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BOJ¥

The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. A Bloomberg survey showed some 14 of 48 economists predict the BOJ will raise its policy rate at the next week’s meeting.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 24, 2024
Most BOJ watchers see July rate hike risk with bond-buying cut
Survey respondents also predicted the central bank will cut bond-buying to ¥5 trillion per month starting in August.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi says the Bank of Japan should more clearly show its intention to normalize monetary policy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024
LDP heavyweight Toshimitsu Motegi calls for clearer sign from BOJ on policy
The remarks suggest growing political frustration over the central bank’s cautious stance as low rates keep pressure on the yen while inflation outpaces wage growth.
The exchange rate for the Japanese yen against the euro (left) and the U.S. dollar is displayed at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo on June 27.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 23, 2024
Citi flags possible euro-yen intervention if rate nears ¥180 level
The euro-yen pair traded as high as ¥175.43 on July 11 — a record since the common currency was launched in 1999 — before retreating.
Bank of Japan officials are divided over whether to raise interest rates at a policy meeting next week, people familiar with the matter say.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 23, 2024
BOJ is said to see weak consumer spending complicating rate call
Weak consumer spending has prompted the government to cut its fiscal year growth forecast to 0.9%, with central bank likely lowering its projection to 0.5%.
Leveraged funds reduced net short positions on the yen the most since March 2011 during the week to July 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 22, 2024
Hedge funds slash short yen bets by most in more than a decade
Hedge funds pared bets against the yen in spectacular fashion after a suspected double-whammy market intervention from Japanese authorities.
The Bank of Japan's headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2024
BOJ urged to halve bond buying in scheduled tightening plan, minutes show
A significant number of the participants also urged the BOJ to taper bond purchases gradually to avoid upending the bond market.
The Nishiki market in Kyoto. June’s inflation report shows extraordinary jumps in the prices of some items favored by households, including cabbage (27.6%), potatoes (28.5%) and tomatoes (15.6%).
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024
Households struggle as Japan’s inflation rises near U.S. levels
Consumer prices in Japan rose 2.8% on the year in June, close to the 3.0% in the United States.
Japan cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, reflecting weaker-than-expected private consumption.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 19, 2024
Japan cuts growth forecast as prime minister warns of weak-yen pain
The government cut its economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year ending in March 2025 to 0.9% from 1.3% projected in January.
The underperformance of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Growth Market 250 illustrates how smaller companies may bear a heavier burden should Bank of Japan officials raise interest rates.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 19, 2024
Newfound love for Japan’s small cap stocks to be tested
Strategists are increasingly concerned that the prospect of rising interest rates will weigh on smaller businesses that are vulnerable to rising borrowing costs.
The International Monetary Fund lowered its 2024 growth estimate for Japan by 0.2 point to 0.7%, citing temporary production suspensions at some automakers over their vehicle test cheating, as well as weak private investment.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 17, 2024
IMF cuts Japan's growth forecast, upbeat on consumption prospects
The IMF says it expects Japan's economy to expand 0.7% this year, down 0.2 percentage point from its forecast in April, after an 1.9% increase in 2023.
Taro Kono, Japan's digital transformation minister, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2024
Taro Kono says central bank needs to raise rates to lift yen
Kono’s remarks could add to pressure on the Bank of Japan’s policy board to raise interest rates when it meets at the end of this month.
An electronic screen displays a graph showing yen exchange rates surging against the U.S. dollar amid an alert to the possibility of intervention in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 16, 2024
Japan keeps up yen warnings as two-day intervention suspected
Bank of Japan data released on Tuesday suggested Tokyo may have spent ¥2.14 trillion ($13.5 billion) intervening on Friday last week.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 15, 2024
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
Despite a boost and a favorable drop in U.S. bond yields, the yen still ended last week up less than 2% against the greenback.
A supermarket in Tokyo. A Bank of Japan survey showed that 87.5% of respondents believe that prices will be even higher in one year's time.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 13, 2024
95% in Japan feel impact of rising prices, BOJ survey shows
The figure for June rose from the 94.4% reported three months earlier.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Many analysts say the central bank would want to avoid rushing policy moves as policymakers probably don’t want to be seen as being forced to act to boost the currency.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 12, 2024
Yen jump eases pressure on BOJ to tighten its policy, analysts say
If the Bank of Japan raised interest rates and announced fewer bond purchases, it could risk being seen as only driven by the volatile yen.
A Bank of Japan survey on households showed that 87.5% expect prices to rise a year from now, up from 83.3% in a previous survey in March.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 12, 2024
Japan households' inflation expectations heighten, quarterly survey shows
Of the total households surveyed by the Bank of Japan, 87.5% said they expect prices to rise a year from now.
Japan's top currency official Masato Kanda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 12, 2024
BOJ rate check fuels yen intervention speculation after a big gain
Several market participants said Japan's central bank had called and asked for indicative exchange rates against the euro.
The Government Pension Investment Fund's holdings of government bonds increased 25% to ¥50.3 trillion in fiscal year ended in March.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 11, 2024
Japan’s public pension fund steps up as BOJ mulls bond cuts
The BOJ is expected to release a plan to substantially reduce its debt buying at the next policy decision later this month.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 10, 2024
Japan’s megabanks are said to seek deep cuts to BOJ bond buying
The bank’s ¥585 trillion bond stockpile exceeds the world’s fourth-largest economy, making bond players watchful for the BOJ’s next move.
Traditional boat parties on the Sumida River in Tokyo are popular for informal gatherings among professionals that deal in Japanese government bonds.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2024
Tokyo’s exclusive circle of government bond traders in demand amid policy shift
The world’s top hedge funds are shaking up the closed community that was, for a time, a sleepy backwater of global finance.

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A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks