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July 27, 2024
 

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INFLATION

Core inflation in Japan's capital accelerated for a third straight month in July, keeping alive market expectations of a near-term interest rate hike by the central bank.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 26, 2024
Tokyo inflation quickens, keeping BOJ hike option in play
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.2% in the capital, versus 2.1% in June, the internal affairs ministry reported.
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 25, 2024
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
While the sharp increase will be a big boost for workers, smaller firms already struggling financially will be put under further stress.
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 24, 2024
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
The Japan Research Institute anticipates real wage growth turning positive in the July-September quarter assuming ¥155 to the dollar.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. A Bloomberg survey showed some 14 of 48 economists predict the BOJ will raise its policy rate at the next week’s meeting.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 24, 2024
Most BOJ watchers see July rate hike risk with bond-buying cut
Survey respondents also predicted the central bank will cut bond-buying to ¥5 trillion per month starting in August.
Workers of Save the Children Japan make preparations on July 11 in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, to deliver food to households facing financial difficulties.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 24, 2024
Japanese households worried about summer vacation food costs
A Save the Children Japan survey found that 89.4% of those applying for food aid said they lack enough money for adequate food due to rising prices.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi says the Bank of Japan should more clearly show its intention to normalize monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024
LDP heavyweight Toshimitsu Motegi calls for clearer sign from BOJ on policy
The remarks suggest growing political frustration over the central bank’s cautious stance as low rates keep pressure on the yen while inflation outpaces wage growth.
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.
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.
A supermarket in Tokyo. A Bank of Japan survey showed that 87.5% of respondents believe that prices will be even higher in one year's time.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 13, 2024
95% in Japan feel impact of rising prices, BOJ survey shows
The figure for June rose from the 94.4% reported three months earlier.
A Bank of Japan survey on households showed that 87.5% expect prices to rise a year from now, up from 83.3% in a previous survey in March.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 12, 2024
Japan households' inflation expectations heighten, quarterly survey shows
Of the total households surveyed by the Bank of Japan, 87.5% said they expect prices to rise a year from now.
Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku, Tokyo. According to data recently published by Mercer, Tokyo fell 30 places from 2023 and is now the 49th most expensive city in the world, just ahead of Houston.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 9, 2024
Tokyo is cheaper to live in than San Juan, according to global survey
The capital fell a full 30 places from 2023. It was No. 3 in 2020 and No. 1 as recently as 2012.
Some regional smaller firms have decided to prioritize raising pay to retain or hire workers, even if they have not been earning sufficient profits, the Bank of Japan has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Bank of Japan sees wage hikes spreading across economy
The optimistic assessment may heighten the case for the central bank to raise interest rates as soon as its next meeting on July 30 and 31.
How policymakers have responded to past economic crises, such as the 2008-09 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, will shape their preparedness in dealing with future recessions. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2024
Policy lessons from recent economic crises
Eventually, the world will face another recession. How will policymakers use the lessons learned from the 2008-09 financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic to respond?
According to an annual survey, among all respondents who answered that their living conditions were difficult, 26.5% chose "very difficult" and 33.1% "somewhat difficult."
JAPAN / Society
Jul 6, 2024
60% of households in Japan face 'difficult' living conditions, survey finds
Among all respondents who answered that their living conditions were difficult, 26.5% chose "very difficult" and 33.1% "somewhat difficult."
Restaurant chains such as Yoshinoya rely on U.S. beef imports. The price surge has led to Yoshinoya's parent company looking into developing new dishes using ingredients other than beef.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2024
Soaring prices make U.S. beef procurement hard in Japan
The yen's recent sharp depreciation compounds the problems of reduced supply and strong demand for American beef in other countries.
The Finance Ministry and the National Tax Agency in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2024
Japan's tax revenue sets another record amid a weak yen and inflation
Even with the tax revenue gains, however, Japan’s fiscal plight is severe.
Japan's most expensive plot of land lies in front of Kyukyodo stationery store in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district, according to National Tax Agency statistics.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2024
Japan's land prices rise at fastest pace since 2010, tax agency says
Average land prices climbed 2.3% last year, rising for the third straight year.
Business sentiment among large manufacturers in Japan in the April-June quarter improved for the first time in two quarters, but the mood among big service-sector firms worsened for the first time in four years, according to a Bank of Japan survey.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2024
Japan's shaky business mood and GDP downgrade cloud BOJ hike timing
A mixed economic outlook complicates the BOJ's decision on how soon to raise interest rates, analysts say.
The central government will provide subsidies to slash electricity and city gas bills of ¥4 per kilowatt-hour of electricity and ¥17.5 per cubic meter of city gas.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2024
Japan to offer average of ¥2,125 per month in subsidies for utility bills
The move is designed to cushion the impact of rising prices on households in the summer, which is expected to be among the hottest on record.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Terunofuji, as he tends to do, returns to stamp his authority on sumo pretenders
Terunofuji (left) throws down Kirishima on Tuesday to build on his perfect record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japanese startups advised to internationalize to get some global mojo
Entrepreneurs who participated in the Beyond Japan Zero to X program last year share their experiences in the United States during a meeting in May in Tokyo.

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