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April 22, 2025
 

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FINANCE

Former Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Tatsuo Yamasaki previously warned of the possibility of a looming currency intervention two days before Japan entered markets in September 2022.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 3, 2024
Ex-finance official who warned of Japan's 2022 yen intervention sounds alarm
"Officials wouldn’t have issued such strong warnings unless they were prepared.” said Tatsuo Yamasaki, a former vice minister overseeing the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 29, 2024
Japan brought forward emergency yen meeting to maximize market impact, source says
Meeting like these are considered a sign Tokyo is moving closer to intervening in the currency market.
Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, is warning against speculative moves in the foreign exchange market as the yen continues to fall.
BUSINESS
Mar 25, 2024
Japan’s currency chief warns against speculative moves in market
"The current weakening of the yen is not in line with fundamentals and is clearly driven by speculation,” Masato Kanda said.
Japan’s exports grew for a third consecutive month in February on the back of robust shipments of vehicles.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 21, 2024
Japan’s exports rise for third straight month led by autos
The economy is projected to record another small expansion in the current quarter, as the weak yen is expected to continue offering support to exporters.
Business sentiment among major Japanese companies in the January to March period deteriorated to record its first negative reading in four quarters.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 12, 2024
Big Japanese firms' sentiment shows first negative reading in four quarters
The business sentiment index for large companies stood at minus 0.018, according to the joint Finance Ministry-Cabinet Office survey.
Execs at four major Japanese insurers, including Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, will take pay cuts over price fixing.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 1, 2024
Four general insurance firms punish 132 people over price-fixing
The four general insurers, including Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, also submitted business improvement plans to the Financial Services Agency.
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 29, 2024
Japan issues fresh warning against excessive yen moves
The warning by Masato Kanda, Japan's vice finance minister for international affairs, likely reflects Tokyo's desire to prevent further falls in the yen.
In early February, the Finance Ministry announced that government debt at the end of last year had reached a record high of ¥1.2 quadrillion.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 27, 2024
With downfall of Abe faction, some see a shift in Japan’s debt debate
The faction has long promoted fiscal stimulus, but its demise combined with wider economic conditions could open up space for a different approach.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki (left) speaks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a plenary session of the Lower House in Tokyo on Jan. 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 17, 2024
Japan finance chief eyes future rise in interest rates, report says
"The Bank of Japan holds jurisdiction over monetary policy. But there will be a phase when interest rates go up," Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said.
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2023
Japan cuts spending for first time in 12 years in fiscal 2024 budget
The budget for the coming fiscal year that starts in April is estimated at ¥112.07 trillion, down 2% from the current year's initial amount.
Business sentiment among major Japanese companies was positive for the third successive quarter in October to December, led by a continued improvement in automobile-related industries.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 11, 2023
Sentiment of Japan's big firms remains positive in latest quarter
The business sentiment index for companies with capital of ¥1 billion or more stood at plus 4.8, against plus 5.8 in the previous quarter.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 17, 2023
Specific yen level not used to decide intervention, official says
"We won't intervene just because the yen is weakening," Deputy Finance Minister Ryosei Akazawa told parliament.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda in a news conference on Tuesday, when the central bank adjusted its cap on bond yields.
BUSINESS / Markets
Nov 2, 2023
Japan's yen and bond priorities at odds as market pressure grows
Unscheduled bond purchases by the Bank of Japan Wednesday worked directly against Finance Ministry efforts to support the yen.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 4, 2023
Yen rebounds from ¥150 to dollar as Japan mum on intervention
The yen quickly strengthened to ¥147.30 against the dollar, with its swift recovery sparking chatter that a quiet intervention had occurred.
Japan bought yen in September 2022, its first foray in the market to boost its currency since 1998, after a Bank of Japan decision to maintain an ultraloose monetary policy drove the yen as low as ¥145 per dollar.
BUSINESS / Markets / EXPLAINER
Oct 2, 2023
What intervention by Japan to stem yen weakness could look like
Aside from verbal intervention, the government has several options to stem what it considers excessive yen falls.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Sep 29, 2023
Biggest selloff in 25 years hits Japan bonds as BOJ loosens grip
The selloff is a reminder that the nation’s debt market relies in part on support from public-sector institutions to outperform global peers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 15, 2023
Osaka court rules against disclosure of Moritomo Gakuen papers
Accepting the plaintiff's petition "could cause problems such as the destruction of criminal evidence in future investigations," the judge concluded.
The yen remains vulnerable to sharp movements and government intervention even after its rally at the start of this week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 12, 2023
Imminent Fed meet keeps yen intervention on agenda despite rally
U.S. inflation figures set to be released Wednesday are expected to show price growth accelerating for a second month in August versus a year earlier
The yen has depreciated about 3% since the Bank of Japan decided to tolerate higher benchmark bond yields on July 28.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 15, 2023
Yen weakens toward level that prompted September intervention
The currency has depreciated about 3% since the Bank of Japan decided to tolerate higher benchmark bond yields on July 28.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. Some economists see the central bank’s loosening of restraints on 10-year bond yields as a message to the government that it now will have to do financial management responsibly, because the BOJ won’t control yields as firmly as it used to.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2023
Japan’s fiscal plight draws scrutiny after BOJ policy tweak
Tokyo seeking to expand spending on defense and child care, even as the national debt has grown to almost 260% of gross domestic product.
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
Pope Francis, radical leader who broke the papal mold, dies at 88
Pope Francis blesses the faithful during the weekly general audience at the Vatican in August 2023.
Japan mulls reviewing car safety rules to strike deal with Trump
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister and top tariff negotiator with the U.S., speaks to the press upon his arrival at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Friday.
Japan tariff negotiator rules out quick U.S. deal despite push by Trump
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's top tariff negotiator with the U.S., speaks to reporters upon his arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Friday, a day after talks in Washington.
Shohei Ohtani announces birth of daughter
Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka attend a Lakers game in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2024.
The floor is art: Takuro Tamayama transforms mundanity
Takuro Tamayama’s sculpture “Models (Pair, 6 sets, 12 rings)” comes with a mathematical formation that scales it for different spaces.
Nothing sells like Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s marketing megastar
People walk past an advertisement featuring Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani outside Tokyo Dome on March 18.
Calling all Potterheads: ‘The Goblet of Fire’ comes to Tokyo
The Tokyo version of the globe-trotting exhibition features a Ministry of Magic set, which includes an imposing replica of the Magic Is Might monument representing magical fascism.
Tokyo stock picker advises Trump-proofing portfolios with Godzilla creator Toho
The head of Godzilla, a Japanese monster movie character, is seen on a building of Toho Cinema in Tokyo. Toho is one tariff-defensive stock being recommended by brokers.
LDP and CDP lawmaker groups propose 0% consumption tax on food
A vegetable stand displays prices at a supermarket in Tokyo in 2023. Some lawmakers are proposing lowering the consumption tax on food to 0%, which is expected to result in a loss of up to ¥5 trillion in tax revenue annually.

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