Tag - japanese-economy

 
 

JAPANESE ECONOMY

Masahide Endo, chief consultant at Daiwa Institute of Research noted that Alimentation Couche-Tard's bid for Seven & I Holdings had spawned a sense of crisis in other industries over sudden takeover proposals.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 18, 2024
Japanese companies increasingly targeted in foreign M&A bids
The total value of inbound acquisitions from overseas is up about 3.7 times year on year.
Core machinery orders dropped 0.7% in September month-on-month, confounding economists' median estimates for a 1.9% rise and down for the second straight month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 18, 2024
Japan's machinery orders see unexpected fall in September
The orders dropped 0.7% in September month-on-month, confounding economists' median estimates for a 1.9% rise.
The likelihood of interest-rate hikes from the Bank of Japan and further cuts from the Federal Reserve will drive the yen's recovery to as far as ¥130 against the dollar, according to some strategists.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 18, 2024
Yen bulls lie in wait for U.S.-Japan yield gap to shrink next year
The likelihood of Bank of Japan interest-rate hikes and further Federal Reserve cuts will drive the yen's recovery, some say.
Japan Airlines' entrance ceremony. As of Oct. 1, 72.9% of job-hunting students had received job offers, down 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier, according to a joint survey by the labor and education ministries.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 15, 2024
Share of graduating Japanese university students with job offers falls
The labor and education ministries attribute the 1.9-percentage-point drop to a seller's market in which students take time to consider multiple tentative offers.
Japanese companies lack the agility needed for the digital transformation, a new report says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 15, 2024
Japan ranked 31st in digital competitiveness, 92nd for English skills
In the 2024 EF English Proficiency Index, Japan was ranked 92nd, down from 87 the previous year. It was its worst showing yet.
Democratic Party for the People head Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Nov. 8.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2024
DPP leader clashes with governors over tax-free income limit
Prefectural governors fear that raising the ¥1.03 million limit would means less central government tax money for local services.
Japan's economy expanded by an annualized 0.9% in the third quarter, data showed.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 15, 2024
Japan’s economy beats consensus in boost for BOJ rate hike case
Gross domestic product expanded at an annualized pace of 0.9% in the three months through September from the prior period, a tad higher than the 0.7% consensus estimate.
The streets of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in October show that the city is still struggling from the aftermath of the Jan. 1 earthquake and heavy rain in September.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Nov 15, 2024
Japan faces urgent need to boost state finances for emergencies
If a major earthquake were to strike directly beneath Tokyo, the projected damage would total around ¥107.5 trillion.
There is a broad shift in Japan’s business environment, where long-standing relationships are being challenged by foreign and activist investors looking for merger and acquisition deals.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 15, 2024
Japan's newfound love of M&A makes for strange bedfellows
There is a broad shift in Japan’s business environment, where long-standing relationships are being challenged by foreign and activist investors.
Takeshi Shina, an opposition lawmaker and a member of the Lower House's financial committee, has frequently summoned Bank of Japan governors, including incumbent Kazuo Ueda, to parliament for grilling on monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 14, 2024
BOJ should raise rates to 1% to reverse weak yen, says CDP lawmaker
His remarks highlight how concern over the demerits of a weak yen will remain a key topic of debate among politicians.
The government aims to finalize an economic package later this month to help households hit hard by rising prices.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2024
Japan eyes ¥30,000 benefits for low-income households
The planned economic package includes a proposal of ¥20,000 per child to the benefits, which are designed to support households hit hard by soaring prices.
Masato Kanda, then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, in January 2022
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2024
As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan's ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action
Kanda's warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ¥155 to the dollar.
The corporate goods price index rose 3.4% in October from a year earlier, Bank of Japan data showed, above market forecasts for a 3.0% gain.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 13, 2024
Japan's wholesale inflation heightens uncertainty on rate hike timing
A spike in the price of rice, coupled with the increasing cost of nonferrous metals, food and oil, pushed up overall wholesale inflation.
An infrastructure project in the city of Mumbai. The International Monetary Fund forecasts 7.0% growth for India in 2024 and 6.5% in 2025, compared with 0.3% growth for Japan this year and 1.1% next year.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024
India set to overtake Japan in GDP rankings
Economic stagnation and a weak yen could take Japan's economy to fifth place globally as early as next year.
Global investment firms plan to beef up hiring in Japan, as deals surge on the domestic market.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 12, 2024
Global investment firms hunt for talent in Japan as deals boom
The hiring spree underscores the intensity of dealmaking in Japan, which has been a rare bright spot amid a slowdown in M&A deals globally over the last couple of years.
Shares in retailers may rise after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba formed a minority government that may cut taxes to lure cooperation from opposition parties.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 12, 2024
Minority government in Japan can help retail stocks and utilities
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may cut taxes to keep smaller parties on side — increasing workers’ disposable income.
A man walks past the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 30.
BUSINESS
Nov 11, 2024
Worsening corporate mood and bankruptcies cloud BOJ's rate hike path
Some BOJ board members have voiced concerns that intensifying labor shortages could constrain growth, rather than lead to higher wages.
Japanese exporters could be hit by higher U.S. tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 11, 2024
Trump tariffs could have a significant impact on Japanese exports
The U.S. president-elect has promised 10% to 20% duties on all goods coming into the United States.
Many on the Bank of Japan board highlighted the need to scrutinize market developments in determining whether the economy can weather higher borrowing costs, a summary of opinions from October meeting shows.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 11, 2024
BOJ divided on rate hike timing, October summary shows
Many highlighted the need to scrutinize market developments, particularly yen moves, in determining whether the economy can weather higher borrowing costs.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a commemorative ceremony at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on July 3, the day new yen notes went into circulation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024
Japan needs tighter monetary policy to restore balance
Japan’s economy undoubtedly suffers when the yen is too strong; that is why some advocate for a more expansionary monetary policy.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.