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May 15, 2025
 

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ECONOMIC INDICATORS

South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung speaks in Goyang, South Korea, on April 27.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 14, 2025
South Korean think tank halves 2025 growth forecast to 0.8%
The revised outlook reflects the fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign on the trade-reliant nation as its presidential race hits full swing.
The number of business failures due to labor shortages grew to 36 from 25 a year before, while the number of bankruptcies because of inflation remained high, at 56, against 60.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2025
Japan business failures hit 11-year high for April
More failures were seen mainly among smaller companies with weak business bases as their revenue was squeezed by rising prices and higher labor costs.
A gauge of confidence among store managers, taxi drivers and others who interact directly with Japanese consumers dropped 2.5 points to 42.6 in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
Japan’s merchants’ mood hits worst in three years on tariff woes
A gauge of confidence among store managers, taxi drivers and others who interact directly with Japanese consumers dropped 2.5 points to 42.6 in April.
Exports in fiscal 2024 climbed 4.1% from the previous year to ¥106.24 trillion, led by shipments of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and vehicles.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
Japan's FY2024 current account surplus hits record ¥30 trillion
A weaker yen boosted dividend and interest flows from overseas, a Finance Ministry report showed.
A median estimate of economists shows Japan's gross domestic product likely shrank by 0.3% in the January-March quarter on an annualized basis.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
Japan’s sputtering economy likely stalled before Trump’s tariffs
Gross domestic product adjusted for inflation shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter on an annualized basis, according to economists.
Household spending in fiscal 2024 dropped 0.1% from the previous year in price-adjusted real terms, down for the second straight year, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2025
Japan household spending slides 0.1% in FY2024
The decrease reflects sustained inflation, which is making people more budget-minded on food.
Nominal cash earnings rose 2.1% from a year earlier, decelerating from a revised 2.7% pace in February and below a median economist forecast of 2.5%, according to the labor ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2025
Japan’s nominal wage growth slows, backing case for BOJ caution
Nominal cash earnings rose 2.1% from a year earlier, decelerating from a revised 2.7% pace in February and below a median economist forecast of 2.5%.
Both the March jobless rate and the February job-to-applicant ratio rose in Japan, keeping upward pressure on wages as companies try to boost pay to hire and retain workers.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 2, 2025
Japan’s job market stays tight, supporting wage momentum
The jobless rate ticked up to 2.5% in March from 2.4% in the previous month, the internal affairs ministry reported.
The Bank of Japan has been signaling caution in the face of uncertainty.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2025
Bank of Japan holds rates as expected but surprises with growth forecast cut
The policy board made no adjustment to the short-term policy rate, currently 0.5%, at a two-day meeting that concluded Thursday.
Industrial production dropped 1.1% in March compared with the previous month, according to the industry ministry.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2025
Japan's factory output falls in sign of frailty before tariffs
Industrial production dropped 1.1% in March compared with the previous month, the industry ministry reported Wednesday. Economists had forecast a 0.4% drop.
Digital screens at Piccadilly Circus display an advertisement for the Jaguar Type 00 concept car in London on Dec. 5, 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 28, 2025
Advertising giants brace for tariff-induced cuts to ad spending
The car industry, one of the sectors most vulnerable to a trade war, is likely to lead the way in curtailing ad spend.
Vehicles travel along the 110 freeway in downtown Los Angeles. California's GDP has overtaken Japan's to become the world's fourth largest economy, according to the U.S. state.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 27, 2025
California says it overtakes Japan to become world’s No. 4 economy
Japan's annual GDP was surpassed by China in 2010 and Germany in 2023, positioning the country in fourth place.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food in Tokyo gained 3.4% in April from a year earlier, as a mixture of impacts from last year’s school fee cuts and higher food and energy costs accelerated inflation, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 25, 2025
Tokyo prices rise most in two years, backing central bank's hike path
Consumer prices excluding fresh food gained 3.4% in April from a year earlier. Tokyo's figures are a leading indicator for national price gains.
The Japanese economy remains on a gradual recovery trend, the Finance Ministry said, while leaving its economic views unchanged for all of the country's 11 regions.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 22, 2025
Japan's Finance Ministry maintains economic view while warning of risk
Many manufacturers expressed concern about the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on production, according to the ministry.
In the 12 months to March 31, the average price of new condominiums in Tokyo's 23 wards rose 11.2% year on year to ¥116.32 million ($824,500), hitting a record high for the fourth consecutive year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 22, 2025
Central Tokyo condo price tops ¥100 million for second straight year
Prices averaged ¥116.32 million ($824,500) in fiscal 2024, up 11.2% from the previous year.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.2% from a year ago in March, accelerating from a 3% increase in the previous month, according to the internal affairs ministry.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 18, 2025
Japan’s inflation quickens as rice prices gain the most in over 50 years
The price of the nation’s staple grain rose 92.1% in March from a year earlier, the fastest pace in data going back to 1971.
Japan's exports measured by value gained 3.9% in March from a year earlier, slower than estimated.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 17, 2025
Japan’s exports rise at slower pace as Trump tariffs begin
The outlook for Japan's economy appears increasingly uncertain as Trump deepens his tariff campaign, prompting nations like China to retaliate.
Commuters walk past a fruit store at a shopping arcade in Kyoto earlier this year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 12, 2025
Survey forecasts 12% rise in inflation in Japan over coming year
Of those surveyed, 86.7% said that prices are likely to be higher in a year's time, up from 85.7%.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Apr 11, 2025
Price expectations rise in Japan as tariffs cloud BOJ rate path
Households expect average annual inflation of 9.6% over the next five years, the highest since June 2006.
Producer prices of farm goods surged 19.7% in fiscal 2024 from the previous year, reflecting higher prices of rice sold to wholesalers.
BUSINESS
Apr 10, 2025
Japan producer prices rise 3.3% in fiscal 2024
According to a preliminary report by the Bank of Japan, the producer price index in the year through March hit a record high for the third straight year.
Transport ministry issues warning to Haneda Airport operator
The operator of Tokyo's Haneda Airport has been warned by the government over its inappropriate transactions.
Success of Chinese-made fighter jets against India raises alarm in Asia
Chinese J-10 fighter jets from the People's Liberation Army Air Force August 1st Aerobatics Team perform during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, in November 2015.
One month on, Osaka Expo urged to boost heat and crowd control measures
A gate to the Osaka Expo site is crowded with visitors on Monday.
Xi defiance pays off as Trump meets most China trade demands
Then-Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visits a school in South Gate, California, in February 2012. Experts say Xi won big in his standoff with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japanese retailers turn to California rice for cheaper alternative
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass eats California rice at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on Tuesday along with Mitsuko Tsuchiya, vice president of retailer Aeon.
Sumo title contenders already emerging in early stages of Tokyo meet
Onosato (left) battles Abi on Day 3 of the Summer Basho in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Harmfully hot days for pregnant women in Japan nearly doubled over past five years
New research by a U.S. climate scientists’ group reveals that extreme heat has increased the risks of preterm births and other pregnancy complications in Japan, nearly doubling the number of days that are harmfully hot for pregnant women over the past five years.
Japanese automakers looking at a ¥1 trillion hit from Trump tariffs 
Cars on display at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama on Tuesday. The automaker posted a massive annual net loss and confirmed that it plans to cut thousands of jobs worldwide.
Tokyo Stock Exchange wants stocks to be affordable for the average investor
The Tokyo Stock Exchange building in Nihonbashi. The exchange wants companies to lower the entry cost of investing in their shares.
Consumption tax set to dominate Upper House election debate
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Tuesday.

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