Tag - economic indicators

 
 

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

The average wage hike rate among major Japanese firms this year hit 5% for the second straight year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 7, 2025
Major Japan firms set record with pay hikes above 5% for second year
This year's average raise of 5.39% was the second biggest since comparable data became available in 1976.
A cargo ship at the port of Oakland, California, on Aug. 4
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 6, 2025
U.S. trade deficit narrowed 16% in June as high tariffs cast shadow on services
Days after reporting that the goods trade deficit fell to its lowest since September 2023, the U.S. said the full deficit including services was also its narrowest since then.
Nominal wages in Japan rose 2.5% in June from a year earlier, accelerating from a revised 1.4% gain the previous month, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 6, 2025
Japan’s nominal pay rises faster in June, backing case for BOJ rate hike
Nominal wages increased 2.5% in June from a year earlier, accelerating from a revised 1.4% gain the previous month and marking the steepest increase since February.
BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 3, 2025
BOJ watchers bring forward next rate hike call after trade deals
The view has emerged after clarity over trade increased with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing deals, including one with Japan.
Japan's seasonally adjusted effective job-to-applicant ratio dipped to 1.22 in June, down 0.02 point from the previous month, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 1, 2025
Japan's jobs-to-applicant ratio falls to 1.22 in June
It marked a second consecutive month of decreases as more people entered the job market amid soaring prices of food and other goods.
Industrial production gained 1.7% from the previous month, according to the industry ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 31, 2025
Factory output gain in Japan shows firms’ resilience amid tariffs
Though economists had expected a 0.8% loss, industrial production gained 1.7% from the previous month while output rose 4% from a year earlier, topping expectations of a 1.3% gain.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda. The central bank is expected to remain cautious until the fall.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 29, 2025
Bank of Japan likely to hold key rate at 0.5% as tariff breakthrough evaluated
Political uncertainty may also weigh on the policy board's decision this week.
Citing strong vehicle sales and a rise in domestic and foreign tourists, the Finance Ministry upgraded its economic outlook for Okinawa Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 29, 2025
Finance Ministry upgrades economic view on Okinawa
For production, the ministry downgraded its view on the Hokuriku region and the Kinki region but upgraded that on Okinawa.
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues are deliberating on interest rates this week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 28, 2025
Pressure mounts on Fed chief Powell in tee-up to GDP and jobs data
Fed officials are meeting this week as the government issues reports on gross domestic product, employment and the central bank’s preferred price metrics.
While the pace of gains in consumer prices in the capital slowed in July from a year earlier, the data send a fresh reminder that households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 25, 2025
Tokyo inflation slows while staying well above BOJ’s target
A decline in utility costs helped slow the overall gauge, but households are still coping with higher living costs overall.
The diffusion index on living conditions in Japan is at its lowest level in nearly 16 years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 24, 2025
Japan might be in a technical recession already
GDP appears to have declined for a second consecutive quarter, while wages remain stagnant and consumer sentiment weak.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.3% from a year earlier in June, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2025
Inflation stays elevated after easing from two-year high
Japan’s key price measure cooled a tad more than expected while remaining well above the Bank of Japan’s target.
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, apparently reflecting the impact from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2025
Japan’s exports fall as U.S. tariffs stoke recession risks
Exports measured by value dropped 0.5% in June from a year earlier, led by cars and steel, the Finance Ministry reported.
People walk along a promenade in Shanghai on July 10.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2025
Beneath China's resilient economy, a life of pay cuts and side hustles
China's economy recently posted robust growth, showing its export-heavy model has so far withstood U.S. tariffs. But beneath the headline resilience, cracks are widening.
Workers on the production line of a toy factory in Shenzhen, China
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 15, 2025
China’s economy expands 5.2% as exports propel growth
The world’s second-largest economy has powered ahead despite a 24% slump in shipments to the U.S. in the second quarter.
The central bank will probably weigh increasing its key price forecast from 2.2% for this fiscal year after food inflation proved stronger than expected.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 14, 2025
BOJ may raise price outlook as food inflation beats expectations, sources say
The yen briefly strengthened against the dollar following the report, while Japan’s bond futures dipped.
Orders from the automobile and auto parts industries decreased 7.1% in May after a 20.3% drop the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 14, 2025
Japan core machinery orders down 0.6% in May
The government kept its basic assessment unchanged, saying that machinery orders are showing signs of picking up.
Bullet trains at Tokyo Station earlier this year
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2025
Summer vacation budget for Japanese hits record high
The average budget grew 26.4% to mark an increase for the fourth straight year.
In June, the export price index for vehicles shipped to North America plunged 19.4% from a year earlier on a contract currency basis.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2025
Japanese carmakers slash export prices to U.S. to offset tariff hit
The move raises concerns over companies’ profitability and whether they can continue to keep raising wages at home.
China’s economy shows signs of a possible recovery despite structural challenges and imperfect GDP data, but its future growth and global impact hinge on trade relations with the U.S. and how economic progress is measured.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2025
Taking GDP out of the China equation
There are problems with looking at China’s vitality through the GDP lens — the data is widely perceived to be finessed by officials

Longform

A mushroom cloud from the atomic bombing on Hiroshima taken from a U.S. military aircraft on Aug. 6, 1945. Copying the photo without permission is prohibited.
80 years on, a Japanese American hibakusha recalls the day the bomb dropped