Tag - economy

 
 

ECONOMY

According to an annual survey, among all respondents who answered that their living conditions were difficult, 26.5% chose "very difficult" and 33.1% "somewhat difficult."
JAPAN / Society
Jul 6, 2024
60% of households in Japan face 'difficult' living conditions, survey finds
Among all respondents who answered that their living conditions were difficult, 26.5% chose "very difficult" and 33.1% "somewhat difficult."
Bain Capital partner Masashi Suekane during an interview last month
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 5, 2024
Bain Capital to invest ¥5 trillion in Japan over five years
Bain Capital plans to increase its workforce in Japan and has established a team to help firms make effective use of their real estate with low profitability.
Bill Gates delivers a speech at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin in May. He and his ex-wife Melinda Gates started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has had a far-reaching impact on global health and sustainability.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2024
The economics of philanthropy
Philanthropy can help bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots. But wealthy people need more of an incentive to give than just being altruistic.
A monitor displaying the Topix share average, 225-issue Nikkei average and the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar, outside a brokerage in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 5, 2024
Japan’s stock records lack punch of yen’s fall
When the yen collapsed to a 38-year low just days before the stock-index record was achieved, the event was seen as significant and greatly concerning.
The number of bankruptcies in Japan between January and June hit the highest level in a decade, up 22% from the same period last year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 5, 2024
Japan's first-half bankruptcies reach highest mark in a decade, report shows
There were 4,887 bankruptcies between January and June, up 22% from the same period a year ago.
The weak yen continues to attract visitors from abroad, while travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2024
Weak yen slows overseas summer travel recovery
While the currency's weakness continues to attract visitors from abroad, travelers from Japan are rethinking their plans amid rising costs.
OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap speaks at a news conference on the opening of the Japan office in Tokyo in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 5, 2024
Japanese companies lag in AI adoption, white paper says
The white paper also urged action against fake online ads.
A monitor in Tokyo shows Japan's two major stock indexes hitting new highs on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 5, 2024
Investors hunt for Trump-win trades in Japan's stock market
The Topix index gained almost 30% in dollar terms in the year after the 2016 U.S. presidential election that Trump won, beating the S&P 500 and the MSCI World index.
Japanese household spending unexpectedly fell in May as higher prices continued to squeeze consumers' purchasing power.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 5, 2024
Japan’s household spending falls, clouding growth outlook
The yen's slide is expected to further raise prices for imported raw materials, energy, and food.
Circulators on display at a Bic Camera store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district on June 26
JAPAN / Society
Jul 5, 2024
Japan companies beat drum for heat-beating goods
Sales of air conditioners, fans, and circulators are rising with the mercury, as high electricity prices make energy-saving products increasingly popular.
An electronic board in Tokyo shows the Topix stock index on Thursday morning. The index ended the day at 2,898.47, a record high exceeding that set in December 1989.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 4, 2024
Japan's main stock indexes close at record highs
Shares of automakers, banks and technology firms led the gains on the emergence of a robust corporate outlook for the latter half of 2024.
A Vietnamese worker harvests tomatoes at a farm in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2024
Japan faces shortage of almost a million foreign workers in 2040
At the current pace, 5.91 million foreign people will be working in Japan in 2040
The weakness of the yen is posing a big problem for small and midsize businesses. As for desired exchange rates, 69.5% said they want the yen trading between ¥110 and ¥135 to the dollar.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 4, 2024
Weak yen inflicts major damage to small and midsize businesses, survey says
While some larger, export driven companies have benefited from the weak currency, smaller firms are struggling to adjust.
Restaurant chains such as Yoshinoya rely on U.S. beef imports. The price surge has led to Yoshinoya's parent company looking into developing new dishes using ingredients other than beef.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 4, 2024
Soaring prices make U.S. beef procurement hard in Japan
The yen's recent sharp depreciation compounds the problems of reduced supply and strong demand for American beef in other countries.
Workers' monthly pay will rise 5.1% on average this fiscal year, according to a survey of companies conducted since March by union group Rengo.
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2024
Firms deliver biggest pay hikes in 33 years, union survey shows
Workers' monthly pay will rise 5.1% on average this fiscal year, according to union group Rengo.
The Finance Ministry and the National Tax Agency in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2024
Japan's tax revenue sets another record amid a weak yen and inflation
Even with the tax revenue gains, however, Japan’s fiscal plight is severe.
Goldman Sachs Group has hired former Bank of Japan chief economist Akira Otani as senior Japan economic adviser and managing director.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 3, 2024
Goldman Sachs hires former BOJ chief economist Akira Otani
Otani has joined the Wall Street bank’s securities arm in Tokyo as senior Japan economic adviser and managing director.
The supply of super-long Japanese debt is projected to total almost ¥30 trillion in the fiscal year that started on April 1.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 2, 2024
Big risks hound Japan’s longest bonds despite move to cut supply
Japan's government appears to be striving to calm down a market that’s wracked by rising yields.
Elliott Investment Management's sizable stake in Sumitomo reflects a growing shareholder activism in Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2024
Activist investor campaigns hit record high, driven by Japan
The number of new activists campaigns totaled 147, up 7% from 138 in the same period in 2023 and 29% above the five-year average.
As interest rates rise, the Bank of Japan will have to pay more on deposits, resulting in a mismatch between what it pays out and how much it receives on bonds it holds.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 2, 2024
The Bank of Japan’s $3 trillion problem
As interest rates rise and the deposits it holds become far more expensive, the central bank could end up becoming unprofitable.

Longform

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