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May 16, 2025
 

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ECONOMY

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attend a news conference after trade talks with China, in Geneva on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
U.S. and China agree to lower tariffs in 90-day cooling-off period
The temporary move will give the world’s two largest economies three more months to resolve their differences.
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.
People stand in front of a big screen displaying the Nikkei share average outside a brokerage in Tokyo late last month.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 12, 2025
Japan’s Topix extends rally to 12th day as tariff worries ease
The Topix closed 0.3% higher at 2742.08, giving it its longest winning streak since 2017.
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.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer address the media after trade talks with China in Geneva on Sunday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 12, 2025
U.S. and China cite ‘substantial progress’ in Geneva trade talks
U.S. negotiators described "substantial progress" and also said details would be announced Monday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a Lower House committee meeting on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2025
Ishiba vows Japan will stand its ground, demanding U.S. lift auto tariffs
The U.S. is an important market for the Japanese automobile industry, accounting for about 20% of its total car exports in terms of volume and about 30% in terms of value.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent takes questions at the White House on April 29. Bessent, a former hedge fund manager, is leading trade talks with China in Geneva.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 11, 2025
U.S. and China conclude first day of talks in bid to ease trade war
U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiators had "a very good meeting” on their first day of an effort to deescalate the rivals' trade war.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent leaves his hotel for a meeting with Chinese officials on tariffs in Geneva on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 10, 2025
U.S. and China begin talks in bid to 'de-escalate' trade war
The talks were the first between the world's two largest economies since U.S. President Donald Trump slapped steep new levies on China last month.
U.S. President Donald Trump makes a trade announcement as U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (second from left), U.S. Vice President JD Vance (third from left), British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson (third from right), U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (second from right) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins (right) look on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
May 10, 2025
Trump’s first trade pact offers faint glimpse of art of the deal
For global leaders puzzling over how to negotiate with Donald Trump, the U.S. president’s inaugural pact with the U.K. offers a few clues on how much ground he’s prepared to give.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s top tariff negotiator, speaks to the press on Friday. Japan and the United States are still discussing what to negotiate.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2025
Japan stuck at starting line in tariff talks with U.S. as U.K. inks deals
The U.S. has warned that comparing Japan with the U.K. was apples and oranges, and that getting over the line with many countries will be a slow and arduous process.
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%.
According to earnings reports released by Thursday, net profit is forecast to fall 47.7% to ¥250 billion at Nippon Yusen K.K., 60% to ¥170 billion at Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and 67.3% to ¥100 billion at Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 9, 2025
Three major Japan shipping firms expect sharp falls in profit
The companies are projecting a drop in the transport of autos and other goods due to U.S. tariff measures.
A supermarket in Chiba. Politicians in Japan might cut the consumption tax to help households and the economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2025
Economists debate consumption tax cut as Japanese politicians warm to idea
Japanese politicians are considering the possibility of lowering the consumption tax to stimulate the economy in the face of U.S. tariffs.
The consumption and investing habits of the world's richest 10% consume and invest has substantially increased the risk of deadly heat waves and drought around the world, according to new research.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 8, 2025
World's richest 10% caused two-thirds of global warming, study finds
How the rich consume and invest has substantially increased the risk of deadly heat waves and drought.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that at this point, it isn't clear if the economy will continue its steady pace of growth, or wilt under mounting uncertainty and a possible coming spike in inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2025
Fed sees rising risks to economy as it leaves rates unchanged
With so much uncertainty over Trump's tariff moves, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said "It's really not at all clear what it is we should do."
Former Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda speaks during an interview in Tokyo on April 28.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 7, 2025
Ex-BOJ Gov. Kuroda urges calm response to Trump tariffs
"It's better not to be worked up by every little thing, but to sit down and respond," Kuroda said, referring to frequent changes in U.S. tariff policy.
Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa speaks to the press upon his arrival at Haneda Airport on April 18. He has said that all tariffs need to be reconsidered by the United States.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 7, 2025
U.S. and Japan remain far apart on tariffs
While both sides have said they will aim for a deal as soon as possible, they have also indicated that they aren't in a rush for a swift settlement.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo. Recent market turmoil drove investors to the yen as a haven asset, meaning foreign investors that put money into shares of Japanese importers will reap two benefits at once: yen gains and improved earnings at these businesses.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 7, 2025
Top-performing Orbis fund doubles holdings in Japanese stocks
Japanese stocks made up 24% of the $3 billion Orbis International Equity fund as of end-April, up from just 10% four months earlier.
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.
Japan to recognize Taiwan as place of origin in family registration system
Masataka Yuhara, secretary-general of the Friends of Lee Teng Hui Association in Japan, which has been calling for "Taiwan" to be permitted as a place of origin in family registers.
Rich Japanese still fear yen crash, wealth manager says
The yen slumped more than 2% on Monday alone, nearing ¥150 to the dollar, after the U.S. and China temporarily lowered tariffs, triggering a reversal of bearish dollar bets.
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.
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.
For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.
Historian Rob Fitts discovers earliest ever reference to baseball in Japan
Japan's Shohei Ohtani carries the Japanese flag onto the field before the start of the World Baseball Classic final against the United States in Miami on March 21, 2023.
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.
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.
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.

Podcast

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SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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