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May 18, 2025
 

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ECONOMY

The exchange rate for the Japanese yen against the euro (left) and the U.S. dollar is displayed at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on June 27.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 23, 2024
Citi flags possible euro-yen intervention if rate nears ¥180 level
The euro-yen pair traded as high as ¥175.43 on July 11 — a record since the common currency was launched in 1999 — before retreating.
Bank of Japan officials are divided over whether to raise interest rates at a policy meeting next week, people familiar with the matter say.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024
BOJ is said to see weak consumer spending complicating rate call
Weak consumer spending has prompted the government to cut its fiscal year growth forecast to 0.9%, with central bank likely lowering its projection to 0.5%.
Leveraged funds reduced net short positions on the yen the most since March 2011 during the week to July 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024
Hedge funds slash short yen bets by most in more than a decade
Hedge funds pared bets against the yen in spectacular fashion after a suspected double-whammy market intervention from Japanese authorities.
The 2024 presidential race throws another curveball at the markets with U.S. President Joe Biden dropping out of the race.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024
How investors are reacting to Biden dropping reelection bid
Many investors are waiting to see who the new Democratic nominee will be, with some uncomfortable about the uncertainty.
Unfortunately, the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy too tight after the 1985 Plaza Accord, leaving Japan mired in deflation and recession for two decades. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2024
Does the world need a Plaza Accord 2.0?
Unfortunately, the Bank of Japan kept monetary policy too tight after 1985 Plaza Accord and Japan was mired in deflation and recession for two decades.
Some 20% of Japanese companies have stropped creating medium-term management plans to respond more flexibly to changes in the business environment and achieve long-term goals, a recent survey has found.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 21, 2024
20% of Japan firms have no medium-term plans, poll finds
A survey found that about 10% of companies with medium-term plans are considering changing the duration of their plans or making other reviews.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2024
BOJ urged to halve bond buying in scheduled tightening plan, minutes show
A significant number of the participants also urged the BOJ to taper bond purchases gradually to avoid upending the bond market.
A screen displays an error message at a self-checkout terminal of a supermarket in Sydney on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2024
Japan mostly spared in global IT meltdown despite reports of some bugs
Around the world, airlines, network broadcasts and banks said their systems were disrupted.
The Nishiki market in Kyoto. June’s inflation report shows extraordinary jumps in the prices of some items favored by households, including cabbage (27.6%), potatoes (28.5%) and tomatoes (15.6%).
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024
Households struggle as Japan’s inflation rises near U.S. levels
Consumer prices in Japan rose 2.8% on the year in June, close to the 3.0% in the United States.
Japan cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, reflecting weaker-than-expected private consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024
Japan cuts growth forecast as prime minister warns of weak-yen pain
The government cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March 2025 to 0.9% from 1.3% projected in January.
More Japanese firms have gone bankrupt in the first half of this year due to soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related support.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2024
Triple whammy takes Japan bankruptcies to decade high
Soaring costs, labor shortages and the end of pandemic-related financial support are taking a heavy toll on smaller businesses.
Indian Ambassador Sibi George says one of his main tasks in his post is to boost Japanese public and private investments the South Asian powerhouse.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2024
India’s envoy in Japan calls for boosted supply chain and defense cooperation
The ambassador’s remarks come after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to continue prioritizing ties with Japan.
The yen rose to the ¥155 range against the dollar, the highest in almost two months, in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 18, 2024
Yen rally shakes markets, sending dollar to weakest level since May
There is ongoing speculation that authorities could intervene again to prop up the yen.
Japan's tradition of offering investors gifts is nice. But with the stock market at record highs, such perks are no longer needed.
COMMENTARY
Jul 18, 2024
It’s time Japan's shareholders buy their own wine
The practice by Japanese companies of giving gifts once served as a good way to encourage trading novices to dabble in the stock market.
Japan’s exports grew for a seventh consecutive month in June, government data has shown.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 18, 2024
Japan’s exports rise for seventh month, supporting growth
Exports gained 5.4% in June from a year ago, led by chip-making gear and nonferrous metals.
Unionists hold a rally in Tokyo in April. Households' real cash earnings have been falling year on year for more than two years, with the weakening of the yen making the situation only more difficult as prices of imported goods increase rapidly.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2024
Japan’s minimum wage might not budge much if corporate fears prevail
While households desperately need a big raise, smaller businesses might not be in a position to handle an increase as they struggle with the weak yen.
Taro Kono, Japan's digital transformation minister, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2024
Taro Kono says central bank needs to raise rates to lift yen
Kono’s remarks could add to pressure on the Bank of Japan’s policy board to raise interest rates when it meets at the end of this month.
The International Monetary Fund lowered its 2024 growth estimate for Japan by 0.2 point to 0.7%, citing temporary production suspensions at some automakers over their vehicle test cheating, as well as weak private investment.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2024
IMF cuts Japan's growth forecast, upbeat on consumption prospects
The IMF says it expects Japan's economy to expand 0.7% this year, down 0.2 percentage point from its forecast in April, after an 1.9% increase in 2023.
An electronic screen displays a graph showing yen exchange rates surging against the U.S. dollar amid an alert to the possibility of intervention in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2024
Japan keeps up yen warnings as two-day intervention suspected
Bank of Japan data released on Tuesday suggested Tokyo may have spent ¥2.14 trillion ($13.5 billion) intervening on Friday last week.
A worker at Sakai Seisakusyo prepares to transport metal rods at its factory in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, on July 8.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2024
Japan finds a 'stealth' cure for zombie businesses: Let them fail
The shift in thinking is a clear departure for a country that has typically sought to avoid bankruptcies and protect existing jobs at the cost of productivity.
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.
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
Nissan to solicit early retirements while eyeing plant closures in Japan
Nissan's Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, may be closed as part of the struggling carmaker's streamlining efforts.
Closing the gap between what you learn and what you say in Japanese
A few tweaks to the conversations you learn in your Japanese class will help you sound like a native when you step out the door.
In Nintendo’s backyard, foreign indie game devs are thriving
Kyoto's gaming landscape is dominated by Nintendo's headquarters, but a contingent of foreign-born indie developers is also working in the gaming giant's shadow.
Akazawa's dilemma: no tariff deal or a half-baked deal
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in the Oval Office of the White House in April. Since then, Japan's trade negotiations with the U.S. have produced no tangible results.
Nissan hoping to electrify home crowd as Formula E returns to Tokyo
Nissan's Oliver Rowland drives during qualifying for Miami E-Prix at Homestead Motor Speedway in Homestead, Florida, on April 12.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?
By Tomoko Otake

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