Tag - japanese-economy

 
 

JAPANESE ECONOMY

Japan Innovation Party co-leader Fumitake Fujita said on Wednesday that a Bank of Japan rate hike amid government calls for more corporate investment would likely send a mixed policy message.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 6, 2025
JIP cautions against mixed message of a BOJ hike
Such a move could seem contradictory amid calls for more investment in the private sector, Japan Innovation Party co-leader Fumitake Fujita says.
Real cash earnings fell 1.4% in September, marking the ninth consecutive monthly decline in line with analyst forecasts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 6, 2025
Japan’s wage growth stays firm, keeping rate hike bets alive
Nominal wages rose 1.9% from a year earlier, accelerating from August, the labor ministry reported Thursday, coming in line with economist expectations.
The Bank of Japan's September meeting minutes make clear that Japan’s experience with more than a decade of deflation is keeping some members cautious as they await more data.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 5, 2025
BOJ minutes highlight caution rooted in Japan’s deflationary era
The minutes shed light on the discussions surrounding policy at the September meeting, when Gov. Kazuo Ueda faced for the first time two votes against keeping rates on hold.
Global firms are racing to carve out space in Japan’s lending market, betting that demand for private credit will surge, albeit slowly.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 5, 2025
Private credit dealmakers face years of heavy lifting in Japan
Building deal flow will require time — and education — as Japanese borrowers grow familiar with how private debt works and what it can offer.
Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor, speaks during a media preview at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Oct. 29. Minority investors are challenging the carmaker's bid to take affiliate Toyota Industries Corp. private.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 5, 2025
The Toyota buyout is a major test for Japan’s reforms
A letter signed by two dozen investors addressed "widespread concern” about the plan to buy out Toyota Industries Corp., also known as TICO.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and minister in charge of growth strategy Minoru Kiuchi (center right) attend a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 4, 2025
Takaichi eyes economic growth plan by next summer
A newly established government panel has been tasked with mapping out a growth plan for 17 key sectors, including AI, chips and defense.
"She has a good vision,” says Masahiro Kihara, CEO of Mizuho Financial Group, referring to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's pro-growth policies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 4, 2025
Mizuho's CEO says he sees policy tailwinds from Takaichi and BOJ
Masahiro Kihara said Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had "good vision," referring to her policy initiatives, while the central bank has "room for another hike or two.”
Japanese companies have raised $132 billion in foreign-currency bond and loan deals arranged by banks so far in 2025, up 56% from a year earlier.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 4, 2025
Japan’s $132 billion borrowing binge reshapes global credit
Underscoring the unprecedented shift onto the global stage, annual overseas note issuance is on course to exceed debt sales in yen for the first time ever.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds a news conference in Gyeongju, South Korea, following the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 2, 2025
Takaichi rules out dissolving Lower House for snap election
The prime minister said her government must focus on accelerating the rollout of economic measures, including steps to tackle inflation.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament, on Oct. 24, 2025.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2025
Takaichi might be more of a supply-sider than a Keynesian
It's not all about Abenomics, one economist argues.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama issued her first clear warning on currency moves in noting the government is monitoring the yen with a strong sense of urgency.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2025
Japan’s Katayama warns on FX as yen hits eight-month low
The yen traded around an eight-month low after the Bank of Japan left interest rates unchanged, with markets unconvinced by Gov. Kazuo Ueda offering hints a rate hike is coming.
Job hunting and recruitment both may have become less active in September ahead of minimum wage hikes beginning in October.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2025
Japan's September job availability ratio stays unchanged
Job hunting and recruitment may have become less active in September ahead of minimum wage hikes in October, and some companies may have curbed hiring due to earnings drops.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food gained 2.8% in October from a year earlier in the Tokyo area, with subsidies for water having run their course.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 31, 2025
Faster Tokyo inflation supports BOJ rate hike case and boosts yen
Consumer prices excluding fresh food gained 2.8% in October from a year earlier in the capital.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said on Thursday that the central bank has no timeline in mind for the next rate increase.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 30, 2025
BOJ keeps policy rate at 0.5% as lack of U.S. data makes forecasting difficult
The central bank stuck to a wait-and-see approach owing to continued uncertainty.
LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Takayuki Kobayashi speaks at an online meeting with policymakers of the party’s prefectural chapters, at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2025
LDP to propose economic measures by mid-November
LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Takayuki Kobayashi vowed to reflect the opinions of regional organizations in the measures as much as possible.
Screens display stock market information while news breaks about Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.Com Co. in Tokyo on Oct. 21.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 30, 2025
Trick or trade: Talking about the stock market's 'Halloween effect' in Japanese
Japanese investors say Halloween is the best time to buy stocks — a seasonal trend known as the “Halloween effect.”
Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 29, 2025
U.S. treasury chief Bessent signals support for Bank of Japan independence
The U.S. treasury secretary’s comments come as Abenomics is back in fashion with Japan’s leaders.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's trade minister, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met on Sunday and Monday for lunch.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 29, 2025
No projects finalized under Japan's $550 billion investment pledge
Fact sheets issued during the recent Japan-U.S. summit offered little insight into any progress made.
Some Bank of Japan policy board members have started to dissent from the wait-and-see approach of their colleagues.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 28, 2025
Bank of Japan expected to sit this one out and keep benchmark rate at 0.5%
Even though inflation remains high, so too does uncertainty.
Aeon's My Basket chain is challenging Japan's traditional convenience store model by offering supermarket-level variety at lower costs.
COMMENTARY
Oct 28, 2025
The sleeping retail giant Aeon has a ‘konbini’ killer
Meet My Basket, the rapidly growing chain of outlets the size of a convenience store, but with the selection of a supermarket.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes