Business Jun 11, 2021

Japan’s Finance Ministry ignores climate risk, ex-official says

Rintaro Tamaki, a former top bureaucrat at the ministry, says it should raise Japan’s already high gasoline tax and hike tariffs on imported fossil fuels.

National Apr 20, 2021

Japan should consider scrapping Olympics, former finance chief says

Ex-Finance Minister Jun Azumi highlighted that recent polls showed 70% of the public are against holding the Tokyo Games.

Business Apr 12, 2021

Japan's GPIF, forerunner on ESG investing, pulls back as trend catches on

Constrained by stricter legal restraints, the world's top pension fund has largely been quiet on impact investing since appointing a new chief investment officer in April 2020.

Business / Economy | FOCUS Mar 29, 2021

Japan’s ¥106 trillion record budget could just be the start in election year

Some ruling party lawmakers are calling for more stimulus along the lines of the massive aid package adopted this month in the United States.

Business / Economy Mar 4, 2021

Tokyo emergency extension worth the extra financial hit, economists say

Experts say that suppressing activity for a little longer won’t add too much extra damage to an economy that is already showing some signs of recovery even under existing restrictions.

Business / Economy Dec 10, 2020

Japan’s latest stimulus boost may fall short of official forecast

Many economists expect the dollar-for-dollar impacts of stimulus measures to typically decrease as time passes from a crisis or recession.

Business Nov 30, 2020

Key Japanese lawmaker says third extra budget may not be last

A key ruling party lawmaker said an extra budget being drafted now may not be the end of Japan’s stimulus spending this fiscal year given the uncertainty surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. "There are a lot of possibilities,” said Keisuke Suzuki, who heads the ...

National Nov 28, 2020

Suga adviser says Japan needs another ¥40 trillion in stimulus

One of Suga’s economic advisers says the government needs to spend ¥40 trillion in its third extra budget to stop a surge in unemployment and prevent the suffering that would come with it.

Business / Economy Nov 19, 2020

¥10 trillion needed to set Japan on green path, says Suga adviser

"What’s key for the Japanese economy now is whether we can strengthen our growth strategy and conduct reforms," said Mitsumaru Kumagai, chief economist at Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd.

Business / Economy Nov 16, 2020

Japanese economy rebounds from record slump as pandemic pain eases

Gross domestic product grew an annualized 21.4% in the three months through September from the previous quarter, expanding at the fastest clip since 1968.