Vitor Gaspar, director of the International Monetary Fund's Fiscal Affairs Department, is interviewed in Washington last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 16, 2025
IMF executive recommends longer-term fiscal planning for Japan
The current debt trends and risks are "fundamentally different" from those of the pre-pandemic period, when ultralow interest rates were the norm, the executive said.
The Sakhalin-2 project is vital to Japan's energy security as it accounts for about 9% of its LNG imports.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 16, 2025
U.S. expects Japan to stop buying Russian energy, Bessent says
Russia's Sakhalin-2 project remains vital to Japan's energy security as it accounts for about 9% of its liquefied natural gas imports.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato meet in Washington on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 16, 2025
Japan’s Kato calls for G7 unity over China’s rare earth curbs
"Japan is deeply concerned about these measures,” Kato told reporters in Washington on Wednesday, referring to China’s latest trade measures.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent delivers remarks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 16, 2025
Bessent says yen will settle if BOJ keeps taking right policies
The statement follows the U.S. treasury secretary's remarks in August that Japan’s central bank was behind the curve in addressing inflation.
Steel products are the target of two anti-dumping probes Japan has begun so far this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2025
Japan turns to anti-dumping measures as international trade gets complicated
An uptick in number of probes this year indicates an evolving strategy.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his intention to resign on Sept. 7.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2025
Ishiba to leave office with a mixed record on the economy
The outgoing prime minister achieved a few successes and left some important business unfinished.
Gantry cranes stand near shipping containers as an Evergreen Marine Corp. container ship is docked at Yangshan Port outside of Shanghai on June 17. China has started to collect special port fees on U.S.-owned, operated, built or flagged vessels.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2025
U.S. and China roll out tit-for-tat port fees, threatening more turmoil at sea
Shippers are quietly trying to improvise workarounds, with varying degrees of success.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building