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July 16, 2024
 

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Erica Yokoyama
Japanese workers' base pay increased 2.5% in May from a year ago, the fastest growth since 1993.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Japan base pay jumps most since 1993 in positive signal for BOJ
Base pay increased 2.5% in May from a year ago, the fastest growth since 1993.
The Finance Ministry and the National Tax Agency in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2024
Japan's tax revenue sets another record amid a weak yen and inflation
Even with the tax revenue gains, however, Japan’s fiscal plight is severe.
Core inflation in Tokyo accelerated in June on rising fuel bills and the boost to import costs from a weak yen, keeping alive expectations for a near-term interest rate hike by the central bank.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2024
Tokyo inflation quickens, keeping BOJ on track for rate hike
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 2.1% in the capital, accelerating from 1.9% in May.
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.
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.
Japan's economy contracted less than initially reported in the January-March period on upward revisions to capital spending and inventory data.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 10, 2024
Japan’s sputtering economy yet to show clear signs of recovery
The data showed both consumers and companies cutting back on spending and unsold supplies building up on warehouse shelves.
Japanese household spending in April showed the first year-on-year increase since February last year, marking rises in such categories as education, rent and clothing.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 7, 2024
Japan’s households boost outlays for first time in 14 months
Real outlays rose 0.5% in April from a year ago, marking the first increase since February last year.
Japan's base pay in April rose 2.3% from a year earlier to drive up nominal wages by 2.1%, but real wages marked a 25th consecutive month of decline as pay growth lagged inflation.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 5, 2024
Japan’s biggest base pay jump since 1994 still leaves doubts
Pay continues to lag inflation, with analysts appearing to latch on to weaker-than-expected growth in cash wages in data that avoids sampling issues.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has officially acknowledged that the government had intervened in the market to prop up the yen.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 4, 2024
Japan's yen intervention was effective to an extent, finance minister says
Figures disclosed by the Finance Ministry on Friday indicated that it spent ¥9.8 trillion combined to prop up the yen on April 29 and May 1, a record amount.
A monitor showing the Nikkei 225 index and the yen exchange rate in Tokyo. The yen is expected to remain under pressure given the yawning gap between interest rates in Japan and the U.S.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 1, 2024
Japan spent record ¥9.8 trillion to prop up yen in past month
The record spending on intervention shows the government’s resolve to push back against speculators betting against the yen.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 1.9% in May in the capital, internal affairs ministry data showed Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 31, 2024
Tokyo inflation picked up in May, keeping BOJ on track for rate hike
The capital's inflation figures typically serve a indicator for national trends, suggesting a similar acceleration is likely for the rest of Japan.
Service prices, a key component of Japan’s inflation data, may be sturdier than in the past.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 23, 2024
Steady and widening service price rises may spur BOJ’s next move
Service prices, a key component of Japan’s inflation data, may be sturdier than in the past.
The rate of the U.S. dollar against the yen is displayed on an electronic stock board outside a securities firm in Tokyo earlier this month.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2024
Majority of Japanese firms say weak yen hurts profits: survey
About half of surveyed companies said a yen trading around ¥110 to ¥120 to the dollar would be appropriate.
Japan's gross domestic product shrank at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 16, 2024
Japan’s economy contracts as consumers and firms cut spending
Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2% in the three months through March.
Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024
Japan’s reserves tally likely too early to reflect intervention
Officials continue to conceal whether they have taken action, forcing investors to make educated guesses about the market moves.
Real wages fell 2.5% from a year earlier in March, marking the 24th straight month of declines, exacerbated by a 9.4% drop in bonuses.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 9, 2024
Real wages fell for 24th month in March, dented by 9.4% decline in bonuses
Data for full-time workers that avoid sampling problems and exclude bonuses and overtime pay grew by 2.3%, above 2% for the seventh month.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks to reporters on Tuesday at the Prime Minister's Office following a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2024
BOJ’s Ueda tweaks weak yen remarks in possible hint of rate hike
Yen weakness has escalated despite Japan’s first interest rate hike since 2007 in March.
Shunichi Suzuki, Japan's finance minister
BUSINESS / Markets
May 4, 2024
Japan’s finance minister keeps traders guessing on yen intervention
The comments came days after Japanese authorities apparently entered the market to support the yen on two occasions this week.
Japan's industrial production rose 3.8% in March from February, as demand picked up after two straight months of declines.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 30, 2024
Japan’s factory output records weakest quarter since pandemic
The yen’s plunge to a fresh 34-year low versus the dollar could spur a resurgence of cost-push inflation via higher costs for imports of food and energy.
Core inflation in Japan's capital slowed much more than expected in April, falling below the central bank's 2% target.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 26, 2024
Tokyo inflation slows sharply as education subsidy cuts outlays
A plunge in costs for public and private high schools shaved around half a percentage point from the overall figure, the internal affairs ministry said.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

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