Tag - japanese-economy

 
 

JAPANESE ECONOMY

A street in Ota Ward, Tokyo, on March 15. In the year through March, bankruptcies mainly rose among small and midsize companies.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 8, 2024
Japan's business failures top 9,000 for first time in nine years
In the year through March, bankruptcies mainly rose among small and midsize companies as they struggled to raise prices to reflect higher costs.
Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda listens to a question during a news conference after a two-day monetary policy meeting at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on March 19.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 8, 2024
Ueda's first year as BOJ chief marked by smooth handling of policy shift
But the central bank governor now has to balance various factors, including how further rate hikes might affect not just the yen but also households.
Real cash earnings for Japanese workers in February dropped 1.3% from a year earlier, government data has shown.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 8, 2024
Japan’s decline in real wages likely to keep BOJ on hold for now
The latest decline in real wages comes as growth in consumer prices accelerated to 2.8% in February, the quickest pace since November.
A lone Tesla charges in the basement of a commercial property in Tokyo. One of Japan’s biggest obstacles to electric vehicles is subpar charging infrastructure.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2024
How three high-tech countries became laggards in electric vehicles
Japan's slow adoption traces back to a decade-old bet on hydrogen fuel-cell technology, while U.S. and South Korea have hit bottlenecks.
Japanese household spending fell 0.5% in February from a year earlier, down for a 12th straight month, indicating the impact of persistent price increases on spending patterns.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 5, 2024
Japan’s households continue to cut outlays as inflation hits
Outlays decreased 0.5% in February from a year ago, sliding for a 12th consecutive month.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 5, 2024
BOJ downgrades biggest number of regional economies in two years
The central bank kept its appraisals of just two areas unchanged, according to a quarterly regional economic report Thursday.
The Bank of Japan's steady policy normalization process will probably start next year, with potentially a 25-basis-point rate increase every six months, a former policy board member says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 4, 2024
BOJ will wait until October before hiking rates again, says ex-board member
Makoto Sakurai believes a steady policy normalization process may start next year, with potentially a 25-basis-point rate increase every six months.
The yen remains around the three-decade low in the ¥151 range against the dollar even after the Bank of Japan's interest rate hike.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 4, 2024
Why even the BOJ's historic rate hike has failed to revive the yen
Japan’s first interest rate hike in 17 years has failed to deliver the boost to the yen that policymakers had hoped for.
Citigroup is betting that Japan’s bond market revival will gather steam after the Bank of Japan's rate hike.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 4, 2024
Citigroup sees ‘exciting market’ for Japan bonds after BOJ move
"Normalization has started, so we foresee a lot of activity going forward”
Japan's law-abiding pedestrian culture and norms may help explain its economic performance.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2024
The economic consequences of legal behavior
There is a complex relationship between cultural norms, legal systems and economic development.
A seafood restaurant at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo. In a proposal to the government's top economic council, the panel urged policy changes in the face of rising domestic prices and interest rates, as well as wage growth at a 30-year high as companies face job shortages.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 2, 2024
Japan panel calls for shift away from stimulus-driven economy
The panel urged policy changes amid rising domestic prices and interest rates, as well as wage growth at a 30-year high as companies face job shortages.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo. While some BOJ watchers flag the risk the BOJ could move quickly to raise interest rates again, Tsutomu Watanabe, who was a potential governor candidate last year, says he doesn't think the move will come so soon.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 1, 2024
BOJ’s next hike likely in October at earliest, ex-official says
The views of Tsutomu Watanabe contrast with those of some BOJ watchers who flag the risk the BOJ could move quickly as the yen slumps near a 34-year low.
The Bank of Japan's tankan survey showed that large nonmanufacturers saw improvement in their sentiment with the index reaching the highest level since 1991, helped by a surge in inbound tourists.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 1, 2024
Japan service firms’ optimism tempered by softer factory sector
The deterioration in manufacturing sentiment partly reflects the impact from scandals among some vehicle producers.
Department store operator Takashimaya is among the big firms planning to increase hires in spring 2025, a survey shows.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2024
Over 30% of big firms to hire more new grads in '25, survey finds
In addition to new graduate hires, some companies are looking to hire midcareer workers to secure talent amid fierce competition.
A man works at a supermarket in Tokyo last month. Price increases backed by higher ingredient costs have started to come back due to unstable weather, Teikoku Databank has said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 30, 2024
Japan to see prices of 2,806 food items raised in April
The figure exceeds 2,000 for the first time since October last year, though down 48.1% from April last year, when prices increased for 5,404 items.
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.
Prices excluding fresh food rose 2.4% in March in Tokyo, slowing slightly from 2.5% in February.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 29, 2024
Tokyo inflation slows but stays above BOJ target
Prices excluding fresh food rose 2.4% in March from a year before, slowing slightly from 2.5% in February.
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 28, 2024
BOJ summary hints at cautious approach to further rate increases
The summary indicates Gov. Kazuo Ueda and his fellow board members are in favor of taking a slow approach to rate hikes.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 27, 2024
Yen slides to 34-year low, heightening talk of intervention
Although the Bank of Japan hiked rates for the first time in 17 years last week, the yen’s weakness has persisted.
Signs of a decline in hedging demand suggest that local investors are less concerned the yen will rebound sharply.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 26, 2024
Lower hedging costs reveal Japan investors' confidence in weak yen bets
Three-month yen basis swaps, which indicate decreasing demand for hedging the more they rise, closed last week at their highest level since January 2022.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.