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Stanley White
For Stanley White's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 4, 2019
Japan bets on QR code payments to sustain spending
When the baseball season kicked off in Japan this spring, fans of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles were faced with an inconvenience they'd never encountered before: The food and drink stalls did not accept cash.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
May 8, 2019
Japan's labor shortage eats away at backbreaking work culture
When she worked in sales for a bank, Chihiro Narazaki was passed over for the best assignments in favor of older colleagues. Her input was discouraged and she often stayed late just to do routine paperwork.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2018
Faced with worker shortage, Japan reshapes its legendary hospitality
Japan's capital expenditure boom is shifting to the services sector, stirring fears that self-checkout systems and software will take the human touch out of omotenashi, the country's vaunted commitment to hospitality.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2018
Job perks on rise in Japan as labor crunch reshapes how companies attract workers
Misaki Harada wants to quit her job as a receptionist at a restaurant management company in Tokyo and move into marketing for an apparel-maker.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Feb 16, 2018
Tax incentive tweak to raise Japan's wages expected to have limited appeal
On the surface, it looks like an attractive deal: Raise your workers' pay by 3 percent and your company qualifies for a substantial tax break.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 26, 2017
Abe's post-election policy targets wages but delays fiscal reform
The prime minister's economic agenda is shaping up after his election win with a focus on steering firms to hike wages, and with moves to shift fiscal prudence targets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 29, 2017
Japan's strong inflation, factory output point to robust recovery
A flurry of positive Japanese economic indicators bolsters optimism about the world's No. 3 economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 15, 2017
Desperately short of labor, midsized firms plan to buy robots
Desperate to overcome the nation's growing shortage of labor, midsized companies are planning to buy robots and other equipment to automate a wide range of tasks, including manufacturing, earthmoving and hotel room service.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 25, 2016
Labor market reform chief targets pay gap as balm for productivity, spending woes
The government has placed a high priority on narrowing the gap in pay and benefits between regular and contract employees as this will raise productivity and consumer spending, said Katsunobu Kato, minister for labor market reform.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 24, 2016
Japan needs ¥10 trillion in fiscal stimulus in each of next two years, says Abe adviser
Japan should spend ¥10 trillion ($99.83 billion) on fiscal stimulus both in fiscal 2017 and 2018 to offset the economy's lack of demand and eliminate the risk of deflation, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2016
'Helicopter money' talk takes flight as Bank of Japan runs out of runway
The BOJ's review of its monetary stimulus program revived expectations it could adopt some form of 'helicopter money,' printing money for government spending to spur inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 27, 2016
Corporate Japan much more downbeat about escape from deflation: poll
Japan Inc. has become increasingly pessimistic about the country's ability to beat deflation, with the vast majority of firms now expecting no escape for the foreseeable future, a poll says.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2016
Sucked into deflation again, Japan's $2 cup noodle binge is sign of the times
Japanese consumers cannot get enough of cup ramen, with spending on them surging by more than a quarter over the past year. That sounds like good news, but for a country still struggling to escape deflation it is a worrying signal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Apr 3, 2016
Death by overwork on rise among Japan's vulnerable workers
As the number of compensation claims related to death from 'karoshi' or overwork soars, more and more younger and female employees are being affected by the phenomenon.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 4, 2014
S&P doubts Abe will have detailed fiscal consolidation plan
Standard & Poor's has cast doubt on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ability to repair Japan's tattered finances less than two weeks away from a snap election, after Moody's downgraded the country's sovereign debt rating.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 3, 2014
BOJ battles entrenched 'deflation mindset' among Japanese consumers
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda doesn't need to convince people that deflation brings problems, but getting them to believe that higher prices will make conditions better is a harder sell.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2008
BOJ may be unable to halt yen's rising tide: traders
The Bank of Japan may be powerless to prevent the yen from rising to a 13-year high, according to the world's biggest foreign-exchange traders.
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2008
Yen's rally to continue as BOJ intervention unlikely
For the first time in more than a decade, foreign-exchange traders are confident the Bank of Japan won't intervene in the currency market, paving the way for the yen to extend its biggest rally since 2000.
BUSINESS
Oct 25, 2004
New bank notes could draw underground cash into the light
When the Bank of Japan puts new bank notes into circulation next month, it could draw out cash hoarded away in the country's underground economy and into investments like gold and real estate.

Longform

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Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?