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Shoko Oda
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 22, 2021
From bathhouses to fisheries, hidden inflation is creeping across Japan
Gasoline prices soared to a seven-year high this month and the government is expecting the tightest power supply in a decade this winter.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2021
Soul food photo boosts Twitter profile of Japan's next leader
The politician set to become Japan's next prime minister may not be all that savvy on social media — but a photo of his favorite food struck a chord with Twitter users.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2021
Having secured Japan's top job, Kishida must now win over its voters
While the ex-banker is almost guaranteed to be made prime minister by his party at a special session Monday, within weeks he will need to face a skeptical public in a general election.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 30, 2021
What Japan’s middle-of-the-road new leader means for investors
For good or ill, Kishida is seen by investors as a continuity choice — stable, but unlikely to energize markets much.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2021
Japan's GPIF, world’s top pension fund, won’t invest in China’s sovereign debt
As Chinese debt is being added to the FTSE Russell global bond index, the Japanese fund will instead use a version of the World Government Bond Index that excludes Chinese government bonds.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 3, 2021
Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to extend trading day by 30 minutes
The report comes after the exchange formed a working group earlier this year to discuss extending trading hours past the current 3 p.m. close.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2021
Warren Buffett has made $2 billion so far with bet on Japan's trading houses
The gain of more than 30% across the five firms has outpaced the benchmark Topix index's 21% rise, without accounting for dividend income.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2021
Japan’s post-Olympics stock bounce depends on controlling COVID-19
The Nikkei usually rises when Japan hauls in gold medals, but all bets are off during the pandemic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 28, 2021
Surprising stocks see windfall as Japan tops Olympic medal table
The nation's haul of 11 gold medals is lifting everything from real estate stocks to the shares of seafood vendors with the most tenuous of links to the medalists.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2021
Japanese skateboard stocks jump after host claims gold medals
Shares in Morito Co., which distributes skateboarding gear, were among those that surged Monday after Momiji Nishiya's victory in the Olympic women's street skateboarding event.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2021
GPIF copycat fund bucks the trend to invest in Chinese debt
The move involves the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan, or PMAC, which provides pension services to private school workers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 16, 2021
Japan’s cult outdoor brand wants you to test its high-end tents
Snow Peak's president acknowledges the company's price point may deter some shoppers, but says it reflects the goods' quality and lifetime warranty.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 6, 2021
Tokyo bourse chief optimistic on extending five-hour trading day
The Tokyo Stock Exchange has formed a working group to debate if trading hours can be lengthened past the current 3 p.m. close, which would be the first extension in more than a decade.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 2, 2021
Shohei Ohtani's baseball skills help his sponsors outperform the market
As the U.S. takes note of Ohtani's prodigious ability, some market watchers in Japan are eyeing a third skill — the ability to boost share prices.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 29, 2021
Beware of ‘ESG bubble,’ says ex-chair of world’s biggest pension fund
Eiji Hirano says the Government Pension Investment Fund needs to 'think about how to analyze if ESG is really profitable, as well as how to evaluate and standardize ESG.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2021
Japanese stocks slide as rate concerns damp cyclical appeal
The figures came as hawkish comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve crushed the reflation trade that had driven the market earlier this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2021
Olympics could be ‘show window’ for Tokyo’s booming real estate
While the debate still rages over whether it's safe to hold the Tokyo Olympics, investors in the capital's real estate sector may be saying the games must go on.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 24, 2021
In taking on Toshiba, secretive hedge fund Effissimo ended years of silence
'All Toshiba had to do was agree to an independent investigation,” said an expert on corporate governance in Japan. 'But for some reason, they refused.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
May 20, 2021
Tokyo traders see faster vaccine pace driving markets higher
With the country administering more than 1.3 million doses in the past three days, some strategists are expecting the slow vaccination narrative to shift.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 22, 2021
Dreams of Nikkei record now distant as virus tamps down euphoria
If the government goes on with the Olympics even as circumstances don't support it, some fear investors overseas will view Japan as incapable of dealing with emergencies.

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