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July 08, 2025
 

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JAPANESE ECONOMY

Sakana AI, prospected to become the fastest-ever Japanese company to achieve unicorn status, aims to create energy-efficient AI models that tackle long-term national-level issues.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2024
What a Japanese AI unicorn can teach Silicon Valley
Sakana AI, prospected to become the fastest-ever Japanese company to achieve unicorn status, is taking a long-term approach to the development of AI for good.
The Bank of Japan debated the chance of a near-term interest rate hike during its policy meeting in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 24, 2024
BOJ debated need for timely rate hike at June meeting, summary shows
One Bank of Japan policymaker called for an increase without delay to address risks of inflation overshooting expectations.
Monitors show the rate of the yen against the U.S. dollar at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on Monday. Traders are falling out of step with the Bank of Japan, expecting hawkish steps that are instead met with a cautious approach.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2024
Traders are out of step with the BOJ’s Ueda
Time and time again, traders predict that the Bank of Japan will take bold next steps, but these rarely come. That's because Gov. Ueda is, most of all, cautious.
While a weaker yen is seen pushing up fiscal 2024 profits by 1.9% at large companies with capital of ¥1 billion or more, it is expected to have a negative impact of 1.3% for small companies with capital of 10 million to ¥100 million.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 23, 2024
Impacts of weaker yen vary by company size: estimates
The profit disparity arises apparently from the inability of small companies to offset rising import costs with their limited-scale exports and direct investments abroad.
Foreign investors, who helped push up Japanese stocks to a record high just a few months ago, became net sellers for a fourth straight week through June 14.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 23, 2024
Global investors turn cautious on once favorite Japanese stocks
Foreign investors, who helped push up Japanese shares to a record high just a few months ago, became net sellers for a fourth straight week through June 14.
The administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday approved this year's honebuto economic and fiscal policy guidelines.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 21, 2024
Japanese government restores 2025 primary budget surplus target
In its economic blueprint, the Kishida administration has pledged a balanced budget other than interest payments by fiscal 2025.
Japan's core inflation accelerated in May due to energy levies but an index that strips away the effect of fuel slowed for the ninth straight month, complicating the central bank's decision on how soon to raise interest rates.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 21, 2024
Energy costs drove up inflation in May, backing case for BOJ rate hike
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.5% in May from a year ago, quickening from 2.2% in April, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji temple in Tokyo. This year is expected to bring 33 million travelers to Japan, an unprecedented surge and a 30% increase from last year.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2024
How an arrival tax could stem the overtourism tide
How can Japan ensure that tourism benefits locals and travelers alike? There's no silver bullet but an arrival tax of around $40 could be a good starting point.
Most Japanese companies see no need for their government to follow the U.S. in raising tariffs on Chinese imports, a survey has found.
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2024
Most Japanese firms see no need to follow U.S. with tariffs on China
U.S. President Joe Biden last month unveiled steep tariff increases on an array of Chinese goods.
Richard Katz argues in his new book that the key to Japan emerging from decades of economic sluggishness depends on stimulating companies with high energy and dynamism, over the lumbering, older firms.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 20, 2024
Hope for Japan, if the elephants get out of the way
Protecting older companies, the jobs they have produced and the political and financial relationships they have nurtured, starves newer, more innovative businesses.
Since Koji Sato, 54, became Toyota CEO in April last year, the automaker has announced its biggest share buyback on record.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2024
Influx of new CEOs in Japan brings shift in generational mindset
Many of the new crop of leaders were in junior roles as the nation’s economic miracle unraveled, and they’re now seeking out new ways of doing things.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2024
BOJ’s minutes show debate on rate hikes with close eyes on yen
The minutes signal the potential for a BOJ rate hike as early as July even as market speculation for such a move has cooled somewhat.
Japan's exports in May showed the largest year-on-year increase since November 2022, but persistent weakness in the yen is raising concerns about the potential for a resurgence in cost-push inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2024
Japan’s exports grow most since 2022 on boost from weak yen
Exports increased 13.5% from a year ago in May, marking a sixth month of gains, the Finance Ministry reported.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said the central bank was not yet fully convinced that inflation will sustainably hit its 2% target, stressing the need to spend "a bit more time" to scrutinize data before raising rates again.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 18, 2024
BOJ chief signals chance of July rate hike
Such a move would depend on economic data available at the time, says Gov. Kazuo Ueda.
Core machinery orders in April dropped month-on-month for the first time in three months, but the Cabinet Office said they are continuing to show signs of picking up.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 17, 2024
Japan's core machinery orders down in April but seen firming up ahead
Core orders fell 2.9% month-on-month in April, the first drop in three months.
The city of Fukuoka. The government plans to draw up guidelines for supporting midsize companies, many of which have headquarters outside big cities and are expected to play key roles in boosting regional economies.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 17, 2024
Japan to compile guidelines on supporting midsize firms
The guidelines will specify how support should be provided to such companies based on their management conditions.
Tokyo has proved to be an attractive destination for Chinese entrepreneurs in recent times, away from the challenges hitting the economy at home.
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2024
Chinese entrepreneurs bet on Japan
A Chinese-language MBA program has been catering to those seeking opportunities in Tokyo.
Companies need to address health issues unique to women to ensure they build their career without having to leave their jobs, a government white paper said.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 14, 2024
Japan government urges firms to consider women's health
There is a correlation between health awareness and motivation for promotion for both men and women, according to the paper.
Recently, Japan designated Hokkaido Prefecture (including its capital, Sapporo), Fukuoka, Tokyo and Osaka as special zones for financial and asset management businesses. Kumamoto Prefecture was also named a national strategic zone for semiconductors.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 14, 2024
International social infrastructure key to Japan’s high-tech future
Across the globe there is an ongoing search for talent, especially in high-tech sectors, and Japan is no different.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday after the central bank's policy meeting.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 14, 2024
Bank of Japan’s slow-walk on bond buying reduction rattles market
The yen fell over what the market saw as dithering on the central bank's reduction of its massive balance sheet.
Heatstroke alert issued for 19 prefectures as Japan enters 'once-in-a-decade' heat wave
Japan will experience a heat wave through mid-July on a “level only seen once in a decade,” the Meteorological Agency said on June 30.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Foreign nationals' presence in Japan emerges as key issue in Upper House poll
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a campaign speech next to a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the Upper House (top center left) in Yokohama on Sunday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
China’s housing crisis is worse than it seems
Residential buildings under construction in Shanghai in July 2022. The Chinese government risks long-term decline by repeating Japan’s policy mistakes in handling its real estate and demographic crises.
Ainu land rights in crosshairs as Hokkaido communities debate nuclear waste
A street in Suttsu, Hokkaido, with a sign put up by an anti-nuclear organization. The small community is considering hosting a facility that would hold nuclear waste.
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.

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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