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BUSINESS

Economy

Japan's industrial production rose 3.8% in March from February, as demand picked up after two straight months of declines.

BUSINESS / Economy

Apr 30, 2024

Japan’s factory output records weakest quarter since pandemic

By Yoshiaki Nohara and Erica Yokoyama

The yen’s plunge to a fresh 34-year low versus the dollar could spur a resurgence of cost-push inflation via higher costs for imports of food and energy.

Krishna Srinivasan, director of Asia and Pacific at the International Monetary Fund, wrote in a blog post that global disinflation and the prospect of lower central bank interest rates had made a soft landing more likely.

BUSINESS / Economy

Apr 30, 2024

IMF boosts Asia growth forecast this year on China and India prospects

By Katia Dmitrieva

It expects Asia to grow 4.5% from the prior year — 0.3 percentage points higher than its previous forecast but still slower than last year’s 5% pace.

Japan's government debt has grown to the equivalent of more than 250% of the nation’s economy, more than any of its peers.

BUSINESS / Economy

Apr 30, 2024

Japan’s debt dilemma may doom any FX intervention, Brooks says

By Anya Andrianova

The consequences have been a sharply weaker yen, which has lost more than a quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar since March 2022.

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump announces Jerome Powell as his nominee to become chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington in November 2017.

BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS

Apr 29, 2024

Trump’s economic confidants battle for sway on taxes and Fed policy

By Nancy Cook, Saleha Mohsin and Catarina Saraiva

For months, the Trump campaign has been trying to rein in proposals from various factions with limited success.

Core inflation in Japan's capital slowed much more than expected in April, falling below the central bank's 2% target.

BUSINESS / Economy

Apr 26, 2024

Tokyo inflation slows sharply as education subsidy cuts outlays

By Erica Yokoyama and Yoshiaki Nohara

A plunge in costs for public and private high schools shaved around half a percentage point from the overall figure, the internal affairs ministry said.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol

BUSINESS / Economy

Apr 25, 2024

South Korea’s economic growth beats forecast as exports rise

By Sam Kim

South Korea's gross domestic product advanced 1.3% in the three months through March, easily outpacing economists’ consensus for a 0.6% expansion.

The yen’s slide has pushed up import bills in Japan, keeping domestic consumer spending tepid, with analysts saying any gains in real wages may evaporate if the yen depreciates further.

BUSINESS / Economy

Apr 24, 2024

Investors loved weak yen boosting shares until it went too far

By Hideyuki Sano

Concern is growing that the currency is becoming a liability for Japan’s economy and stocks.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.

The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces

By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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