Abe says his 'real' economic goals were met without hitting 2% inflation
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his real economic objectives, including full employment, have been achieved even though 2 percent inflation has not, pointing to a further softening of the government's commitment to a price goal seen as one of the cornerstones of Abenomics. "It's true ...
Japan holds its own debate on Modern Monetary Theory
The hottest economic doctrine around says governments should stop worrying and learn to love their public debt. Japan has been more relaxed than most — but a looming tax hike suggests it may be about to blink. Modern Monetary Theory, or MMT, posits that countries ...
Core consumer prices rose 0.9 percent in April from a year earlier due to robust demand for overseas package tours and rising energy prices, government data showed Friday. The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh food items, increased for the 28th straight month ...
BOJ vows to keep rates super-low for at least a year, and trims Japan growth and inflation forecasts
In the quarterly outlook, the BOJ stuck to its view that the economy will continue to expand moderately as a trend.
Sluggish, dysfunctional Europe isn't Japan in the 1990s, but there's still reason to worry
Europe's sclerotic growth and political dysfunction inspire frequent comparisons with Japan's lost decade from the mid-1990s. The region's bout of misery this year — Germany's industrial slump and the struggle to fix its banks, Italy's inability to reform, the apparent defeat of central bankers seeking ...
Struggling to achieve 2% inflation? Then try for 3%
There's been talk of weakening support for Japan's price-increase target. Far from abandoning it, the BOJ should double down to change psychology.
Underlying inflation slowed in February as gasoline prices fell for the first time in more than two years, government data showed Friday. The nationwide core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food items because of their volatility, rose 0.7 percent from a year earlier, slowing ...
Some at Bank of Japan reportedly see price goal out of reach through 2021
Amid intense debate over the Abe government's inflation target, some officials at the Bank of Japan think the 2 percent goal will probably remain out of reach for the next three years, according to sources familiar with the matter. The pessimistic view comes as the ...
Japan's regional land prices rise first time in 27 years on tourist boom
The average price of all types of land in regional areas rose last year for the first time since 1992 as the growing influx of foreign tourists rejuvenated real estate investment, the government said Tuesday. In regions outside the three major metropolitan areas of Tokyo, ...
Bank of Japan board member Yutaka Harada said on Wednesday the central bank must ramp up stimulus without delay if risks to the economy threaten achievement of its inflation target. Harada, a vocal advocate of aggressive monetary easing, said the nation's economy was facing growing ...
Japan inflation barometer points to zero price growth by summer, weighed down by oil and phones
The inflation outlook is looking dismal for the Bank of Japan as cheaper oil and falling mobile phone fees threaten to push price growth toward zero by mid-summer. The Bloomberg Inflation Barometer, which draws on eight drivers of prices, points to a sharp slowing in ...
Consumers in Japan likely to see food and beverage prices rise from March
Waves of price hikes for food and beverage products are set to hit shoppers in Japan from March. Makers say they can no longer prevent soaring material and logistics costs from being passed on to consumers. The price increases are expected to impact households and lead ...
