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November 21, 2024
 

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Makiko Yamazaki
Masato Kanda, then-vice minister of finance for international affairs, in January 2022
BUSINESS
Nov 13, 2024
As pain from weak yen deepens, Japan's ex-currency chief Masato Kanda warns of action
Kanda's warning came as the Japanese currency weakened to a three-month low of near ¥155 to the dollar.
Tokyo's Ginza shopping district. In its revised estimates, the Cabinet Office cut its inflation-adjusted GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March 2025 to 0.7% from 0.9% projected in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 1, 2024
Japan cuts growth forecast again for current fiscal year on weak exports
In its revised estimates, the Cabinet Office cut its inflation-adjusted GDP growth forecast for the year ending in March 2025 to 0.7% from 0.9% projected in July.
Infcurion offers technology powering a range of payments services such as digital wallets and credit cards.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 11, 2024
Japanese payments company Infcurion says planning IPO in 2025
Infcurion, founded in 2006, offers technology powering a range of payments services such as digital wallets and credit cards.
Big nonmanufacturers' mood has improved, the Bank of Japan's <i>tankan</i> survey shows, underscoring the strength of domestic demand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 1, 2024
Big manufacturer sentiment steady in third quarter, tankan survey shows
While the survey found optimism among manufacturers, nonmanufacturers expect conditions to worsen in the months ahead.
7-Eleven's parent company this month rejected a $38.5 billion offer from Circle-K owner Couche-Tard, citing concerns about price.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 17, 2024
7-Eleven parent's new security rating won't affect a buyout, minister says
The finance minister's comments appeared aimed at easing investor concerns about the move.
Masato Kanda, Japan's former top currency diplomat, led massive bouts of yen-buying intervention in the currency markets in 2022 and 2024.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2024
Japan nominates ex-currency diplomat Kanda to head ADB
Since its 1966 founding, the ADB's top post has always gone to a Japanese national, making Kanda a strong candidate.
Digital transformation minister Taro Kono has described Japan's current fiscal state as an "emergency situation," saying the nation has to regain fiscal discipline.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2024
Japan's budget demands hit record as leadership race steps up
The race could complicate Tokyo's efforts to restore fiscal discipline.
Seven & I is currently categorized on the Finance Ministry's classification list as a company that conducts "designated," but not "core" businesses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2024
Japanese companies cannot use national security cover to block takeovers, official says
Japanese companies cannot use a national security designation as a tool to thwart foreign takeovers, a senior Finance Ministry official said.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food climbed 2.7% in July from a year earlier, accelerating slightly from 2.6% in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 23, 2024
Japan's core inflation picks up, but demand-driven growth slows
The "core core" index, which is closely watched by the BOJ, dipped below the key 2% line for the first time since September 2022.
Vehicles bound for shipment parked in front of the Lyra Leader vehicles carrier ship at the Nagoya Port in Nagoya. Japan's exports rose in July but shipment volumes extended their declines.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 21, 2024
Japan's July exports growth lags expectations as volumes fall again
Japanese exports rose 10.3% year-on-year in July, less than a median market forecast for an 11.4% increase.
People walk along Takeshita street at Harajuku shopping area in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 15, 2024
Japan's economy rebounds strongly on consumption boost, backing case for more rate hikes
The Bank of Japan had forecast that a solid economic recovery will help inflation hit its 2% target and justify raising interest rates further.
The rate of the yen against the dollar displayed in the trading room at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on April 25.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 7, 2024
Japan's April yen-buying intervention sets new daily record
Quarterly data from the Finance Ministry showed that Japan spent a record ¥5.92 trillion on a single-day yen-buying intervention on April 29.
Shigeru Ishiba speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 7, 2024
LDP bigwig Ishiba endorses BOJ's rate hikes
"The Bank of Japan is on the right policy track" in raising interest rates, Shigeru Ishiba said.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a news conference at a Group of 20 finance chiefs meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 27, 2024
Japan touts G20 reaffirmation of forex commitments as key achievement
The commitments say G20 nations recognize that disorderly movements in exchange rates can have adverse implications for economic and financial stability.
A worker at Sakai Seisakusyo prepares to transport metal rods at its factory in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, on July 8.
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2024
Japan finds a 'stealth' cure for zombie businesses: Let them fail
The shift in thinking is a clear departure for a country that has typically sought to avoid bankruptcies and protect existing jobs at the cost of productivity.
A monitor at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo shows the yen falling below ¥161 against the dollar on Friday morning.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 28, 2024
Japan names new forex diplomat as yen hits 38-year low
Atsushi Mimura, a financial regulation veteran, replaces Masato Kanda, who launched the biggest yen-buying intervention on record this year.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024
Japan to stick to goal of primary budget surplus next fiscal year
The government will also continue to try to lower the ratio of debt to gross domestic product, a draft of annual policy guidelines for budget planning said.
The head of the Bank of Japan has ruled out using monetary policy to directly influence exchange-rate moves, but signaled the chance of raising rates if the weak yen pushes up inflation more than expected.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 7, 2024
Japan growth strategy panel calls for vigilance to weak yen impact
The call reflects the government's growing concerns about a weak yen.
Trade no longer generates a surplus in Japan, reflecting a surge in the cost of energy imports and an increase in offshore production.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 30, 2024
Yen's relentless slide revives Japan's interest in structural reforms
The currency's persistent weakness has alerted policymakers to more fundamental drivers behind it, such as the nation's dwindling global competitiveness.
Katsunobu Kato, former chief Cabinet secretary and a ruling party veteran, says the Bank of Japan must keep a close eye on economic conditions and coordinate carefully with the government in working out when to raise rates.
BUSINESS
May 13, 2024
Japan on track to normalize monetary policy, says ruling party heavyweight
The weak yen has inflated import costs, hurting consumption and creating headaches for policymakers looking to shore up a fragile economic recovery.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world
mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world

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