Commentary / Japan Jan 24, 2019
by Daniel Moss
The central bank is buffeted by the same factors as its global peers — and homegrown challenges that are tougher to tackle.
Commentary / Japan Nov 2, 2018
The BOJ is too focused on 2% inflation target
by Daniel Moss
National / History | Defining the Heisei Era Jun 23, 2018
Defining the Heisei Era: Japan experiences a hangover
by Alex Martin
The Japan Times presents the second installment of a monthly 12-part series that looks back at the leading issues of the past three decades.
Business Mar 6, 2018
Convenience-store squeeze shows deflationary dilemma facing Bank of Japan
by Lisa Du and Yuko Takeo
Takanori Sakai works the graveyard shift four nights a week at the FamilyMart store he owns in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, because he can't afford the higher pay employees demand these days. "More and more stores can't secure a profit," the 57-year-old said. Problem is, with ...
Commentary / Japan Jan 26, 2018
Moment of truth for the Bank of Japan
by Takatoshi Ito
The BOJ continues to provide significant stimulus to the economy, but with inflation still well below target the central bank finds itself between a rock and a hard place.
Business Jan 18, 2018
Japan has entered a new phase in its fight against deflation, but stronger wage growth and improved productivity are needed if the economy is to turn the corner, the Cabinet Office said in a report released Thursday. Describing wage growth as "modest" for most workers, ...
Business Oct 26, 2017
Osaka's ¥1 sales energize shoppers but not good for BOJ's inflation quest
by Masahiro Hidaka
Osaka is famed for it's cheap prices, with ¥1 supermarket sales, ¥10 drinks and discount train tickets sold right next to the station. That attracts thrifty consumers and tourists, but may be undercutting the central bank's efforts to generate sustained price rises. "If it's not ...
Commentary / Japan Jul 23, 2017
Japan's struggles are hardly unique
by Daniel Moss
Victory in Japan's battle with too-low inflation looks as elusive as ever.
Business / Economy | FOCUS Apr 16, 2017
Frugal households offer no respite for BOJ, retailers
by Leika Kihara and Kaori Kaneko
Naruhito Nogami, a 37-year-old systems engineer in Tokyo, drives to discount stores on weekends to buy cheap groceries in bulk, even though he earns enough to make ends meet and the prospects for Japan's economic recovery are brighter. "I do have money, but I'm frugal ...
National Feb 24, 2017
'Premium Friday' drive kicks off to energize weary workers, feeble economy
by Reiji Yoshida
The government-backed "Premium Friday" campaign kicked off on Friday with around 130 participating firms across the country encouraging employees to leave work early on the last Friday of each month. The government launched the initiative to boost weak consumer spending as it struggles to halt ...
Commentary / Japan Feb 20, 2017
Economic tools lose their edge
by Takamitsu Sawa
The maturing of the market economy has eliminated the ability to control the economy by way of fiscal and monetary policies.
Business / Economy Feb 17, 2017
Japan quietly reflates, buying time for reckoning with debt
by Chris Anstey and Connor Cislo
Hidden beneath the headlines about Japan's continual failure to reach its inflation target is a quiet reflation of its economy. It took almost two decades, but Japan finally notched a record for the size of its economy in 2016, one of the most significant signs ...