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July 16, 2024
 

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Kazuaki Nagata

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Kazuaki Nagata
People attend a seminar, hosted by Daiwa Securities, on the new NISA tax-free investment program last November. Retail investors in Japan have been favoring international investments as they deploy funds held in their fast-growing NISA accounts.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 11, 2024
Yen takes hit as ¥1 trillion flows abroad monthly after NISA tweak
Many taking advantage of changes to the rules for Japan's tax-free savings accounts have been shifting their savings to international investments.
One analyst argues that the billions of dollars flowing from Japan to the likes of Apple, Amazon and Microsoft might be more a positive than a negative in that more companies and individuals are using digital services.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2024
Japan’s digital deficit might be a good thing
The digital deficit indicates that digitalization has accelerated in the country, says Mitsubishi Research Institute researcher Kengo Wataya.
The weakness of the yen is posing a big problem for small and midsize businesses. As for desired exchange rates, 69.5％ said they want the yen trading between ¥110 and ¥135 to the dollar.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2024
Weak yen inflicts major damage to small and midsize businesses, survey says
While some larger, export driven companies have benefited from the weak currency, smaller firms are struggling to adjust.
As interest rates rise, the Bank of Japan will have to pay more on deposits, resulting in a mismatch between what it pays out and how much it receives on bonds it holds.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2024
The Bank of Japan’s $3 trillion problem
As interest rates rise and the deposits it holds become far more expensive, the central bank could end up becoming unprofitable.
The rate of the yen against the dollar displayed in the trading room at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.com in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 27, 2024
Yen taken back to the '80s by messaging missteps and loss of confidence
Some analysts see the speculative fever as unsustainable, and that any signs of U.S. inflation falling faster than expected could allow a dramatic comeback.
For Japan, carbon credits are seen as important as the nation waits for its climate technology bets to pay off.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 24, 2024
Japan makes a late play on under-fire carbon credit trading
The government and Japanese companies see carbon offsets as important as they wait for their climate tech bets to pay off.
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.
GMO Internet Group is making a foray into the artificial intelligence and robot business to spread the use of such tech products and services in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2024
Japan’s GMO takes aim at labor shortage with AI and robotics company
It will focus on matching robot and drone manufacturers and AI developers with businesses.
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.
Sharp's LCD production site in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, in 2009
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 9, 2024
Sharp's LCD plant in Osaka set to be transformed into massive AI data center
The new large-scale facility will support SoftBank’s generative AI and other AI-related businesses.
Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda apologizes during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2024
Japan's auto-testing scandal deepens, resulting in some shipment halts
Toyota and four other Japanese automakers have admitted to falsifying testing data and performing tests under inappropriate conditions, among other infractions.
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said that the automaker will continue to communicate with its suppliers to see whether unfair practices persist and set up a new team directly under him to accelerate reforms on its relations with its subcontractors.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 1, 2024
Nissan challenges TV Tokyo report on subcontractors
The automaker denied allegations that it continued to pressure its suppliers into slashing prices even after receiving a warning from the fair trade regulator.
Ever since the Bank of Japan ended its negative rate policy, calls for the government to strengthen its fiscal discipline have been growing, with the country being haunted by public debt that is about twice the size of its gross domestic product.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
May 30, 2024
Two cheers for the end of free money in Japan
Corporations are better prepared for more expensive money than they were in the past, with strong balance sheets and a better understanding of risk.
Masanori Katayama, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said the association will work with the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association to address the problem of subcontractor bullying.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2024
Japan’s automakers vow to stop squeezing their suppliers
Member companies of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association have agreed to treat subcontractors more fairly when the latter pass on cost increases.
The main targets of a new bill on smartphone software are the app stores provided by Google and Apple, as consumers effectively have only two choices for smartphone operating systems: Apple's iOS or Google’s Android.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 22, 2024
Japan aims to curb Apple and Google's smartphone app duopoly
A new bill would compel dominant platforms to allow third parties to launch their own app markets and to offer more payment options.
A representative explains the features of the Afeela electric vehicle, a Honda-Sony Mobility concept car, at the CES 2024 trade show, in Las Vegas on Jan. 9. The Honda-Sony alliance plans to deliver its first EV model in the spring of 2026 in North America.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 16, 2024
Honda to double investment in electric vehicles and software
The automaker had planned to invest ¥5 trillion ($32.3 billion) for the 10 years through March 2031, but it now plans to spend ¥10 trillion by that point.
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 10, 2024
Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage
Japan Post and Seino Transportation have reached a basic agreement to work together on joint long-haul truck operations.
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
BUSINESS
May 2, 2024
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Stakeholders are pulling out all the stops to restore the creative energy of the Tokyo district known for setting fashion trends in its heyday.
A man walks past an electronic board displaying the exchange rate for the yen against the U.S. dollar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 30, 2024
Did Japan intervene to prop up the yen? Analysts think it did.
The size and timing of the swing indicates that the government stepped in after the currency fell significantly.
A woman walks past the Bank of Japan headquarters in central Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS
Apr 26, 2024
BOJ leaves policy unchanged despite yen’s continued weakness
Investors and market observers had been watching for whether the bank would send more hawkish signals to prop up the Japanese currency.
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.
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.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
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.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
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