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Toru Fujioka
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 17, 2019
Yen likely to hit 80 to the dollar in next Japan recession, former BOJ official says
The yen is likely to reach its strongest level against the dollar in more than six years if Japan enters a recession, which could come as early as the fall of this year, a former central bank official has said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 19, 2018
Bank of Japan's ¥400 trillion cash injection changes little for ordinary people
It's been the most radical cash injection in history — nearly ¥400 trillion pumped into Japan's economy over more than five years to slay deflation and kick growth into higher gear.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 20, 2018
Bank of Japan's price forecasts are headed for another crash with oil
The sharp slide in oil prices threatens to halve Japan's inflation rate over the next six months, while cheaper mobile phone bills and free nursery education could even push it below zero.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 15, 2018
BOJ keeps monetary policy unchanged and downgrades inflation assessment
The Bank of Japan left monetary policy unchanged Friday and downgraded its assessment of inflation, falling further behind its global peers at the end of a busy week for central banks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 6, 2018
U.S. economy could force BOJ's hand on rates, ally of Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda says
The Bank of Japan's next policy move may be to raise its bond-yield target to keep the yen from weakening too much, according to a BOJ adviser and longtime associate of Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2017
Outspoken adviser to Abe urges regime change at BOJ
Amid strong expectations that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may reappoint Haruhiko Kuroda to another term as governor of the Bank of Japan, at least one key voice is calling for fresh blood at the top of the BOJ to lift the nation's flagging inflation rate.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2017
In Japan, wages stubbornly refuse to rise despite tight labor market and steady economic growth
Japan is discovering that even the tightest labor market in a generation is no quick spur for higher wages.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 17, 2017
Abe win may boost chances of another term for Bank of Japan chief
If Shinzo Abe wins Sunday's Lower House election, it will boost the chances that Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda will serve a second term, according to a former economy minister.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 11, 2017
Kuroda's reappointment as Bank of Japan chief likely to hinge on snap poll outcome
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to call a snap election for Oct. 22 has clouded the outlook for Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda and one of the world's most radical monetary policy regimes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2017
Cracks appearing in BOJ's glass ceiling as more women take lead roles at Japan's central bank
Some long-closed doors are opening at the Bank of Japan as it seeks to hire and promote more women in career-track positions.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Sep 28, 2017
Japan's social security burden frustrates BOJ's inflation, spending efforts
Japanese companies are paying more for employees these days. Problem is, the money is going toward social security payroll taxes instead of wages, adding to the frustrations of Bank of Japan policymakers seeking higher wages and stronger inflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 2, 2017
More economists predict inflation will peak this autumn
An increasing number of economists forecast that consumer prices will not only fail to meet the Bank of Japan's target, but that they will peak as soon as this autumn, in stark contrast with the view from Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda and his policy board.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 6, 2017
Experts say key criteria aligning in Japan's long battle to escape deflation
Japan's economy is running the hottest relative to capacity since the global financial crisis. More than four years after the Bank of Japan launched its radical monetary easing, key conditions are aligning in its long battle to truly escape from deflation.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2017
Japanese husbands' pocket money seen shrinking as mothers gain more respect from kids
Salarymen have taken a pummeling in recent years — with pay stagnating and rising numbers of working women and mothers eroding their once-dominant position as the family's breadwinner.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 7, 2017
With Ginza land prices above bubble-era highs, real estate analysts expect correction
Land prices in Tokyo's central Chuo Ward, home to the famous Ginza shopping district, have jumped by 51 percent in four years. In Osaka, they are up by nearly half.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 16, 2017
Tokyo lost and found included ¥3.7 billion in cash last year
In addition to keys and eyeglasses and other commonly lost objects, millions of dollars worth of cash reaches the Tokyo police's lost and found department every year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2017
Regional underdog shows Japanese banks how to beat demographics
Critics say Kochi Shinkin Bank has lost its way and is acting more like an investment firm than a regional lender. Supporters say it shows that provincial banks can thrive in Japan even as their customer base shrinks, so long as they're prepared to adopt new business models.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2017
Rural Japan's folk traditions fading as residents age
Traditions die hard in the small mountain town of Kanegasaki, whose history includes a series of battles nearly 1,000 years ago that drove an ancestor of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to leave the area for southern Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Dec 21, 2016
Kuroda breathes easier, at least for now, as stars align for Bank of Japan
After a long year, the Bank of Japan unexpectedly finds itself in a sweet spot.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2016
Depopulating rust belt counts on 'robonomics' to run assembly lines
A withering factory town in the rust belt is looking for revival through a dose of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's "robot revolution."

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