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BUSINESS
Jul 7, 2014

Electricity gold rush heralds end for monopolies

Watami Co., a restaurant chain known best as a hangout for salarymen, is getting into the business of selling power — and it isn't alone.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2009

Moving Tsukiji to new site raises fears of toxic seafood

Tokyo's Tsukiji, dubbed "the fish market at the center of the world" for its influence on the global seafood trade, is being forced to move to a site laced with benzene and cancer-causing chemicals.
EDITORIALS
Mar 19, 2005

Whimsical article of faith

The ongoing takeover battle between Livedoor Inc. and Fuji Television Network offers food for thought regarding "market capitalization," now a favorite topic of conversation among executives of information-technology firms and Internet service providers. Market capitalization, which is calculated by...
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Sep 26, 2022

Japan and China's 'hot' economic ties increasingly complex

Fifty years on from Japan's restoration of relations with Beijing, trade and investment between the two nations is now more likely to feel an impact from political tensions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 29, 2022

‘Inflation fever’ is finally breaking, but central banks won’t stop hiking rates

The major global central banks, which failed to see the pandemic price shock coming, are set to press ahead with interest-rate increases even as headline inflation tops out.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 18, 2022

Fed says more U.S. rate hikes coming, but pace will slow 'at some point'

The central bank has raised the benchmark borrowing rate four times this year, including two massive three-quarter-point increases in June and July.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 14, 2022

Hot U.S. inflation fuels bets on supersized Fed rate hike

A bevy of U.S. central bankers in recent weeks have signaled support for a second straight 75 basis points rate increase at their upcoming policy meeting on July 26 and 27.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 13, 2022

Wall Street's China problems multiply with warning on banker pay

Don't reward your top people too lavishly, Chinese regulators warned banks this year in meetings in Shanghai and Beijing, or you might run afoul of the Communist Party.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 2, 2022

Europe’s Russian oil ban could mean a new world order for energy

In effect, Europe is trading one unpredictable oil supplier — Russia — for unstable exporters in the Middle East.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 28, 2022

Yen slides past ¥130 to the dollar after BOJ doubles down on bond buying

The Bank of Japan's decision had been widely expected among economists, despite ongoing speculation the bank might take action in light of a recent slide in the yen rate to a two-decade low.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 9, 2022

Russia's war in Ukraine set to compound worldwide hunger crisis as shipments dry up

Together, Russia and Ukraine exporting so much wheat, corn, sunflower oil and other foods that it adds up to more than a tenth of all calories traded globally.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 4, 2022

Putin’s financial fortress blunts impact of threatened sanctions

U.S. President Joe Biden says planned sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine would have 'a devastating impact” on its economy, but economists say Russia is ready.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2022

Hyundai jumps back into Japan with an online-only, all-electric plan

The last time Hyundai sold a car in Japan was in 2009, when it pulled out after years of dismal sales.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 17, 2022

Why cyber defense in Japan is so unreliable

Despite its technological advances, the country lags in global cybersecurity rankings, having failed to follow a solid policy for embracing modernization.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 9, 2021

Why the U.S. is struggling to formulate a trade policy on China

Any measures taken against Beijing could see retaliatory moves leveled at Washington, and could run counter to world efforts for peaceful exchange.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2021

China steps up efforts to ring-fence Evergrande, not save it

In the last week alone, Chinese authorities have dispatched top financial regulators to nudge the country's massive banks to ease credit for homebuyers and support the property sector.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 16, 2021

BOJ sees no need for extra bond-buying tweaks for now, sources say

The BOJ starts its two-day meeting Thursday, with a majority of economists expecting the bank to extend its special COVID-19 funding program to help struggling businesses.
In one of the biggest changes to the alliance in decades, U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to agree on revamping the U.S. military’s command in Japan to help strengthen operational planning with the Self-Defense Forces.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2024

At Biden-Kishida summit, tech tie-ups are as important as defense deals

The two leaders are also expected to announce boosted cooperation on supply chains and cutting-edge technologies, all with an eye on China.
Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, says all options are on table after the yen fell past ¥153 to the dollar.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 11, 2024

Tokyo and Washington may be in sync, but the dollar-yen currency gap is growing

The yen slipped to its lowest level since 1990 — ¥153 against the dollar — while officials said they were examining their options.
Japan's gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 16, 2024

Japan’s economy contracts as consumers and firms cut spending

Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda has talked about the potential need for a monetary policy response given foreign exchange rates’ impact on the economy. Last month, the yen touched its weakest level in 34 years, ¥160 per dollar, before rebounding.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 20, 2024

BOJ Gov. Ueda finally toughens message on the weak yen

Though most of the factors behind the flailing currency lie outside of Japan, the central bank and Finance Ministry have some agency in determining events. They should use it.
The Nikkei stock index showed a strong rebound Tuesday morning after a historic plunge a day earlier in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 6, 2024

Tokyo stocks rebound sharply in morning trading after record fall

On Monday, the Nikkei had closed down 12.40%, or 4,451.28 points — its largest points drop in history.
Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Dec 23, 2024

Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?

Inbound tourism to Japan reached a record high in 2024, but managing the crowds and ensuring sustainability remain a challenge.
The producer price index in 2024 rose 2.3% from the previous year to 122.6, against 100 for the base year of 2020, a Bank of Japan report showed Thursday. The index was up for the fourth year in a row.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 16, 2025

Japan's producer price index hit record high in 2024

The producer price index, which measures the costs of goods traded between companies, rose 2.3% from the previous year to 122.6.
A worker assembles temporary shelters in preparation for mass deportations at the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 27, 2025

Wall Street banks on Trump not following through on immigration pledges

Mass deportations would likely upend industries as varied as service-heavy hospitality and leisure, labor-intensive agriculture, food production, manufacturing and construction.
China’s overnight and seven-day repo rates surged in February, while bond investors took losses from a sharp rise in yields.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 10, 2025

‘Impossible trinity’ conundrum has caused a cash crunch in Asia

Countries can’t simultaneously control their currencies, independently set interest rates and allow capital to move freely across borders — something will break or give way.
A worker arranges cases of avocados at a packaging facility in Mexico on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will follow through next month on twice-delayed plans to impose 25% levies on goods from Mexico as well as Canada.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 21, 2025

Trump trade upheaval leaves foreign central banks guessing

The stagflationary direction noted of the U.S. outlook has central banks across the globe parsing what the fallout may mean for them.
Sony and Nintendo might have to raise the prices of their game consoles, which are assembled mainly in China and are shipped to the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 11, 2025

Nintendo Switch 2 and Sony PS5 likely to get price hikes due to tariffs

Pricing could come close to $590 for the soon-to-be-released Nintendo Switch 2 or Sony’s PS5 Astro Bot bundle.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda
BUSINESS / Economy
May 28, 2025

Ueda to monitor risk of high long-term bond yields affecting shorter-term rates

The comments come at a time of heightened concern about volatility at the long end of the bond market.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan