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November 22, 2024
 

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ECONOMY

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.
People attend a seminar, hosted by Daiwa Securities, on the new NISA tax-free investment program last November. Retail investors in Japan have been favoring international investments as they deploy funds held in their fast-growing NISA accounts.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 11, 2024
Yen takes hit as ¥1 trillion flows abroad monthly after NISA tweak
Many taking advantage of changes to the rules for Japan's tax-free savings accounts have been shifting their savings to international investments.
The Nikkei stock average hit another record high on Thursday, rising above the 42,000 level for the first time.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 11, 2024
Japan's Nikkei average hits record high, topping 42,000 on Wall Street gains
The 225-issue average went on to secure a third consecutive record high close this week, after an overnight rally in U.S. stocks boosted investor sentiment.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (center-left) meets with Samoan Prime Minister Afioga Fiame Naomi Mata’afa (center-right) in Samoa in February. Like other Pacific island and Global South states, Samoa is caught in the crossfire of the U.S.-China rivalry.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 11, 2024
Japan can help Global South navigate U.S.-China clash
As Washington and Beijing adopt more inward-looking foreign policies, Japan can be a bridge to Global South countries, whose main concerns are security and growth.
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.
Japan's core machinery orders unexpectedly fell for a second straight month in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 11, 2024
Japan's key capex gauge falls again, clouds outlook for durable growth
The volatile leading indicator of capital spending fell 3.2% month-on-month in May, following a 2.9% drop in April.
Electronic waste — also known as e-waste — from computers in a junk shop in Metro Manila, Philippines
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 11, 2024
U.N. warns digital economy drive is damaging the environment
The U.N. agency called for sustainable strategies to counter the growing environmental toll digitalization creates, particularly in developing countries.
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.
Japan's excessive dependence on certain countries for chip imports is a risk to supply networks, government white paper has warned.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 9, 2024
Government white paper flags Japan's risks of import dependencies
The paper stressed the importance of import source diversification, to prevent excessive dependence that poses a risk to supply networks.
An electronic board in Tokyo shows the Nikkei stock index's new closing high on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 9, 2024
Japan's Nikkei marks record closing high as chip-related shares rally
The Nikkei closed 1.96% higher at 41,580.17, after rising as much as 2.4% to a record intraday high of 41,769.35.
Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku, Tokyo. According to data recently published by Mercer, Tokyo fell 30 places from 2023 and is now the 49th most expensive city in the world, just ahead of Houston.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 9, 2024
Tokyo is cheaper to live in than San Juan, according to global survey
The capital fell a full 30 places from 2023. It was No. 3 in 2020 and No. 1 as recently as 2012.
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.
Some regional smaller firms have decided to prioritize raising pay to retain or hire workers, even if they have not been earning sufficient profits, the Bank of Japan has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Bank of Japan sees wage hikes spreading across economy
The optimistic assessment may heighten the case for the central bank to raise interest rates as soon as its next meeting on July 30 and 31.
How policymakers have responded to past economic crises, such as the 2008-09 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, will shape their preparedness in dealing with future recessions. 
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2024
Policy lessons from recent economic crises
Eventually, the world will face another recession. How will policymakers use the lessons learned from the 2008-09 financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic to respond?
Japan logged a current account surplus for the 16th straight month in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Japan logs largest May current account surplus
The country logged a current account surplus for the 16th straight month.
A working group led by the Japan Securities Dealers Association finished a series of monthly meetings in June that discussed details of applying covenants to local corporate notes with lower ratings.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Japan pushes for greater use of protections on corporate bonds
A Japan Securities Dealers Association working group finished meetings in June on adding covenants to lower-rated corporate notes.
Japanese workers' base pay increased 2.5% in May from a year ago, the fastest growth since 1993.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 8, 2024
Japan base pay jumps most since 1993 in positive signal for BOJ
Base pay increased 2.5% in May from a year ago, the fastest growth since 1993.
Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture. The mayor of Himeji has suggested that foreign tourists pay four times more to enter the castle than the current ¥1,000 entrance fee.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 8, 2024
Japan really should charge tourists four times more
The suggestion by a Kansai mayor that foreign visitors pay more for tourist attractions doesn't go far enough. The government should establish a nationwide policy.
Several support networks have launched to help startup founders in Japan whose native language isn't Japanese.
BUSINESS / Companies / Longform
Jul 8, 2024
As Japan's startup ecosystem grows, so does a supportive community of entrepreneurs
Interest in startups is outpacing ecosystem capabilities, which has led more founders to turn to each other for guidance and support.
One analyst argues that the billions of dollars flowing from Japan to the likes of Apple, Amazon and Microsoft might be more a positive than a negative in that more companies and individuals are using digital services.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 7, 2024
Japan’s digital deficit might be a good thing
The digital deficit indicates that digitalization has accelerated in the country, says Mitsubishi Research Institute researcher Kengo Wataya.
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.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
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.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
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.

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

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SWCC keeps changing with keyword ‘new challenges’

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