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July 05, 2025
 

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JAPANESE ECONOMY

The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2025
BOJ record signals consensus that inflation is faster than expected
The board’s views indicate it’s possible the bank will raise its inflation forecast in a quarterly economic report at the July meeting.
Bentos are popular with a wide range of people in Japan for convenience and price.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 24, 2025
Bento shop bankruptcies could hit a record in 2025
Inflation, weak economic growth and work-at-home arrangements are leading to a decline in sales, lower profits and losses.
The Finance Ministry will trim the volume of 20-, 30- and 40-year bonds sold in regular auctions by a combined ¥3.2 trillion ($21.7 billion) through the end of March 2026.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 24, 2025
Japan approves plan to cut super-long bond sales by $22 billion
The changes come after an imbalance between supply and demand for long tenors in Japan’s government bond market led to surges in yields to record highs.
Economic losses in Japan stemming from workers' mental or physical disorders, linked to lower labor productivity, represent about 1% of the country's nominal gross domestic product for 2024.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2025
Annual economic losses from workers' health issues reach ¥7.6 trillion
The losses, linked to lower labor productivity, represent about 1% of the country's nominal gross domestic product for 2024.
Japan’s governance reforms launched in 2015 sparked a surge in M&A and investor activism, but critics warn the resulting foreign takeovers and short-term focus may come at a cost.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 20, 2025
Has Japan's corporate revolution worked too well?
From private equity to activist investors to consolidation among companies fearful they’ll be targeted next, no acquisition seems beyond the pale.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 20, 2025
Japan’s prices climb by most in two years ahead of Upper House election
Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May, according to an internal affairs ministry's release Friday.
Shareholders arrive at Toyota's annual shareholders' meeting on June 12 in the city of Toyota, Aichi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 18, 2025
Record demands from activist investors driving focus on governance and efficiency
The country’s jammed annual general meeting season matters more than ever this year as investors seek signs that Japanese stocks can get out of a rut.
Exports measured by value dropped 1.7% in May from a year earlier, suggesting exporters may be absorbing the tariff shock by cutting prices, as export volume rose 1.8%.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 18, 2025
Japan’s export drop raises recession risks as U.S. tariffs bite
The drop in exports and the larger trade deficit add to concerns that Japan’s economy could shrink again in the second quarter.
The Bank of Japan is shifting its strategy on bond purchasing to help stabilize yields on longer-dated securities.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 17, 2025
Bank of Japan holds rates steady and signals shift in bond purchases
The central bank is leaning dovish as U.S. tariffs threaten economic growth.
Rare earths from Australia's Mount Weld mine. Japanese companies have a supply agreement with a company that sources rare earths from the mine.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 16, 2025
Japan and the U.S. face challenges in economic security discussions
In their trade negotiations, the subject is much discussed, especially as rare earths become an issue.
Japan’s deepening corporate governance reforms and exit from more than a decade of deflation have rekindled global investor interest in the world’s fourth-largest economy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 16, 2025
Hedge funds reap cash from investors ‘starved’ of Japan exposure
Japan’s deepening corporate governance reforms and exit from more than a decade of deflation have rekindled global investor interest.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's economic revitalization minster, speaks to members of the media in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 15, 2025
Japan and U.S. trade negotiators spoke again Saturday
Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke by phone and explored the possibility of a trade deal.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's top tariff negotiator, speaks to reporters in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 14, 2025
Japan seeks possibility of trade deal with U.S. as G7 summit looms
Japan's top tariff negotiator offered no hint whether a deal could be announced at the upcoming G7 summit in Canada.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet has approved this year's <i>honebuto no hōshin</i>, a document that sets economic and fiscal management guidelines for the government.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 13, 2025
Wage growth a focus of this year's honebuto no hōshin
The government's guidelines for economic and fiscal management outline the target of raising the average minimum hourly wage to ¥1,500 by 2030.
The government is looking to ease the overconcentration of businesses in Tokyo to tackle labor shortages in the countryside, ensure nationwide economic growth and realize a sustainable society.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2025
Government aims to create 10,000 jobs via business relocations from Tokyo
The move is aimed at easing overconcentration of companies in the capital and bridge an urban-rural divide in economic growth.
Bank of Japan officials now see inflation slightly outpacing earlier forecasts, potentially paving the way for rate hike talks if global trade tensions subside, sources say.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 13, 2025
BOJ is said to see inflation running stronger than expected
Some officials see the relative strength in inflation reflecting a change in price-setting behavior with sharp increases in the price of rice likely to harden inflationary views.
The Business Sentiment Index for large firms registered minus 1.9 for the April-June quarter, slipping into negative territory for the first time since the first quarter of 2024.
BUSINESS
Jun 12, 2025
Japan’s firms see business climate worsen amid U.S. tariff hits
The Business Sentiment Index for large firms slipped into negative territory for the first time since the first quarter of 2024.
A Japanese actress known for voicing Hello Kitty sparked national debate with an anti-immigration blog post, highlighting rising tensions over Japan’s growing foreign population and the government's slow response to related concerns.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 12, 2025
Cultural anxiety and Japan's immigration pains
Japan must address legitimate public worries without inflaming xenophobia — or risk populist backlash.
World Bank Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose speaks during an interview on Monday in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 11, 2025
World Bank sees Japan's growth slowing in 2025
The institution has lowered its 2025 growth estimate for Japan's gross domestic product to 0.7% in inflation-adjusted real terms.
All 53 economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast the Bank of Japan to hold its benchmark rate at 0.5% at the end of a two-day meeting on June 17.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 11, 2025
Most BOJ watchers expect slower pace in reducing bond purchases
All 53 economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast the BOJ to hold its benchmark rate at 0.5% at the end of a two-day meeting on June 17.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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