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May 03, 2025
 

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TARIFFS

Myaku-Myaku, the mascot of the 2025 Osaka Expo. Some expect a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to help boost the event.
JAPAN
May 3, 2025
Trump visit to Osaka Expo likely to depend on tariff talks
A visit could provide a tailwind to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition ahead of this summer's Upper House election, observers said.
A Honda vehicle is assembled at a plant in Lincoln, Alabama. Despite concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump's economic policies, around half of Japanese firms remain committed to the American market, according to a recent survey.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 2, 2025
Japan Inc. cautiously optimistic despite rising uncertainty
Trump's economic policies and geopolitical risks are front of mind for many Japanese companies. But many remain committed to staying in the U.S. and China, says a recent survey.
"It does exist as a card,” said Kato, speaking on a TV Tokyo program Friday, when asked if Japan’s stance of not selling U.S. Treasury holdings could be a negotiation tool.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 2, 2025
Japan’s Kato says U.S. Treasury holdings could be negotiation card
The comments come amid negotiations between Japan and the U.S. after President Donald Trump ramped up his global tariff campaign.
The economic fallout from the U.S.-China confrontation may be giving new momentum to efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 2, 2025
China says it’s assessing U.S. talks, hinting at possible thaw
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Chinese President Xi Jinping needs to contact him in order to begin tariff talks.
Four Japanese automakers reported selling more new vehicles in the U.S. in April, driven by last-minute demand amid concerns car prices might rise due to additional tariffs.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 2, 2025
Four Japan automakers see higher U.S. sales on last-minute demand
Toyota, Honda Motor, Mazda Motor and Subaru all saw their sales rise in April.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (far left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator. The second round of tariff negotiations between Japan and the United States were held on Thursday in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 2, 2025
Second round of U.S.-Japan tariff talks ends inconclusively in Washington
Neither foreign exchange rates nor defense spending were discussed, said Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator.
The Bank of Japan signals rate-hike uncertainty and slashes growth forecasts amid rising trade and inflation concerns, as the central bank's earlier optimism is upended by U.S. President Trump's tariff moves.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 2, 2025
Bank of Japan will struggle to justify hikes after this
Few anticipated how dovish the BOJ would sound on the future direction of rates or how gloomy it would be on the near-term prospects for achieving the inflation goal.
Donald Trump’s trade war and the dollar’s volatility are prompting Asia’s wealthy to reassess where they park their money, with Hong Kong and Singapore competing for capital as the U.S. loses its appeal as a financial haven.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2025
Trump’s trade war shakes dollar’s haven status, opens door for Asian financial hubs
Trump’s trade policies, even if substantially reversed, have sent a loud message to the Asian affluent classes.
While the results were better than analysts had expected, investors are focused on how tariff concerns will play out in the coming quarter.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 2, 2025
Tim Cook says unchanged U.S. tariffs could dent Apple’s next-quarter margins
Apple Q2 beats expectations but warns that unchanged tariffs could cost the company $900 million and requires drastic supply-chain realignment.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, arrives in Washington on Wednesday for talks with U.S. officials.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2025
EV charging format to be discussed in Japan-U.S. tariff talks
The U.S. side has taken issue with Japan's subsidies for developing CHAdeMO stations, but not for foreign designs such as those of U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla.
U.S. President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 1, 2025
Trump says tariffs politically risky, but he’s not rushing deals
Trump said there was a significant political risk to his efforts, but added that he remained determined to push on.
The Bank of Japan has been signaling caution in the face of uncertainty.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 1, 2025
Bank of Japan holds rates as expected, surprises with growth forecast cut
The policy board made no adjustment to the short-term policy rate, currently 0.5%, at a two-day meeting that concluded Thursday.
U.S President Donald Trump meets with economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa at the White House during Akazawa's first trip to the U.S. to discuss tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 30, 2025
Akazawa heads to Washington as Japanese automakers 'losing $1 million an hour' 
Speaking to reporters at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan’s chief trade negotiator remained polite but firm as he suggested that the pressure is on.
Amazon packages at a distribution center in Washington
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2025
Amazon denies tariff label pivot after Trump called to complain
The administration’s broadsides against Amazon on Tuesday highlighted the potential political risk for companies if they decide to break out the cost of tariffs for customers.
Japan’s carmakers are being pushed to combine their resources in an environment roiled by tariffs, as well as to counter Chinese auto firms’ rapid expansion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2025
Japan's carmakers face consolidation amid tariffs and China's rise, says hedge fund
Man Group’s Stephen Harget thinks the phenomenon could be Japan-specific as automakers in other regions have already been through such a cycle.
Prime Minister Shigaru Ishiba and CDP head Yoshihiko Noda at a parliamentary session in Tokyo on April 23.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 30, 2025
Ishiba hears advice from across the aisle on how Japan should handle Trump
A shared sense of national crisis and a desire to appeal to voters ahead of the July Upper House elections is pushing opposition parties to speak up.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kenyan President William Ruto attend a welcome ceremony at The Great Hall of The People on April 24 in Beijing.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2025
Xi is trying to turn world against U.S. as Trump cuts deals
Chinese officials are racing to turn foreign governments against the U.S.
Industrial production dropped 1.1% in March compared with the previous month, according to the industry ministry.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 30, 2025
Japan's factory output falls in sign of frailty before tariffs
Industrial production dropped 1.1% in March compared with the previous month, the industry ministry reported Wednesday. Economists had forecast a 0.4% drop.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to the media upon arriving at his office on Parliament Hill on Tuesday in Ottawa. Carney pledged Tuesday to beat the United States in Donald Trump's trade war after winning Canada's election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2025
Carney’s plan to manage Trump: Keep calm, find new friends
Carney assured anxious voters that the country could not just survive the trade war — but win it.
U.S. President Donald Trump at his 100th day rally in Michigan on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2025
Trump bashes Powell and touts tariffs at rally marking 100 days
The president’s denunciation came even though earlier this month he said he did not plan to fire the central bank chief.
Israel protests after Kyoto inn seeks war crime declaration from tourist
A street in Kyoto in March 2023. An Israeli tourist was asked to sign a document stating that he had not committed war crimes when he checked in at a Kyoto guesthouse in April, prompting a response from Israel's ambassador.
Nearly half of workers in Japan engage in ‘quiet quitting’
"Quiet quitting" is most common among the younger generation, with 46.7% of respondents to a survey in their 20s identifying with the practice, reflecting a less-motivated workforce more focused on work-life balance.
Britain responds after Expo 2025 afternoon tea brews outrage
The café space at the Osaka Expo's British pavilion
Truck driver's body recovered from huge Japan sinkhole after three months
Workers stand around a vehicle carrying the body of a person recovered from a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Friday.
Second round of U.S.-Japan tariff talks ends inconclusively in Washington
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (far left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator. The second round of tariff negotiations between Japan and the United States were held on Thursday in Washington.
Want to see the future at Expo Osaka? Get in line.
“‘Future of life,’ by Ishiguro,” the World Expo pavilion by roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, displays humanlike androids.
Ishiba hears advice from across the aisle on how Japan should handle Trump
Prime Minister Shigaru Ishiba and CDP head Yoshihiko Noda at a parliamentary session in Tokyo on April 23.
Don't send in the clones: AI event nixed as Alt accounts get reality check
A screenshot from the website for Alt's AI conference, which was canceled after the company disclosed an investigation into its sales figures.
CDP submits bill proposal on separate surnames, but challenges remain
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmakers speak to reporters in parliament on Wednesday after submitting a bill in the Lower House to allow married couples to retain different surnames.
Puzzling decisions and opaque rankings are all part of sumo's charm
Chiyoshoma (right) battles Churanoumi during the New Year Basho in Tokyo in January. The Mongolian's drop down the sumo rankings ahead of the May tournament was one of the biggest surprises of the latest banzuke.

Podcast

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

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin

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