 2024
Rengo said last month it will demand wage hikes totaling 5% or more next year.
People pass an electronic board showing the rate of the yen against the dollar on a street in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 15, 2023
Former currency czar sees structural factors behind yen weakness
"I wonder whether overseas investors may be thinking what's in it for investing in Japan," said Rintaro Tamaki.
Takeshi Niinami, chairman of business lobby Keizai Doyukai, says the Bank of Japan "must normalize" monetary policy.
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2023
Japan needs to prepare for 'life with interest rates': lobby head
Takeshi Niinami, chairman of business lobby Keizai Doyukai, said the Bank of Japan "must normalize" monetary policy to help weed out incompetent firms.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino says the labor organization will seek wage hikes of 5% or more next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 19, 2023
Japan's largest labor group aims for wage hikes of 5% or more
Rengo will finalize its stance in December ahead of next year's wage negotiations.
A rebound in auto output and falling raw material costs helped lift Japan's business sentiment in the third quarter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 2, 2023
Japan's business mood improves as economic revival continues
The tankan survey suggests conditions for the BOJ to phase out its massive stimulus could fall into place, even as policymakers remain cautious.
Newly appointed economy minister Yoshitaka Shindo arrives at the Cabinet Office on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 14, 2023
New economy minister sees positive signs for end of deflation
Little is known about Yoshitaka Shindo's views on monetary and fiscal policies as he served in an intraparty post for the past eight years.
People make their way through Tokyo's Ameyoko shopping district. In a sign rising inflation is already taking a toll on consumption, Japan's household spending suffered its biggest drop in nearly 2½ years in July.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 7, 2023
China's economic gloom hangs over Japan's long-awaited recovery
If Beijing fails to shore up demand with meaningful stimulus, that could potentially delay an exit from the Bank of Japan's ultraloose monetary policy.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 22, 2023
BOJ's Ueda meets Kishida but says yen volatility wasn't discussed
The talks took place after the dollar's recent ascent above ¥145, a level that last September triggered Japan's first yen-buying operation since 1998.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 5, 2023
Japanese firms offer biggest pay hikes in 30 years as wage growth broadens
A total of 5,272 unions affiliated with Rengo showed an average pay hike of 3.58%, or ¥10,560 per month, the biggest increase since the 3.9% seen in 1993.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 4, 2023
Tokyo in constant dialogue with U.S. and others on currencies, finance minister says
The remarks likely signal Tokyo"s desire to keep the market on guard about possible currency intervention to prop up the yen, which has been hovering near ¥145 to the dollar.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 3, 2023
Improving Japan business mood signals steady economic recovery
Companies expect to increase capital expenditure and project inflation to stay above the Bank of Japan"s 2% target five years ahead, the quarterly tankan showed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2023
Japan says G7 will discuss strengthening global banking system
The recent collapse of First Republic Bank has exacerbated investor worries about the U.S. banking sector, and raised calls for better global oversight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 2, 2023
U.S. banking troubles won't affect Japan, says Economy Minister Shigeyuki Goto
While optimistic overall, Goto urged financial institutions and authorities to respond firmly to liquidity risks that have led to difficulties in the West.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
May 1, 2023
Inflation and labor crunch prodding Japan's smaller firms to raise pay
Wages have barely risen in Japan since the asset bubble burst in the 1990s but have crept up recently, as companies face pressure to compensate employees for the rising cost of living.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2023
Japan's current account swings back to black on overseas investment
The current account surplus stood at ¥2.1972 trillion ($16.59 billion) in February, the Finance Ministry said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 15, 2023
Why Japan's spring wage talks are a big deal this year
Every March, management of major Japanese firms meet with unions for wage talks across industries that set the tone for employees" pay in the new fiscal year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2023
Kishida urges extra inflation-relief steps as Japan's households struggle
The news comes as households grapple with intensifying cost-of-living pressures amid elevated inflation for items such as energy and food, hitting consumption and smaller businesses.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 28, 2023
Incoming BOJ deputy head brushes aside near-term tweak to easy policy
Shinichi Uchida suggested that any review of the central bank"s policy framework could take about a year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 17, 2023
With BOJ pick, Kishida strikes political balance and draws line under Abenomics
Having an academic helm the BOJ is unprecedented in Japan, where the job traditionally rotates between a central banker and an official from the Finance Ministry.

Longform

Yoshiko Koide sits in a classroom at Nagoya College where she teaches a Japanese-language observation seminar.
How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku