For Yuki Hagiwara's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. expects to begin buying credit, equities and alternative assets in the second half of this year that will likely focus on U.S. securities.
Deposits at the nation’s top three banks alone grew by ¥41 trillion in the year ending in March.
The mortgage lender is enjoying a surge in demand for credit from homebuyers seeking larger properties in the suburbs, where the bank has a strong presence.
Organizers had initially planned to have about 10,000 doctors, nurses and medical staff on standby for the games but have had to cut that number down to about 7,000.
"We would not be organizing the games if we believed they could cause a big spread of the virus,” said Andrew Parsons, the head of the International Paralympic Committee.
A pledge to advance equality and inclusion is also expected to come next month from the games' organizing committee.
Japan’s Olympic organizers have all but lost control of any messaging, with no real strategy to generate any momentum toward holding the fast-approaching games.
The former judo heavyweight, who missed out on the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to an international boycott, is optimistic that the postponed Tokyo Games will go on this summer.
Japan’s fear of losing face against its closest regional rival has upped the ante for the Summer Games.
As banks move toward digitalization, the pandemic has added an incentive for consumers and merchants to avoid touching physical money.
