For Masato Imai's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Triggered by repeated corporate accounting scandals, the plunge in the U.S. stock market and the steep decline of the dollar have continued over the past two to three months. But this trend appears to be nearing an end. U.S. stocks have fallen nearly 30 percent ...
I have long warned against Japan's political leadership shortcomings, expressed doubt about a real economic recovery and predicted the yen will be weak this year. But recent woes have come not from within but from the U.S. Recent scandals, including the Enron debacle and the WorldCom ...
The currency market remains caught in the crosscurrents of a growing wave of dollar selling -- or speculation about it -- and fears of central bank intervention. The Bank of Japan intervened in the currency market for the first time in nearly six months last ...
The dollar has come under fresh downward pressure against all other major currencies. With much of the recent value increase running out of steam, the dollar fell below 130 yen early last week and is now hovering around 127 yen. The dollar's weak showing mirrors eroding ...
Political turbulence could weigh on the yen's value in the months ahead. The financial sector was stunned by news that the incumbent mayor of Yokohama, supported by the ruling coalition as well as opposition parties, was beaten by an independent reform-minded challenger in Sunday's election. Apparently ...
The dollar could snap out of its current range between 132 yen and 135 yen in mid-March and test the 140 yen line toward the close of fiscal 2001. A seasonal pickup in dollar receipts by Japanese banks and institutional investors from their overseas operations ...
Government officials' commitment to a weak yen policy has played a key role in daily currency market activity in recent months. The yen, caught in a relatively narrow range around 120 to the dollar a couple of months ago, has been under downward pressure recently, ...
Although the yen remains under downward pressure, Washington, Beijing and other countries across Asia have adopted a wait-and-see policy. In the apparent expectation that Washington will remain committed to a strong dollar policy to help ease Japan's economic predicament, Japanese government officials are openly signaling ...
The dollar has snapped out of a holding pattern and now appears poised to gain ground against other currencies. The terrorist attacks in the U.S. created a serious backwash across the world, prompting a switch back into the dollar amid fears of a global slump. Following ...
The dollar has snapped out of its holding pattern and now appears poised to gain further ground against the yen in the months ahead. There is talk that Japanese banks have turned selective in issuing letters of credit in the wake of last month's terrorist ...
