For Chikako Mogi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Measures such as spending cuts or tax increases to meet the goal would shave 1% off the economy each year and are therefore unlikely, says Ayako Fujita.
With combined assets equivalent to $3.6 trillion, and one-quarter of this in foreign securities, even minor shifts in Japanese insurer allocations can impact markets.
The yen at ¥100 to the dollar is a tough call for Japan’s banks, mainly because it’s the point where domestic exporters start losing money.
As coronavirus infections spark increasing alarm, the government has left investors guessing on how much money it will pump into the economy through a third extra budget.
Options for Japanese investors, among the biggest buyers of global debt, have shrunk this year as central banks slashed rates.
Net purchases of medium- to long-term foreign bonds by insurers were the lowest for an April to September period since 2013, according to ministry data.
Waning demand from key buyers plus less central bank support could set the stage for bonds to extend losses.
Miyako Suda, who opposed the Bank of Japan's ultraloose monetary policy as a member of its Policy Board, has a warning for the nation's life insurers as bond yields sink ever lower. This prolonged period of ultralow rates will pressure profits as sovereign debt matures ...
Going against a central bank is an investment strategy fraught with peril, but some bond market analysts think the Bank of Japan will fail to steepen the yield curve.
For Rugby World Cup fans budgeting for the trip of a lifetime to Japan this fall, the recent surge in the yen could have come at a better time. And the currency gods seem to be inflicting the most pain on followers of teams ...
