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April 01, 2025
 

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Toru Fujioka
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2022
How the Bank of Japan took on the bond vigilantes and won — for now
Japan was the epicenter of market drama after the central bank set in motion a four-day buying spree of government bonds last week to stave off a global debt rout.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2022
Tokyo inflation hits fastest clip in two years on energy
Consumer prices excluding fresh food climbed 0.8% in the capital in March from a year earlier, fueled by higher electricity bills and more expensive natural gas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 18, 2022
BOJ maintains easing stance, highlighting policy divergence
The bank left its interest rates and asset purchases unchanged, according to a statement Friday, as predicted by all economists in a survey.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2022
Weaker yen likely to prompt BOJ message shift, ex-official says
'The yen has already moved a lot compared with last year, so a further weakening means volatility has generally been high,' says Kazuo Momma.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 15, 2022
Bank of Japan chief risks hitting inflation goal in a way he doesn’t want
Economists are predicting core consumer prices will rise at a pace of 2% or more this year as surging energy prices, a weakening yen and stabilizing phone charges feed inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2022
Japan’s economy needs more spending aid, Abenomics advocate says
The call for more stimulus by Etsuro Honda comes barely three months after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a bigger-than-expected u00a556 trillion package to support the economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 25, 2022
Faster Tokyo price gains to keep BOJ speculation smoldering
Excluding fresh food, consumer prices in the capital increased 0.5% from a year earlier as utility bills soared, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 24, 2022
Bank of America analysts see BOJ ending negative rates with October hike
The report is likely to fuel speculation over possible BOJ policy normalization even though Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has repeatedly rejected the idea, given ongoing weakness in inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2022
Japan’s slower inflation offers BOJ support for stimulus stance
Growth in consumer prices excluding fresh food slowed to 0.2% in January from a year earlier, compared with 0.5% the previous month, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 14, 2022
BOJ intervenes to cap Japanese yields just as havens find favor
The Bank of Japan offered to buy an unlimited amount of five to 10-year bonds at fixed rates in a bid to cap the recent rise in yields.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 9, 2022
Persuading markets the BOJ won't pivot is getting harder for its governor
Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda remains the last staunch dove at the world's biggest central banks outside of China as inflation gathers pace.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2022
Japanese economy at risk of shrinking again due to omicron
Many Tokyo-based economists are among those warning that the omicron wave could trigger yet another quarter of negative growth for the world's third-largest economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 31, 2022
Ex-official warns BOJ against using digital yen to juice policy
Hiromi Yamaoka said that while it's clear Japan's payment systems need to change, he is totally against the idea of the central bank using a digital yen to gain extra policy leverage.
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2022
Tokyo inflation slows, bolstering BOJ case for standing pat
The slowdown in Tokyo inflation signals just how different Japan is from other major economies where surging consumer prices are pushing central banks to rein in pandemic-era stimulus.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 21, 2022
Japan prices fail to make more progress toward distant BOJ goal
The subdued inflation reading is likely to cool speculation that the BOJ may take steps to adjust policy in light of expected price increases.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 17, 2022
BOJ’s future path could start to emerge during Kuroda’s last lap
Surveyed economists say that in the unlikely scenario the BOJ responds to price pressures or yen weakness, the most likely step would be to adjust its messaging rather than policy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 6, 2022
Bank of Japan plans to discuss changing long-held view on price risks, sources say
The central bank meets on Jan. 17 and 18, with its quarterly report on prices and growth likely to be the focus of interest.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 15, 2021
For those watching the Bank of Japan, actions speak louder than words
By taking a stealthier approach than its peers, Japan's central bank has been able to wind back pandemic stimulus without rattling markets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2021
BOJ likely to scale down COVID-19 aid, former executive says
The BOJ could extend some parts of the program beyond March, while scaling back other areas such as its corporate debt buying, says the former leader of the bank's pandemic crisis response.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 26, 2021
Fuel prices drive fastest Tokyo inflation in 16 months
Prices in the capital, excluding those for fresh food, increased 0.3% in November from a year earlier, the internal affairs ministry reported Friday.
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
Alert raised for volcano in southwestern Japan
Shinmoedake, a volcano located between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in November 2019
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
Who among the opposition would join the ruling coalition?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air
Scenes like this snow-covered bridge leading to the village of Shirakawa-go are what make the Three-Star Road worth traveling — its name notwithstanding.
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.

Podcast

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Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
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