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July 06, 2025
 

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ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Japan's current account surplus declined 13% in October from a year earlier to ¥2.46 trillion.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 9, 2024
Japan's current account surplus declined 13% in October
The country's trade deficit decreased to ¥155.7 billion from the year-before level of ¥487.4 billion.
The number of bankruptcies in Japan is likely to exceed 10,000 for the first time since 2013.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 9, 2024
Japan's bankruptcies set to hit 11-year high in 2024, data shows
841 Japanese companies went bankrupt in November, bringing the January-November tally to 9,164, already exceeding last year's total.
Japan's economy expanded in the July-September period at a faster pace than initially estimated, with consumer spending relatively solid for a second straight quarter, in a sign that underlying strength may be returning to the economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 9, 2024
Japan’s economy shows more resilience as BOJ considers hike timing
GDP grew at an annualized pace of 1.2% in the three months through September from the previous quarter.
Consumer spending dropped 1.3% in October from a year earlier, data from the internal affairs ministry showed on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2024
Japan's soft consumer spending unlikely to deter BOJ from raising rates again
Economists attributed the underlying softness in consumption to rising prices and warm weather, which held consumers back from purchasing seasonal apparel.
Japan's base salaries grew at a 32-year-high pace in October, offering statistical support for the prospects of a central bank rate hike this month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 6, 2024
Record base pay gains keep door open for BOJ hike
Base pay for full-time workers increased by 2.8% in October from a year ago, the biggest gain for comparable data back to 1994.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda reiterated in an interview published Saturday that authorities will raise rates if the economy performs in line with projections.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 3, 2024
BOJ weighs case for first triple hike since Japan’s bubble burst
The last time the BOJ conducted three hikes in a single year was in 1989, with the third increase that year coming on Christmas Day.
Japanese companies' capital expenditure on goods excluding software rose 9.5% year on year in the three months through September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 2, 2024
Japanese firms boost capex in sign of confidence holding up
Expectations are also growing for the Bank of Japan to raise rates sooner rather than later.
The services producer price index rose 2.9% in October from a year earlier, the Bank of Japan data shows, accelerating from a 2.8% gain in September.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 26, 2024
Japan's steady corporate service inflation bolsters BOJ rate-hike view
The Bank of Japan is watching service-sector inflation for clues on whether demand-driven price gains are broadening enough to justify further raising interest rates.
Japan's core inflation held above the Bank of Japan's 2% target in October, keeping pressure on the central bank to raise its still-low interest rates.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 22, 2024
Inflation held above BOJ target in October, supporting winter rate hike
Food companies raised the prices of 2,911 items, with processed food prices increasing by 3.8% while rice prices rose 60%.
Japan's exports rebounded in October, led by a pickup in chip equipment demand in China.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 20, 2024
Japan’s exports grow, helped by China even as global risks rise
Exports rose 3.1% from a year ago, led by strong growth in shipments of chip-making equipment, especially sales to China.
Japan's economy expanded by an annualized 0.9% in the third quarter, data showed.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 15, 2024
Japan’s economy beats consensus in boost for BOJ rate hike case
Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized pace of 0.9% in the three months through September from the prior period, a tad higher than the 0.7% consensus estimate.
The corporate goods price index rose 3.4% in October from a year earlier, Bank of Japan data showed, above market forecasts for a 3.0% gain.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 13, 2024
Japan's wholesale inflation heightens uncertainty on rate hike timing
A spike in the price of rice, coupled with the increasing cost of nonferrous metals, food and oil, pushed up overall wholesale inflation.
An infrastructure project in the city of Mumbai. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 7.0% growth for India in 2024 and 6.5% in 2025, compared with 0.3% growth for Japan this year and 1.1% next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024
India set to overtake Japan in GDP rankings
Economic stagnation and a weak yen could take Japan's economy to fifth place globally as early as next year.
Shipping containers are seen at the Port of Nanjing in eastern China's Jiangsu province on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 12, 2024
China approaches record $1 trillion trade surplus to world’s ire
The pace of widening puts China on a collision course with some of the world’s biggest economies by aggravating an imbalance in global commerce.
A man walks past the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 30.
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2024
Worsening corporate mood and bankruptcies cloud BOJ's rate hike path
Some BOJ board members have voiced concerns that intensifying labor shortages could constrain growth, rather than lead to higher wages.
A pedestrian on a bridge walks past buildings in Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai on Jan. 9.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 10, 2024
Foreign firms pull more money from China’s slowing economy
Should the decline continue for the rest of the year, it would be the first annual net outflow in FDI since at least 1990, when comparable data begins.
Japanese household spending fell in September for the second straight month as higher prices choked consumers' appetite.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2024
Japan’s households cut spending once again as prices rise
Consumer spending in Japan has consistently failed to show clear signs of strength as shoppers have been forced to cope with prices increasing.
The Finance Ministry noted firm private consumption in raising its economic assessments in the Kanto region and other areas.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Government upgrades economic views for five regions
In a quarterly report, the Finance Ministry raised its views for the Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Shikoku and Okinawa regions.
The pace of gains in Japanese workers' base pay quickened to 2.6% year on year in September, versus a 2.4% clip in August.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Japan’s biggest base pay gains in 31 years support case for rate hikes
While base pay rose in September, real wages fell for a second straight month even as price gains slowed.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and senior officials and delegates at the National Peoples Congress in Beijing in March
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 4, 2024
China stimulus questions to persist long after meeting this week
It may be months before detailed plans to support consumption come into focus.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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