Tag - economy

 
 

ECONOMY

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a commemorative ceremony at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on July 3, the day new yen notes went into circulation.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024
Japan needs tighter monetary policy to restore balance
Japan’s economy undoubtedly suffers when the yen is too strong; that is why some advocate for a more expansionary monetary policy.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said on Saturday at a forum in Switzerland that monetary tightening would be necessary in Japan if inflationary pressures from decarbonization investments exceed a certain threshold.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 10, 2024
Decarbonization investment to give some inflationary pressure: BOJ chief
Ueda said that monetary tightening would become necessary if inflationary pressure exceeds a certain level.
Donald Trump arrives for an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 10, 2024
Charting the global economy: Trump win reverberates around the world
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Trump’s re-election will have 'no effect' on the central bank’s policy decisions in the near-term.
In a fresh aid package set to be compiled this month, the Japanese government will show its commitment to large-scale strategic support spanning several years in both areas, bearing in mind Rapidus, which has advanced into the Hokkaido region to mass-produce next-generation chips.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 9, 2024
Japan eyes ¥2 trillion for chips and AI in economic package
In the package, to be compiled this month, the government will show its commitment to large-scale support spanning several years in both areas.
Key Square Group founder Scott Bessent speaks at a campaign event for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Asheville, North Carolina, in August.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 9, 2024
Scott Bessent, top candidate for Treasury Secretary, meets with Trump
The Treasury Secretary job is a key Cabinet position, with vast influence over economic, regulatory and international affairs.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan attends a news conference about a bill on raising ceilings on local government debt, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 9, 2024
China unveils $1.4 trillion debt swap, saving stimulus for Trump
China gave indebted local governments a 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) lifeline but stopped short of unleashing new stimulus.
Sanwa Koutsu's Kuroko Taxi service has drivers dressed in traditional stagehand garb communicate with passengers only through gestures and written messages.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024
The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services
“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” one customer says. "I think it’s a pretty smart business move."
Japanese household spending fell in September for the second straight month as higher prices choked consumers' appetite.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2024
Japan’s households cut spending once again as prices rise
Consumer spending in Japan has consistently failed to show clear signs of strength as shoppers have been forced to cope with prices increasing.
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a two-day meeting on interest rate policy in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2024
Powell signals readiness to defy Trump in defense of Fed
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell insisted the incoming president doesn’t have the power to fire him or other senior Fed leaders.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda attends a post-policy meeting news conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 31.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Trump victory might give Bank of Japan some room to maneuver
The Bank of Japan has been under pressure to keep monetary policy accommodative given the state of the economy and the tentativeness of the recovery.
Asian chipmakers, led by Taiwan's TSMC and South Korea's Samsung Electronics, have collectively invested at least $117 billion in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2024
What's at stake for Asian companies under a Trump presidency
Trump has floated the idea of a 10% or more tariff on all goods imported into the U.S.
The Finance Ministry noted firm private consumption in raising its economic assessments in the Kanto region and other areas.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Government upgrades economic views for five regions
In a quarterly report, the Finance Ministry raised its views for the Kanto, Hokuriku, Tokai, Shikoku and Okinawa regions.
The pace of gains in Japanese workers' base pay quickened to 2.6% year on year in September, versus a 2.4% clip in August.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 7, 2024
Japan’s biggest base pay gains in 31 years support case for rate hikes
While base pay rose in September, real wages fell for a second straight month even as price gains slowed.
UA Zensen President Tomoko Nagashima addresses the labor union's meeting in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Nov 6, 2024
Japan’s UA Zensen union aims for continued 6% wage hike in 2025
UA Zensen’s target follows an announcement last month by Rengo that it will continue to aim for at least a 5% pay rise in the next round of negotiations.
During the Bank of Japan's September policy board meeting, some members pointed out that the central bank needs to more carefully communicate with the public to prevent a divergence between its views and those of investors.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 6, 2024
Bank of Japan board member moots Fed-style dot-plot projections
The dot plots show short-term rate projections of U.S. Federal Reserve officials.
The European Commission's executive vice president, Valdis Dombrovskis, and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng finish a joint news conference following the 10th China-EU High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue in Beijing in September 2023.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2024
It's not just U.S. trade hawks. Europe fears China, too.
As China’s economic policies take hold, Europe's economic concerns may be just beginning.
The disparity in adoption of artificial intelligence will cause uneven economic growth, with AI-driven sectors becoming cheaper and more efficient while AI-resistant sectors may slow overall economic progress.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2024
AI’s effect on the U.S. economy will be wildly uneven
Businesses vulnerable to competition will face heavy pressure to adopt the new technology, but in government and education, adoption will be slower.
A screen showing the yen's exchange rate against the U.S. dollar in July
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 5, 2024
Yen is the first of many Japanese assets set to pivot on U.S. election
Given the size and liquidity of its markets, Japan will be in particular focus during the U.S. election.
There will be considerable consistency in U.S. policy regardless of who wins the presidential election, however, and, unfortunately, many of them will trouble allies and partners.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 5, 2024
Regardless of election results, U.S. foreign policy is sure to trouble allies
“Strategic competition between the United States and China is poised to intensify no matter who assumes the U.S. presidency in January 2025.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and senior officials and delegates at the National Peoples Congress in Beijing in March
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 4, 2024
China stimulus questions to persist long after meeting this week
It may be months before detailed plans to support consumption come into focus.

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Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan