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October 23, 2025
 

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ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Exports measured by value dropped 1.7% in May from a year earlier, suggesting exporters may be absorbing the tariff shock by cutting prices, as export volume rose 1.8%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 18, 2025
Japan’s export drop raises recession risks as U.S. tariffs bite
The drop in exports and the larger trade deficit add to concerns that Japan’s economy could shrink again in the second quarter.
The Business Sentiment Index for large firms registered minus 1.9 for the April-June quarter, slipping into negative territory for the first time since the first quarter of 2024.
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2025
Japan’s firms see business climate worsen amid U.S. tariff hits
The Business Sentiment Index for large firms slipped into negative territory for the first time since the first quarter of 2024.
World Bank Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose speaks during an interview on Monday in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 11, 2025
World Bank sees Japan's growth slowing in 2025
The institution has lowered its 2025 growth estimate for Japan's gross domestic product to 0.7% in inflation-adjusted real terms.
Japan's gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 0.2% in the three months through March, the revised data showed, confirming the country's economy shrank even before U.S. President Donald Trump amped up tariff pressure in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 9, 2025
Japan confirms GDP contraction, backing BOJ’s cautious stance
GDP shrank at an annualized pace of 0.2% in the three months through March, a less severe drop than the initial estimate of a 0.7% decline.
Japan's exports in terms of value dropped 3% in the first 20 days of May from the same period a year earlier, indicating the impact of U.S. tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 6, 2025
Japan’s early May exports drop as tariff woes upend commerce
Exports measured by value dropped 3% in the first 20 days of May, which compared with a 2% rise for April.
Japan's household spending fell 0.1% from a year earlier in April, as the elevated cost of living weighs on consumer spending.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 6, 2025
April household spending drop deals blow to Japan's shrinking economy
Domestic demand will likely be a key factor in determining whether a technical recession can be avoided after the economy shrank in the first quarter.
Wages in Japan are falling on a real basis, in part because of rising food prices.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 5, 2025
Real wages in Japan fell 1.8% year on year in April
Inflation-adjusted pay has now fallen for four straight months.
OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann delivers a speech at OECD headquarters in Paris on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 3, 2025
Trade war cuts global economic growth outlook: OECD
After 3.3% growth last year, the world economy is now expected to expand by a "modest" 2.9% in 2025 and 2026, the OECD said.
Japanese firms' capital expenditure gained 1.8% in the three months through March from the previous quarter, while inflation is keeping a lid on household spending and U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign clouds the trade outlook.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 2, 2025
Japan’s firms raised capital spending ahead of U.S. tariffs
Business spending holds the key to the country’s economic growth as inflation keeps a lid on household spending.
Tokyo’s consumer price index that serves as a leading indicator for national inflation trends posted in May the biggest year-on-year rise since January 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 30, 2025
Tokyo prices rising most in two years keeps BOJ on hike path
The food price gains are a worrisome sign for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of a summer election expected to be held by July.
Japan's consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.5% from a year earlier in April, with food items, especially rice, remaining a major contributor to price growth.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 23, 2025
BOJ and Ishiba pressured as prices rise the fastest in two years
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.5% from a year earlier in April, higher than economists' expectations.
Seasonally adjusted core machinery orders in March rose 13% from the previous month, growing for the second consecutive month.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 22, 2025
Core machinery orders grew for second straight month in March
The government agency kept its basic assessment unchanged, saying that machinery orders are showing signs of picking up.
A crowd of tourists walk on the street near Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. There has been growing pushback from residents in the tradition-steeped city as visitor numbers continue to rise.
JAPAN / Society
May 21, 2025
Japan's tourist arrivals soared 28.5% in April to hit record 3.9 million
For the first four months of the year, foreign visitor arrivals totaled 14.4 million, a 24.5% increase.
Japan’s trade balance swung into a deficit in April after two months in the black as growth in its exports slowed.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 21, 2025
Japan’s exports slow as U.S. tariffs bite, risking a recession
Exports measured by value gained 2% in April from a year earlier, slowing from March’s 4% as cars and steel dragged on shipments.
Employees work on the production line of American infant product and toy manufacturer Kids II at a factory in Jiujiang, in China's Jiangxi province, in June 2021.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 19, 2025
China consumption miss overshadows factory strength amid tariffs
Despite the resilience of factories, weaker consumption for April points to the need for more supportive policies as economists warn of complacency after a 90-day pause on tariffs.
The Japanese economy flipped back into reverse in the first three months of the year, with consumption staying below its pre-pandemic level as inflation saps purchasing power.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 16, 2025
Japan’s economy shrank for the first time in a year before tariff jolt
The first contraction under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba adds to concerns about the resilience of the economy before tariffs came into effect.
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.
Rare female yakuza walks path to redemption in Japan
Retired yakuza Mako Nishimura sorts fallen leaves during a clean-up activity at the Gifu Gokoku shrine in Gifu Prefecture on Sept. 28.
Takaichi makes history as Japan’s first female prime minister
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi reacts to applauding lawmakers after being elected prime minister at the Lower House on Tuesday.
Japanese man sentenced to eight years after rare public accusation of rape
Riho Fukuyama (center) and her husband Yoshiki Fukuyama (left) speak to the media with their lawyer (right) outside the Toyama District Court in Toyama on Tuesday.
Woman arrested for pepper spray assault on Yamanote Line
Emergency vehicles arrive at the JR Otsuka Station in Tokyo Monday following a report that a woman had allegedly injured passengers with pepper spray inside a train on the Yamanote Line.
North Korea fires off ballistic missiles one day after Takaichi named PM
People watch a TV news report about North Korean short-range ballistic missile launches, at the main railway station in Seoul on Wednesday.
In pictures: The day Japan’s glass ceiling finally cracked
Takaichi, surrounded by LDP influencers
London exhibition perhaps sumo's most successful trip abroad
With the recent sumo jaunt to London being essentially a goodwill exercise, <i>rikishi</i> were far more outgoing and relaxed than normal.
Nakatsu keeps its cool as gentrification looms
Shunsuke Takahashi, owner of the cafe Hood by Vargas, says the Osaka neighborhood of Nakatsu feels brighter and calmer with the influx of new businesses.
Japan's first female PM promised more women in her Cabinet. She picked two.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi poses with members of the newly formed Cabinet on Tuesday night.
Who is Minoru Kihara, Takaichi’s new 'cool-headed' spokesman?
Minoru Kihara (second from left) attends a Lower House plenary session on Tuesday in Tokyo.

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