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Leika Kihara
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 7, 2020
Japanese lawmaker wants sales tax ditched as coronavirus weighs heavily on economy
Hiroshi Ando said the raising of the sales tax rate to 10 percent last October was a mistake because the economy was already in a downturn.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2020
BOJ taps big data for tips on guiding economy through pandemic pain
The conservative central bank now has a 180-member statistics team trolling through new types of data to gain new insights into the virus-hindered economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 25, 2020
Japan's izakaya, a staple of after-work socializing, crippled by pandemic
Even though virus controls were lifted in May, more people working from home and social-distancing rules have forced most outlets to halve their seating.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 8, 2020
Economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura warns against deepening negative rates
The minister said Japan's priority should be on protecting jobs and businesses, not stimulating consumption and travel.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 8, 2020
Pandemic sets Japan on course for recession as spending and service activity plunge
Overtime pay, a barometer of strength in corporate activity, also fell at a record pace in March, data showed.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 3, 2020
Coronavirus threatens revival of Japan's deflationary nemesis
Years after Japan made a cautious recovery from its long deflationary spell, the world's third-largest economy may be headed back into a cycle of falling prices as the coronavirus threatens a deep downturn and policymakers struggle for options.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 13, 2020
Japan's economic policymakers now factoring in Olympics cancellation, sources say
Even as Japan has stressed that the Olympics will proceed as planned, government and central bank officials are more seriously weighing the risk of cancellation when making projections for this year's economic outlook, sources said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 5, 2020
Follow the Fed? Why central banks won't be rushed on COVID-19 response
Will the world's big central banks leave U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hanging? They're certainly going to try.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 27, 2019
Deepening negative rates would do more harm than good, says Bank of Japan ex-deputy
The Bank of Japan has nearly exhausted its policy ammunition for boosting the economy, as deepening negative interest rates — seen as the most likely step if it were to expand stimulus — will do more harm than good, former BOJ Deputy Gov. Toshiro Mutoh has said.
BUSINESS
Oct 31, 2019
Bank of Japan keeps policy steady but sends clearer signal of future rate cut
The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady on Thursday as expected but offered a stronger signal it may cut interest rates in the future, underscoring its concern that overseas risks could derail the country's fragile economic recovery.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 20, 2019
BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda says central bank can 'certainly' cut short-term rates if further easing is needed
If it needs to ease monetary policy, the Bank of Japan will u2018certainly' reduce short- to medium-term interest rates, Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda says.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2019
How Japan turned against 'bazooka'-wielding central bank chief Haruhiko Kuroda
In late January 2016, the lights were on well past midnight on the seventh floor of the Bank of Japan's headquarters. Inside, a handful of bureaucrats were working on a shock plan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 19, 2019
Regional bank in Japan battles ultralow interest rates with wine bar and sea urchins
As years of near-zero interest rates in Japan make traditional lending barely profitable, one regional bank is seeking to drum up business through less conventional enterprises, from opening wine bars to helping fishermen farm sea urchins.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2018
Heard on the grapevine: How the Pacific trade pact primes New Zealand wine for Japanese market
From sleepy New Zealand hillsides to sleek Tokyo dining scenes, a bottle of Hawke's Bay wine shipped to Japan traces an arc that exporters like Nigel Avery see as an avenue for multimillion dollar growth built on a free trade pact.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Apr 22, 2018
Japan may soften trade stance as U.S. keeps up pressure
Despite calls to resist protectionism and for the United States to rejoin a multilateral trans-Pacific trade pact, Japan is gradually shifting gear to adjust to a trade environment shaken up by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 31, 2018
Japan may be forced to do bilateral trade deal with U.S.: ex-diplomat
Japan will have little choice but to enter into a bilateral trade deal with the United States similar to one President Donald Trump clinched with South Korea, a former top currency diplomat from Japan said.
BUSINESS
Feb 22, 2018
Abe adviser says BOJ should consider buying foreign bonds to reflate economy
The Bank of Japan should consider buying foreign bonds as part of efforts to reflate the economy during Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda's second term at the central bank helm, an economic adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 26, 2017
Abe's post-election policy targets wages but delays fiscal reform
The prime minister's economic agenda is shaping up after his election win with a focus on steering firms to hike wages, and with moves to shift fiscal prudence targets.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 29, 2017
Japan's strong inflation, factory output point to robust recovery
A flurry of positive Japanese economic indicators bolsters optimism about the world's No. 3 economy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 11, 2017
Japan's regional bank consolidation 'inevitable' as BOJ's prolonged ultraeasy policy hurts profits: FSA
Further consolidation among Japan's regional banks is inevitable given the rapidly aging population and ultralow interest rates, according to an adviser to the Financial Services Agency.

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