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Takahiko Wada
For Takahiko Wada's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
The Bank of Japan signed a joint statement with the government in 2013 committing itself to achieve its 2% inflation target "at the earliest date possible."
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 6, 2024
Japan's inflation goal still needed even if negative rates end: official
Chief government economist Tomoko Hayashi says any shift in BOJ policy would not alter the importance of the 2% inflation target.
The Tokyo core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food but includes fuel costs, rose 2.7% in October from a year earlier, exceeding market forecasts for a 2.5% gain.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 27, 2023
BOJ in focus as core inflation in Tokyo unexpectedly accelerates
The data reinforces expectations the BOJ will revise up its inflation forecasts when it produces fresh quarterly projections at next week's meeting.
Fruit and vegetables for sale at the entrance to a supermarket in a shopping precinct in Tokyo on Oct. 7.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 20, 2023
Japan's core inflation slows below 3% for first time in over a year
The rate has tracked above the Bank of Japan's 2% target for 18 straight months.
The Tokyo core consumer price index rose 2.8% in August from a year earlier, slowing for the second straight month but remaining well above the central bank's 2% target.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 25, 2023
Inflation in Tokyo slowed in August but stayed above BOJ target
The Tokyo core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food but includes fuel costs, rose 2.8% in August from a year earlier.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 26, 2023
Inflation in Tokyo slows in May, but key gauge hits four-decade high
The data showed firms continued to pass on rising costs to households in a sign inflationary pressure could last longer than the BOJ projects.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2023
Japan's broadening inflationary pressures test BOJ's dovish stance
Consumer inflation held steady above the central bank"s target in March and an index excluding fuel costs rose at the fastest annual pace in four decades.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2023
Inflation in Tokyo cools for second month but remains above BOJ target
Core consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of nationwide trends, rose 3.2% in March from a year earlier, compared with 3.3% in February and a nearly 42-year high of 4.3% in January.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 27, 2023
Consumer inflation in Tokyo hits near 42-year high, keeping BOJ under pressure
The data heightens the chance that inflation will stay well above the Bank of Japan"s 2% target in coming months.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 11, 2022
Bank of Japan may ditch yield cap next year as inflation perks up
The Bank of Japan must guard against the risk of inflation well exceeding its expectations, says Takeo Hoshi, an academic with close ties to incumbent central bank policymakers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 16, 2022
Front-runner to be next BOJ chief calls for faster green growth strategy
An increase in Japan's potential growth would encourage firms to raise wages on prospects of stronger profits, and give households more purchasing power, Hiroshi Nakaso said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2021
BOJ discussing phasing out pandemic support as economy reopens, sources say
Ending a pandemic-relief loan program could raise eyebrows among politicians when the government continues to focus on dealing with the hit from the health crisis.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2021
Japan insurers struggle to pinpoint climate change cost estimates
Japan's second-largest nonlife insurer, MS&AD, foresees the potential rise in claim payments in 2050 from current levels to be anywhere between 5% and 50%.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2020
Japan must revise BOJ law to speed up digital currency, senior LDP official says
Japan has been cautious about moving too quickly on digital currencies given the social disruptions it could cause.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2020
Nagasaki bank merger may expose flaws in Suga’s regional rescue plan
Some in Nagasaki fret the merged bank, which would belong to a financial group based in Fukuoka Prefecture, may shift its focus away from local borrowers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 23, 2020
Japan's SBI, eyeing shake-up of regional banks, may get a Suga boost
Suga has pledged to strengthen local economies and encourage regional banks to consolidate, a shake-up that many say is long overdue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2020
Pandemic derails Abe's strategy to revive regional Japan with tourism
The plight of Kyoto and other cities in the western Kansai region has exposed a vulnerability of the prime minister's "Abenomics" stimulus policy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2019
Regional bank in Japan battles ultralow interest rates with wine bar and sea urchins
As years of near-zero interest rates in Japan make traditional lending barely profitable, one regional bank is seeking to drum up business through less conventional enterprises, from opening wine bars to helping fishermen farm sea urchins.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2018
'Don't blame BOJ,' FSA chief Toshihide Endo tells struggling regional banks
The nation's top financial regulator said regional banks "should not blame the Bank of Japan" for their woes, urging them to explore ways to survive ultralow interest rates.

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A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world